By: Janis Russell

May 8, 2014 (El Cajon)- On May 6th, 49 firefighters from the Lakeside Firefighters Association teed off in a benefit golf tournament at Cottonwood Golf Club to help Stoney’s Kids.

Photo: Interior Secretary Sally Jewell thanks a Golden Eagle hotshot firefighter from the Bureau of Indian Affairs

By Nadin Abbott

Photos by Nadin and Tom Abbott

May 8, 2014 (Spring Valley) The number of fires this year is higher than normal.  Interstate 8 has closed due to fires twice already this year during the Gun Fire at Mount Laguna and the Jacumba fire just this week.  Drought and climate change are key factors, officials warn—and this could be our worse wildfire season on record.

“The drought is expanding throughout the state of California” as well as the Southwest region, said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell during a Wildfire Awareness Week event at CAL FIRE Headquarters in Spring Valley on May 6th. 

She cited a new report just issued by the White House, noting that climate change “increases the risk from drought.”

May 7, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Rep. Hunter opposes possible nominee to head Pentagon’s spy program (The Hill)
• Release of White House email stirs up a new controversy over Benghazi (Los Angeles Times)
• Tea Party takes hit in primary contests (The Hill)
• States must be warned of oil-by-rail cargoes, U.S. says (Reuters)
• For Many, Farming Is A Labor Of Love, Not A Living (NPR)
• Rice backs out of commencement address at Rutgers (Washington Post)

WORLD

• Germany’s wind power chaos should be a warning to the UK (Telegraph)
• Outrage Out Of Moscow As News Of Ukrainian Offensive Spreads  (NPR)
• China Could Pass U.S. As Top Economy This Year (NPR)
• US joins hunt for Nigerian girls (BBC)
• Japan, worried about China, strengthens ties with NATO (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Ariele Johannson

May 8, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--This week’s Destination:East County features events to honor Mom for Mother’s Day, such as “Tea with the Queen,” along with family activities, art, an Old West Saloon, literature, and golf. In our preview, we have selected some film and theatre, and a patriotism event for next weekend.

May 3, 2014 (Lakeside)--A world famous gambler accusing of cheating Barona Casino out of $8,000 will be arraigned in court on May 14.   In a preliminary hearing earlier this month at the El Cajon courthouse, Judge John Thompson found sufficient evidence for the defendant to stand trial.

Hear a podcast of our interview with Carla Keehn (photo, left), Superior Court judicial candidate: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au... .  The interview aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM.

By Miriam Raftery

May 7, 2014 (San Diego) – How fair are ratings for judicial candidates meted out by the San Diego County Bar Association?

Last week, the Bar’s Judicial Election Evaluation Committee (JEEC)came out with rankings in five contested Superior Court judicial races.  The Bar ranked three candidates as “lacking qualifications” including one with extensive experience and no disciplinary actions. The professional lawyers’ group also gave a “highly qualified” rating to an incumbent judge who  pled guilty to reckless driving  with alcohol involved and has faced multiple legal disciplinary actions.

Now some candidates are speaking out to criticize the Bar’s ratings system—calling for its abolishment or dramatic changes to make the system more transparent and fair.

One of those candidates, Carla Keehn, has erected billboards starting today to reveal her opponent’s criminal conviction.  “Vote for Carla Keehn, the only candidate without a criminal conviction. No one is above the law—not even judges,” the billboards read.

By Janis Russell

May 5, 2014 (La Mesa)- At a Proposition H executive briefing held on April 25 by Grossmont Hospital, community leaders in San Diego and East County showed up to learn more about the measure, which will be on the upcoming June ballot.  The measure seeks to extend Grossmont Healthcare District’s leae agreement with Sharp Healthcare at Grossmont Hospital for 30 years, until 2051.

E - The Environmental Magazine

Photo Credit: Heather Buttrum, courtesy FlicKer

May 4, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Dear EarthTalk: What would you consider to be the key areas we need to improve to make our food safer for our health and easier on our environment?

 -- Billy A., Oakland, CA

Although we have come a long way in recent years with regard to the safety and sustainability of our food supply, we still have a long way to go. Toxic pesticides are still used on the vast majority of U.S. grown crops, while other hormone-disrupting chemicals are omnipresent in our food packaging. And excessive use of antibiotics in animal agriculture threatens to render many human drugs ineffective. Environmental leaders would like to see the federal government step up and institute regulations banning such substances in our food supply, but for now it’s still up to individual consumers to make the right choices.

By Janis Russell

May 3, 2014 (Alpine)- Last Saturday, April 27, a crowd came out to support Dawn August, her husband and their sons, Daniel and Nathan, at the second annual Angela August ‘Fun-raiser’ (For the Love of Angela) at Alpine Town Hall. This fundraising event for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers was held to honor the memory of 25 year old Angela August, who was killed by a drunk driver on June 11, 2012--just five days before she was going to walk and graduate summa cum laude with her graduating class at UC San Diego.