By John Carey for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.;

Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Pulitzer Center-Public News Service Collaboration.

September 23, 2023 (Sacramento) -- Methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, is the major component of the biogas that seeps from countless landfills and wastewater plants. It makes sense, then, to prevent that methane from escaping into the atmosphere-indeed, hundreds of solid waste facilities across the United States have done so for decades, either flaring the biogas to burn off the methane or burning the biogas to generate electricity or heat. That gives off carbon dioxide, but still greatly reduces the greenhouse gas potential, as methane is 80 times more potent than CO₂ over the first 20 years after emission.

September 23, 2023 (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 round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• Up for parole | Convicted Santana High School shooter has a chance at freedom   (CBS 8)
• COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise in San Diego County. Here's what you need to know  (KPBS)
• New jail-death lawsuit accuses sheriff’s deputies of being involved in drug sales behind bars (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• More antisemitic flyers dropped in Del Cerro neighborhood (KPBS)
• Video footage of fatal La Mesa police shooting released (10 News)
• State Legislature Steps Into San Diego’s Water Divorce Debate (Voice of San Diego)
• Newsom sends more CalGuard members to border in effort to halt the flood of fentanyl (Los Angeles Times)
• Once smeared as a security risk who would ‘infiltrate’ Congress, he’s a Navy officer now (Los Angeles Times column)
• Tijuana official explains why hundreds of migrants are back at the border
• Disgraced ex-Supervisor Fletcher describes relationship with woman suing him in court docs 
• City of San Diego to unveil mattress disposal program at Miramar Landfill  (10 News)
• Woman sentenced 18 years to life for shooting woman found dead in Bonita (10 News)
• The Learning Curve: Students Could Soon Earn Degrees Without Going to Class (Voice of San Diego)
• It's about to get easier to pay MTS bus and trolley fares(KPBS)

STATE

• CSU Board Approves Five-Year Annual 6% Tuition Hikes (Times of San Diego)
• Appeals court will hear challenge to California's new rooftop solar rules  (KPBS) California health care tax proponents go to the ballot (Politico)
• US judge strikes down California ban on high-capacity gun magazines( Reuters)
• California scales back electric car rebates to focus on lower-income car buyers (CalMatters)
• Schiff and Porter increasingly dominate race for Senate, poll shows (Los Angeles Times)
• CA Moves To Legalize Magic Mushrooms And Other Psychedelics (Patch)
• California voters oppose cash reparations for slavery descendants by 2 to 1: Poll (Washington Times)

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

September 23, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Did you have a severe case of COVID-19? Research suggests that Neanderthal genes could be to blame (Business Insider)
• CDC recommends updated Covid-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older(CNN)
• Oregon launches legal psilocybin access amid high demand and hopes for improved mental health care (AP)
• Half of Americans interested in getting updated COVID shot, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows (Reuters)
• How California’s current COVID wave ranks among the pandemic’s Top 5 – (San Jose Mercury News)
•  Prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables help boost heart health (NPR)
• Popular nasal decongestant doesn't actually relieve congestion, FDA advisers say(CBS 8)
• Does Ozempic have mental health side effects?   (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• California passes laws to aid digital consumers  (KPBS)
• Experts say modern cars can violate consumer privacy (NPR)
• Musk says he refused Kyiv request for Starlink use in attack on Russia  (Reuters)
• Newsom signs executive order preparing California for AI (Los Angeles Times)

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

By Jacob Pamus

Everybody Dies by the End is a feature film written by Ian Tripp and directed by Ian and Ryan Schafer. The film was partially shot in Jamul and downtown. The film stars East County locals such as Brendan Cahalan and Vinny Curran, who owns a bar called Thrusters Lounge in Pacific Beach. Other local actors include Brendan Cahalan from El Cajon and Ian Tripp of San Carlos.

The synopsis of the film is: “A documentary crew follows cult classic horror director Alfred Costella as he makes his final film - An all-practical masterpiece...with a dark twist.” 

When asked about his experience during the production of the film, Ian Tripp told ECM, “You have to be agile to problems coming at you every minute, but the crew itself was why we surpassed any problems we had.” He went into further detail, explaining how well the crew worked together in an environment that could be very stressful.

Story and photos by Branda Gorgies

The Steele Canyon High School governing board recently held a meeting to approve final decisions regarding salaries of the teachers.

The special meeting was on Monday at 3:45 p.m. in the school library. It was only about five minutes long, but the board members approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) as well as the new salary schedules and extended curricular salaries. 

