By Miriam Raftery

December 5, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Tom Price, a Republican from Georgia and medical doctor, is President-Elect Donald Trump’s nominee to served as Health and Human Services Secretary.  But far from protecting the nation’s social safety nets, Price has pledged to dismantle them.

East County News Service

December 4, 2016 (San Diego) – A man shot in the head last night around 11:35 p.m. on the north shoulder of State Route 94 near Euclid Avenue was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arrival.

The identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of family. NBC News reports that San Diego Police have indicated that an altercation occurred alongside the freeway shortly before the shooting.

UPDATE:  Aztecs will play Houston in the 2016 Las Vegas Bowl on December 17 at 12:30 p.m. on ABC

By Liz Alper

Photo: Rashaad Penny rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Courtesy goaztecs.com

December 3, 2016 (Laramie, Wyoming) - Today was the day.  Everything the Aztecs have worked for all season came down to this.  The Mountain West conference championship game against Wyoming.  The Aztecs were in Laramie two weeks ago and lost 34-33.  Now, it was time for revenge.

Update: Hear our interviews with Stephen Houlahan and  Preserve Wild Santee leader Van Collinsworth on environmental issues in Santee by clicking the audio link.

Mike Allen

Photo: Councilman Jack Dale moderated meeting on Castlerock project November 29 with elected officials, city workers, and representatives from developer Pardee Homes.

December 3, 2016 (Santee) -- Angry residents near the Castlerock housing project lashed out at Santee city officials and representatives from developer Pardee Homes during a public meeting November 29, saying the way the project is unfolding is nothing like the plans they saw earlier this year.

UC Davis was 12-for-26 from 3-point range

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

December 2, 2016 (Davis, California) - The San Diego State women’s basketball team couldn’t get past a powerful performance from beyond the arc by UC Davis and lost in non-conference action, 75-55, Friday night.

East County News Service

December 2, 2016 (La Mesa) – Two longtime Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) board members retained their seats in the recent November 2016 election, plus voters elected a new face to join the five-member board that represents more than 500,000 people residing in the district’s 750 square miles in East County.

Update December 1, 2016: Lou Tejeda has taken the lead over Dan McMillan by 103 votes in the Helix Water District One race.  In the Alpine Union School District race,  Travis Lyons' lead over Lou Russo has shrunk to 25 votes.

The elections will be certified December 8 after all votes are tallied.

By Miriam Raftery

November 27, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) — Three weeks after the election, races in the Helix Water Board District and Alpine Union School District have tightened, with a potential for upsets once the final votes are tallied. 

By Miriam Raftery

December 1, 2016 (El Cajon) — A notice from the city of El Cajon today announces that a Draft Environmental Impact Report on the city’s proposed Housing Element Rezoning Program is available for public review and written comment starting December 5th through January 19^th.

A community open house is set for January 5^th from 6 p.m.to 7 p.m. at the El Cajon Branch Library (201 East Douglas) meeting room to discuss the project, the California Environmental Quality Act public review process and the content and findings of the draft EIR.

By Miriam Raftery

December 1, 2016 (Spring Valley) -- The San Diego Festival Chorus & Orchestra is celebrating its 25th anniversary season,  with a  Chansons de Noel Concert this Sunday. 

You can hear our exclusive interview with director Tony Mostardo by clicking the audio link, originally aired on KNSJ radio 89.1 FM.  He provides some fascinating insights into the major works in the upcoming concert,  as well what inspired him to start this marvelous community musical group.  He also recalls the group's auspicious beginning on a date now immortalized in history:  September 11, 2001,  and how the terrorist attacks impacted the group on day one.

East County News Service

December 1,  2016 (El Cajon) –El Cajon’s City Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday,  December 13 at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers (200 Civic Center Way) to consider extending an ordinance banning outdoor marijuana growing for the next year.

Following passage of Proposition 64, the statewide ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana including growing up to six plants per household,  El Cajon’s City Council on Nov. 15 passed an emergency ordinance banning outdoor growing of marijuana plants until Dec. 30 in all zones within the city.  The hearing on Dec. 31 would be on a proposal to extend that ban until  Nov.14, 2017.

Source: San Diego County Sheriff's Department

December 1, 2016 (San Diego) - 24 hours per day, seven days a week, Sheriff's Dispatchers answer emergency calls from all across San Diego County. They save lives by getting help out to those calling 9-1-1.

By Miriam Raftery

November 30, 2016 (Washington D.C.) — President-Elect Donald Trump’s holdings in hundreds of companies around the world, as well as his financial holdings, have raised serious concerns over potential conflicts of interest.  Surprisingly, there is no law prohibiting a President from making decisions that may profit him personally, unlike laws that ban such conduct for other elected federal officials.

East County News Service

November 30, 2016 (San Diego) -- Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Thanksgiving has come and gone. You survived another Black Friday and now we say goodbye to Cyber Monday. The next round of celebration is the Christmas holiday. Are you ready for some unique holiday music? Pacificaires celebrate their 40^th year of providing choral music to the community with two upcoming concerts,  including a Dec. 10 event in the College area.

East County Wildfire and Emergency Alerts

November 30, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – A potentially strong Santa Ana weather pattern will develop Thursday evening, bringing strong Santa Ana winds Thursday night through Saturday. Sustained winds of 20-30 miles per hour and gusts over 65 mph are possible in the windiest locations, including Highway 8 in San Diego County from Alpine to the Imperial County border.

November 29, 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 takes urgent stand on marijuana (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Caught on camera: mountain lion in Lakeside neighborhood (10 News)
• Across the County, taxpayer-funded turf fields are falling apart while still under warranty (Voice of San Diego)
• Judge allows San Onofre waste lawsuit to advance (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Trump should renounce Muslim registry: America is better than that (San Diego Union-Tribune editorial)
• Hundreds of new downtown rentals approved(San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• ‘Calexit’ movement launches (Los Angeles Times)
• Can your landlord just say no to marijuana now that Prop 64 passed? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Government sued over offshore fracking in Santa Barbara Channel(Pacific Coast Business Times)
• UC, CSU Consider Raising Tuition For The First Time In 6 Years (KPBS)
• Numbers of international students in U.S. is at all-time high and California is top destination (Los Angeles Times)
• CalSTRS calculates total fees in likely first for public pension (Reuters)

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