By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

The sardine population is continuing to collapse, according to a new assessment by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.(Photo: jasonwebber01/morguefile)

March 7, 2016 (Los Angeles) -- A new federal assessment shows the population of sardines off the West Coast has continued to plummet; it's a third lower than last spring, even though the entire sardine fishery was closed in 2015.

Hear our interview with Jonathan Markovitz:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

March 7, 2016 (San Diego) –Last month, the American Civil Liberties Chapter of San Diego sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department signed by 25 community leaders asking for an investigation of the San Diego Police Department’s use of force against mentally ill people.  We sat down with Jonathan Markovitz from the San Diego ACLU for an interview on KNSJ, the Network for Social Justice.  You can hear our interview at the link in this story.

The letter was prompted by recent shootings including the fatal shooting of Fridoon Rawshan Nehad (photo, left), an Afghan army veteran who has suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome.  The officer was mistakenly informed by a dispatcher that Nehad had a knife. But surveillance video showed that he was unarmed, walking down an alley carrying only a pen, when he was shot and killed.

By Sierra Billock, pageant director 

March 6, 2016 (La Mesa/Santee) - On Saturday, March 5, 2016 the city of La Mesa and the city of Santee held one of their most grand traditions, the Miss La Mesa and Miss Santee Pageants.  The programs have been a tradition in the cities since the late 1960’s and are an outstanding mentoring program for young women.  Mayor Voepel from Santee and Mayor Araposathis from La Mesa were in attendance to formally present Miss La Mesa 2016 Susanna Wiggins, Miss Teen La Mesa 2016 Jennifer Barillas, Miss Santee 2016 Marrissa Lawrence and Miss Teen Santee 2016 Kaylyn Rambo.

Source:  County of San Diego DEH

March 6, 2016 (San Diego) -- The Department of Environmental Health has issued a General Rain Advisory for the coastal waters of San Diego County due to recent rainfall. Swimmers, surfers, and other ocean users are warned that levels of bacteria can rise significantly in ocean and bay waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets that discharge urban runoff. Urban runoff may contain large amounts of bacteria from a variety of sources such as animal waste, soil, and decomposing vegetation. While many coastal storm drains within San Diego County are permanently posted with white metal warning signs, additional temporary warning signs are not posted for General Advisories, activities such as swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided in all coastal waters for 72 hours following rain. This includes all coastal beaches and all of Mission Bay and San Diego Bay. Elevated bacteria levels can persist after a rainstorm depending upon the intensity of the storm, volume of runoff and ocean and current conditions. 

By Miriam Raftery

March 6, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Former First Lady Nancy Reagan, one of the most influential presidential wives in modern times, passed away today at age 94 of congestive heart failure.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

March 6, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- I don’t think I’ve sported a better tan during what has been predicted to be the wettest year in decades. I know I’ve been preaching El Nino Preparedness and catching grief about it. Please El Nino - raise your head and rain upon us…I can look foolish on my own!

East County News Service

March 5, 2016 (La Mesa) –“Many of you have asked for a time to meet myself and the entire Depot Springs team,” says Aaron Dean, owner of the Depot Springs Beer Company restaurant, brewery and entertainment venue under construction at the corner of Fletcher Parkway and Dallas Street. 

By Stephen Fox



March 4, 2016 (Oak Flat, Az.) -- Tribes nation-wide and other Americans across the country deeply appreciate Senator Bernie Sanders' efforts in the U.S. Senate to protect tribal sacred land in Arizona known as Oak Flat, located on U.S. Forest Service land, from destruction by foreign-owned mining conglomerates Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton through their U.S. limited liability company Resolution Copper Mining.

By Miriam Raftery

March 4, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – Battle lines have been drawn over an income inequality issue in Congress.  Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who heads up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and was appointed by President Barack Obama, has been fighting for regulations to regulate the payday lenders.

East County News Service

March 4, 2016 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police are search for two suspects who fired a gun at a witness during a robbery at the Sombrero Mexican Food restaurant in the 1200 block of West Main Street last night. The shot missed and the witness was not harmed.

East County News Service

March 4, 2016 (Santee) – A woman riding bicycle was struck and killed after cutting across two lanes of traffic on Cuyamaca Street in Santee today.  A motorist traveling north was unable to avoid striking the bicyclist, whose identity is unknown.

Source: County News Service

March 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- It’s been a while, but El Niño rains are finally headed back to San Diego County this weekend. 

By Roger Coppock

March 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- The sum of a strong El Nino and the effect of man's greenhouse gas emissions drove February 2016 global land and sea Troposphere temperatures to a 37-year record. 

East County News Service

March 4, 2016 (El Cajon) -- Tomatomania!, the renowned Heirloom tomato seedling sale, returns to excite an enthusiastic group of gardeners in El Cajon this spring at the Water Conservation Garden, on March 12 and 13.

84 Republican national security and foreign policy leaders say they won’t back Trump if nominated

By Miriam Raftery

March 3, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – An open letter signed by 84 Republican foreign policy and national security leaders condemned Donald Trump, stating, “We are unable to support a Party ticket with Mr. Trump at its head.”

The leaders’ letter comes on the heels of former CIA director and ex-National Security Agency director Michael Hayden stating that if Trump ordered torture which violates the Geneva Convention or ordered the killing of family members of suspected terrorists, the military would disobey his orders.   Hayden told Bill Maher, “If he were to order that once in government, the American armed forces would refuse to act.”

The 84 Republican letter signers included Michael Chertoff, former Homeland Security director under George W. Bush and former Under Secretary of Defense Policy Eric Edelman who served under the senior George Bush.