June 5, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Edward Gene Burr, the co-founder of EDCO Disposal Corporation and one of East County’s most generous philanthropists, passed away on May 31, 2021 at age 89 in Sharp Grossmont Hospital. 

The hospital named its Burr Heart and Vascular Center after Ed Burr and his wife, Sandy, whose $5 million donation was the largest in the facility’s history.

“We believe in giving back to the community where we have been fortunate to grow our business for many years,” Ed Burr said during a dedication ceremony in 2018. He added, “Sharp Grossmont has been there for us when we needed it, so it is our honor to support a cause that has such an impact on so many of us in East County.”

The hospital foundation was one of many charitable endeavors supported by the Burrs through their many years of service to East County and the San Diego region.

By Miriam Raftery

June 5, 2021 (La Mesa) – East County’s newly elected Assemblymember Akilah Weber, a medical doctor and former La  Mesa Councilmember, this week introduced her first authored bill, Assembly Bill 1207. It would create a “Pathway Through Pandemic Task Force” to collect and analyze California’s COVID-19 data and develop a response plan for future pandemics.

By Miriam Raftery

June 4, 2021 (Alpine) – A 63-year-old San Diego woman is dead and several others injured following a collision in Alpine last night.

A GMC Sierra pickup truck and a 2000 Toyota Solara collided on westbound Interstate 8, west of Tavern Road in Alpine at 6 p.m. The impact caused both vehicles to veer toward the center divide, plunge down an embankment and overturn. The GMC came to rest blocking an eastbound lane on I-8, while the Toyota came to rest in the center median.

By Miriam Raftery

June 4, 2021 (El Cajon) – A 60-year-old man has died after being struck by a gray Nissan Altima last night shortly after 10 p.m. in the 1900 block of East Main Street.  

By Briana Gomez

June 3, 2021 (San Diego) - May 15 was certainly a busy day for San Diego’s minority activist groups. 

The Racial Justice Coalition held a rally in front of the Hall of Justice in Downtown San Diego as part of its campaign to demand that District Attorney Summer Stephan resign immediately. The coalition faults Stephan for not prosecuting many cases of law enforcement officers shooting unarmed people. 

By Patrick Cameron

Image: Creative Commons image by SA via Bing

Senate filibusters have been part of the U.S. Senate rules since 1806, used as a procedure for a minority party to block legislation

June 3, 2021 (San Diego) -- There’s so much being written about the filibuster these days, but in all the articles I read I feel like this important point gets lost: The filibuster isn’t mentioned in our Constitution. Not even one time.

By Mike Allen

June 2, 2021 (Santee) -- On the same day that a San Jose rail yard employee fatally shot nine of his co-workers before killing himself, the Santee City Council unanimously voted to send a letter to Congressman Darrell Issa opposing a bill in Congress that would place more controls on gun ownership, including more stringent background checks.

East County News Service

June 2, 2021 (San Diego) -- The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for San Diego County Deserts, effective until Friday at 9 p.m. Dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures of 105 to 110 degrees expected.

Several County facilities will be open as Cool Zones in Alpine, Borrego Springs, Fallbrook, Lakeside, Potrero, Santa Ysabel, Spring Valley, and Valley Center. For location information, hours of operation, and tips to beat the heat, visit: www.coolzones.org.

UPDATE: @Lambo_Gambo reported the "forward rate of spread has been stopped and fire is contained at 3 acres," around 5:30 p.m. 

By Jonathan Goetz

June 1, 2021 (Ranchita) - Wildfire watch cameras detected a possible wildfire roughly an hour ago, around 4:30 p.m., reported @huntefire and Cal-Fire was immediately dispatched. It turned out to be a small vegetation fire and was named the "Montezuma Fire."

@CALFIRESANDIEGO reported being on the scene at Montezuma Valley Road in Warner Springs, while @SDCountyFires reported it started in the 27900 block of Old Mine Road in Ranchita.

No structures are threatened, reported @SDCountyFires, adding, "SDSO reporting no winds in the area and that the fire is spreading south."

By Miriam Raftery

May 31, 2021 (San Diego) –Yesterday around 4 p.m., deputies at the San Diego Central Jail found an inmate unresponsive in his cell.  Deputies and medical staff immediately performed lifesaving measures, according to the Sheriff’s department, until relieved by fire department personnel but were unable to save the inmate, Daniel Marroquin. He was pronounced dead at the jail.

According to an editorial by the San Diego Union-Tribune’s editorial board on April 21, at least 150 deaths have occurred in county jails since Sheriff Bill Gore became Sheriff in 2009.  A 2019 investigation by the newspaper found this to be a higher rate of inmate deaths than in any other major county in California. The causes of death included suicides, drug overdoses, illness and acts of violence.

By Miriam Raftery

May 31, 2021 (Arlington, Va.) – President Joe Biden laid a Memorial Day wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, where he said we “remember those who gave their all in the service of America, in the service of freedom, in the service of justice.”

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

Photo by Miriam Raftery

May 31, 2021 (Sacramento) - As the spring gardening season gets into full swing, groups fighting to save bees and other pollinators are asking nurseries and consumers to avoid plants grown with harmful pesticides.

The El Cajon Police Department reminds drivers to be on the lookout for motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, and to share the road.

By Miriam Raftery

May 30, 2021 (El Cajon) –  A 23-year-old man has died after being struck by a white Chevrolet truck at 8:00 Friday morning in El Cajon. El Cajon Police officers and paramedics from Heartland Fire Department treated the victim at the crash site in the 200 block of North Johnson Avenue but he was pronounced dead at the scene.