April 30, 2013 (Santee) – Summit Fellowship Concert Series will present the Bayou Brothers in Concert with special guests from the UK, Mama Tokus and Andy Williamson. On Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m.  Tickets cost $15.00.  Start with a blend of accordion, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and rub board, add three-part harmonies, mix it up with a lot of rockin' Zydeco, blues and R&B and you get the rousing, rollicking, heart thumpin', foot stompin' Bayou Brothers.

By Janis Mork

April 29, 2013 (Santee)- Recently, a Coffee Corner benefit was held for Dylan Pourner, a kindergarten boy with brain cancer, in Santee. Organizers and students who helped out wore bracelets that said, “We Love Dylan…The greatest of these is love,” and “We Love Dylan” t-shirt.  A concert was also held. Now, local schools are pitching in to help raise funds to help Dylan and his family.

ECM interviewed Gina Milton, one of the organizers. She told us that Dylan has a glioma, a non-operable mass. “He lost control of his hands and he can’t stand. The tumor is on the brain stem. It keeps growing and putting pressure on his brain.” But there is hope; he started a new treatment a few weeks ago and is expected to be getting it for eight weeks.

April 29, 2013 (El Cajon) – ACES Foundation El Cajon Animal Shelter will be auctioning Barkitecture Animal Houses to raise money for the ACES Foundation. The event will be May 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at O’s American Bistro, #75 Parkway Plaza, El Cajon. 

Tickets are $25 and include an auction number, appetizers, and wine or beer.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.acesfoundation.org or at the door.

April 29, 2013 (El Cajon) –Heartland Swim Association has opened registration for its popular Summer League program which will be held at 10 locations beginning June 24. A special incentive is being offered for paid registrations received by May 17.

Heartland Summer League is designed for swimmers of all abilities from the ages of 6 to 18. Practices are held three days a week with competitive swim meets held on weekends in July. The Summer League culminates in an All-Team Championship Meet at El Cajon Valley High School on August 2 & 3.

By Janis Mork

“Facebook doesn’t create relationships. When I was younger, I remember posting something on Facebook, a bad word. My uncle called me and told me it was dumb. If you have a million followers or a lot of friends, those are not your friends honestly.”- a 22-year-old girl 

April 28, 2013 (El Cajon)- April 16 was the 18th annual youth-led event by STAAND (Students Together Against Alcohol And Drugs), a critical teen issues forum addressing common problems prevalent in East County teens. Among those are bullying, suicide, alcohol, drugs, and safety (cyber bullying, cyber dating).

STAAND is a part of Communities Against Substance Abuse. The group has this forum because adjusting to high school can be challenging for all students, but East County has experienced a huge influx of immigrant families and up to 50 languages are spoken among families in local school districts. More of these families live in poverty than ever before. This affects teens greatly.

MWD must show whether its rates are tied to the cost of its services

May 2, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – A San Francisco Superior Court judge on Wednesday, April 24 ordered the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to produce information no later than May 10 that shows how it allocates its costs to rates or admit it does not have any evidence to support its current allocation of its costs to its rates.  The order followed a Tuesday hearing on the Water Authority’s motion to compel MWD to answer discovery and granted the Water Authority’s motion in its entirety.  Before the Court’s ruling, MWD had refused to respond to requests by the San Diego County Water Authority asking MWD to show what evidence it has to support its claims that its rates reflect its cost of providing its services.

Update: The fire off 125 reached 20 acres and is now contained.

April 28, 2013 – A brush fire that began along State Route 125 in the vicinity of Magdalena and Birch Streets is now two acres. Helicopters are battling the blaze. Access is difficult for hose-lays. The blaze is in a canyon near Olympian High School. State Route 125 has been closed in both directions.

In Otay, a small fire has also been reported near the George Bailey Detention Center.

April 28, 2013 (La Mesa) --  Responding to a report of a fight last night in the 5900 block of Severin Drive, La Mesa Police officers arrived and found that the fight was actually an altercation between liquor store employees and suspects who reportedly stole alcohol. The employees chased the four suspects, two men and two women, out of the store and a fight ensued.

Both employees were hit in the face by the two male suspects and sustained bruising, but refused medical attention. The loss was a bottle of alcohol.

