By Jonathan Goetz

Photos:  Councilman Tony Ambrose, left, leveled harsh words at Richard Graydon, right, a citizen seeking more help for homeless people.

August 11,2016 (El Cajon) – Tempers grew heated during Tuesday’s El Cajon City Council hearing, where  Council member Tony Ambrose scolded a citizen, Richard Graydon, who had criticized the City's approach to homelessness.  The agenda included the city’s responses to two critical Grand Jury reports, one on homeless issues and the other calling for formation of a citizens’ police oversight board. 

The City determined it already does enough to help homeless people--more than other East County cities-- and also concluded there is no need to allow citizens'oversight of any complaints against El Cajon Police.

By Tony Manolatos​



August 11, 2016 (San Diego) — Memo to taxpayers:  If voters approve the Chargers billion-dollar-plus stadium tax in November San Diego taxpayers would pay for the new facility in a variety of ways.

Do not believe Dean Spanos, Mark Fabiani and their surrogates. The cost would NOT be born solely by hotel guests. San Diego taxpayers would pay. The total amount is unknown, which is why Dean Spanos’ plan to raise our taxes by more than $1 billion is so risky.

In this open memo to taxpayers, the “No Downtown Stadium – Jobs and Streets First” coalition outlines several examples of costs San Diego taxpayers would incur. The following are in addition to the costs found in the Chargers $1.8 billion measure:

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter

August 11, 2016 (Pittsburgh) – The Padres and Pirates made everyone get up early for the series finale.  How rude.  Christian Friedrich started for the Padres against the hot new Pirates pitcher, Jameson Taillon.

By Miriam Raftery

August 11, 2016 (Jamul) — On August 5^th, a head-on crash between a big-rig and three other vehicles at the steel bridge on State Route 94 near Jamacha shut down the highway for several hours.  A truck lost a rear axle. One car flipped, another partially over the side,” says Kim Hamilton, Deerhorn Valley Antler editor, who cancelled family dinner plans due to the delay. ”Cars were going the wrong way, no law enforcement,” she told ECM.

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy chargers.com

August 11, 2016 (San Diego) - Chargers wide receiver Stevie Johnson will be out for the 2016 season after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus yesterday.

By Miriam Raftery

August 10, 2016 (El Cajon) – Three seats are up for election on the El Cajon Council. All are currently held by incumbents.  Council members Bob McClellan and Star Bales have filed to run for reelection and qualified to appear on the ballot, according to Monica Zech, the city’s public information officer.  But so far, Councilman Tony Ambrose has not.

August 10, 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

• Trial by jury, a hallowed American right, is vanishing (New York Times)
• Not your parents’ pot: today’s marijuana strains are much stronger (OC Register)
• States and cities don't invest in infrastructure (Marketplace)
• Report: US paid Iran $400 million as American prisoners were freed (Jerusalem Post)
• Obama’s new so-called “GMO Labeling Law”is a gift to the industry (Truthout)
• Gymnastics hidden abuse crisis (Daily Beast)

Presidential campaign

• NY Times exposes Trump campaign manager on Russian payroll (Bipartisan Report)
• Clinton emails shed light on relationship between State Dept, Clinton Foundation (CNN)
• Trump’s new billionaire advisors could threaten his populist message (Washington Post)
• Donald Trump’s many, many, many, many ties to Russia (Time)
• Clinton leads Trump by 15 points nationwide (The Hill)
• New poll has Trump in fourth—behind Gary Johnson and Jill Stein –with young people (Washington Post)
• Trump’s employees have sued over sexual harassment (USA Today)
• Many questions, few answers on how Melania Trump immigrated to  U.S. (Wash.Post)
• CNN's Second Libertarian Presidential Town Hall Recap (Reason)
• How to hack an election in seven minutes(Politico)

WORLD

• Refugee Olympians: 10 athletes representing 60 million people (Washington Post)
• Syria conflict: UN says water and power cuts threaten 2 million (BBC)
• Pediatric hospital in Syria bombed, killing at least 5 kids, aid group says(CBS)
• ISIS: 'Listen Putin, we will come to Russia and kill you at your homes’(JPost)
• Paris tourism suffers after terror attacks (International Business Times)
• Nearly 100 Dead After Anti-Government Protests In Ethiopia (NPR)
• Grief, anger after 74 Pakistanis killed in hospital bomb (Reuters)
• U.N. censure of North Korea missile thwarted (Reuters)

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

Former Aztecs to compete in discus throw and triple jump, respectively

Source: goaztecs.com press release

Photo:  Whitney Ashley (right) and Shanieka Thomas (left) via goaztecs.com

August 10, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State track and field alumnae Whitney Ashley and Shanieka Thomas will compete at the Rio Olympics this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ashley qualified for the Olympics by winning the discus throw at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July, while Thomas punched her ticket with a runner-up finish in the triple jump at the Jamaican Senior National Championships.

SDSU nationally ranked by another publication

Source: goaztecs.com press release

Photo: sophomore quarterback Christian Chapman courtesy goaztecs.com

August 10, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State is ranked 24^th by Sports Illustrated in the publication’s college football preseason top-25 poll, released today.

By Miriam Raftery

August 10, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Yesterday, Steven Guider, 52, was arrested in the 8200 block of Winter Gardens Blvd. in unincorporated El Cajon. Guider posted $2,000 worth of construction equipment on Craigslist that had recently been stolen from a vehicle burglary in Santee.

East County News Service

August 9, 2016 (La Mesa) –  The Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, a consumer health library at 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, is now hosting its Summer Art Exhibit featuring 19 watercolor paintings by award-winning artist Marilyn Hadley Hallam of La Mesa. The show runs through September 30. The exhibit features paintings of San Diego and Southern California landmarks, as well as landscapes.

Aztecs to play host to three fall tournaments

Source: goaztecs.com press release

Photo: goaztecs.com

August 9, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State women’s tennis head coach Peter Mattera revealed his team’s schedule for the 2016-17 campaign on Tuesday. The Aztecs will play host to three fall tournaments before opening the dual-match season in late January.

By Miriam Raftery

August 9, 2016 (San Diego) – Grocery workers voted Monday to accept the latest contract proposal affecting employees at Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, Pavilions and Safeway supermarkets across southern California.

Originally published by Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association (SDONA)

by Chris Jennewein

Photo by Ken Stone

August 9, 2016 (San Diego) -- The San Diego parent of an American killed during the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, is suing Hillary Clinton over the incident.

 

The conservative advocacy group Freedom Watch filed the suit Monday in Washington on behalf of Patricia Smith of San Diego, whose son Sean Smith was a State Department officer, and Charles Woods of Portland, OR, whose son Tyrone Woods, a former Imperial Beach resident, was CIA security contractor.

By Miriam Raftery

August 8, 2016 (Santee) — The man who fired arrows from a crossbow at Sheriff’s deputies in Santee and died after officers returned fire during a SWAT team incident Friday has been identified as Santee resident David Michael Moya, 31.