By Miriam Raftery

December 7, 2016 (Dulzura) –The Highway 94 Club, in partnership with East County Vintners, will present their 4^th annual Wine Tasting on Thursday, December  15^th at 6:30 p.m. in the Barrett Junction Café on Highway 94.

Photo: View from atop Mt. Helix

East County News Service

December 7, 2016 (Mt. Helix) --You’re invited to start the New Year off on the right foot by joining the Grossmont Mt. Helix Improvement Association’s (GMIA) Walk Up Mt. Helix on Saturday, January 7th at 10:00 am.

By Kathy Carpenter

Associate/Youth Reviewer www.sdtheatrereviews.com

December 7, 2016 (El Cajon) - Peace on Earth, good will toward men. This is the time of year for giving. Give yourself a gift by taking time away from the stress of shopping, baking, social events, wrapping, the list goes on ... Add time for yourself helping others. For$7.00 you can't even go to a movie,  but you can enjoy going toyouth theatre. The look on the faces of the cast as they look out and see a full audience is priceless.

East County News Service

December 7, 2016 (Alpine) –  The Alpine Fire Protection District (AFPD) has been awarded a $35,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for Rescue Extrication Equipment.  The AFPD will use the funds to purchase modern life-saving equipment capable of safely assisting firefighters in extricating victims trapped in motor vehicle collisions. 

Listen now:  Hear  this week's Destination East County by clicking the orange audio link.

East County News Service

December 7, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - This week’s Destination East County includes several Christmas theatrical productions, La Mesa’s Holiday in the Village celebration, Victorian teas in Julian, and a holiday wine trail in Ramona.

Plus, we’ll tell you about coming attractions including Santa’s reindeer at Grossmont Center, a singing and clogging fiddler at Parkway Plaza, full moon fishing at Santee Lakes, a Jingle Concert by the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus at Sycuan, an excursion to Split Mountain in the Anza Borrego Desert, and a winter solstice hike to the top of Cowles Mountain.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

By Billie Jo Jannen

December 6, 2016 (Campo) - A celebration of life is planned for longtime Campo resident Carol Yates on Dec. 9. Mrs. Yates died in her home on November 13, 2016, at the age of 85.

She is remembered as an active auxiliary member of the John Finn VFW Post 2080 and of the Mountain Empire Homemakers Club. She worked for many years at the historic Dogpatch bar -- which burned down in 1987 -- in the Canyon City neighborhood of Campo. In recent years, she was a well-known face at senior lunches at the community center in Campo.

East County News Service

December 6, 2016 (San Diego) -- Shortly after being sworn in as the senator representing California’s 39^th District on Monday, Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) introduced legislation, SB 2, to create a permanent source of funding for affordable housing.

Story and photos by Liz Alper

Full quotes courtesy James Solien

December 6, 2016 (San Diego) - The San Diego State Aztecs football team will play Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 17.  With a week off (barring practice), coach Rocky Long, senior defensive end Dakota Turner and junior tight end David Wells sat down with the media at this week's press conference.

By Miriam Raftery

December 6, 2016 (Julian) – The Julian Family Fiddle Camp is an acoustic music immersion program for the young and young-at-heart including instruction in guitar, mandolin, ukulele and banjo as well as fiddle playing.  Registration is now open for the April 11-15,2017 fiddle camp in historic Julian.

East County News Service

December 6, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting-edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Parkinson’s disease ‘may start in gut’ (BBC)
• Accurate Valley Fever counts elude health officials (Bakersfield.com)
• Forecasting an epidemic:  how weather contributes to Valley Fever outbreaks (Voice of San Diego)
• Feeling Down? Scientists Say Cooking and Baking Could Help You Feel Better (Smithsonian
• Obstacle to 'three-person' baby therapy reported, along with solution (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• EPA's late changes to fracking study downplay risk of drinking water pollution (Marketplace)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Deforestation Of The Amazon Up 29 Percent From Last Year, Study Finds (NPR)
• Ford recalls 680,000 cars (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Streamlined FBI warrant approval raises concerns of 'mass hacking’ (CS Monitor)
• Will hackers make ATM machines spew money? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Huge online crime network broken up (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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

East County News Service

December 6, 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

• El Cajon has paid nothing in police excessive force and civil-rights claims over past five years (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Catholic church prepares to fight ‘grave evil’ of mass deportations (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Virtually no San Diego schools perform key field safety tests  (Voice of San Diego)
• Median home price in San Diego County surpasses $500,000 (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Fee or tax? What are Uber and Lyft airport passengers paying in San Diego? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego home loan limits increase for first time since ‘06 (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Federal case revived over San Onofre settlement deal (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• A night of music and dancing turns into deadly inferno at Oakland warehouse  (Los Angeles Times)
• State Supreme Court won't take up San Onofre email lawsuit (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California Guard Troops Won't Have to Repay Bonuses (KPBS)
• California seeks long-term water savings as drought lingers (Reuters)
• San Bernardino anniversary: How a city countered hate in the wake of tragedy (CS Monitor)

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

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

December 6, 2016 (Poway) — The driver of a black Ford Mustang made an illegal U-turn on State Route 67 near Iron Mountain Road and was struck by two northbound vehicles, a Ford Fusion and a Toyota Highlander,  yesterday at 5:24 p.m. , California Highway Patrol reports.  The Mustang caught fire and a passerby pulled the driver from the flaming vehicle.

By Richard Collins, San Diego

December 6, 2016 (San Diego) -- U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, Representative Kevin Brady, Chairman, Ways and Means Committee, and Representative Tom Price, Chairman, Budget Committee, who is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, are among Republican leaders in the U.S. House who support legislation to privatize Medicare by converting it to a "premium support" system.  I urge your newspaper to editorialize against their efforts to change Medicare to a "voucher" plan that will raise the cost of health care for seniors.

Just because the Republican Party has majorities in the House and Senate and the President-elect, it is not a mandate to destroy Medicare with a "voucher" plan to pay outright subsidies to insurance companies who make big contributions to many members of Congress.

East County News Service

December 5, 2016 (El Cajon) - The East County Transitional Living Center is holding a blanket and linen drive for the center’s formerly homeless residents.  Donations of new twin or full linens or blankets can be brought to  Cal Fire Fire stations at several East County locations by December 15 (See flyer below)  or you can drop them off at the ECTLC,  located at 1527 East Main Street in El Cajon.