By Miriam Raftery

March 21, 2016 (Sacramento) – The tobacco industry is threatening to snuff out reform measures recently passed by the California Legislature.

By Liz Alper

Photo: Dakarai Allen via GoAztecs.com on Twitter

March 21, 2016 (San Diego) - Maybe it helped that the Huskies were without 6 feet, 8 inch forward Noah Dickerson.  Maybe it was heart. Maybe the over-12,000-strong sellout crowd at Viejas Arena made their chants be heard on the court. Maybe it was something else.  

By Liz Alper

Photo:  San Diego Padres on Twitter

March 21, 2016 (Peoria, Az.) - The Padres would have had a game tonight, but it was canceled in favor of a special episode of the Wil Myers Show.

East County News Service

March 21, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Insect infestations and drought have killed off thousands of oak trees in San Diego County and more statewide.  Now Assembly Bill 2162, the Oak Woodlands Protection Bill, has been introduced by Assemblyman Kansen Chu. (Read full text.)

From the Editors of E - The Environmental Magazine

March 20, 2016 (San Diego) -- Dear EarthTalk: What should I know about artificial sweeteners before I opt for them for myself or my kids in place of regular ol’ sugar? -- Gretchen Abdow, Philadelphia, PA

By George Barnett

March 19, 2016 (Alpine) – Grossmont Union High School District Trustees are in the process of gerrymandering its voter district. Grossmont intends to move from a process of electing trustees on an “at large” basis to a re-districting to a by-trustee basis.  This means that individual communities such as that across Alpine, Blossom Valley, Harbison Canyon – for example – could elect their own chosen representative on the Grossmont board.  Grossmont is being forced into re-districting by threat of separate law suits. 

Fundamentally, it is a sound idea.  However, Grossmont also decided to do this without voter input or approval.  The scheme of re-districting that Grossmont has selected is gerrymandering and results in:

Action is “monumental step forward” – Mark Arabo, Minority Humanitarian Foundation

By Miriam Raftery

March 20,2016 (San Diego’s East County) — Since 2014, local Iraqi Chaldean leaders have been speaking out and urging the U.S. to take action to halt what they termed “genocide” committed by ISIS against religious minorities including Christians, Yezidis, and others.  

10,000+ Attendees, 5 bands, 150+ Vendors, Carnival Rides, Face Painting, & More

 March 20, 2016 (Rolando) – The 20^th annual Roland Street Fair will be held today , hosted by the Rolando Community Council (RCC),  a grassroots neighborhood organization devoted to making life in Rolando better. Live music, unique vendors, and tasty food make for a family-friendly day in Rolando, a San Diego community just east of La Mesa.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated March 31 with new info from the County Office of Education.

March 15, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The County Committee on School District Organization will hold six hearings to get public input on the Grossmont Union High School District’s proposed shift to electing governing board trustees by districts.  The GUHSD board voted 4-1 to adopt a controversial map and seek a waiver of a public vote despite opposition from members of the public who spoke, some alleging gerrymandering to oust a dissenting board member and break up a vocal minority voting block, as ECM reported.

The six hearings are set for March 17 in La Mesa, March 28 in El Cajon,  April 4 in Alpine,  April 5 in Jamul, April 6 in Lemon Grove, and April 11 in Lakeside.  The public can testify at the meetings and also submit written comments up until April 7.  The County’s committee will vote to approve or disapprove the district’s request at its April 13 meeting. The Alpine hearing was added after ECM and community members asked that Alpine be added as a location due to the many controversies involving the Alpine area.

For the full schedule of meetings, rules and details, click "read more" and scroll down.

To view the San Diego County Office of Education hearings announcement in English, Spanish and Arabic, click here.

To view data on the GUHSD redistricting plan including demographic details and maps, click here.

Hear our interview with Rev. Kenneth Anderson, originally aired on KNSJ Radio:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

March 19, 2016 (San Diego) – East County Magazine intern Tasha Matthews interviewed Rev. Kenneth Anderson, director of three prominent gospel choirs at the University of California San Diego, Grossmont College and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir. He’s led choral tours and performances across Europe including at the Vatican. His gospel choir class at UCSD is consistently the most popular course on campus.  He’s also the fifth highest rated university professor in the nation, according to Rate My Professor.

Hear our interview with Rebecca Grant, originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

(Note: Audio files can take a few moments to load)

March 18, 2016 (San Diego) -- Rebecca Grant, author of A Sticky Web of Vengeance: The Coach's Wife sat down for an exclusive interview with East County Magazine Radio Show's Bookshelf host Reina Menasche.

Grant endured shocking revelations about her well-known husband's past, forgave him and stood by him in his final challenge: a battle with brain cancer.  She survived these hardships only to endure betrayal by his family members. Yet she weathered the storms in her life, finding inner strength.

She has since dedicated her life to activism, hoping to help others. 

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

By Ken Stone

Photo: Leo Hamel watches family assemble a puzzle in TV commercial. Photo via YouTube.com

March 18, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- San Diego jeweler Leo Hamel, a Republican candidate for state Assembly, says he joined the controversial Church of Scientology at age 18 or 19 but hasn’t taken part in church functions since the early 2000s.

Officials to test tsunami warning system in central and southern Calif. on March 23 during Tsunami Preparedness Week 

Source:  NOAA press release

Photo: Youtube screenshot

March 18, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - NOAA and the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) plan to conduct a test of the tsunami warning communications system on Wednesday, March 23 at approximately 10:15 a.m. PDT in coastal areas of central and southern California.   

East County News Service

March 18, 2016 (La Mesa) -- The Boys & Girls Clubs of East County (BGCEC) has announced more than $5.6 million has been raised towards a goal of $9.4 million for its fundraising effort called the “La Mesa Capital Campaign” that includes construction of a new 25,000-square-foot clubhouse on the campus of La Mesa Arts Academy, previously known as La Mesa Middle School.

East County News Service

March 18, 2016 (La Mesa) -- In July of 2015, the La Mesa Police Department was awarded a $34,363 grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to battle alcohol related crime.  This week, the department issued an update on decoy operations, inspections and arrests as a result of the grant funding.