By Nadin Abbott

 
January 14, 2012 (Rancho San Diego) -- Wind  blew  the  smell  of  gunfire  in  the  air.  You  can  hear gunshots  and  people  screaming. There  are many  dead and  injured people. A shooter is at large on campus. The chaos during a school shooting is real, but it’s only a drill.

January 14, 2012 (Santee) – On Monday, January 23, 2012 Sportsplex USA president Bill Berghoff will make a donation to the Santee School District Foundation in the amount of $1440.  Sportsplex USA and the Santee School District Foundation (SSDF) have partnered with the goal of offering affordable youth indoor soccer programs to all parents and children in Santee. 

January 14, 2012 (Alpine) – The Alpine Community Network reports that a reader has alerted the publication to a possible attempt to read ATM users' personal identification number (PIN) codes with binoculars outside a local market.

The suspicious individual was reported in Alpine and drove a red Cadillac, however if the activity was a scam operation it could possibly target people in other communities. 

Suspect booked for vehicle break-ins in East County and at beaches

January 13, 2012 (Santee) – The San Diego Sheriff seeks public help to locate Joseph Todd Hall, also known as “Happy.”  He is wanted for an attempted murder in Santee this morning and is considered armed and dangerous. 

by Charlotte Reed

"Real estate is my business…my only business."

January 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – In today’s column, we cover the latest hot topics in real estate locally and nationwide.  This week’s topics are:

•    MLS consumer website now available
•    Three realtor associations in merger talks
•     Agents search for the perfect office
•     Fair-lending charges against Bank of America settlement

January 13, 2012 (Santee) – The Sheriff’s Homicide detail has been called to the scene of a shooting in the 10000 block of Prospect Avenue in Santee.  At 5:09 a.m., deputies responded to a call of a shooting and found the victim inside the home. 

 
FalconRidge Equine Rescue and the San Diego Horse Coalition to Rehabilitate Two Horses

January 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for this morning, remaining in effect until 2 p.m. for mountain areas in San Diego’s East County.

Winds of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 50 mph are forecast through and below passes and canyons. Cal-Fire has issued a no-burn proclamation banning campfires and other open fires effective immediately.

January 13, 2012 (Lakeside) -- Lakeside's River Park Conservancy, along with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, is planning a San Diego Riverbed Clean-Up in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.

This event will take on Monday, January 16 from 9am to noon. The meeting place is at a lot on the corner of Lakeside Avenue and Channel Road in Lakeside.

By Miriam Raftery

January 12, 2012 (Jamul) – Looking for some tasty ways to cook up winter vegetables from your garden? Alpine Ranch Creative Health and Ecological Solutions, Inc., a nonprofit organization, is sponsoring a garden-to-kitchen winter harvest cooking class on Saturday, January 21 in Jamul.

January 12, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – View the planet Jupiter, star constellations, and the Andromeda Galaxy at a stargazing party this Saturday, January 14 at Mission Trails Regional Park from 5-8 p.m. Join trail guide and resident stargazer George Varga for this star-studded free event.

 Update February 3, 2012:  Sgt. Polk's death has still not been reported by the Dept. of Defense, nor has any notice of his death appeared in his family's hometown newspaper. A source has further informed ECM that his name has not been provided for addition to a memorial that honors fallen special services soldiers. Thus at this point, it appears likely that Polk did not die in service overseas. Perhaps he faked his death, or possibly someone else posted misleading information on his Facebook account.