By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2023 (Santee) – A group called SanteeParents4Choice is planning a “rally for women’s and girls’ rights”  at the Santee YMCA (10123 Riverwalk Drive, Santee) on January 18 at 6 p.m.  Organizers have pledged to hold a non-violent rally to highlight parents' concerns over protecting privacy.

The action is in response to a teen girl who says she became frightened while showering at the YMCA, when she saw a naked trangender person in the women’s locker room. At last week’s Santee City Council meeting, a tearful Rebecca Phillips, 17, testified that two weeks earlier, “As I was showering after my workout, I saw a naked male in the women’s locker room. I immediately went back into the shower, terrified, and hid behind their flimsy excuse for a curtain until he was gone.”

By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Flood watches and warnings are in effect across San Diego County this morning.

Multiple roadways across our region are flooded, with others blocked by mudslides, rocks and debris:

• Wildcat Canyon Rd. in Lakeside is blocked by a mudslide/rockslide in the 3000 block. Avoid area.
• Lower Honey Springs Rd. in Jamul is flooded at the dip. Do not attempt to cross.
• Highway 94 from 188 to Barrett lake road was closed due to a large bolder blocking both lanes. It's now reopened at 188, with opening at Barrett and near Otay Lakes pending.
• A boulder and debris are blocking Fuerte Drive at Lemon Ave. on Mt. Helix.
• Rock slides are blocking State Route 78 at Wynola Rd. near Julian.
• Boulders are across the roadway at State Route 78 and Chihuhua Rd. near Warner Springs.
• A wind advisory has been issued on I-8 east of Tavern Rd. in Alpine to the Imperial County line.
• The National Weather Service warns to avoid the San Diego River area through Mission Valley and Fashion Valley, which surpassed flood stage this morning as 12.8 feet and is forecast to reach 13.2 feet this afternoon. Roads to avoid include Fashion Valley Rd., Avenida Del Rio, Camio Del Este, Camino Del La Reina and Mission Center Rd. Fashion Valley transit center is closed.
• A swiftwater rescue was conducted this morning along Otay Lakes Rd. due to flooding.
  

By Miriam Raftery

January 13, 2023 (San Diego) – Honda has expanded an earlier recall of its 2019, 2020 and 2021 Talon 1000 recreational off-highway vehicles.  Honda recalled about 32,000 of the two-seater vehicles in March 2022; the new recall adds 2,000 side-by-side Talons to the recall.

East County News Service

Photo: Daniel Scott Jordan. Courtesy Washoe County Sheriff’s Office

January 12, 2023 (Mt. Helix) – A man who fled the state after his husband was found murdered at their Mt. Helix home was found in Nevada and this week pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Biden opposes phase-out of gas stoves, but many cities are adopting bans

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Gas stove, cc by SA-NC via Bing

January 12, 2023 (San Diego) – Debate over banning gas stoves is heating up.

Dozens of cities have banned some or all natural gas appliances in new construction, including the cities San Francisco, Seattle, New York, San Diego and Los Angeles. Conversely, at least 20 states have passed laws prohibiting cities from banning natural gas, CNN reports.

East County News Service

January 12, 2023 (San Diego - Local artist Redin Winter will be a featured artist at The Studio Door gallery located in Hillcrest from January 16- 28. There is a special reception at The Studio Door on Saturday, January 21st from 6 to 9 p.m. The reception is open to the public. The Studio Door gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays 12 to 7 p.m.

Winter creates inner landscapes that connect our inner worlds with our outer worlds. The paintings capture an essence, a deeper emotional connection i nspired by natural elements through a lens of abstration. A layering process of marks, c olor, brushstrokes, drips and textures infuse depth into the work, leaving specific locations or places absent.  Rdein's works entire the viewer with a sense of the famiiar, a touchstone to delve further into the depths of meditation, contemplation, memories and dreams.

East County News Service

January 12, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – The victim who was fatally stabbed in Lemon Grove on January 10 has been identified as Vinson Austin, 49, of El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Mysteri LeMay, courtesy of San Diego River Park Foundation

January 11, 2023 (Descanso) – To save a wildlife corridor and scenic vista from proposed housing construction, the San Diego River Park Foundation announced on December 30 that it has acquired the 80-acre Lillian Hill property. The site is located between Descanso and Pine Hills near Three Sisters Falls. It includes the only section of Sheep Camp Creek that until now was on private land. The site has sweeping 360-degree views overlooking Boulder Creek, headwaters of the San Diego River, as well as Eagle Peak and other scenic vistas.

Source:  Office of the Attorney General

January 11, 2023 (Oakland) - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced California has signed onto a $5 billion multistate settlement agreement with CVS to resolve allegations that the company helped fuel the opioid crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its pharmacies. The settlement is expected to provide up to $469.8 million in funding to California, the vast majority of which will be used to combat the opioid crisis. Today's approval comes on the heels of similar announcements involving Walmart and Walgreens in recent weeks.

By Miriam Raftery

January 11, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – A man has died of stab wounds received during a fight in Lemon Grove last night.

Sheriff’s deputies responded shortly before 10 p.m. to a report of people fighting in the 7700 block of North Avenue. Arriving on scene, deputies detained several individuals and found a man around 45 to 50 years old with an apparent stab wound in his lower torso.

East County News Service

January 10, 2023 (El Cajon) – An El Cajon man, 49, was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash on January 7 in North County.

He was driving a 2016 Harley Davison northbound on State Route 79 south of the Riverside County line around 10:30 a.m. when he passed another vehicle on a curve, crossing a double yellow line. As he drove back into the northbound lane, his motorcycle drifted onto the dirt shoulder, where the driver lost control and was ejected, says Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol.

The motorcyclist was transported to Palomar Medical Center with major injuries.  He was wearing proper safety equipment while on his motorcycle; drugs and alcohol were not factors in this collision, Officer Grieshaber says.

By Miriam Raftery

January 10, 2023 (El Cajon) – The iconic rock and roll band Three Dog Night will perform March 19 at 8 p.m. at The Magnolia performing arts center in El Cajon, Live Nation announced today. Founded in 1969, the group scored 11 Top Ten hit songs and a dozen consecutive gold albums in its heyday from 1969 to 1975. Today, Three Dog Night still features founding member/vocalist Danny Hutton and other stellar musicians.

The band’s well-known hits include One, Mama Told Me (Not to Come), Joy to the World, Shambala, Black and White, and many more. 

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

January 10,  2023 (Lemon Grove) -- Since the passage of Proposition 64 legalizing cannabis for recreational use, cities and counties across California have been attempting to meet the desires of the electorate while also balancing public health and safety. Local Control, the ability for cities and counties to regulate whether or how cannabis operations exist in their jurisdictions, was included in the original proposition. It often brings the fight for or against cannabis to city hall steps.

East County News Service

January 9, 2023 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s Mayor Bill Wells has previously headlined concerts to help the homeless.