By Miriam Raftery

Photo: El Capitan County Preserve

Update: The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Nathaniel Takatsuno, who had reportedly been free climbing without a rope when he fell 200 feet, Times of San Diego reports.

December 5, 2022 (Lakeside) – The body of a rock climber who fell to his death yesterday on El Cajon Mountain, located in the El Capitan County Preserve in Lakeside was recovered today by a Sheriff’s helicopter crew.

East County News Service 

December 5, 2022 (Lakeside) – The driver of a BMW 325i lost her life in a fiery solo-vehicle crash yesterday at 4:27 p.m., though a passenger escaped.

December 5, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Senate passes landmark protections for same-sex marriage (The Hill)
• Trump calls for the termination of the Constitution in Truth Social post (CNN)
• Stewart Rhodes and fellow member of Oath Keepers found guilty of sedition (CNN)
• Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's biggest active volcano, erupts after 38 years (NPR)
• McConnell says there’s ‘widespread agreement’ among leaders on need for omnibus (The Hill)
• Olivia Pichardo is the first woman to make roster of Division I baseball team  (NPR)
• Supreme Court hears challenge to Biden rules narrowing ICE immigration arrests (CBS)
• Trump Owed Hidden Debt While In Office (Forbes)
• Owing nearly $1.5B to Sandy Hook families, Infowars host Alex Jones files for personal bankruptcy (PBS)
• WORLD
• China clamps down on ‘zero covid’ protests, loosens some pandemic measures  (Washington Post)
• A ‘barbed wire curtain’ rises in Europe amid war in Ukraine (AP)
• NATO vows more help for Ukraine as Russia attacks on multiple fronts (Reuters)
• (New York Times)
• U.S. Pledges $53 Million to Help Fix Ukraine’s Electrical Grid  (New York Times)
• Scotland cannot hold an independence referendum without UK government approval, top court rules (CNBC)
• Twin blasts near bus stops shake Jerusalem, killing a teen and hurting 18 other people  (NPR)
• Georgians alarmed at the arrival of tens of thousands of Russian exiles  (NPR)
• For Afghans who fought against the Taliban, life is fraught under their rule  (NPR)

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

December 4, 2022 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• Poison pill: San Diego County’s battle against fentanyl (NBC San Diego)
• San Diego Has the Highest Rate of Whooping Cough in California  (NBC San Diego)
• East County Company Pleads Guilty To Selling Fake COVID Cleaner (Patch)
• Threatened coastal railroad is San Diego’s only link to national military rail network. What if it shuts down? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Construction begins in Poway on statewide high-speed internet project (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The veteran who helped disarm the gunman at gay club says he followed his instincts (NPR)
• Data: no exact link between homeless voucher use, crime increase (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego to Release 250 Million Gallons of Water From Hodges Reservoir Into Nearby River (NBC 7)
• Musgrove Heads to Antarctica Not Just to Set World Record, But to Benefit Challenged Athletes (Times of San Diego)

STATE

• Drying California lake to get $250M in US drought funding (KPBS)
• The shadow race is on to succeed Feinstein (Politico)
• Big tobacco tries to stop California flavored tobacco ban (KPBS)

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

By Richard G. Opper

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

December 4, 2022 (San Diego) -- The Body in the Barrel is a compelling crime novel set in 1973 in San Diego.

The book opens on October 15, 1973: “I shifted the Smith & Wesson Model 10 to a more comfortable place on my hip, which was feeling tender this morning. The bay had a smell of rotting plants, and together with the smell of the diesel it triggered thoughts about the Mekong—which was not so long ago, even if it was half a world away. It was the reason my hip ached, but that life was over. I was back home in San Diego, and glad for it. Whatever I’d thought I was going to accomplish in the Navy’s swift boats turned out to be a bad dream. A nightmare. So, the fact that I ended up in the Harbor Police is a whole lot better—but still a whole lot of not much. I was out of the shit storm and into a more peaceful life, but for crying out loud, at twenty-eight here I was with nothing really going on, already going nowhere. But who cared? Other than my dad, I guess, and that only went so far.”

