February 22, 2011 (Julian) – An explosion possibly caused by a faulty installation of a clothes dryer caused a fire reported at 6:32 p.m. at a home at 3208 Salton Vistas Drive in Julian.

“We had two injuries,” Cal-Fire Captain Mike Mohler informed ECM. “We had one male in his 60s with burns and one female also in her 60s with injuries from a collapse.”

February 22, 2011 (Borrego) -- San Diego Sheriff's Department helicopter, Copter 10, crewed by Cal-Fire and Sheriff's personnel launched from their base at Gillespie Field in El Cajon to assist emergency services personnel already on scene at the trail head of Palm Canyon in Anza Borrego. Initial reports this morning were that a hiker had sustained unknown injuries and was unable to make it out of the canyon and back to the trail head.

February 22, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- The following local, state and national education news items are excerpted from a very informative e-newsletter published by Doug Deane, chair of the Business Education Committee at the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.
 

Our picks for Deane’s top education stories from the latest issue include:

“The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired in value.” – President Theodore Roosevelt

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2011 (Palomar Mountain) –President Theodore Roosevelt, the great conservationist who founded our national park system, once observed, “There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm.”

Roosevelt would have been enchanted by the pristine beauty of Palomar Mountain, blanketed in a foot of snow this President’s Day. No doubt he would also feel melancholy to learn that Palomar State Park is among those state parks under consideration for possible closure due to the state's budget gap.  For now, however, visitors frolick in the powdery snow, most blissfully oblivious that the park's fate hangs in the balance.

Editor's Note - February 22, 2011: location has changed to Faith Chapel Church of God in Christ, 4999 Holly Drive, San Diego, near Lincoln High School.

February 18, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- The Grossmont College Music Department‘s Grossmont College Gospel Choir and Grossmont College Master Chorale will celebrate Black History Month with two performances of gospel music.

February 21, 2011 --San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit detectives have arrested a suspect for the murders of two people inside an apartment at 10946 Evening Creek Drive in Sabre Springs. The victims have been identified as Bernabe Magno Villamar, 26, of Spring Valley and Valerie Marabante, 23, who rented the apartment. Her estranged husband, Melchor Marabante, was arrested at a hospital in Murrieta and has been charged with the murders.

February 21, 2011 (Descanso)-- Sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Border Patrol agents and CalFire personnel responded to a call of a dead body in rural Descanso around 7:15 a.m. Authorities found a Hispanic man dead at the scene. He may have been with a group of illegal border crossers who entered the U.S. this weekend during sub-freezing temperatures.

A man hospitalized in San Diego has identified a woman found dead in the same area as his wife. He told authorities that members of the group became separated from each other near Descanso. U.S. Border Patrol agents are now searching the area for other potential victims, said Lt. Dennis Brugos with the Sheriff’s homicide detail.

Obesity - The Solution, by Max Sturman (Do It Naturally Foundation, San Diego)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

February 20, 2011 (San Diego)--There is no more timely or urgent message than that found in Max Sturman's Obesity - The Solution. A February 1st story in the San Diego Union-Tribune states, "In a new attempt to help an overweight nation slim down and improve its long-term health, the government released new dietary guidelines that called on Americans to eat less, cut down on salt, bulk up on fruits and vegetables, and try water instead of sugary soft drinks."

Sturman, a 93-year-old San Diego author, has been delivering this message for years in fitness and healthcare books through his Do It Naturally Foundation, a non-profit that he founded.  His longevity is no accident--but, he believes,  the result of healthy living and a diet based on natural foods.

February 20, 2011 (La Mesa)-- On February 19, around 6:08 P.M., La Mesa Police Officers responded to a report of a robbery at 70th Street and Alvarado Road. The victim, a 33-year-old man, reported being robbed while crossing the street. As he stood on the center median waiting for traffic to clear, he was approached by the suspect, who told the victim he had a gun and demanded money.

February 20, 2011 (Valley Center) Last night at 6:10 p.m., three armed men entered an open door at 27446 S. Canal Road on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation in Valley Center. A woman was waiting at the open door for friends to arrive when the men burst into the home, according to Sergeant Bob Bishop with the Sheriff’s department.

February 19, 2011 (La Mesa)--San Diego FBI Special Agent eith Slotter, announces the arrest of Cesar Daniel Flores, age 20, of Imperial Beach. He is charged with robbing Bank of the West in La Mesa on February 4th.

February 19, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Heavy snowfall is making travel hazardous on East County roadways in mountain areas, resulting in numerous accidents and traffic delays tonight.

“The Cuyamaca area has received between 6 to 8 inches of snow and Mt. Laguna more than that,” Cal Fire’s Mike Mohler informed ECM in an e-mail. He advised people to avoid visiting these areas unless prepared.

February 19, 2011 (Spring Valley) –Lemon Grove Detectives and U.S. Marine Corps Criminal Investigators searched a home at 2851 Highlands Blvd. in Spring Valley Thursday morning that is also used as a licensed child day care center. Authorities had previously arrested Michael Manglicmot, 23, for desertion  from the Marine Corps.

Sheriff’s detective Joel Stranger, working with USMC-CID investigators, learned that Manglicmot was the primary suspect in several recent burglaries at Camp Pendleton and Spring Valley. During the search, stolen property items including USMC body armor and night vision equipment were found. Detectives arrested Manglicmot’s brother, Mario Solis, 27, on charges of drug possession and sale, as well as possessing a loaded firearm.

Bipartisan legislation would create flexible spending accounts to help families save on health care and child care expenses

February 19, 2011 (Washington, D.C). – At a press conference February 17, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) announced their new legislation that would provide flexible spending accounts for service members. Flexible spending accounts would result in savings for military families by allowing service members to set aside part of their income before taxes to cover out-of-pocket child care and health care expenses such as co-pays, dental care and eye glasses.

This benefit is currently available to civilian employees at the Department of Defense, but not to uniformed service members.