September 4, 2015 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Rotary Club invites you to a Comedy  Hypnosis show with Marsha Starr –where the audience members are the stars—on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in the La Mesa Community Center.  She’s performed on Broadway, in Vegas, and at the Comedy Store.

September 3, 2015 (Santee) - The Santee Lakes Foundation invites you to enjoy CarBQue at Samtee Lakes—a day of classic cars, bikes, antique tractors and farm equipment plus barbeque food, live entertainment and fun for the entire family. The event takes place on Saturday, October 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Same plane previously landed on highway 52; residents voice alarm

August 3, 2015 (Santee) – A plane owned by a flight school at Gillespie Field crashed into a Santee neighborhood at 9:15 this morning, damaging two cars and a home. The pilot died on impact and a  passenger later died in a hospital of critical injuries, Santee Patch reports. (Photo, left: ECM news partner 10 News.)

The plane, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, is currently registered to the Volar Corp. flight school at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records. The same plane made an emergency landing on State Route 52 in 2013 directly in front of ECM reporter Paul Kruze (photo, right), 10 News reports. Back then the plane was registered to Golden State Flying Club, another local flight school.  

Advocates for Safe Airport Policies (ASAP), has long voiced concerns over increased flight school traffic over homes nearby.  ASAP leader Sue Strohm shared her reaction with ECM.:

Residents' group plans meeting Sept. 30 to mobilize opposition

By Miriam Raftery

September 2, 2015 (La Mesa)—Helix Water District’s board will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, October 7 at 5 p.m. at its board room (7811 University Ave., La Mesa) to consider adopting rate hikes over the next five years.  View notice of the public hearing on proposed rate hikes.

The plan is drawing strong opposition including the Grossmont-Mount Helix Improvement Association, which is organizing a public forum on September 30 at 7 p.m. at Murdock Elementary School (4354 Conrad Drive, La Mesa).  The GMIA is also urging residents to write to Helix to register formal opposition.  The GMIA has posted a sample letter here.

Calling the five-year plan a “shock”, a letter sent to GMIA members states, “The proposed plan will permit, but not require, the District to increase rates 70% over the next five years—regardless of conditions..The character and quality of our region, as well as home values, is at stake.”

September 3, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

General news

• There aren’t enough firefighters to stop America’s west from burning (Bloomberg News)
• More than 3,000 respond after Washington requests firefighting volunteers (AP)
• Obama visits a state that lives climate change: Alaska (APM)
• Retired US generals to Congress: Vote 'No' on Iran nuclear deal (JPost)
• FBI warns U.S. art dealers about antiquities looted from Syria, Iraq
• 'Sister Wives' clan uses same-sex marriage ruling in polygamy case  (Reuters)
• U.S. To Accept Up To 8,000 Syrian Refugees Next Year (NPR)
• Mercury in Grand Canyon's Colorado River: How did the toxin get there? (CS Monitor)

Presidential campaign

• Why Ben Carson is surging (CS Monitor)
• Bernie Sanders video on Meet the Press (NBC)
• Carly Fiorina Takes Rand Paul's Place in Republican Top 10 (Reason)

WORLD

Europe

• A look at the latest developments in Europe's migrant crisis (AP)
• UK immigration hits record high, causing headache for Cameron
• Deathbed confession reveals location of Nazi train that might contain gold (CS Monitor)
• Ukraine faces risky year fighting to escape Russian orbit: Poroshenko(Reuters)
• Thwarted French train attack highlights scant rail security against terror acts (CS Monitor)

Islamic World

• UNICEF: 40 percent school dropouts in Mideast conflict areas (AP)
• The Middle East is running out of water. Can they adapt? (CS Monitor)
• UN employees in Gaza strike against cost-cutting measures (AP)
• Islamic State claims 30 killed for sodomy, UN meeting told (AP)
• Gay men tell UN Security Council of being ISIS targets (JPost)
• US strikes southern Afghan district seized by Taliban (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• U.S., allies hit Islamic State in Iraq with 21 air strikes: military (Reuters)
• U.S. using secret drone campaign to hunt ISIS leaders (Washington Post)
• Saudi women finally get right to vote, so why aren't more registering? (CS Monitor)

Asia

• Asian stocks fall after Fed suggests Sept rate hike possible (SD Union-Tribune)
• Four months after quakes, Nepal fails to spend any of $4.1 billion donor money (Reuters)
• China detains more suspects over deadly chemical disaster in Tianjin (+video) (CS Monitor)

Africa

Armed group frees 163 children in Central African Republic (SD Union-Tribune)

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

September 1, 2015 (Descanso)—A series of events are planned to honor the memory of famed saddle maker Garry McClintock including a memorial ride and barbecue on September 20^th, as well as a church service and reception September 26^th.

