By Duane Swainston

February 2, 2011 (Ocotillo)- The Over The Belt (OTB)-promoted Jeff Cady 100 Motorcycle/ATV race kicked off the District 38 season on Sunday.  A crowd estimated at 500-800 turned out, including 140 racers and their families, making this one of the highest attended season openers in years.

OTB club president Steve Orton said, "This kind of turn out just shows that local racers are eager to start the season and willing to support racing in the local desert."

Nothing but the Truth!

By Will Power

February 2, 2011 (San Diego)--While rich people can get to see their MDs practically at will, the working poor are limited in the number of appointments they receive. As a result, people with common chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes, or heart failure often wait until the last minute to seek emergency care. The working poor, with no insurance at all, use the ER as their primary health care provider.

The latest idea to come down the pike is "Emergency Room Reservations", which is a form of Health care rationing. If you are planning to have a heart attack, get in a car accident, or get shot, make sure you have reservations at the ER. Sure!

February 1, 2011 - The Alpine Sun has provided this information to pass along to residents about planned electrical outages Feb. 2 and 4 in Alpine and Pine Valley. According to SDG&E, none of these Power Outages are Sunrise Power Link Related.

February 1, 2011 (Valley Center) – Cameron Manning, 19, has been hospitalized with head trauma, a skull fracture and broken bones after he was attacked by two burglary suspects. According to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, shortly after midnight on January 28, Manning entered his residence at 24586 Lake Wohlford in Valley Center. There he was beaten in the head with a hammer, kicked, and left bound and injured on the floor.

February 1, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about the most important issues globally and nationally.

Top world and U.S. headlines recently include:

February 1, 2011 (El Cajon ) – A 35-year-old motorcyclist has died of injuries sustained in a collision with a car that occurred at 6:30 p.m. last night. Witnesses told El Cajon Police that the driver of a 1987 Suzuki Motorcycle was traveling eastbound in the 1100 block of Broadway when a 1997 Honda Accord made a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcyclist.

By E.A. Barrera

February 1, 2011 (San Diego's East) -- February 6, 2011 marks what would have been Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday. That milestone is a personal one for me. Though I never knew or met President Reagan, he was the first president who I could recall from start to finish. He was the president as I entered my senior year in high school and came of age … proud liberal-Democrat from a family of the same (dating back to Al Smith running as the first Catholic candidate for president in 1928).

As a member of the generation euphemistically once called "Gen X", I was never the less fascinated by the America Reagan promised. Reagan's America was in complete contrast to that of the baby-boomer class, which dominated the airwaves and media all my life. It was the return of the generation that beat the Great Depression and won World War Two. It was John Wayne reborn … and the "Old Man" (as I would come to call Reagan - first in sarcasm, then in reverence) epitomized that return.

Honorees include Clara Harris of Lemon Grove and the late Midge Costanza with SDSU

By Tracey Hawkins

January 31, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)--January is National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month, a time to reflect on safety information and tips, as well as to sharpen survival skills. As a safety expert, my job is to make sure my audience, readers and viewers have the best advice from the best resources.

January 31, 2011 (Santee) – Two-year-old Ethan Miller, son of Darren and Christie Miller in Santee, has neuroblastoma cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. A charity golf event will be held on Thursday, April 7th at Cottonwood Golf Course in Rancho San Diego to benefit Ethan Miller and his family.

DUI Victim donates vehicle to educate public about dangers

January 31, 2011 (San Diego) – Sheriff Bill Gore held a press conference today to remind San Diegans not to drink and drive on Super Bowl weekend, or anytime. He was joined at the conference by Erin Limonchi of La Mesa, whose mother, Pamela Marabeas, was killed September 30, 2009 when a drunk driver smashed into her mother’s SUV in Santee. Limonchi has donated the crumpled vehicle for use in free “Start Smart” classes to provide teens a graphic reminder of the deadly consequences of drinking and driving.

January 31, 2011 (Alpine) – The Alpine Community Planning Group is accepting applications through February 7, 2011 for three vacancies (seats #10, 12 and 14). You can obtain an application from the County of San Diego web http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/CommunityGroups.html or at http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/docs/Planning-Sponsor_Group_Application.pdf.

By: Jeremy Los

January 30, 2011 (San Diego) – The green economy is booming in San Diego County and California as a whole. In a new study titled Many Shades of Green: Diversity and Distribution of California’s Green Jobs, Next10.org finds that California’s green economy has boasted persistent growth and now encompasses over 174,000 jobs in the state. 

Between January 2008 and January 2009, the growth rate was highest in San Diego and the Bay Area; San Diego’s green jobs rate grew 7 percent while the Bay Area saw an 8 percent growth.

January 30, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is seeking nominations for its 2011 Healthcare Hero Awards, an annual awards program that honors East County residents whose volunteer efforts help advance the delivery of quality healthcare in the East County region.