By Miriam Raftery

December 8, 2016 (San Diego) — Today, San Diego Registrar of Voters Michael Vu certified results in all races countywide. 

East County saw flips in several key races from election night to the final tally.  Here are the outcomes in some of East County’s closest races:

East County News Service

December 8, 2016 (Santa Barbara) -- Two conservation organizations have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to protect fragile habitat and rare species in the path of a massive, remote fuel break recently approved in the Los Padres National Forest. The suit is also an effort to encourage the Los Padres National Forest to focus on reducing fire risk where it matters most, directly in and around communities.

By Miriam Raftery

December 7, 2016 (San Diego) – On December 3^rd, the Bernie Sanders Brigade hosted simultaneous solidarity vigils in  San Diego,  Los Angeles and San Francisco in support of the Standing Rock Sioux.  Locally, several dozen people participated in the vigil, including a contingent from  East County. The plight of tribal members seeking to block the Dakota Access oil pipeline has drawn worldwide attention.

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

December 7, 2016 (Phoenix) - Tonight, the San Diego State Aztecs men’s basketball team traveled to Phoenix to take on Grand Canyon, a small school with a big basketball team.

Aztec senior picks up third career All-America honor

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

December 7, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey was named a 2016 Sporting News Second-Team All-American, the publication announced Wednesday. The Aztec senior was one of just four running backs to appear on both the first and second-team lists, which included 26 players apiece.

By Miriam Raftery

December 7, 2016 (La Mesa) – On the eve before tomorrow’s certification deadline of the Helix Water Board Division 1 race won by Louis Tejeda, a formal complaint has been lodged challenging his residency in the district.

East County News Service

December 7, 2016 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Conservations invites you to a holiday mixer on Wednesday, December 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at  Centifonti’s Bar & Restaurant, 8365 La Mesa Blvd . in La  Mesa. The evening will be an opportunity to meet neighbors, talk about the new changes at City Hall, and discuss the progress in La Mesa as we approach 2017.

Source:  PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 

December 7, 2016 (Norwich, England) -- Some existing methods for controlling Zika-carrying mosquitos are not effective and may even be counter-productive, according to research by scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Update:   The deceased child has been identified as Leah Brown-Meza. The autopsy result has been sealed as an investigation continues.

East County News Service

December 7, 2016 (Alpine) — Sheriff’s homicide and child abuse detectives are investigating the death of an Alpine toddler under suspicious circumstances.

Sheriff’s deputies and paramedics responded to a 911 call reporting an 18-month-old girl was found not breathing, shortly before noon yesterday.  The child was in a motorhome parked at 302 Hunter Lane in Alpine.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photos:  Ben Kalasho,  Steve Goble and Bob McClellan

December 6, 2016 (El Cajon) -- Challengers Steve Goble and Ben Kalasho have won seats on the El Cajon City Council, and will be joining Bob McClellan, who won reelection. The swearing-in ceremony will be held on December 13^th at Council Chambers.

Story and photos by Liz Alper

December 6, 2016 (El Cajon) - The Valhalla High School boys’ soccer team is off to a hot start with a 6-0 win over El Capitan High.  Tonight, they faced the Patriots of Patrick Henry High School.

Update December 7, 2016 --Today's board meeting will be held, since all votes in this race have been counted,   board member  Kathleen Hedberg has advised  ECM. 

By Miriam Raftery

December 6, 2016 (La Mesa) — Mark Gracyk and Joel Scalzitti were sworn in last night on the Helix Water District Board.  But the race for a third seat is still too close to call.  The Registrar of Voters has until Friday to certify final results, but if this race is not certified by tomorrow, a December 7^th board meeting will be postponed, the board secretary has informed ECM. 

East County News Service

December 6, 2016 (La Mesa) – The volunteer citizens group overseeing the spending of millions of dollars in taxpayer-approved bonds for new and improved patient care facilities at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has elected its chairman and vice chairman to serve through June 2017.

East County News Service

December 6, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Magazine's 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.

General news

• Ohio State attacker may have been inspired by overseas militants, FBI says (Reuters)
• Graham preparing ‘Dreamers’ bill (Politico)
• ADL Retracts Ellison DNC Endorsement (Jewish World Review)
• What do the SPLC's post-election hate-incident reports mean? (Christian Science Monitor)
• U.S. Expected to Forgive at Least $108 Billion in Student Debt (NPR)
• US students gain a bit on math, science scores but still lag Asia (CS Monitor)

Presidential transition

• Trump threats 35% tariff on U.S.  companies that move jobs overseas (Washington Post)
• Trump could face the ‘biggest trial of the century’ over climate change (Wash Post)
• Trump picks retired Marine Gen. James Mathis as Secretary of Defense (Wash.Post)
• Trump threatens ‘consequences’ for U.S. firms that relocate offshore (Wash. Post)
• Should Donald Trump be suspended from Twitter? (Vanity Fair)
• Trump turning away intelligence briefings since election (Wash.Post)
• Trump calls for revoking flag burners’ citizenship. Court rulings forbid it (NY Times)
• Trump’s team of faux populists and real crony capitalists (Wash.Post)

WORLD

• Colombian peace deal passed by Congress, ending 52-year war (Reuters)
• Dutch parliament votes to ban burqa in public buildings (CS Monitor)
• Italy PM Renzi says he will resign following referendum defeat  (Yahoo News)
• Trump Taiwan call:  China launches protest (BBC)
• China warns Trump: Good luck bringing jobs back to U.S. (CNN)
• Four major cities plan to ban diesel by 2025 (BBC)
• Iran issues threat over U.S. bill renewing sanctions (CBS)
• Austrians roundly reject far right in presidential election (Reuters)

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

More than 75 percent of new solar customers using “Fast Track” process

Source: SDG&E

December 6, 2016 (San Diego) - As of November 30, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has connected more than 100,000 private rooftop solar systems to its reliable power grid. This milestone comes as the company reports in November it connected 1,942 residential customer rooftops.