“Passport to the Future” brings together La Mesa, Santee and East County Chamber for business showcase on September 23

August 20, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Applications are now available for the East County’s largest Business Showcase and Expo to be held on Thursday, September 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Elk’s Lodge, 1400 E. Washington Avenue, El Cajon, 92019.

Climbers reportedly trapped on mountain

August 21, 2010 (Lakeside) 1:55 p.m. - The fire in El Monte Valley is now 100 acres, actively burning to the north, into steep terrain, away from structures,  Cal-Fire's Roxanne Provaznik reports. 

ECM photographer Dennis Richardson, on the scene, reports the fire is burning up the face of El Capitan. A radio scanner report indicated that hikers on a trail expressed concerns about becoming trapped.

August 21, 2010 (Spring Valley) - A small fire on Anlee Street is burning along the backside of several homes in the Spring Valley area; firefighters are on scene attacking the blaze, Incident Page Network reports. Watch for details.

August 21, 2010 (Santee) - Free dental exams for children will be offered today from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pathway Community Church in Santee, thanks to a program through Rady Children’s Hospital. The free exams aim to help parents meet state requirements for youngsters entering kindergarten or first grade to have a dental checkup before starting school.

August 20, 2010 (San Diego) – The Salvation Army Kroc Center’s Verge Teen Theatre company will present Les Miserables School Edition, the first show for this teen-organized theatre company.

By Buck Shott

August 19, 2010 (San Diego's East County) – The races are on for mayor and council positions in East Couny. Two local mayors’ seats are up for reelection in November. Both face challengers vying for the leadership spots in El Cajon and La Mesa. In addition, a pack of contenders is vying to run for council seats in East County’s cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, and Santee. Here's the lineup: 

Hundreds of thousands now face starvation as crops, soils washed away
 

Rescue Task Force seeks help to save lives of Afghan women & girls at literary schools
 

By Miriam Raftery
August 19, 2010 (San Diego) –“The same floods that are hitting Pakistan are hitting Afghanistan. It’s just horrific,” said Gary Becks, founder of Rescue Task Force, a San Diego-based nonprofit that has its roots in East County. 

Becks has led relief efforts in some of the worst disasters on earth including the Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, major earthquakes, and the Cedar Fire. But the scale of devastation in Afghanistan goes far beyond even those catastrophes. Threats from the Taliban make relief efforts dangerous—and with farmlands washed away, the very survival of the Hazara people is at stake.

4 million homeless, 20 million people impacted, one-fifth of nation underwater in disaster worse than Hurricane Katrina, Haiti earthquake, or Asian tsunami

By Miriam Raftery

ECM intern Tasneem Kassamali also contributed to this story.

August 19, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego State University finance student and software engineer Omed Habib was cleaning his closet when he heard about the floods devastating Pakistan.

“I am a child of Afghan refugees,” said Habib, whose parents came to the U.S. during the Soviet-Afghanistan War in 1981. Knowing what it’s like for a family to lose everything, he asked a friend involved in relief efforts how he could donate three bags of his clothing to Pakistan flood victims. Then he posted a notice on Facebook asking 500 friends for more help.

August 20, 2010 (La Mesa) – A woman walking in the Costco parking lot in La Mesa on Wednesday shortly before noon had her purse stolen As the suspects drove past the victim, one suspect hung out a passenger window and forcibly grabbed her purse, causing burn-type abrasion to her arm. The suspects were last seen speeding away through the Costco parking lot.

“Democrats' idea of increasing taxes delays REAL budgetary reforms and stalls true economic recovery in State.”

By Mike Cully
President/CEO, San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce

August 19, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- It is disappointing that the Democratic Legislative Leaders continue to delay California’s economic recovery by increasing taxes and delaying serious budgetary reforms.

August 19, 2010 (Spring Valley) -- Does your funny bone need tickling? Young Actors Theatre invites you to bring the whole family for a performance by well-known comedy magician/ventriloquist Steve Taylor and his ventriloquist characters Alli The Crocodile, Pokey The Possum and Rudy O'Riley. Attendees are featured on stage with Steve as he selects a member of the audience to star on stage as a “living ventriloquist dummy.”

August 18, 2010 (Ramona) – San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter rescued five hikers last night, including a 20-year-old who was experiencing heat exhaustion symptoms. One of the hikers used her cell phone to call for help and advised they were not sure if they were on the correct trail. She also reported that one of her friends was unable to walk any further.

By Francine Busby and Tracy Emblem

August 18, 2010 (San Diego) -- As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of Social Security, we are reminded of the profound transformation that Social Security has left on our society. Since its enactment in 1935, Social Security has provided a critical national safety net that Americans have come to value.

Prior to enacting Social Security, the concept of retirement and “the golden years” did not exist. The elderly either worked until they died, lived with family or were relegated to live in “poor houses” and “poor farms.”

August 18, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Heritage of the Americas Museum on the campus of Cuyamaca College in El Cajon offers a special program including both a hieroglyphs workshop and an extended tour of Egypt.  Students will practice their new skills, reading the ancient writing that they find on museum artifacts--as well as in temples and tombs. Participants may attend the workshop or the tour, or both.

By Dave Patterson

August 18, 2010 (Ramona) -- The birthright debate that Congress now wants to engage we Americans in is, in fact, a smokescreen designed to divert our attention from the real issue: what to do with 12 million illegal aliens currently working across America. The real responsibility for this problem falls squarely on those that employ the illegals--not on Mexico, not on the border leaks, and not our welfare system. Here’s why.