East County News Service

 December 4, 2022 (San Marcos) – The battle to protect nearly 2,000 acres in San Diego’s North County from development is over. Two years after voters approved ballot Measure B to block construction of the controversial Newland Sierra housing project previously approved by San Diego’s Board of Supervisors, one of the project’s leading opponents, Golden Door spa, has acquired the property to preserve it as open space and wildlife habitat for generations to come. 

 “We are excited to finally secure this remarkable benefit for climate action initiatives,” said Kathy Van Ness, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Golden Door.  “Protecting this property reflects our deep commitment to sustainability, which we believe is part of our responsibility to our community and beyond.  Caring for the incredible resources on this site is a way we can truly contribute to our shared climate action goals.”

 Nathan Fletcher, Chair of the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors, applauded this unique win-win opportunity for the region.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rep Sara Jacobs speaks on election night. Photo by Chris Stone

December 4, 2022 (Washington, D.C.) - Rep. Sara Jacobs, who represents the new 51st District in central San Diego County, was elected a Caucus Leadership Representative for the 118th Congress that will convene on Jan. 3.

East County News Service

Photo: Former Captain Marco Garmo, courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

December 2, 2022 (Rancho San Diego) – Waiel “Will” Anton, an associate of disgraced former Sheriff’s Captain M. Marco Garmo, has been sentenced to one year in prison for corruption after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice.

By Miriam Raftery 

December 1, 2022 (Rancho San Diego) -- Deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station have arrested five men on suspicion of shoplifting from Kohl’s department store on Jamacha Road, gang allegations, and conspiracy to commit a crime. One suspect also faces illegal firearm charges.  

The Aztecs will host four tournaments, including the Mountain West Conference tournament

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

December 1, 2022 (San Diego) - San Diego State softball head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz has announced a 50-game schedule for the 2023 season, highlighted by four home tournaments, including the return of the Mountain West Conference tournament to San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

November 30, 2022 (La Mesa)  -- A $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest in the case of Cassidy Hopwood, an El Cajon teen who went missing in February. Her body was found March 13 behind a business in the 7900 block of El Cajon Blvd. in La Mesa, but she was not identified until November. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via Governor’s office: The five biggest oil refiners — Chevron, Marathon, Phillips 66, PBF Energy and Valero — all rejected invites to the California Energy Commission’s hearing today on gas prices.

November 30, 2022 (San Diego) – Here’s some news to brighten your holiday season: the average price for regular self-serve gasoline in San Diego County has dropped below $5 a gallon, to $4.98.  That’s the lowest since early March -- 21.6 cents less than one week ago and 62.4 cents lower than one month ago, though still 31 cents over a year ago.

By Susan Taylor

Photo  Volunteer trail guide Nancy Stassinopoulis (right) and Susan Taylor (left)

November 29, 2022 (San Diego) -- On the Saturday after Thanksgiving with beautiful weather, the Guided Nature Walk at Mission Trails Regional Park wasn’t lacking for participants.  A park ranger and two volunteer trail guides led Girl Scouts and their leaders, a couple with a leashed dog, and a hiker originally from Portugal. All learned about native plants, birds, and the Kumeyaay people who once inhabited the area at San Diego’s own Mission Trails Regional Park. 

Seasonal Affective Disorder Effects Over 3 million People in the U.S.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

November 28, 2022 (San Diego) -- Feeling an onset of sadness? Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of mood disorder associated with seasonal changes. Commonly seen as depression arising during the winter months, it happens due to a disturbance in the circadian system of the body.

Source:  California Department of Justice

November 28, 2022 (Oakland) - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert warning Californians of scammers targeting the state’s middle-class tax refund. Californians eligible for this one-time refund will automatically receive a payment by January 2023 by direct deposit or on a debit card. Below, Attorney General Bonta provides tips to help Californians waiting for their tax refund protect themselves from scams.