December 27,2023 (East County) -- The San Diego Blood Bank will hold blood drives in January in Lemon Grove and Santee:

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San DIego Online News Association

Photo:  a U.S. passport. Photo via Pixabay

December 26, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) - Legislation by Rep. Darrell Issa to modernize the U.S. passport system and eliminate backlogs is moving forward in Congress.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all across East County

Not a creature was stirring, from Borrego to El Monte.

The stockings were hung by the chimneys with care

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there.

East County News Service

December 22, 2023 (San Diego)—The Neighborhood Market Association (NMA) held a press conference on Dec. 18 outside the Emerald Convenience Store in La Mesa to announce that it is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects in a series of armed robberies.

“A dangerous gang of gun-wielding criminals is terrorizing local small businesses in a series of armed `take-over’ style robberies at more than a dozen locations in the city and county of San Diego. Police have expressed concerns that these violent robberies could cause serious injury or death to innocent store employees,” a press release from the NMA states.

Last week, at least 13 convenience stores across  San Diego County were robbed; new surveillance video shows thieves yanking out cash registers and fleeing with the cash.

East County News Service

December 20, 2023 (Jamul)—"We’re shell-shocked!” CalFire San Diego posted on  Instagram. “A family who was missing their pet, ‘Mr. T’, for approximately one month, was ecstatic when staff from #CALFIRE San Diego found him while completing fuel reduction work near Hollenbeck Canyon Wildlife Area.”  The preserve is located in Jamul.

East County News Service

December 20, 2023 (San Diego) – The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch starting tomorrow afternoon through Friday due to a major storm moving into San Diego County, with rain beginning tonight.

The storm is forecast to drop two to three inches of rain across mountains, valleys and coastal areas, with around an inch in the desert.  Runoff from the storm may bring flooding to urban and low-lying areas. Thunderstorms are also possible.

It likely won’t be a white Christmas locally, with the snow level at 6,000 feet or higher through Sunday.

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters

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

Photo:  Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils his budget proposal for the 2023-24 fiscal year during a press briefing at the California Natural Resources Agency in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

December 19, 2023 (Sacramento) - Two seemingly diametrically opposed things were both true about California’s budget in 2023.

Story by Henri Migala

Photos by Henri Migala and Vince Kattoula

December 18, 2023 (Jamul) -- The largest cross in San Diego County was raised atop Rancho San Diego Hill, on 80 acres of private land, in Jamul on Friday, December 15.

The 36’ tall Chaldean cross, made possible by Samad (“Sam”) and Evone Attisha and their family, will serve as a symbolic memorial for persecuted Christians throughout Iraq and all of the Middle East.

"Over the last several decades, Christians in Iraq and throughout the Middle East have been persecuted simply because of their faith," said Samad Attisha, who established the project. "The Chaldean Cross serves as a symbolic memorial for those martyrs who were murdered because of their love for our Lord Jesus Christ. My family and I are blessed with the opportunity to have made this possible on behalf of the entire Chaldean Community."

By Rebecca Person

December 18, 2023 (Pine Valley) -- Postmaster Jessie Hoffman delights in seeing the Pine Valley branch of the U.S. Postal Service office decorated to fit the spirit of the holiday season. This year, volunteers lent a hand.

 “It was such a nice addition to have the community helping this year to have the town decorated.” she exclaims. “I came in on Monday to find the gingerbread men lining the sidewalk. Then, during the week others came to hang the snowflakes.”

She continues, “We love to make the office festive and welcoming to the community… This past year we had a seasonal tree up year-round. It is Pine Valley, after all, and having a pine tree in the lobby gives a special touch.  Each Christmas we try our best to go all out. My Clerk, Annette Ramirez, added a cardboard fireplace to our decorations to help make the office feel more welcoming.”

December 18, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Uncle Sam wants you to help stop insurers' bogus Medicare Advantage sales tactics  (NPR)
• After the Dobbs decision, birth rates are up in states with abortion ban states (NPR)
• Ahead of the holidays flu-like illnesses slightly increase  (KPBS)
• Uptick in mpox cases raises concerns in San Diego County  (KPBS)
• FDA expands cantaloupe recall after salmonella infections double in a week  (CBS 8)
• Mexico closes cantaloupe plant temporarily amid deadly salmonella outbreak (Reuters)
• Researchers return to Alzheimer's vaccines, buoyed by recent drug success (Reuters)
• In death, one cancer patient helps to erase millions in medical debt  (AP)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• IBM, EU and Disney pull ads from Elon Musk's X as concerns about antisemitism fuel backlash (AP)
• Judge says evidence shows Tesla and Elon Musk knew about flawed autopilot system  (NPR)
• Jury decides Google's Android app store benefits from anticompetitive barriers  (NPR)
• UC San Diego Climate change panel points to progress (KPBS)
• Companies say they're closing in on nuclear fusion as an energy source  (NPR)
• USDA's plant hardiness zone map shows half the country has shifted  (NPR)
• Forest Service plans carbon dioxide storage on federal lands 
• Consumer Reports is adapting its automobile testing to include EVs (NPR)

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

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rep. Darrell Issa at Gold Star Family hearing last August in Escondido. Photo by Chris Stone

December 14, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) - The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to formally authorize its ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden as Republicans unite behind the effort even though they have yet to find evidence of wrongdoing by the Democrat.

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

December 13, 2023 (El Cajon) - For the second year in a row, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District got a perfect grade of A+ from the San Diego County Taxpayers Association for the East County college district’s transparency relating to its $398 million Proposition V bond program.

By Rebecca Person

December 13, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs, CA) -- Local volunteers in isolated East county border towns Jacumba and Boulevard are seeking support for humanitarian aid for migrants via a new crowd-funding campaign.  Volunteers set up this fundraising account in the face of a lack of  support by government entities such as Border Patrol and the National Guard and nonprofits such as the Red Cross, which have failed to utilize their resources to help masses of border crossers still arriving on U.S. ground. Border Patrol has directed them into barren detention sites with zero supplies. Water, shelter and food resources are being supplied mostly by volunteers through donations.

By: Jessyka Heredia

December 12, 2023 (Lemon Grove)—Back in October, founding member of the Lemon Grove Improvement Council (LGIC) Teresa Rosiak received 100 sleeping bags that convert into warm coats for the unsheltered. Rosiak has already distributed over 75 of them directly to the homeless in Lemon Grove during her group’s weekly volunteer outreach.

View video of interview and scroll down for transcript.

December 12, 2023 (San Diego) -- East County Magazine recently interviewed Cailey Underhill,  Advocacy and Development Director for the Solar Rights Alliance, on our radio show aired on KNSJ. The topic was AB 205, which the Legislature passed to create what supporters called a fixed charge for utility rates,  but which opponents call a utility tax. It’s poised to become the largest utility tax in the nation. 

Solar Rights Alliance say this will be unfair to consumers—and they’re fighting to get the utility tax repealed. They are urging ratepayers to ask legislators to repeal the utiliity tax provision of AB 205 in January when the Legislature returns to session in Sacramento.