By Liz Alper

Photo: San Diego Padres on Twitter

March 31, 2016 (El Paso, Tx.) - With Opening Day coming up on Monday, the Padres traveled to El Paso to wrap up spring training against the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas.

By Susan Brinchman

March 31, 2016 (La Mesa) - Depot Springs Beer Company is apparently planning an outdoor music venue and brewery/restaurant in Fletcher Hills, La Mesa, at Dallas St and Fletcher Parkway. According to promotional literature, the La Mesa Planning Commission appears to have recently approved an amphitheater with live (outdoor) music until midnight, daily. The promotional literature further portrays this brewery and plan as being "family-friendly," but some nearby residents are upset.

By Miriam Raftery

March 31, 2016 (Lemon Grove) –The Lemon Grove/Spring Valley area would have its own district to elect a trustee to the Grossmont Union High School District’s board under a plan that the GUHSD approved, but  that must next be approved or rejected by the County Office of Education’s Committee on School District Organization.

The County committee previously announced five hearings on the redistricting plan. Now, the committee announces a sixth hearing to be held on Wednesday, April 6 from 6-8 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Library community room, 3001 School Lane in Lemon Grove. (Map)

Other upcoming hearings will be held in Lakeside, Alpine and Jamul. For a full list of all hearings and rules for public comment, click here.   

To view data on the GUHSD redistricting plan including demographic details and maps, click here.

By Leon Thompson

March 31, 2016 (San Diego’s East village) -- The San Diego Padres season home opener is Monday April 4^th at Petco Park.  The Padres host the Los Angeles Dodgers to kick off the 2016 season.  The first pitch is at 4:05 p.m. 

East County News Service

Photos by  R. Jordan Photography

Photo, left, Best of Show in 2015

March 31, 2016 (El Cajon) – The Cajon Classic Cruises season will rev to life starting April 20^th in downtown El Cajon.  This annual family-friendly event will take place each Wednesday evening from  5 p.m. to 8 p.m. along Main Street near Magnolia.

Source: County News Service

March 30, 2016 (San Diego) -- The County’s Department of Planning & Development Services released its blueprint this week to enlist the public’s help to create a County Climate Action Plan that would cut greenhouse gas emissions.

By Janis Russell

March 30, 2016 (Ramona) - Capability Ranch: Special Needs Activities and Events Center for Youth and Young Adults located in Ramona has been open for over a year. Nicola Bridges, founder of the ranch, and her husband, Tony Oxley, have been operating this ranch along with volunteers who teach activities. The ranch is geared towards young people who are 16-27 years of age, with the average being 21 years. ECM participated in an exclusive interview with Bridges.

East County News Service

March 30, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- This summer, for one week, June 3-12, the ATV Safety Institute will be rolling out ATV Safety Week throughout the country and you’re invited to join in. The Institute is working with partners all across the country who have volunteered to provide free ATV RiderCourse training and other ATV safety education opportunities.

By Leon Thompson

Photo: left to right:  Andrew Keatts, Laura Espinoza, Jim Stone and Rob Schupp

March 30, 2016 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Conversations invited residents to “join the conversation” to discuss The Future of Transportation in La Mesa on March 28^th at the Mason Lodge, where a panel of transportation experts enlightened an audience of about two dozen people.

East County News Service

March 30, 2016 (San Diego) -- On April 15, 2016 at 7:30 PM, San Diego State's top orchestral and premier wind ensembles join forces with the 120-voice chamber and concert choirs on the stage at the Jacobs Music Center at Copley Symphony Hall to present a mega-concert experience. Downtown features more than 250 musicians performing works by Wagner, Vaughan Williams, and Beethoven from the School of Music and Dance, this is a program that Jim Chute of UT San Diego called a "powerhouse."

March 30,  2016 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• In San Diego, Syrian refugee family finds safe haven (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• U.S. Border officials accused of denying food to asylum seekers (KPBS)
• Janitors carry the cross and have feet washed (Reporting San Diego)
• Elderly man robbed at his Rancho San Diego home (10 News)
• Sheriff investigates Ag Boosters missing funds (Ramona Sentinel)
• UCSD caught in debate over fetal tissue research (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• HIV trial set for next year (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Many Latino, African-American Students Opting Out Of AP Classes (KPBS)
• Records show dead frogs, moldy classrooms (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Transit Funding Emerges As Key Issue For SANDAG Tax Increase (KPBS)
• Water bill jump hard to swallow in Rainbow (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Despite the Porter Ranch disaster, the top executive at SoCalGas is getting an enormous bonus (Los Angeles Times)  
• Audit: University of California undermines resident students (KPBS)
• Kamala Harris the `female Obama’ plots her course on the road to Washington (Guardian)
• Solar arrays in the desert: killing more birds than you imagine (Memories of the People)
• FPPC opens limited probe of Brown aide  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Dianne Feinstein to Obama: Turn on the Taps! (Breitbart News)
• Everything We Thought We Knew About the Two-Thirds Voter Requirement Could Change if New Ruling Holds (Voice of San Diego)
• As Chinese Investors Sweep Into Bordeaux Region, French Winemakers Are Buying Up California Vineyards (The Daily Meal)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Mark Nozelle on FlickR, Creative Commons

March 29, 2016 (New York) - Hilary Clinton indicated today she may be “open” to a debate in New York against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – but only after being blasted on social media for stating she wouldn’t debate Sanders unless he changed his “tone” and avoided “negative” campaigning.  In particular, she objects to Sanders bringing up hefty donations and speaking fees she took from Wall Street and votes she has cast that favored the financial industry.

Answering your questions about writing, publishing, and marketing books

By Sarka-Jonae Miller

Andrew Case joins us on the Ask An Author column to answers a question from a reader and a few from me while fitting in a nice nod to La Jolla. Case is an award-winning playwright and the author of The Big Fear, currently the #2 best seller in the kindle store on Amazon.com.

By Ed Barrena

March 29, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- Pew Research Center published an article by Paul Taylor this week with some interesting political analysis, detailing a move toward polarization of the two political parties. The article discusses points from the first chapter of a book that Taylor co-authored with Pew Research entitled, “The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown.” The book was originally released as a hardback in 2014 and now a paperback edition is being released with 100 pages of additional material.