April 2, 2011 (Lemon Grove) – Thom Rosenberger and Charlie Lewis, famous throughout the county for their traveling fire education program, racked up nearly 70 years as Lemon Grove firefighters and know from smoke-filled rooms, burning embers and screaming sirens.

On April 7 at 7 p.m., the Lemon Grove Historical Society will present “Putting out the fire with Thom and Charlie,” a fire safety program as part of the “History Alive” lecture series in the H. Lee House Cultural Center, 3205 Olive in Lemon Grove.

Authors will offer writing tips and sign copies of books at Grossmont Center store

By Dennis Moore

April 2, 2011 (La Mesa)—Are you an aspiring author? Barnes & Noble bookstore in Grossmont Center will host ”How to get published” on April 9 at 1 p.m.

Moderated by ECM book reviewer Dennis Moore, The event will feature  best-selling novelist Joshua Graham as well as local authors Max Sturman and TJ Johnson. The authors will field questions and offer helpful tips about the business, as well as sign copies of their books.

 April 1, 2011—East County Magazine has the exclusive scoop on astounding major stories breaking today.

Is truth stranger than fiction? You decide. Click this link to our extra-special edition Friday, April 1st . Trust us, you won't want to miss this news. 

 What are your thoughts on these stories? Post your comments!

Bonus points if you can answer these questions:

By Buck N. Hamm

 

April 1, 2011 (Lakeside) – San Diego County officials today hosted a special event aimed at culling herds of wild pigs that are rampaging through the backcountry, destroying native habitat.

“Modeled after the Bureau of Land Management’s popular program for reducing surplus wild mustangs on public lands, our County has teamed up with Cleveland National Forest and local Harley Davidson clubs to sponsor the first annual Hog Wild pig roundup and run,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob announced, cutting a ribbon as a herd of stampeding pigs raced through the streets of Lakeside.

By Mary Paulet

April 1, 2011 (San Diego) East County Magazine has learned that the Democratic Party will announce a surprising endorsement next Monday in the 2012 San Diego Mayoral Race.

A prominent Democratic source and Wikileaks have leaked documents to ECM indicating that Democrats will endorse not one, but two candidates running as a team: Congressman Bob Filner and State Senator Christine Kehoe, in a first-ever co-mayoral candidacy.

By R. U. Smart

 April 1, 2011 (Rancho San Diego) – Faced with a growing budget gap, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District today announced a major new means of boosting tuitions and revenues.

“Cuyamaca College will open our district’s first satellite campus this summer in Thailand,” announced Henri Migala, executive dean of institutional advancement. “Cuyamaca has gained an international reputation for our instruction in green jobs and sustainable technology, which we will now be outsourcing to Asia.”

By Brian Lafferty

April 1, 2011 (San Diego) – Director Martin Koolhoven says in the press notes that 1960s Italian spaghetti westerns inspired Winter in Wartime’s look. I didn’t see so much of that, or at least that didn’t run through my head as I watched it. Instead, I mostly saw another kind of influence, also from Italian cinema.

By Wanda B. Sekure
 

April 1, 2011 (El Cajon) -- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has declared El Cajon the safest city in America.

“Our underwriters found that El Cajon is ideally situated to minimize risks of a catastrophe,” said Commissioner Macon Wills. “Not only is El Cajon midway between the Rose Canyon and Elsinore earthquake fault lines, it also sits far enough north to avoid border violence, inland a good half-hour from the coast, and a full 53 miles away from the San Onofre nuclear power plant,” he noted, adding that the U.S. has recommended a 50-mile evacuation zone around Japan’s troubled reactors. “ If a nuke meltdown, tsunami or killer quake occurs,” Wills declared, “El Cajon is going to look like heaven.”

By Nancy Clement, La Mesa writer and Lake Murray Aficionado

April 1, 2011 (La Mesa) - Barbara (Cleves) Anderson, the honorary Mayor of Lake Murray, just announced that she met with the San Diego City Council--and big changes will be happening at Lake Murray beginning June 1st. Water skiing will be allowed at the west side of the lake near the ball fields and second, there will a fee charged for being at the lake.

These recommendations were based on a feasibility study conducted by SCAMDAG.

Nothing but the truth!

By Will Power

April 1, 2011 (Washington D.C.) -- In an unprecedented turnabout, President Barack Obama announced he is confiscating the excess profits of banks and brokers who profited from the recent Wall Street Crash. All the bonuses paid out will be seized and used to pay down the national debt.

Even more important, President Obama ordered oil companies and pharmaceutical companies to lower their prices by 25% , or face nationalization. The third important change was a halt to all home foreclosures, Homes which are in danger of foreclosure are ordered into arbitration and refinancing.

By Jeremy Los

March 30, 2011 (Sacramento) – Governor Jerry Brown yesterday declared budgetary talks with Republicans “dead.”  The GOP issued 53 proposed alternatives, leading the Governor to accuse Republicans of obstructing the process with new demands that would widen the budget gap, not close it.  View Governor Brown's video message to the people by clicking the above image.

Standardized Assessment Would Save $4 Million in Testing Costs and Increase the Number of Students Assessed by 2.2 Million

March 30, 2011 – In an effort to increase efficiencies in California’s higher education system and boost student success, Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) announced that his community college student assessment legislation has been approved by the Assembly Higher Education Committee on a unanimous vote.

General Plan Update, Health and Wellness in La Mesa on agenda

March 30, 2011 (La Mesa)—Help create La Mesa’s vision for a healthier community at a community workshop on Thursday, April 7 from 6-8 p.m. at the La Mesa Police Station community room, 8085 University Avenue in La Meas. Topics for discussion include a new Health and Wellness element as well as the 2012 general plan update (available online at www.cityoflamesa.com/GeneralPlanUpdate).

March 30, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Charles Dumars, 46, of Poway died of coronary artery disease while hiking near Ramona on Saturday, March 26, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office reports.
 

Dumars was with a group of Boy Scouts and their fathers hiking in remote terrain on Black Mountain Truck Trail. According to Ramona Patch.com, a 911 call indicated that Dumars as unresponsive and CPR was in progress.