July 10, 2011 (San Diego) – Jose Antonio Carrillo, 49, a resident of Encanto, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he had a sexual affair with a 16-year-old female student. Carillo served as a volunteer field hockey coach at Bonita Vista High School in Otay and also was an instructor at Jackie Robinson YMCA in San Diego.

July 9, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- Joan McIntosh captured the fragile beauty of these night-blooming cereus at her backyard in Lakeside.  

The ghostly cactus flowers blossom just once in the warmth of a mid-summer's night, then wither and perish. 

By Miriam Raftery

July 9, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Citing public safety concerns, Cleveland National Forest Supervisor William Metz has ordered closure of Cedar Creek Falls, the San Diego River Gorge Trail and adjacent areas through November 8. (The Forest Service may opt to reopen the area sooner if deemed appropriate, per a press release that accompanied the closure order.)

Closure follows a teen’s death Wednesday and a string of serious injuries at the falls which are revealed in the closure order.

July 9, 2011 (San Diego) – A stray bullet from a shooting believed to be gang-related struck a 7-year-old girl in the leg at 2:51 today. The other shooting victim was a 21-year-old man walking on a sidewalk near 5591 Roswell Street in east San Diego's Emerald Hills neighborhood when two men stopped on the opposite sidewalk. One of the men pulled out a gun and fired numerous shots, striking the 21-year-old in the shoulder and arm.

By Brian Lafferty

July 9, 2011 (San Diego) – The Trip is a Reader’s Digest condensed version of the hit British TV sitcom of the same name. Normally sitcoms and cinema go as well together as peanut butter and mayonnaise. Director Michael Winterbottom reverses this trend with a film that makes a smooth transition from the small screen to the big screen.

Teen who died at falls identified as Joseph Meram, 16, of El Cajon

Sheriff says falls will stay closed until ways are found to protect public safety

By Miriam Raftery

July 8, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – A family outing turned to tragedy when Joseph Meram, 16, hiked ahead of his relatives and wandered onto the wrong trail with his cousin over the weekend. The teen plummeted over an 80-foot cliff into a swimming hole at the base of Cedar Creek Falls.

His death has prompted closure of the falls indefinitely--and debate over the role of government in balancing accessibility vs. safety on public lands. Now Sheriff Bill Gore speaks out on the tragedy, which occurred soon after the U.S. Forest Service improved a trail to make the site more accessible—a move Sheriff Bill Gore says was well-intentioned, but resulted in serious consequences.