Source: La Mesa Village Association

November 12, 2020 (La Mesa) -- With the uncertainty of tradition for the 2020 Holiday Season, the La Mesa Village Association is proud to announce the return of the beloved 5th Annual Holiday in the Village! In a modified Craft Market format that has been approved by County and City officials, we will once again be ringing in holiday cheer for everyone far and near!

On Saturday, December 5th in the La Mesa Village from 10 a.m.to 9 p.m., friends and family will have the chance to take part in the FREE festive fun with holiday music, craft vendors, a food court, and a unique holiday photo station for classic joy and cheer!

Source:  City of El Cajon

November 12, 2020 (El Cajon) - On Tuesday, November 10, the El Cajon City Council unanimously approved extending the City’s COVID-19 relief measures through June 30, 2021. The relaxed rules and fees were set to expire on December 31, 2020. These measures include:

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

November 12, 2020 (Sacramento)  - A review of scientific literature out this week found that using a cell phone more than a thousand hours raises your risk of developing a tumor by up to 60%.

Pre-recorded television special celebrating local educators and their accomplishments amid COVID-19 pandemic will air on Saturday, Nov. 21

Source:  Cox Communications

Photos:  Christine Hill, Ramona High School and Jay Tweet, El Capitan High School

November 12, 2020 (San Diego) - Five teachers from across the region have been named a San Diego County Teacher of the Year and will be honored during the 30^th Anniversary of “Cox Presents: A Salute To Teachers,” brought to you by San Diego County Credit Union. Produced by Cox Communications, in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education, this year’s show will be a pre-recorded television special airing at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 on Cox’s YurView Network (Cox Channel 4 and 1004 and Spectrum Channel 4). The five honorees representing schools from Del Mar, Lakeside, Ramona, central San Diego and Valley Center, were chosen from a pool of 40 nominees countywide who are their respective school district’s teacher of the year. 

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

(Photo by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson)

Nov. 11, 2020 (Santee) Homicide detectives are investigating a death at a home located on Greencastle Street in Santee tonight.

"We found a person deceased of a gunshot," Lt. G. Twyman with the San Diego County Sheriff's communication division told ECM. The initial call came in at 3:55 p.m and they arrived at the scene at 4 p.m. He added that homicide detectives were called to the scene. 

Yellow caution tape is currently blocking off the street near the scene of the investigation.

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  Santana High senior pitcher Tyler Glowacki

November 11, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego State baseball head coach Mark Martinez proudly announced the addition of eight high school seniors--including one from Santana High--and one junior college transfer during the early signing period, which commenced on Wednesday. Seven of the nine signees hail from California, while two originate from Nevada. In addition, all eight prep recruits were listed among the nation’s top 500 players by Perfect Game.

Below is a look at the nine newest Aztecs, who will arrive on campus in the fall of 2021.

By Miriam Raftery

November 11, 2020 (San Diego) – With Santee’s City Council candidates separated by just two votes and Supervisor candidates Joel Anderson and Steve Vaus just seven votes apart, readers have been asking questions.  What happens if there is a tie in a local election?  (One on social media suggested determining the winner via a duel.)

Does a close race trigger a recount?  Have any local races changed when a recount was done? When will the counting be done?

ECM reached out to San Diego Registrar of Voters Michael Vu to get answers to these and other questions.

Update November 22, 2020:  Joel Anderson now leads by 284 votes over Steve Vaus, with 7,500 ballots left to be tallied countywide.  In Santee, Dustin Trotter is ahead by just seven votes over Samantha Hurst.

By Miriam Raftery

November 11, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – With 33,000 votes countywide remaining to be tallied, but far fewer ballots left in individual races, the latest update from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters shows several major contests in East County are still too close to call.

In the important race to fill retiring Supervisor Dianne Jacob’ district 2 seat, former State Senator Joel Anderson has taken a scant seven-vote lead over Poway Mayor Steve Vaus. 

Santee’s City Council race to fill an open seat, meanwhile, has Samantha “Samm” Hurst retaking the lead over Dustin Trotter by just two votes after being tied just one day earlier.

