Updated 4 p.m.

By Miriam Raftery

September 16, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) 1:00 p.m.– A white van implicated in the assault on a teen jogger in Blossom Valley on September 5th may have been involved in multiple stalkings of women in East County neighborhoods during the past couple of weeks. Other women have reported that they were stalked by a white van in the Cottonwood, Monarch Ridge and Rancho San Diego areas, East County Magazine has learned. 

By Miriam Raftery

Funds allocated for facilities, equipment and technology—but no money to hire more firefighters

"You are sitting on $700 million in reserves at a time when San Diego County has had more people burn to death in wildfires in the past decade than anywhere else in the nation,” - Steve Whitburn, candidate for Supervisor

September 15, 2010 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to consolidate rural fire agencies and create a regional fire protection plan recommended by a Fire Deployment Study. The Board also named Cal-Fire's Howard Windsor to head up the County Fire Authority.

“There’s more to do, but we’re moving forward,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said. The plan allocates $15.5 million a year to the County fire agency, but Supervisors approved only $5 million this year for start-up efforts.

“It’s the moral and ethical thing to do to protect the health and well-being of our residents,” Mayor Art Madrid

By Miriam Raftery

September 15, 2010 (La Mesa) – La Mesa's City Council voted yesterday to oppose Proposition 23. Sempra Energy, parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric Company, also announced its opposition to Prop 23.  

The ballot initiative would repeal California’s landmark AB 32, the law which protects clean air, requires greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and provides incentives for renewable, clean energy jobs in California.

September 25, 2010 (La Mesa) – World War I had recently ended and the Roaring ‘20s were just getting started when Grossmont High School first broke ground 90 years ago. Now the oldest high school in East County is joining with communities of El Cajon and La Mesa, former staff and alumni in a 90th anniversary celebration and reunion on Saturday, September 25th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alumni from all classes are invited to attend and share their Grossmont Foothiller memories.

By Miriam Raftery
“I hope this will spread across America.” - Congressman Bob Filner at a pre-dawn rally, where he announced that Union Bank called off plans to have the Sheriff issue a foreclosure notice today to evict a woman and her child with cancer

Update 6 p.m.:  This dispute ended peacefully with no injuries following  a four-hour standoff.  The man, Stephen Gainder, 45, surrendered to deputies and was taken to Pomerado Hospital for evaluation.  Pomerado News reports that a neighbor called the Sheriff following a loud dispute between Gainder and his elderly mother. After deputies attempted to subdue him with a taser and beanbags, he armed himself with a crossbow.  
September 14, 2010 (Poway) 12:56 p.m. -- Negotiators from the San Diego Sheriff’s office are attempting to talk a man armed with a crossbow into surrendering. According to ECM news partner 10 News, deputies performing a welfare check in the 14000 block of Tobiasson Road were told by the man that he is armed with a crossbow and refusing to come out.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Paul Parks

September 14, 2010 (Alpine)--Michael Bolton displayed the dazzling breadth of his talent in a concert at Viejas Dreamcatcher Lounge in Alpine Sunday night. His performances ranged from vintage classics by Sinatra and Gershwin to jazz and rock ‘n’ roll. Mounting a platform in the center of the audience, he sang his Grammy Award-winning version of “When a Man Loves a Woman” – much to the delight of women in the crowd.

September 14, 2010 (Campo) -- The Rural Economic Action League will host a candidate forum to allow the public to query contenders for the Campo Lake Morena Planning Group on their views and positions. The forum is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 21 at the Mountain Empire Community Center, 976 Sheridan Road, in Campo.

East County News Service

September 13, 2010 (Bonita) – Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) is urging  the public to join him in a massive demonstration against foreclosures.

“…Innocent citizens in San Diego County are being defrauded because government officials are failing to protect the public they serve.” 

By Richard Halsey

September 13, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont College Adult Reentry Program will host “Who Foots The Bill,” a free informational meeting for adults interested in returning to school to reenter the workforce, learn a new career, earn a college diploma or upgrade skills for a job promotion. The event is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Speakers include financial experts offering advice on estimating and planning for college expenses, along with information on admission procedures, transfer programs and financial aid.

I Was … I Am, How to Move Beyond Your Past to Create an Extraordinary Life, by Allison ‘Tammy’ Moore, (Wilmington, Delaware, 2010, 338 pages.)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

September 12, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Allison ‘Tammy’ Moore has written what at times seems like a tragicomedy: I Was … I Am. In reality, it is her story of incarceration, and how she used the experience to become a better and stronger person.

East County News Network

September 13, 2010 (El Cajon) – The City of El Cajon invites dog owners to visit the Wells Park “off leash” dog areas. “It’s perfect for those who live in a house, apartment or condo with little or no yard,” said Monica Zech, public information officer for El Cajon—and a proud dog owner.

September 13, 2010 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police officers talked down a suicidal man off a trolley bridge over Baltimore Drive and I-8 yesterday afternoon. The man called police at 3:06 p.m. and told them he intended to jump off the bridge.

East County News Service
September 13, 2010 (Mt. Helix) – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is conducting an enforcement operation in the Mt. Helix area of La Mesa, East County Magazine has learned.

“We have served four search warrants and seized approximately 500 marijuana plants and two rifles,” Amy Roderick, public information officer with the DEA’s San Diego field division, informed ECM at 10:55 a.m.