By Mike Allen

January 30, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- The latest car-to-car shooting incident earlier this month on Interstate 8 brings the total to three in the last year, and four in the last three years, prompting the question whether this stretch of freeway from 70^th Street east to Los Coches Road is particularly dangerous.

East County News Service

January 29, 2016 (Alpine) – Bruce Cochrane, Superintendent of the Alpine Union School District, has given notice that he will be leaving the position he has held since mid-2014. 

By Brian Lafferty

January 29, 2016 (San Diego) – Now that Hollywood has released all of its Oscar hopefuls, it’s time to sift through the leftovers. January is the month where you’ll be hard-pressed to find a decent movie. Even when you do, the chances are high that it’s not even worth a discounted ticket. It’s a truth that all film critics quickly learn.

The Finest Hours (Craig Gillespie, 2016) is bland and vanilla, made as if it was designed for a January dumping. Perhaps I’m being cynical, but this outlook may not be so unfounded when you see that Disney is the studio responsible for this movie. After all, Disney made, and continues to make, a box office killing with Star Wars: The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams, 2015), and could certainly afford to write this one off.

Source: County News Service

January 29, 2016 (San Diego) -- It is everywhere in the news — the Zika virus. It’s a mosquito-driven virus new to the Americas that has been virtually harmless to most people but also linked to a serious birth defect. It’s prompted travel warnings to Mexico and several South American and Central American countries, as well as anxious questions from the media and the public.

Amendment would direct energy secretary to lead federal review of cause and response to the crisis, make recommendations to solve the gas leak that has forced 3,000 families to evacuate, and prevent future incidents

Photo credit to Scott L. on Flickr

East County News Service

January 29, 2016 (Washington D.C.) — California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein announced Friday that they will introduce an amendment next week to energy legislation currently on the Senate floor. The amendment would direct Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to lead a broad federal review of the cause and response to the natural gas leak at Southern California Gas Company’s Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility – including making recommendations on immediate steps that could assist in solving this gas leak and in preventing and responding to future incidents.

East County News Service

January 29, 2016 (Jacumba) — Eric Kallen, who runs the website www.JacumbaBirding.com has counted over 191 species of birds in Jacumba Hot Springs, a high-desert community in San Diego’s East County.  “I’ve had 124 species in my backyard,” he says.

Now is a great time to go bird-watching there, since you can see wintering and year-round species as well as some early spring migratory visitors.  Here are photos taken this January of a Scott’s Oriole, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and Costa’s Hummingbird, with notes from Kallen on each:  

County Animal Services rescues dozens of chickens, Bengal cats, rabbits, exotic lizards and a wolf dog with pups 

Source: County News Service

January 28, 2016 (Lakeside) -- County Animal Services investigating a complaint of neglected animals at a Lakeside home found at least a dozen dead chickens and a dead rabbit, but rescued over 100 other animals. In all, Animal Services took in 88 chickens, seven Bengal cats, four rabbits, two bearded dragon lizards and a wolf/dog blend with two puppies.  

East County News Service

January 28, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon Citizen of the Year Committee has selected Humbert Cabrera of El Cajon, founder of Cabrera and Associates, Inc., a design and drafting firm, as its 2015 El Cajon Citizen of the Year. Cabrera will be honored at a luncheon on Monday, Feb. 1 at the Elks Lodge #1812, 1400 E. Washington Ave., El Cajon. The luncheon event is scheduled to run from noon to 2:30 p.m. Cost to attend is $18 per person. To RSVP, visit www.eastcountychamber.org or call (619) 440-6161.

East County News Service

Photo by Jessica Walls

January 28, 2016 (San Diego) – By a 3-2 vote, the California Public Utilities Commission today voted to retain net energy metering that supporters say is crucial to support growth of rooftop solar power.  Though some changes will be made, the ruling protects compensation for consumers who produce surplus solar power for the grid.

Hailed as a victory for rooftop solar advocates, the decision has drawn praise from environmentalists but criticism from San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E).

East County News Service

January 28, 2016 (Lemon Grove) – The City of Lemon Grove invites you to bring family, neighbors and colleagues a discussion on updating and improving the city’s General Plan. The meeting will be held Saturday, January 30^th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane in Lemon Grove.

“We're talking streets, sidewalks, circulation and general mobility around Lemon Grove.  We need your pertinent suggestions, major concerns and your famous ability to problem-solve,” says Helen Ofield with the Lemon Grove Historical Society.

By Miriam Raftery

January 28, 2016 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Jacumba Solar LLC has cancelled its contract with the Jacumba Community Services District to purchase water for a large-scale solar project..  The project would include over 81,000 solar panels on 304 acres near the SDG&E substation.

“I I think it’s for the best,” Eric Kallen, vice chair of the Jacumba Community Services District, told East County Magazine.

The contract called for Jacumba Solar to pay a $100,000 “gift” on signing with an additional $250,000 lump sum payment due January 15^th.   The District was to provide 40 acre feet of water with an option for Jacumba Solar to purchase 28 additional acre feet if needed for construction, plus three or four acre feet a year long-term for maintenance after the project was built.  The solar projecrt was proposed by Nextera, a Florida-based company.

East County News Service

January 28, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – A significant winter storm is forecast to roll into our region Saturday night and Sunday. Very strong winds up to 80 miles per hour  are possible Sunday afternoon and evening, along with moderate rainfall across much of the county and heavy snow in our mountain areas.

By Sunday night, traces of snow could dip as low as 3500 feet, which could impact I-8 in East County east of Alpine.  Elevations of 4,000 to 5,000 feet, such as Julian, could get 1-3 inches  of snow while up to a foot could fall on Mt. Laguna above 5,000 feet.

By Miriam Raftery

January 27, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – Juveniles in federal prisons can no longer be sentenced to solitary confinement under an executive order issued by President Barack Obama that also reforms solitary confinement rules for adults. Also this week, the Supreme Court ruled that an earlier decision banning mandatory life sentences for juveniles applies retroactively—meaning prisoners who committed serious crimes before age 18 must have parole hearings or an opportunity for resentencing.

January 27, 2016 (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 top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• East County business owner duped in utility scam (10 News)
• Who’s planning a religious resort in Mission Valley? (U-T)
• ‘Lucky life’ lotto winner dies after becoming a millionaire (NBC)
• Local cities asked to back spent nuclear fuel bill (U-T)
• State Probing Experimental Hubbs Fish Breeding Program That’s Spawned Deformities, Mixed Results (Voice of SD)
•  Federal Authorities Do Little To Punish San Onofre Over Closure (KPBS)
• State Accountability Scarce Four Years After San Onofre Leak (KPBS)

STATE

• Saudi Arabia is buying up California farmland (Water Deeply)
• Porter Ranch: Regulators approve comprehensive abatement order over massive gas leak (Los Angeles Times)
• Porter Ranch ‘climate disaster’ shows need for national fracking ban: Sanders (Los Angeles Times) 
• In California, A Treasure Hunt For Gold Rush-Era Fruit And Nut Trees (NPR)
• Leaking L.A. County Methane Well Under Stress (KPBS)
• California Regulators Order Company To Permanently Close Leaking Gas Well (NPR)
• Exclusive: California gas leak spotlights shoddy regulation of aging storage wells (Reuters)

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