Tips and tricks for business success and growth

By Rama Beerfas

May 1, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – One of the workshops I am asked to present most often is "Developing Your 30-Second Commercial." Anyone who has ever attended a networking event knows that a concise, effective 30-second commercial (AKA elevator pitch) is critical. The hard part is putting one together that is concise, effective and doesn't sound like a scripted speech.

Pollution of earth and water is driving indigenous peoples from their homelands

By Miriam Raftery

April 27, 2013 (San Diego)--Around the world, including here in the U.S.,  native people are losing lands they have occupied for countless generations.  The earth and water that sustained life in their communities is being destroyed –once-mighty rivers and wetlands reduced to barren, parched or even contaminated land.  The story is the same from tribes along the Colorado River to those deep in the Amazon, from the deserts of Southern California to the jungles of Mexico, from the coal fields of Appalachia to the copper mining pits of Arizona to indigenous people’s lands in Canada threatened by the Keystone Pipeline.

The culprit?  Growing demand for energy and water. 

Now, native people are speaking out.  They hope to educate the public to conserve precious resources, sharing knowledge of the heart-breaking price being paid by people who have been given no choice—and whose very cultural identity centers around the lands and waters being lost.

April 27, 2013 (El Cajon)--An award winning short-story writer and an Iraqi poet will headline Grossmont College’s Literary Arts Festival April 29 through May 2.

Tobias Wolff, a Stanford professor, won The Story Prize in 2008 for his collection of short stories, “Our Story Begins.” He has published several novels and memoirs, and his work regularly appears in magazines and literary journals, including “The New Yorker,” “The Atlantic” and “Harper’s.” Wolff will read and sign his books from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.

April 27, 2013 (San Diego) – Mayor Bob Filner’s efforts to win the bid to host the 2024 Olympics in our border region is getting serious consideration from the U.S. Olympic Committee.  The San Diego/Tijuana team is on the list of top 10 cities under consideration.

The Mayor announced his idea earlier this year at the opening of the San Diego’s new Tijuana office, alongside Mayor Carlos Bustamante, who is wholeheartedly behind the idea and committed to working together to make this happen.

“I am very serious about this proposal and clearly the U.S. Olympic Committee is paying attention,” said Mayor Bob Filner.  “Imagine the message we could send to the world in the true spirit of what the Olympics is all about, bringing together people and countries.  What better way to do it than with our neighbors south of the border?”

Mayor Bob Filner and Mayor Carlos Bustamante will soon name a top-notch committee to guide the bi-national effort.

April 26, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – At 2:39 p.m. today, a suspect drew a pistol and ordered three employees to the ground in the AT&T store on Federal Boulevard in Lemon Grove. A second suspect  then entered the store.

“The clerks were threatened with the gun if they did not cooperate,” said Sgt. Carlos Medina with the Sheriff’s Department.  Employees were ushered into the back of the store and into a bathroom. Meanwhile the thieves opened a safe and stole about 30 electronic devices, including phones and computers, along with cash.

April 30, 2013 (La Mesa)—Emmy award-wining comedian Russ T. Nailz, known for his apperances on TV and radio, will headline Brew Ha Ha’s comedy show Wednesday, May 1.  The fun starts with a mixer at 6, followed by showtime from 7:30-9 p.m. at Haritna, 7303 El Cajon Blvd. in La Mesa.

There is no cover charge and no drink minimum.  Mediterranean food is available at the restaurant, which was voted #1 in San Diego by A-List.

Some adult language; 13 and up admitted with adult.  Reservations highly recommended.

www.brewhaha2010@hotmail.com

By Janis Mork

April 25, 2013 (El Cajon)-El Cajon’s City Council took a major step at Tuesday’s meeting toward revitalizing and reopening the East County Performing Arts Center.  

Council voted unanimously in favor of sending Pro-Tem Mayor Bill Wells and Councilmember Gary Kendrick to meet with two representatives from the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) to discuss feasibility of refurbishing ECPAC and also constructing a multi-use facility in front of the theater. Together, the two facilities would serve as a magnet for arts and culture in East County under the vision put forth by supporters.

Councilman Gary Kendrick spoke in favor of the plan. “I’m open to re-opening this. We need to fix the roof and take care of ADA issues. I spoke with Priscilla Schreiber (current GUHSD board member),” he explained. “The topic of ECPAC came up. Her idea is for the district to build a multi-use facility in front of the performing arts center rather than 10 multi-use facilities on each campus.”