September 16, 2011 (La Mesa) -- Grossmont Healthcare District and the City of La Mesa will host the 10th annual Kids Care Fest on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free family event features free health care screenings at Briercrest Park, 9001 Wakarusa St., La Mesa.

September 13, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- Parents, students, staff and community members from throughout Eastern San Diego County are welcome to attend the 2nd Annual iParent event, sponsored by the Grossmont Union High School District.

The event, which will feature keynote speakers Marsha Dodson and Dr. Darlene Willis and their presentationEmpowering Parents: A Guide to Taking Control of Your Child's Educational Journey, will take place on Saturday, September 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Vallhalla High School. 

September 9, 2011 (San Diego) – Local residents are swapping stories of how they coped during the biggest blackout ever to hit our region. Their tales vary widely – and show that amid a crisis, attitude is everything! Neighbors helped neighbors—and some hosted impromptu blackout parties.

Tax reforms including “plenty of loopholes to close” should be on the table, Hunter aide suggests

September 12, 2011 (Washington D.C.)—Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-El Cajon) has issued a press release urging the “Super Committee” tackling debt reduction to reach a timely agreement in order to avoid a trigger clause that would spark massive cuts to U.S. national security. 

By Billie Jo Jannen
For East County Magazine

September 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)--As the state legislative session came to a close with the usual last minute hustle to get bills passed before midnight Friday, rural residents narrowly escaped a rewritten state fire fee that would have increased many property owners’ bills by hundreds – or even thousands – of dollars per year.

The bill, dubbed SB1X7 in the senate and ABX 1 24 in the assembly is far from dead, however, and could be reintroduced in the new session, which starts Jan. 4, 2012.   Meanwhile the Dept. of Finance plans to begin sending bills to property tax owners this fall under the plan originally approved.

September 13, 2011 (Tierrasanta) –After treating patio furniture with teak oil on Sunday, a homeowner at 4608 Seda in Tierrasanta discarded the teak oil can in a trashcan. “A fire started in the trash can a few hours later and the homeowner was unable to put it out,” said Officer J. Jacobsen with San Diego Police.

September 13, 2011 (Poway) – A 36-year-old Poway woman suffered a head injury and additional injuries when she was struck by a white pickup while walking on Valle Verde Road at Dorset Way in Poway. The accident occurred at 10:56 this morning.

September 12, 2011 (Escondido) -- “Fall is Here” at Westfield North County shopping center.  For the month of September, the Westfield Family program will feature fall-themed Westfield Family Fun Days, kid and family-friendly activities celebrating the new season, starting September 19.

County Reminds Businesses of Important Measures for Food and Customer Safety

September 11, 2011 (San Diego)--Last week’s boil water advisory has been lifted, but the Department of Environmental Health is reminding restaurants and markets that were impacted by the advisory to follow food and water safety procedures before reusing tap water. These include guidelines for flushing and sanitizing, as well as assuring that food served is safe.

Tom Cantor, owner of Scantibodies and founder of Life and Light Foundation that runs museum, is accused by employee of providing “bad science” to public

By Billie Jo Jannen

September 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- A resolution introduced by District 40 State Senator Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) and passed in both houses Friday seeks to put the brakes on a high voltage trans-border power line slated to bring electricity in from the proposed 1250 MW La Rumorosa wind turbine project near Jacumba.

A key question is who, if anyone, bears responsibility for financial losses resulting from the outage