By Miriam Raftery

March 20, 2018 (Washington D.C.) – In direct conflict to warnings from top U.S. intelligence agency representatives, The House Intelligence Committee’s Republican majority shut down its investigation and  issued an overview of its report which concluded that Russia’s election hacking and social media attacks were merely intended to cause discord, not help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election.  The GOP report also concluded that that it found no “evidence of coordination, collusion or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russians. “

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 20, 2018 (San Diego) - The National Weather Service is predicting rain around San Diego County this week, potentially heavy rain on Thursday.

People in unincorporated areas can get free sandbags at numerous locations to help them protect their homes, properties and communities.

By Chris Jennewein

Originally published in Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

March 20, 2018 (San Diego) - Democratic Congressional Candidate Josh Butner‘s suggestion in an interview that military service should be a requirement to run for national office sparked a controversy Monday.

By Jonathan Goetz

March 19, 2018 (La Mesa) – Constitution, the dance, is coming to the San Diego Performing Arts Center (4579 Mission Gorge Place) April 13-14 thanks to La Mesa based Kidz Danz Kompany and Visionary Dance Theatre.

An example from the San Diego Union-Tribune

By Joel A. Harrison, PhD, MPH

March 19, 2018 (San Diego) -- As a retired epidemiologist, especially interested in public health, I have been following the so-called “vaccine controversy” for many years. Recently I wrote a rather long paper that was published on a popular blog, Science-Based Medicine. I wrote this Reader’s OpEd for East County Magazine because the False Balance in this case was in our own local newspaper, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and the opinion piece by Terry Roark that my paper refutes point by point concerns California Senate Bill 277 which limits exemptions for vaccinations, clearly a topic that many East County Magazine readers will be interested in. My hope is that this short Reader’s OpEd will interest East County Magazine readers to go to the longer article, which can be accessed by clicking here. Note that the longer article allows one to link to a downloadable pdf version

SDSU News Center

March 19, 2018 (San Diego)  – As part of the annual Kyoto Prize Symposium, San Diego State University will host renowned engineer Takashi Mimura, who received the 2017 Kyoto Prize—Japan’s highest private award for global achievement—in Advanced Technology.

An open letter to La Mesa Planning Commission Chair James D. Newland

By Dr. Anthony D. McIvor

March 18, 2018 (La Mesa) -- As 60-year residents of La Mesa, our family objects to The Phair Company’s La Mesa Summit housing proposal. Luxury houses (at $1million+) usually offer green energy and amenities, but the sum of them, for just a handful of buyers, cannot begin to offset the loss to the larger community, if the plan were approved as is.  

East County News Service

March 17, 2018 (Lakeside) -- Do you love the great outdoors? Do you have a digital SLR or cell phone camera?  If so, you’re invited to come out and compete in this year’s Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest.

The shooting window is from March to the end of May and contest participants can get a free day pass to explore the reservoir to seek, find and capture eye-catching images.

By Miriam Raftery

March 17, 2018 (San Diego) – San Diego State University campus police have issued an alert following a robbery that occurred yesterday at 11:05 a.m. in the east alley of 5100 College Avenue.  The suspect offered to sell basketball tickets to the victim, but instead reportedly stole the victim’s money.

By Miriam Raftery

March 17, 2018 (Boulevard) – A driver, 67, from the Salton Sea was killed last night shortly before 7 p.m.  He was driving a 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 truck and towing a three-axle flatbed trailer loaded with concrete blocks on I-8 eastbound near Ribbonwood Road when he lost control and plunged down an embankment.

By Liz Alper

Photos via jeddjong.wordpress.com

March 13, 2018 (San Diego) - When I was a kid, my best friend had a PlayStation.  On that PlayStation, he had the original Tomb Raider game.  Gaming was simpler back then; feminists didn’t have to complain about the “sexualization of women” (there is none) in games because, you know, this was the 90s; women and men in video games were just...blocks (Goldeneye, anyone?).  So, I went to see Tomb Raider under the premise of nostalgia.

East County News Service

Photo by Ron Logan:  Write Out Loud Executive Director Walter Ritter, San Diego Regional Champion Kylie Greaves and Write Out Loud Artistic Director Veronica Murphy

March 15, 2018 (San Diego) -- Kylie Greaves, a Senior at Grossmont Middle College High School in El Cajon took first place in the 2018 countywide Poetry Out Loud competition on February 6th at The San Diego Central Library downtown. Greaves will represent San Diego at the upcoming state finals March 18 and 19 in Sacramento.

East County News Service

Photo: ECM news partner 10 News

March 15, 2018 (La Mesa) – The Marque Urgent Care Center on Lake Murray Boulevard in La Mesa was evacuated and shut down yesterday, after an out of control SUV knocked out two pillars at the facility.

The burgundy-colored Honda Pilot also knocked over signs and hit a tree before being halted by a railing outside a nearby barbecue restaurant.

By Miriam Raftery

March 15, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Paul Hanks, a La Mesa resident, real estate broker and attorney with an office in Santee, was found by rescuers today in Joshua National Park.  He had fallen some 20 feet off a trail and suffered a head injury, but was conscious when found and is expected to have a full recovery, CBS 8 reports.

March 15, 2018 (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 news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views.  Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• U.S. accuses Russia of ongoing attack to hack energy grid (Associated Press)
• Despite Mueller’s push, House Republicans declare no evidence of collusion (New York Times)
• House Intelligence Committee Democrats release their own report on Russia investigation (The Week)
• Connor Lamb wins Pennsylvania House seat, giving Democrats a map for Trump country (New York Times)
• Toys R Us to close all 800 U.S. stores, affecting 33,000 jobs (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• USDA withdraws animal welfare rule (The Hill)
• Senator blasts United after dog dies in overhead bin, another sent to Japan (CBS)
• Seattle judge rules a homeless man’s truck was his ‘home,’ and that has city officials worried (Los Angeles Times)
• U.S. court upholds most of Texas law to punish 'sanctuary cities' (Reuters)
• Journalist charts the bizarre twists and turns of the Trump Russia dossier (NPR)

 WORLD

• Stephen Hawking, who examined the universe and explained black holes, dies at 76 (New York Times)
• China’s Xi allowed to remain ‘president for life’ as term limits removed (BBC)
• Britain and Russia brace for showdown as deadline expires for nerve attack explanation (Reuters)
• Russia Behind 14 'Natural' Deaths? UK Secret Service Looks Again at Mysterious suicides after Novichok Attack (Newsweek)
• Palestinian PM Hamdallah survives Gaza roadside bomb attack (Reuters)
• Syrian Observatory says war has killed more than half a million (Jerusalem Post)
• Germany on alert for possible attacks on Turkish sites (Reuters)
• Kenya's president and opposition leader promise to unite country (CS Monitor)

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