July 3, 2010 (El Cajon) – Responding to calls of a man chasing people with a large hunting-type knife yesterday morning, El Cajon motorcycle officer Nick Sprecco spotted the suspect in a Jack-in-the-Box parking lot at 2nd and Madison. According to police, the suspect approached the officer, knife in hand, ignoring repeated orders to halt.

July 3, 2010 (Kensington) -- A motorcyclist under the influence of alcohol crashed into a palm tree in the 4300 block of Aldine Drive at 11:05 this morning, San Diego Police Department reports. The D.U.I. driver, a man in his 40s, sustained a broken hip and was transported to a local trauma center.  No further details are available at this time.

July 3, 2010  (Escondido) Four separate brush fires along eastbound Highway 78 are now contained, East County Magazine has learned.  Causes of the blazes are under investigation.

Story and photos by Dennis Richardson

July 3, 2010 (Del Cerro) – A driver who lost control of her pickup truck Thursday missed a turn on a steep downhill road, then crashed into two homes in the 6200 block of Camino Largo near Ridge Manor Avenue. The truck entered the garage of the first home, damaged an electrical sub- panel and started a fire.

The vehicle then broke through the garage wall and jumped over a property line, slamming into a neighbor’s garage wall.

BAND SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

East County News Service

July 2, 2010 (Lake Murray) – It’s official! Fourth of July fireworks show and Lake Murray Music Fest will be held. While $3,000 is still needed to cover expenses for East County's biggest Independence Day extravaganza, organizers announce that the show will go on—much to the community’s delight.

Entertainment starts at noon and continues throughout the afternoon and evening, with a fireworks finale starting at 9:15 p.m. (or whenever the last band finishes performing). Scroll down to view the band schedule:

East County Roundup features top stories impacting East County published in other media.

Roundup stories in this issue:

• Winery change goes to supervisors with no recommendation
• Final count: Mullin defeats Vaus with 104 votes (Poway Council)
• 2 more to be sentenced in 2008 SDSU stabbing
• Dubois family seeks damages from state
• Court bolsters gun rights
• Doctors test new rattlesnake antivenom
• Man accused of flashing girl, fondling others in Escondido
• Authorities deal with more bee swarms
• King family moving back to Illinois
• Unemployment rate drops in San Diego
• Ex-Helix High official acquitted of some charges
• SDG&E’s customers to pay for fire repairs

Restrictive new ordinance passes 4-1, sharply limits sites where dispensaries may locate

“Virtually all of them are either undeveloped land, cement factories, mining operations, even land that’s zoned for treatment of radioactive materials,” -- Kate Valentine of Americans for Safe Access

July 2, 2010 (San Diego) – A restrictive new ordinance passed Wednesday by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will sharply limit locations where medical marijuana dispensaries are allowed and make it extremely costly for operators. The measure passed by a four-to-one vote. Supervisor Ron Roberts cast the lone dissenting vote.

“I think we’re violating the spirit of the law,” said Roberts, referring to the ballot initiative approved by California voters 14 years ago to legalize medical marijuana.

East County News Service

Committee takes action to protect students at other CSU campuses, but fails to reverse change in admission policy at SDSU

July 1, 2010 (Sacramento) – AB 2401, which would require San Diego State University and other CSU campuses to give priority to local students who meet admission requirements, failed to secure passage and was held by the Senate Education Committee yesterday. However a companion bill, AB 2402, which would increase transparency by requiring CSU campuses to provide notification and public input prior to change admissions policies for students in their local service area, passed the committee.
 

Four unions that agreed to slash pensions exempted from order

“I find it wrong for a Governor worth $40 million to be telling a state worker earning $40,000 that you are only worth $7.25 an hour.” – Lace Watkins, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
 

July 1, 2010 (Sacramento) – State workers won’t be celebrating this holiday weekend. Late today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the State Controlled to reduce pay for state workers to minimum wage , $7.25 an hour, until the Legislature passes a state budget. The announcement has left thousands of workers worried over how to cover their families’ living expenses with wages slashed to the bone.

July 1, 2010 (La Mesa) -  A reception for local artist Judith Burnett will be held Friday evening, July 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Foothills Gallery, where an exhibition of Burnett's paintings and sculptures will be featured through August 4.  Burnett's daughter, guitarist Lauren Burnett, will provide musical entertainment at Friday's reception. 

By Brian Lafferty

July 1, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--The Last Airbender is a movie that begs to be remade by a different director. It had the potential for an entertaining cinematic experience but it ends up as a vigorously underwhelming film. I didn’t hate this picture as much as I felt really disappointed.

East County News Service

June 26, 2010 (La Mesa) – Now you can support La Mesa’s business community and have a chance to win a brand new 2010 Honda CR-V LX car---the grand prize in the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce’s “Drive Away Raffle.”

East County News Service