By Miriam Raftery

Photo, right, by Connie Kirkpatrick

June 13, 2022 (Barrett Junction) – The #BarrettFire burning near Dulzura has scorched 65 acres and is 25% contained. There are no evacuation orders or warnings.  While no structures are immediately threatened, roughly 16 structures are being “evaluated for future risk,” according to Cal Fire’s Twitter feed.

June 13, 2022 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• Ex-Christian youth theater employee pleads guilty to sex abuse charge (10 News)
• Navy to ‘pause’ non-deployed flight operations Monday after spate of crashes (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lemon Grove will likely have a balanced budget, but not for the best reasons (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• East County cities pledge to find more homes for the homeless. How many places actually exist? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Surge of fentanyl deaths, staffing shortages create backlog in county Medical Examiner’s Office (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• New leader takes over Taylor Guitars, as founder steps back (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego County family sues over alleged Hepatitis A infections linked to strawberries (10 News)
• Lemon Grove residents would have an easier time building accessory units under proposal (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Rules for Outdoor Dining Spaces About to Get More Strict in City of San Diego (NBC San Diego)
• What to know about Bishop McElroy, who will soon be a cardinal (Catholic News Agency)

STATE

• California lawmakers push gun control legislation toward final approval by Gov. Newsom  (Sacramento Bee)
• The California Highway Patrol has 1,000 officer vacancies. A new campaign aims to fill them (Sacramento Bee)
• Invasive jumping earthworms spotted in California (Ecowatch)
• Pelosi’s Husband Faces Drunken Driving Charge in California (New York Times)

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

East County News Service

June 12, 2022 (Alpine) – Viejas Casino & Resort invites you to “dust off your pride gear and get ready to drag the house down this Pride Month.” The venue kicks off pride week with a “Stars & Queens Pride” event on June 17 at 8 p.m. in the Oak Ballroom.

East County News Service

June 11, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – A 15-year-old boy was found dead at the corner of Palm and Mulder Streets in Lemon Grove shortly before 2 a.m.  Deputies and firefighters found the body after responding to a report of a male with a gunshot wound.

East County News Service

Some GOP members of Congress sought pardons for their roles in failed coup attempt, refused to testify, Cheney says

View video of the complete hearing

By Miriam Raftery

June 10, 2022 (Washington D.C.) -- The Senate’s Select Committee investigating the violent January 6, 2020 attack on the U.S. Capitol presented several shocking revelations during its first public hearing televised in prime time on June 9.

Chairman Bennie Thompson called the Jan. 6 attack an attempted “coup” (hear audio) and made clear that former President Donald Trump knew that the election was not stolen. He played video of Trump’s Attorney General, Bill Barr, testifying that Barr had repeatedly told Trump that there was no evidence of election fraud, even advising the President that such claims were “bulls**t.”  (hear audio). Thompson said the committee will prove in subsequent hearings that Trump organized a coup in an attempt to violently overthrow the U.S. government.

Next, ranking Republican Liz Cheney provided more evidence that Trump knew his stolen election claims were false. Even Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, told the selection committee that she believed Attorney General Barr.  (hear audio). Top campaign advisors to the President also counseled him that he had lost the election, and 62 judges including some appointed by Trump found no evidence of fraud.

Cheney asserted that Trump oversaw a seven-part plan to overturn the 2020 election.

A committee source told CNN that those seven steps were:

June 9, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• A Cancer Trial’s Unexpected Result: Remission in Every Patient (New York Times)
• Moderna says new trial results show that a revised vaccine works better against Omicron (New York Times)
• Doctors who worked before Roe v. Wade speak out: ‘Many women died’ (Yahoo News)
• What would a Novavax COVID-19 vaccine mean in U.S.? (Wired)
• Biden pledges executive orders on abortion. His options are limited. (Politico)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• The EU will soon require all cellphones to have the same type of charging port (NPR)
• NASA joins the hunt for UFOs (Washington Post)
• In reversal, Twitter plans to comply with Musk’s demands for data  (Washington Post)

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

The ruling leaves thousands of Border Patrol agents "absolutely immunized from liability," said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, "no matter how egregious the misconduct or resultant injury."

By Julia Conley, staff writer, Common Dreams

Reprinted under a Creative Commons license from Common Dreams

June 9, 2022 (San Diego) - A ruling by the right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday "will have far-reaching consequences" for people who accuse federal agents of violating their constitutional rights, the ACLU warned after the court ruled against a man who wanted to sue a U.S. Border Patrol agent who entered his property without a warrant and used excessive force.

East County News Service

June 9, 2022 (San Diego) – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) received over 60% of the vote in the primary election. She will run off on November 8 against Stan Caplan, a small business owner who received just under 38% of the vote. 

By Miriam Raftery

After months of closed-door investigations, the House of Representatives’ January 6 Committee is holding its first hearings with public testimony about what transpired during the assault on the U.S. Capitol, including evidence expected to show coordination among extremist groups and potentially, the Trump campaign and White House insiders.

All major TV networks (except Fox) will be carrying the hearings live in prime time including ABC, NBC, CBS,NPR, PBS, C-Span and MSNBC; the latter will also have pre-and post-event coverage.

The first public hearing will be aired tonight, June 9 at 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, followed by five additional days of early morning hearings over the next two weeks. 

Here is the full schedule, listed with local viewing time for San Diego:

By Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2022 (San Diego) – Supervisor Joel Anderson plans to introduce 16 measures at the June 15 Board of Supervisors meeting, which he hopes to have included in the County’s Cannabis Permitting Program. He is also asking constituents to sign a petition in support.

East County News Service

June 8, 2022 (San Diego) – A significant warming trend brings a heat wave to our region starting today through the weekend, along with elevated fire weather conditions due to heat and very low humidity. Winds with gusts up to 50 miles per hour over the mountains and deserts on Sunday will exacerbate wildfire dangers, the National Weather Service predicts.

Temperatures in the deserts could reach 110 to 115 degrees. Those without air conditioning, adequate hydration or who are engaged in strenuous outdoor activities will be at risk due to the high heat. Even nights will be warm, with low temperatures in the 80s.

By CalMatters staff, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  a voter casts their ballot at a voting site at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento on June 7, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

June 8, 2022 (San Diego) - The polls are closed, but remember: In California elections, this is just the beginning. 

Update June 8, 2022:  With 21.5% of the vote counted,  Jones' lead has widened. The Senator now has 53.9%; Rocha has 46.1%.  The pair will face off again in November.

By Miriam Raftery

June 7, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – East County closest election contest is shaping up in the newly redrawn 40^th State Senate District. The incumbent, Republican Senator Brian Jones, has 51.36% of the vote in early election returns. Close on his heels is former Navy veteran and Marine Corps prosecutor Joseph Rocha with 48.64%.

Update June 8, 2022:  With 21.5% of the vote counted, Undersheriff Martinez now has 38.09%, followed by Hemmerling with 20.42% and Myers with 17.85%. The top two will run off in November.

By Miriam Raftery

June 7, 2022 (San Diego) – Early results after polls closed tonight show Undersheriff Kelly Martinez with a strong lead in the race to become San Diego County’s next Sheriff. Martinez has 39.5% in a field of seven contenders. The top two will run off in November. Currently retired prosecutor, police officer and ex- Marine John Hemmerling has 19.9%, trailed closely by retired Sheriff Commander Dave Myers at 17.8%..

Martinez, a Democrat, has the endorsement of former Sheriff Bill Gore and the San Diego Gun Owners Association. Myers is endorsed by the Democratic Party, while Hemmerling is the Republican Party’s endorsed candidate.