September 2, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Blood test 'detects cancer relapse' (BBC)
• Turning cancer into healthy tissue (BBC)
• More than 1 in 6 children are obese: How parents and teachers can help (CS Monitor)
• Creative minds: New study challenges myth about people with autism (+video)
• Selecting Boys Over Girls Is A Trend In More And More Countries (NPR)
• Rethinking Breakfast: What We Eat May Trump When We Eat (NPR)
• After A Divorce, What Happens To A Couple's Frozen Embryos? (NPR)
• Scientists Discover New Disease Caused By Prion Protein (NPR)
• A metabolic master switch underlying human obesity (MIT news)
• Saudi records 15 MERS virus deaths in a week (AP)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Deep beneath Antarctica's ice, signs of bizarre particles from space (CS Monitor)
• Ashley Madison founder emails leaked in new data dump (Reuters)
• Weather Complaints Affirmed: NOAA Says July Was Hottest Month Globally On Record
• SolarCity takes on California utilities (San Diego Union-Tribiune)
• A Lot Of Heat Is Wasted, So Why Not Convert It Into Power? (NPR)
• Why Phone Fraud Starts With A Silent Call (NPR_
• South African prototype may solve solar power problem (AP)
• Rising seas even more dangerous than thought, says NASA (CS Monitor)
• A year in a bubble: NASA begins most ambitious Mars-analog mission yet (CS Monitor)
• General Mills sets ambitious goal for greenhouse gas cuts (CS Monitor)

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

August 25, 2015 (Descanso)--Our Lady of Light Catholic Church in Descanso will hold its 78th Annual Deep Pit Barbecue on Sunday, September 6^th during the Labor Day weekend.

By Devoreo Bell

September 2, 2015 (San Diego)--The San Diego County Water Authority is owed $188.3 million plus interest from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District, a judge has affirmed in a final ruling which found Metropolitan charged illegal rates to the San Diego district from 2011 to 2014.

By Miriam Raftery

September 2, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - Deadly drunk driving crashes have spiked this summer, killing 11 people since May -- six in August alone.

Alpine lawsuit unsuccessful in attempting to block needed upgrades at Valhalla

By Mary Beth Kastan

September 2, 2015 (Rancho San Diego)--Students returning to Valhalla High School in Rancho San Diego will be joined on campus by some unusual guests: construction crews with heavy equipment.

Despite the noise and dust, we’re excited to see a long-awaited campus modernization project finally underway. Thanks to bond funding provided by East County voters through Proposition U, the 49 classrooms in our 155,000-square-foot main building will be fully renovated for the first time since the school opened more than 40 years ago.

August 31, 2015 (El Cajon)--Don your Hawaiian shirt, sarong or other festive attire and join us this Saturday, September 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. at East County Magazine's Tropical Party as we celebrate summer's end and watch the sunset atop the roof of our studio building in El Cajon (1625 East Main St., just off the Greenfield exit from I-8)   Savor the flavors of the tropics:

 Tropical feast  including coconut curry &  tropical chicken from Pick Up Stix, Pina Berry Colada & Champagne Mango Cakes from Grove Pastry Shop, island-fresh pineapple from Baron’s Market.

Pacific Islanders Beer and Wine-tasting with San Pasqual Winery (award-winning wines including passionfruit!)

Live entertainment:  Reggae music by Ed Barrena & musical theater by Visionary Dance Theatre. 

Prize drawings & silent auction: Padres tickets, Italian dinner lover's basket, wine lover's basket with premium vintages, "Hairspray" musical theater tickets, pottery by Get Centered Clay, Kwai Sun studio passes (yoga, pilates, karate, fitness and more), dance lessons, beach-goers basket, Water Conservation Garden memberships, Santee Lakes fishing and pedal boat passes, Urban Jungle passes, Hawaiian wear, hand-crafted treasure chest, & more!   SPACE LIMITED: EARLY RSVP STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

By Marty Jorgensen

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: Black jaguar

September 1, 2015 (Cedar Creek Falls) – Last year, East County Magazine ran a two-part series  on numerous reported sightings of large black wildcats in our region :

http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/are-black-wildcats-prowling-east-county

http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/hello-kitty-more-black-wildcat-reports-surface

Today, we received an email from Chris and Peter Ruth, Forest Service volunteers and trail head hosts at Cedar Creek Falls.  “We now have had two reports of a black `cat-like’ animal down by the falls,” they wrote, adding that there is water in the pond though the waterfall is dry this time of year.

Multiple hikers reported seeing a “large black animal” resembling a big cat in a tree near the falls in San Diego's backcountry in Cleveland National Forest between Julian and Descanso. The sightings were reported to the ranger.  In addition, the Forest Service volunteers state, “Today, two female volunteers who hike the trail and pick up trash heard growling noises three times. With the drought, we wonder if animals are frequenting the pond to get water.”

September 1, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - The Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay nation will host its 26^th annual pow-wow September 11-13 at the tribe’s pow-wow grounds, next to the Casino at 5459 Sycuan Road on the Sycuan reservation in El Cajon.