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Story and photos by Liz Alper

April 27, 2017 (Spring Valley) - Mount Miguel softball is a little worse for wear; they’re 5-7 overall and 1-3 in league play so far heading into today’s game against El Capitan.  The Vaqueros are a different story; they sport a decent 12-10 overall record, but are undefeated in league play with a 4-0 record coming into today.  Sophomore Nya Maga started on the hill for the Matadors against junior Elena Laddon for the Vaqueros.

Broken bones and rocks yield evidence that pushes back the record of early humans in North America by more than 100,000 years

Source: Natural History Museum

Photo:  Richard Cerutti, retired PaleoServices Field Paleontologist (left) and Dr. Tom Demere, Curator of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum (right), with mastodon tusk

April 27, 2017 (San Diego) -- Discovery of a 130,000-year-old mastodon skeleton in San Diego with bones altered by early humans dramatically revises the timeline for when humans first reached North America, according to a paper to be published in the April 27 issue of the prestigious science journal Nature.  The Cerutti Mastodon site is the oldest well-documented site with evidence of human presence in the Americas—and analysis reveals some startling findings.

April 27, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views.  Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• White House unveils dramatic plan to overhaul tax code  (Washington Post)
• U.S. Chief Justice alarmed at Trump administration immigration case stance (Reuters)
• Republicans exempt their own insurance from their latest health care proposal (MSN)
• Changes to federal insurance plans could hurt parents of chronically ill children (NPR)
• Trump not going to terminate NAFTA (CNN)
• Flynn may have broken law, say Oversight leaders (The Hill)
• House Republicans introduce one-week spending bill  (Washington Post)
• Far-right Trump advisor tied to anti-Semitic paramilitary group (Vanity Fair)
• A third of US millennials still live at home, census report finds (BBC)
• Symantec attributes 40 cyber attacks to CIA-linked hacking tools (Reuters)
• House oversight panel has questions about Trump businesses, foreign emoluments (NPR)
• Trump makes his first big changes to Obamacare (Huffington Post)
• The rich are living longer and taking more from taxpayers (Bloomberg)
• Dead giant rabbit on United flight creates new problem for airline (Patch.com)
• Vaping venture poses potential conflict for Trump’s FDA nominee (Bloomberg)

WORLD

• Facing death for being gay, men flee Russia’s Chechnya (Yahoo News)
• Russia court outlaws 'extremist' Jehovah's Witnesses (BBC)
• Hezbollah's defiant signal to Israel, Lebanon, and the UN (CS Monitor)
• To fight domestic violence among Syrian refugees, an outreach to men (CS Monitor)
• Russia hacked Danish defense for two years, minister tells newspaper (Reuters)
•  Venezuela death toll hits 29, protesters battle security forces (Reuters)
• Sealed Files of United Nations War Crimes Commission Will Finally See Light of Day (Smithsonian)
• U.S., Uganda Call Off Search for Infamous Warlord Joseph Kony (NPR)
• Turkey Arrests More Than 1,000 in Massive Purge of its Police Forces (NPR)
• Turkey investigation 17, some Americans, in failed coup (New York Times)

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

April 27, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting-edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Don't Give Kids Cough Syrup or Pain Meds That Contain Codeine, FDA Says (NPR)
• Sharp Healthcare helps elderly San Diegans get medical care at home (KPBS)
• San Diego Man Saved by Therapeutic Use of Viruses (KPBS)
• Eat, Sleep, Repeat: How Kids' Daily Routines Can Help Prevent Obesity (NPR)
• Scientists Create Artificial Womb That Could Help Prematurely Born Babies (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• This new solar-powered device can pull water straight from the desert air (Science Mag)
• You Can Now 3D Print Glass (Smithsonian)
• The Scary Consequences of Old Electronics (& How to Prevent Them) (Apartment Therapy)
• Utrecht introduces ‘smart’ cycle paths that help riders hit green lights  (Lonely Planet)
• Physicists observe 'negative mass' (BBC)
• Video Shows Blue Whale Chowing Down on Krill  (Smithsonian)
• Waste Not, Want Not: Why Aren't More Farms Putting Poop to Good Use? (NPR)
• Aurora photographers find new night sky lights and call them Steve (BBC)

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

After punt return TD, the defender goes 108 yards with a return of a missed field goal

By Nick Pellegrino

April 26, 2017 (Santee) -- One of the program's top players for several seasons, Deana Guidry earned the title as face of the San Diego Surge franchise following Saturday's Women's Football Alliance {www.wfaprofootball.com} home opener.

East County News Service

Hear our interview with Mark Hanson and Terri Steele from Heartland Youth Build by clicking the audio link.

April 26, 2017 (San Diego) – Nearly 70 classic vehicles and muscle cars will be toughing it out to earn a $250 “Best in Show” prize at new East County Chamber member Heartland YouthBuild’s Cool Car Classic. 

The event takes place on Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the YouthBuild campus, 5280 Orange Avenue in City Heights.

By Miriam Raftery

April 26, 2017 (San Diego) – A federal judge in San Francisco has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that required withholding of federal funds from sanctuary cities and states that shelter immigrants and decline to cooperate with federal authorities on deportation efforts.

By Miriam Raftery

April 26, 2017 (San Diego) -- Sea levels rising much faster than expected could submerge over two-thirds of the state’s beaches by the end of this century, also forcing damage and relocation of major infrastructure. Those are among the disturbing findings of an updated  state-commissioned report, “Rising Seas in California.”  Sea levels could rise 30 to 40 times faster than in the last century, raising the sea level 10 feet after 2050 under the most severe scenario.