By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

July 29, 2019 (San Diego) - California Senate Bill 1193 (SB1193), enacted in 2013, added a law that certain businesses such as on-sale beer and liquor establishments, general public premise licenses, type 48, are required to post a notice to help and assist victims of human trafficking, and alert the general public, on how to report the sex trafficking.

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  stock photo of a UH-60 Black Hawk helitanker with a water bucket.  Image credit:  Shutterstock

July 29, 2019 (San Diego) - The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to share a Black Hawk helitanker lease with San Diego Gas & Electric, giving an additional boost to the region’s aerial firefighting options during peak fire season.

East County News Service

July 22, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- This week’s Destination East County features some end of July festivities and hot August nights events including Pine Valley Days, a Sip of Julian, the Jamul Winetasting Festival, Herman’s Hermits at Sycuan, a concert at Santee Lakes, Julian’s Natural Wonderfest, the Ramona Country Fair, a grape stomp in Campo, a Laurel and Hardy event in Spring Valley, the Julian Star Fest, the HeART of Mt. Helix art and wine festival, a twilight walk at Mission Trails Regional Park and the Barona Powwow.

There are also some all summer long events including rollerskating DJ nights in Alpine, outdoor concerts and movies in parks across our region, movies in La Mesa, classic car shows and dive-in movies at the Kroc Center’s swimming pool.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Chris Stone, Times of San Diego

July 28, 2019 (San Diego) – Four East County residents from La Mesa and Spring Valley are among the newly impaneled San Diego County Grand Jury. The East County jurors include a retired attorney, a caterer, an Army veteran/retired technical consultant, and an elementary school reading mentor.

By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Southern white rhino calf conceived through artificial insemination is said to be bonding well with Victoria, its mother. Photo by Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Safari Park

July 30, 2019 (San Diego) - San Diego Zoo Global on Monday announced what it called a historic birth of a southern white rhino calf via hormone-induced ovulation and artificial insemination — raising hopes that the nearly extinct northern white rhino can be saved.

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview at the audio link and scroll down for highlights.

July 28, 2019 (Lemon Grove) – East Count Magazine sat down last week for an interview with Warsan Artan.  Born in Nairobi, Kenya, after her parents fled civil war in Somalia, she came to Lemon Grove as a refugee at the age of 10. A decade later, she is the lead Youth Organizer at Youth Will, a nonprofit dedicated to making San Diego a world-class region for children and youth. Youth Will recently rolled out a Summer of Youth Power campaign with a series of events to help young people’s voices be heard.

Her goal to create a brand-new regional master plan for San Diego's children and youth. The organization also recently held the region’s first youth county budget forum with Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, created a youth bill of rights, hosted youth presidential debate watch parties, and more.

Source: San Diego Sheriff’s Department

July 26, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- Patrol bag? Check. Ballistic helmet and shield? Got it. First aid kit and rescue sled. Packed. Cuddly teddy bears? Absolutely! 

By Miriam Raftery

July 26, 2019 (Jamul) – Beside a babbling brook under shady oak trees at D&S Farms, home to Granite Lion Cellars, the 2019 Jamul's Premier Wine Festival  is set to be the best yet this Saturday, July 27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. In addition to speakers ranging from sommeliers to winemakers, guests can savor tastings from 10 area wineries plus beer and hard cider. Dining tastes will including offerings from the award-winning Crafted Greens restaurant, Valentine’s Bar and Grill, and chefs Desmond Fonesco and Joe Coppola serving up everything from linguini to luscious desserts.

“People love the ambience—the coolness of the place in a relaxed atmosphere, the sound, the music, the talks in the Grotto,” says Gary Gorton, marketing director at St. Pius X Church.  All funds benefit the 50-year-old church’s building fund to add solar and fund classrooms to support youth programs and a retreat for young people coming up at the University of San Diego in August.

New this year, two golf carts with drivers donated by Imperial Beach Golf Club will ferry guests from the parking lot to the party under the oaks, illuminated by twinkling lights. A DJ from Brandon Watts Entertainment will provide music for guests to enjoy or dance beneath the stars.

By Miriam Raftery

July 25, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – “Punish people in hotter communities for trying to survive the record heat – are you kidding me?” State Senator Brian Jones asks in a video he made after learning that the California Public Utilities Commission has refused a request from SDG&E to eliminate or suspend high use charges (HUC).  

By Miriam Raftery

July 25, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Four overdose deaths have occurred in the past 24 hours in Lakeside, Santee, Poway and Valley Center due to a counterfeit oxycodone drug known as M-30.  The illicit blue pills known as M-30s contain fentanyl, so potent that a speck the size of a salt grain can kill you – or even just touching it. Users may swallow the pills or crush and smoke them.

San Diego Sheriff’s Narcotics and Gang Division responded to the four overdose deaths. Detectives are now working with first responders to learn if they have received any similar overdose calls. 

Anyone with information regarding this illegal drug operation is urged to call the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at (888) 580-8477 or the Sheriff's Department at (858) 565-5200.

By Miriam Raftery

July 9, 2019 (El Cajon) – The East County Leadership Council will host its second annual regional issues forum on July 27 from 1-3 p.m. at the El Cajon Library (201 E. Douglas Ave. in El Cajon).

July 25, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• New Immunotherapy Treatment Removes All Tumors In Woman With Advanced Metastatic Breast Cancer (Forbes)
• Trump administration moves to block nursing home residents’ access to courts (Public Justice)
• Faith-based health clinics to spurn birth control under Trump rule (The Hill)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Antitrust inquiry may heighten calls to break up tech giants (Washington Post)
• Twelve years to save Earth? Make that 18 months...(BBC)
• Climate change: Current warming `unparalled’ in 2,000 years (BBC)
• FTC To Hold Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Liable For Any Future Privacy Violations (NPR) 

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

July 25, 2019 (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.

• Trump backs two-year budget deal that boosts spending, suspends debt limit (Washington Post)
• Judge blocks asylum policy at U.S.-Mexico border (Washington Post)
• Mueller says that Trump could be charged with obstruction after he leaves office (Axios)
• Trump uses veto power to unblock $8 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia (BBC)
• These are the women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct (Time)
• Trump administration to expand its power to deport undocumented immigrants (Washington Post)
• Lineup for July Democratic presidential debates in Detroit revealed (CBS)
• A Russian Oligarch Bought Maryland’s Election Vendor. Now These Senators Are Questioning the Rules (RollCall)

WORLD

• Red-hot planet: All-time heat records have been set all over the world during the past week (Washington Post)
• Iran says it arrested 17 CIA spies and sentenced some to death (BBC)
• Thousands protest in Moscow after opposition barred from city vote (Reuters)
• Tainted alcohol kills 19 in Costa Rica, ministry says (10 News)
• 90 Dead, 1 Million Displaced by Monsoon Flooding in India and Nepal  (Eco Watch)

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

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Xusha Brown, Jr., innocent victim of gangland shooting

July 25, 2019 (La Mesa) – “We will continue to fight until justice is done,” Deborah Flores, mother of slain Sycuan tribal member Xusha Brown Jr. said at a press conference in 2016, when the tribe boosted a reward to $100,000 to help find his killer. La Mesa Police also posted the reward information on freeway signs. Three weeks later, three men were arrested for the drive-by shooting of Brown, 22, which occurred on I-8 in La Mesa in 2013.