By Miriam Raftery

September 21, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- As autumn arrives and Halloween draws near, East County has a wealth of festivals and events coming up.  These include Julian’s Autumn Jubilee and an Heirloom Apple Festival, Oktoberfests in La Mesa and El Cajon, the Borrego Days Desert Festival,  Haunt Fest on Main in downtown El  Cajon, a Pumpkin Bash and Spooky Campover at Lions, Tigers and Bears in Alpine,and a Pumpkin Express train ride in Campo.

Plus there are live entertainment stars taking stage in East County, including comics Paula Poundstone and Randy Rainbow at The Magnolia, the rock artist  Sting at SDSU, and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells with his band in a benefit concert to help the homeless in El Cajon.

Scroll down for details on all of these events and more.

Story by Liz Alper

Photo via @padres on Twitter

September 20, 2023 (San Diego) - Blake Snell pitched an impressive seven innings with no hits last night and Xander Bogaerts hit the two-run jack for the win in the ninth.  The Padres looked for the sweep today with Chase Anderson on the mound for Colorado against Seth Lugo.

By Miriam Raftery

September 18, 2023 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and his all-star band will revisit pop and soul classics in a concert to benefit the East County Transitional Living Center, a facility which helps homeless individuals and families transition off the streets and transform their lives.

By Rebecca Person

photos By Pete Cerep

September15,2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Just when a recent crisis of hundreds of stranded undocumented people seemed to abate, local residents of San Diego County border town Jacumba Hot Springs are reporting new waves of migrants seen on foot emerging from the rugged desert here.

In recent weeks, the numbers and frequency of sightings have increased from occasional to now several groups are observed each week. The latest group on September 13 numbered 62 people who scurried over a remote desert trail and clustered in the shade of tamarisk trees beside Old Highway 80 in Jacumba.

Photos of the travelers reveal them to be mostly young men, possibly Asian, though a few women and children were seen. By contrast, most of the May migrants said they were from Haiti, Turkey, Brazil or Guatemala, according to residents who brought them water and survival supplies.

Those pictured in photos in this article were loaded into vans late in the day on  Sept. 13 to be transported to their next destination under the apparent supervision of Border Patrol, witnesses told  ECM.

By Cassie N. Saunders, County of San Diego Communications Office

September 14, 2023 (San Diego) --The Tuberculosis Program in the Public Health Services (PHS) department, of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, in collaboration with San Diego State University (SDSU) and Aztec Shops are working closely to notify employees potentially exposed to tuberculosis (TB) on the SDSU campus, primarily at the Charles B. Bell Jr., Pavilion. Exposures to the general public, SDSU students and faculty, and to other employees are considered to be limited.

The dates of potential exposure are from Feb. 16, 2023 to June 22, 2023. Those known to have been potentially exposed have been directly notified and have been provided direction from health officials. People sick with TB may be sick for many months before they are diagnosed, and as such, exposure periods can be long.

TB is an airborne disease that is transmitted from person-to-person through inhalation of the bacteria from the air. The chance of infection is higher for people with prolonged indoor exposure to a person who is sick with TB.

Book by Andrew Fitzgerald

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

September 14,2023 (San Diego)  -- In How Did I Get Here? Traveling the Road to Resilience, author Andrew Fitgerald shares his difficulties and determined resilience to overcome health issues. He also recounts how  he and his wife later struggled to settle in the United States. The second time they emigrated, they stayed. Then, after four miscarriages, they had a healthy boy. They live in San Diego County.

Fitzgerald begins his debut story being faced with death. His heart needed to be stopped and restarted. Doctors did this procedure twice before doing surgery on his heart to solve the problem. Over time, Fitzgerald reclaimed his strength and love of sports. 

He and his wife decided to move to the United States but initially had hardships and difficulties that drove them back to Ireland. They recommitted themselves and successfully relocated to the San Diego region, where they flourished in their second move. 

By Ashley Murray, Kansas Reflector CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Photo: CC by Bing

September 15, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) -- Health care representatives from across the United States are urging Congress to halt cuts to funding that helps hospitals care for uninsured or low-income patients who rely on Medicaid.

More than 250 hospitals and health systems appealed to House and Senate leadership in a letter Thursday asking the lawmakers to avert or delay a forthcoming $8 billion cut to “America’s health care safety net.”

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

Image: Scouturi/Adobe Stock via PNS

September 13, 2023 (San Diego) -- National Hispanic Heritage Month starts this Friday, and runs through Oct. 15. Dozens of events are planned up and down the Golden State to honor California's more than 15 million Hispanic residents, who make up more than 40% of the population.