By Greg Dunne

May 28, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- It’s a berry good time of the year.  The four main berries in the markets are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and Blackberries. What comes to mind right away with berries is snack time. When I’m watching TV and wanting a bit of ice cream or piece of pie, but don’t want to eat something that is not healthy I go to a small bowl of berries or some Greek yogurt. And of course, the combination of the two is better than ice cream and much healthier.

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter

 

May 27, 2016 (Phoenix) - After that embarrassing sweep by the Giants, the Padres got a much-needed day off before they headed to Phoenix to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Arizona, as we all know, is Andy Green’s old stomping grounds and he was happy to be back.  Christian Friedrich started on the hill for San Diego against Robbie Ray for Arizona.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo from www.StopRandyVoepel.com, a site criticizing Voepel's  "insurgent" remarks suggesting he would be a political  hit man for the GOP in Sacramento

May 27, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Santee Mayor Randy Voepel is facing some formidable opposition in his run for the 71^st Assembly seat.  An anonymous hit site, www.StopRandyVoepel.com, has posted audio of inflammatory statements made by Voepel—along with past tax lien documents on the self-proclaimed fiscal conservative’s home.

Meanwhile his opponent, Tony Teora, a centrist Republican who leans Libertarian on some issues but green on climate change, has invested heavily in his campaign including freeway signs, newspaper ads and newsletters to voters.  (Leo Hamel, a third candidate listed on the ballot, has withdrawn from the race.)

By Miriam Raftery

May 26, 2016 (San Diego) – Today after clinching the number of delegates needed for the Republican nomination, billionaire Donald Trump gave a speech at a petroleum industry conference in North Dakota.  There he told oil executives he would eliminate regulations on the fossil fuel industry and also weaken clean water protections, the Bismark Tribune reports.

“We’re going to cancel the Paris Climate agreement,” he said of the United Nations Accord signed by over 195 nations.

Promising “complete American energy independence” he vowed to roll back Obama administration limits on coal power plant emissions, global climate accord reached in Paris, approve the Keystone XL pipeline and rescind protection of waterways from industrial pollution. He has also called for an increase in fracking and has said he believes climate change is a hoax, despite 97% of climate scientists worldwide agreeing that climate change is real and caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Review by Kathy Carpenter, Associate/Youth Reviewer www.sdtheatrereviews.com

May 26, 2016 (La Mesa) - Do you believe in second chances? Neil Simon’s plays are semi- biographical; for Simon, perfect love happened twice. In Chapter Two, it happens for George Schneider, who loses his wife an early death and Jennie Malone who married the wrong man.

East County News Service

May 26, 2016 (La Mesa) – AP students at Grossmont High School recently researched Japanese-American students who attended Grossmont and the impact that the 1942 internment of program had on their lives.  Now the results of their efforts are on display in a special exhibit at the La Mesa Historical Society: May through September on the 2nd & 4th Saturday  from 1-4pm: “WWII Internment and the Japanese-American Students of Grossmont High School.”

East County News Service

May 26, 2016 (Boulevard) – A 24-year-old man died Saturday night, May 20^th after he lost control of his vehicle on I-8 West near McCain Valley Road in Boulevard. The Infinity G35 veered off the highway and rolled down a steep embankment.

East County News Service

May 26, 2016 (Lemon Grove) -- Heartland Fire & Rescue crews in Lemon Grove responded to reports of a structure fire in the 8000 block of Alton Drive around 8:30 this morning. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the windows of a duplex unit and a woman halfway out of a window at the rear of the duplex. 

But action comes too late for Grossmont Community Concert Association, set to hold its farewell concert June 15

By Jonathan Goetz

May 26, 2016 (El Cajon) - El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells promised “we are in the process of refurbishing the performing arts center and it will be open soon” in response to public comment at Tuesday’s City Council Meeting.

By Robert Gehr

Cover photo: Chase Avenue Elementary 'Mexican Ballet Folklorico'

May 26, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The 3^rd annual America on Main Street in El Cajon was a big hit with young and old alike!

By Miriam Raftery

May 26, 2016 (Borrego Springs) –In June, the Milky Way will be  a spectacular sight to behold in the night sky over Borrego Springs.   You can join world famous night sky photographer Dennis Mammana  to learn the fine art and science of capturing the Milky Way with your camera, along with many other remarkable celestial sights visible in the clear, dark desert sky at a night sky photography workshop June 25-26.

East County News Service

May 26,2016 (La Mesa)--The City of La Mesa shows its patriotic spirit with the 19^th annual La Mesa Flag Day Parade:  "A Salute to Old Glory!"  You can bring the entire family to this good old fashioned Red, White and Blue parade on Saturday, June 4th. The Grand Marshall this year is Cabrillo National Park in honor of the National Park Service's 100th anniversary.

East County News Service

May 26, 2016 (La Mesa) - The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host “Fire, Burn and Fall Prevention,” a free presentation from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 22. The program is part of the library’s Wellness Wednesday series, normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served. Advance RSVP is not necessary. Speaking will be Mary Vilgera, community outreach specialist, Burn Institute.

East County News Service

May 25, 2016 (Alpine) - Alpine Business Networking Association (ABNA) is holding a Garden Party Mixer on Thursday, June 9th at 5:30 p.m. at Alpine Garden & Gifts located at 2442 Alpine Blvd. in Alpine. The evening’s highlights will include a delicious barbeque dinner and speakers Kathy Matranga (water-wise plant suggestions and grass replacement) and Frank Sturniolo (“Reach for Life”).

May 25, 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.

Presidential primary

• Donald Trump Is About To Start Getting Intelligence Briefings (NPR)
• Unanimous: Senate approves bill allowing 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia (The Hill)
• Hillary Clinton accuses Donald Trump of rooting for housing crisis (Sacramento Bee)
• Trump once revealed his income tax returns: they showed he didn’t pay a cent (Washington Post)

Other national news

• Our water, our future: Voters in Oregon defeat Nestle’s attempt to privatize water (Truthout)
• GOP blocks provision to require women to register for the draft (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Faced with a fracking giant, this small town just legalized civil disobedience (Yes)
• New Pell grants to pay for college classes in high school (CS Monitor)
• Why the sugar industry hates the FDA’s new nutrition facts label (Washington Post)
• Nile crocodiles identified in South Florida (CNN)
• The Controversy Over Boycott, Divestment And Sanctions On Israel (NPR)
• He Was Caught Trying To Join ISIS, Now He's In Jihadi Rehab (NPR)

INTERNATIONAL

• Wait, now Bayer is trying to buy Monsanto?  (Mother Jones)
• Human trafficking survivor who smashed triathlon record (CNN)
• Gazans say Jordan restricting movement (San Diego Union-Tribune)
  
  "Un-Islamic" modeling leads to eight Instagrammers' arrests in Iran(CS Monitor)
• The EU Should Be Focusing on Its Own Countries’ Transgender Laws, Not North Carolina’s Bathrooms (Reason)
• Sweden: Refugee from Rwanda convicted in 1994 genocide (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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