East County News Service

Photo: Children at school © Daniel Hurst Photography. Creative Commons - ShareAlike 2.0

November 10, 2020 (Sacramento) — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that the California Department of Education (CDE) has released, for the first time, statewide absenteeism data that provides information about the types of reasons students are absent. The “absenteeism by reason” (AR) reports available on the CDE Dataquest website offer an extensive statewide view of absenteeism numbers that can assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to develop targeted attendance intervention strategies and support.

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2020 (La Mesa) – A medical helicopter from Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa crash-landed onto the top of the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital in Los Angeles Friday, but its precious cargo was saved.  A heart being delivered via a Helinet Aviation Services' helicopter has been successfully transplanted into the patient, who is doing well.

“It’s actually an amazing story,” Keck Hospital spokesperson Meg Aldrich told the Los Angeles Times. The pilot and two passengers aboard the helicopter were treated locally for minor injuries. Nobody on the ground or in the hospital was injured and patient care was not disrupted, according to a statement by Keck.

East County News Service

November 10, 2020 (Spring Valley) - The Enchanted Village is back in San Diego for its third year with modifications made to accommodate social distancing guidelines. The holiday extravaganza, typically a walk-through of the eight-acre grounds of Noah Homes in Spring Valley, is now a COVID compliant drive-thru experience.  

By Indiana Lee

Image source: Pexels

November 10, 2020 (San Diego) -- It should be no surprise by now that we are on the edge of environmental catastrophe. We have just a handful of years to make significant changes to the way we live or else inflict irreversible damage to our planet. None of us want to cause unnecessary panic, but it also won’t help us to ignore the facts here.   

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2020 (La Mesa) – On November 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., La Mesa Historical Society invites you to join President Jim Newland for a look back at the first 14 years of the La Mesa Home Tour.  This free event celebrates the city’s architectural gems from the Gilded Age to the Space Age.  It will be streamed live on the Society's Facebook page. RSVP to receive a reminder notice.

East County News Service

Photo: Snow on Mount Laguna, by Dave Hogan

November 9, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – Snow fell overnight on mountaintops in San Diego's inland region including Mount Laguna in East County, with more snow showers possible at higher elevations tonight.  On Mount Palomar, a new record low temperature of 25 degrees was recorded early this morning.

In the high desert areas such as Campo, below freezing temperatures as low as 29 degrees are forecast tonight.

Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and sensitive vegetation, also potentially damaging unprotected plumbing, the National Weather Service warns.

November 9, 2020  (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.

• President-elect Joe Biden declares a "clear victory" and calls for unity in speech (CBS)
• U.S. surpasses 1 million coronavirus cases (CNN)
• Georgia likely removed nearly 200K from voter rolls wrongfully, report says (CNN)
• Here Are All the Lawsuits the Trump Campaign Has Filed Since Election Day—And Why Most Are Unlikely to Go Anywhere (Time Magazine)
• Pennsylvania: Philadelphia police discover plot to attack centre where votes are being counted, report says (Independent)
• USPS data shows thousands of mailed ballots missed Election Day deadlines (Washington Post)
• Pence breaks silence to take credit for Pfizer vaccine - and drugs company immediately denies Trump involved (UK Independent)
• 'In the sun they'd cook': is the US south-west getting too hot for farm animals? (The Guardian)
• Many Americans Plan To Move, Now That They Can Work From Anywhere : Coronavirus Updates  (NPR)

WORLD

• What’s reopened and what’s still restricted in 16 cities around the world (Washington Post)
• Europe Lauds Biden but Wonders: What Will He Want? How Long Will He Stay? (New York Times)
• Child malnutrition at record highs in parts of Yemen – U.N. survey (Reuters)
• Activists converge on Warsaw for ‘biggest’ protests against abortion ruling
• Denmark to cull millions of minks over mutated coronavirus (Ritzau)
• Million line up as Slovakia launches unique nationwide COVID-19 test (Reuters)

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