January 1 2011 (El Cajon)--The Miss El Cajon Scholarship Association is looking for contestants for the 2011 Miss El Cajon and Miss Teen Rancho San Diego Scholarship Pageant scheduled for Saturday, March 19. Judges will also be selecting the Miss El Cajon Teen and Miss Rancho San Diego Teen.

By Brian Lafferty

January 11, 2011 (San Diego) – After seeing Undertow, Peru’s submission to the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film, I wondered if director Javier Fuentes-Leon had seen the 1947 classic The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (who would direct All About Eve three years later) it starred Gene Tierney as a widow who falls in love with the spirit of a crusty sea captain played by Rex Harrison haunting her seaside cottage.

By Billy Ortiz and Miriam Raftery
Photos by Billy Ortiz
Videos by Billy Ortiz and Ron Cook

January 9, 2011 (La Mesa)--For the fourth consecutive year, youths at United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) are active participants in the “Souper Bowl of Caring,” a month-long, nation-wide program in which donations of food, goods, and money are solicited to benefit local service agencies.

ALLEGED SHOOTER LISTED MEIN KAMPF AMONG HIS FAVORITE BOOKS

"In San Diego, we stand together today and say that violence has no place in politics, not here, and never again." --  Jess Durfee and Tony Krvaric, chairs of the San Diego Democratic and Republican parties, in a joint statement

Former ECM manager now in Tucson recalls meeting Giffords, says she was outspoken on need to `tone down' rhetoric that could incite violence

 

January 8, 2011 (Tucson) Updated 5:45 p.m. -- Democratic Congersswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona's first Jewish representative,  has been shot through the brain and is in critical condition following surgery, according to a hospital spokesperson. A federal judge and a nine-year-old-baby are among the dead; ten others were wounded when a gunman opened fire in Tucson on a street corner where Giffords was hosting a meeting with constituents.

January 8, 2011 (Santee) – A family with five children seeks the public’s help to find their dog, Zoe, who has not been seen since New Year’s Day. Firefighters opened up the family home on Clifford Heights Road in Santee to save it from flames after a next-door-neighbor, Michael Cour, shot his wife and himself, also setting fire to the couple’s home.

Zoe, a 3-year-old Bichon frise, was recently groomed and had a shorter haircut than a typical Bichon, the Union-Tribune reported. The dog has a friendly personality, has a microchip ID, and was wearing a pink collar with tags when last seen.

By Brian Lafferty

January 7, 2011 (San Diego) – Looking at a few of Blue Valentine’s negative reviews (as of today, the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer stands at 91% with only nine “rotten” reviews against eighty-six positive) I find the film’s unfavorable comparisons to the directorial work of the late John Cassavetes a recurring observation.

Granted, the movie isn’t the first to explore a marriage’s disintegration. Cassavetes’ Faces and Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road come to mind. However, I believe this criticism is unfair to Blue Valentine. I don’t mind if a movie doesn’t have an original plot as long as it has unique and strong characters. This movie is populated with two of them.

By Jeremy Los and Miriam Raftery

January 6, 2011 (Washington D.C.) – The red Republican wave that swept through the nation in November has officially begun its reign in the United States House of Representatives yesterday as the 112th Congress commenced. The change elevates the positions and influence of local Republican representatives, while reducing the power of San Diego’s Democratic delegation in Congress.

Highlighted by the election of Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, as Speaker of the House, yesterday today marked the beginning of what House Republicans see as a chance to move the conservative agenda forward. The Republican leadership has announced its intent to repeal President Obama’s health care bill and begin to cut government spending in their first three weeks. Democrats in Congress now are on the defensive as they are now hoping to impede the destruction of what they pushed for since 2006.

January 6, 2011 (Anza-Borrego) – On Saturday, January 8 from 12 noon to 4 p.m., San Diego State University seismologist Tom Rockwell will lead a field trip to Coyote Creek Fault to discuss the geology of the area and its recent activity. Visitors should meet in the back parking lot of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center for the short off-trail walk, wich costs $35 (or $25 for Anza Borrego Foundation members).

January 6, 2011(LMt. Helix)--Kick off the New Year with a January 8 neighborhood walk from the San Miguel Fire Station, at 10105 Vivera in La Mesa, up to the amphitheater in Mt. Helix Park starting at 10 a.m.

The walk, co-sponsored by the Grossmont-Mt. Helix Improvement Association and the Mt. Helix Park Foundation, is a chance for neighbors to get to know each other.

January 5, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – State Route 67 will be shut down between Prospect and Woodside avenues from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight and tomorrow for construction, Caltrans has announced.

In addition, ramp closures will occur starting at 8 p.m. both nights including northbound SR67 on-ramp at Bradley Ave., northbound SR67 off-ramp to Prospect Ave., and southbound SR67 on-ramp from Magnolia Ave.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Billy Ortiz

January 4, 2011 (Mt. Laguna) - Yesterday's storm brought snow to Mount Laguna in San Diego's East County--along with a flurry of snow-goers eager to enjoy the seasonal treat. 

Story and photos by Ariele Johannson

January 4, 2010 (Warner Springs)--For historic Warner Springs Ranch, time seems circular as its past echoes for a return. In keeping with a Native American trend to buy back ancestral land, the Pala Band of Mission Indians is purchasing its former homeland, Warner Springs Ranch.

January 4, 2010 (El Cajon)  At 10:39 last night, El Cajon Police received a 911 call regarding a person down in the roadway at 500 Broadway. Responding officers found that the victim had been struck by a vehicle while crossing the street. He had major injuries to his leg and head.

The driver of the vehicle fled the scene after striking the victim. The suspect vehicle most likely has moderate to major front end damage.