East County News Service

July 27, 2015 (San Diego)—How can a sandbox filled with powdered walnut shells help firefighters and property owners?  It’s all part of 3-D models created by San Diego State University’s Visualization Center, which is partnering with SimTable to create modeling softare that will predict how wildfires will spread.

East County News Service

July 27, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - Lamplighters Community Theatre continues its 78th season with “The Supporting Cast,” a comedy to be staged August 14 through September 13, when Ellen, the wife of a successful author, writes a sizzling novel her friends are thrilled — until she invites them to her Malibu beach house and reveals that they are the characters!

July 26, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Two animal rights activists have been apprehended in Oakland and will face trial in San Diego for vandalizing furs across the nation, including locations in San Diego and East County. They face charges under the Conspiracy to Violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.

East County News Service

July 26, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Enjoy the sunny weather while it lasts.  Thunderstorms and rain are apt to return to San Diego County this week, the National Weather Service predicts.

Hear our interview with Spencer Powell and Mickey Mounarath from Visionary Dance Theatre here:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

By Miriam Raftery

July 26, 2015 (La Mesa) –Visionary Dance Theatre and Visionary School for the Performing Arts is asking for help to move to a safer, more family-friendly location.  Visionary specializes in helping to keep the arts accessible and affordable to students regardless of income and also make the arts accessible to the community.

Newflash! Visionary also hopes to find space large enough to include East County Magazine’s office and recording studio at its new location – at a minimal cost or ultimately, free for our nonprofit! (Our rent where w are has gone up, and we need to move, too.)  We're looking at space in or near La Mesa - with your help.

We think this is a perfect partnership, enabling us to support local arts and theatre while also providing the affordable space we need to grow!  Donations can be made at http://GoFundMe.com/MovinOnOut. Please help - every dollar counts!

Update July 26, 2015, 8 p.m. -- The CutCa fire is now 50% contained, Cleveland National Forest's Inciweb site reports. Crews are spiked out on the line for this evening and will resume work in the morning. Heat remains in the interior of the fire perimeter. Infrared mapping will occur this evening. Crews will continue mop-up operations tomorrow and cooler temps expected will help their efforts. Firefighters will maintain a community presence and provide structure protection if needed.The south/southeast portion of the Cutca fire is an area of concern with several hotspots and potential for ignited fuel rolling across the fireline. Crews are working to suppress this high priority section of fire.

In the fire area there is no previously recorded fire history. Fuels remain critically dry due to drought conditions and can be difficult to suppress, so firefighters are being highly vigilant in mopping up and patrolling for hot spots.

East County News Service

July 25, 2015 (San Diego)--After discussion in the most recent Neighborhood Market Association (NMA) board meeting, a shift in the organization’s official position on minimum wage has been indicated. No longer will the NMA board support an exemption for small business.

East County News Service

July 25, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – AT&T wants to phase out landline phone service by 2020.  But as many San Diego County residents have learned during firestorms that burned cell phone towers and a multi-state blackout that crippled cell service, land lines are critical during such emergencies. Land lines also make it easier for people with disabilities such as the visually impaired or anyone who has suffered injury to easily access a land line to call for help.

By Robert Gehr ©

July 25, 2015 (El Cajon)--A combination of several factors caused an electrical power outage in El Cajon Friday evening beginning around 6:20 p.m.

Update July 25, 2015 8 a.m.:  The CutCa Fire on Palomar Mountain held steady at 200 acres overnight but is still only 2% contained.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Webcam at Palomar Observatory

July 24, 2015 (Palomar) – A fire that started near the Palomar Observatory at High Point Truck Trail is now 200 acres, Cleveland National Forest reports.  The blaze, dubbed CutCa, is not currently threatening structures but is burning in a remote area, making firefighters’ task challenging. The fire is zero percent contained.

Earlier, air tankers made drops on the moderate to rapidly spreading flames.  Golden Eagle, Palomar and Big Bear hot shot crews were been airlifted into the area.  Units from multiple fire agencies including Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service are also battling the CutCa fire. Reporting San Diego reports that a night crew is coming in from Los Angeles and a single night-flying helicopter is making drops on the fire.

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

July 24, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - California is ranked 38th in the nation in overall child well-being, according to the Kids Count Data Book, released today by the nonprofit Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Gustave Whitehead: First in Flight, by Susan O’Dwyer Brinchman (Apex Educational Media, La Mesa, CA, 2015, 432 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

July 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - I was absolutely astounded and flabbergasted after reading Susan Brinchman’s Gustave Whitehead: First in Flight, for all my life and throughout elementary school and into college I had been taught that the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were the pioneers of modern aviation. In this fascinating and well documented and researched book, Brinchman states: “Paul Jackson, Editor-in-Chief of the century-old Jane’s All the World Aircraft (2013), often referred to as ‘the bible of aviation history’, announced in its Centennial Issue, in March, 2013, that Whitehead was ‘first to fly’, ahead of the Wrights, and was the inventor of the airplane, based on the mountainous evidence accumulated over the previous eight decades.”

July 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Poor sleeping patterns link to cancer (BBC)
• Teenager 'in 12-year HIV remission' (BBC)
• Government Watchdog: Billions in Funding for Obamacare's Exchanges Not Tracked
• Well, Many Functions Remain Incomplete (Reason)

• Fast-tracking doctors to lessen student loans (APM Marketplace)
• UCLA Health Says 4.5M May Be Affected In Data Breach (NPR)
• Nice Kids Finish First: Study Finds Social Skills Can Predict Future Success (NPR)
  

By Leon Thompson

July 23, 2015 (Oak Flat Campground, Tonto National forest,  Superior, Arizona) - Recently we reported on the controversy over Congress giving Apache sacred land to a foreign mining company; now there is a petition you can sign on CREDO asking Congress to protect Apache sacred land and halt the sale, which was slipped into a Defense bill.

  East County News Service

July 23, 2015 (San Diego ) – While thousands of people protested yesterday outside the American Legislative Exchange Council’s national convention in San Diego, State Senator Joel Anderson (R-San Diego), California chair of ALEC, told Times of San Diego that is “proud” to have San Diego post ALEC’s national convention where legislators exchange ideas, adding, “ALEC takes on difficult, complicated issues and takes on free market solutions.” (View video, top of story)

As for the thousands of protesters, he said derisively, “There’s a naysayer in every crowd,” adding that the protesters “don’t like the free market.” As for criticisms of secret dealings behind closed doors, Anderson retorted, “We can’t respond to every wack-job” and insisted the process is not secretive, as critics claim. Reporter Ken Stone with Times of San Diego pressed Anderson, pointing out that he had been denied access to cover some key sessions.

The protesters included a  prominent local business organization as well as labor, environmental, human rights and political reform organizations. They contend that secretive actions conducted behind closed doors by ALEC result in laws that hurt small businesses in America and weaken protections for workers, the environment, and civil rights.