Despite positive changes, budget clouds loom as city draws on reserves for operating expenses

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

August 16, 2018 (Lemon Grove) -- Members of the Lemon Grove City Council and other city officials are grappling with concerns about a major budget deficit poised to sour the city’s future. The problem has led to media speculation that Lemon Grove might give up cityhood and become part of the County’s unincorporated area.

Yet, to a packed-to-the-rafters community room, recently-elected Mayor Raquel Vasquez painted a positive picture about the city’s many accomplishments in the past year and its challenges in the coming year. During her first State of the City address last week, the Mayor did raise the city’s financial dilemma, but not seeds for solutions over the long term.

By Miriam Raftery

August 17, 2018 (San Diego) – Language expert, author, columnist and radio personality Richard Lederer will be a special guest at our East County Fest 10-year anniversary party of the decade on Saturday night, August 25. (Tickets are going fast! Get tickets and learn more.)

In addition to speaking and signing copies of his latest books, Lederer has generously donated two special auction prizes – an entertaining and educational appearance by Lederer for your group, and a poker lesson by Lederer, whose skills enabled his two children to become world and national poker champions.

Lederer is the author of 50 books about language, history, and humor, including his best-selling Anguished English series and his current books, Amazing Words, Lederer on Language, and The Joy of Names. He is a founding co-host of “A Way With Words” on KPBS.

Dr. Lederer’s syndicated column, “Lederer on Language,” appears in newspapers and magazines throughout the United States, including the San Diego Union-Tribune. He has been named International Punster of the Year and Toastmasters International’s Golden Gavel winner.

By Miriam Raftery

August 16, 2018 (Lakeside) – The body of 12-year-old Lia Rose Barakett was recovered yesterday from the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside, where she fell overboard from a boat during an outing with family and friends. Barakett, a Canadian resident, was visiting the area when the tragedy occurred.

East County News Service

August 16, 2018 (Ramona) – The Ramona Country Fair is inviting all homemade cooks of jams, jellies, jerky, salsas, breads, muffins, desserts, pickles and relishes to enter samples of their favorite recipes in the fair’s “Home Sweet Home Contest” on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Ramona Outdoor Community Center, 421 Aqua Lane, Ramona. Cost to enter the contest is free. You do not need to live in Ramona to enter. Entries must be labeled with the category and flavor. Entries will be accepted at 9 a.m. Judging will begin at 10 a.m. and ribbons for first, second and third place will be announced later that morning. For more information, call the Ramona Chamber of Commerce at (760) 789-1311, visit www.ramonachamber.com/home-sweet-home-contest.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

August 16, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- “Listen for sprinklers, they sound like sprinklers,” says Tom Minga, a rattlesnake specialist.

Minga, a Flinn Springs resident, who owns Snake Solutions Removal & Relocation, recommends listening for rattlers when you are out in nature or even in your house.   

East County News Service

August 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.

• After disaster alert failures, U.S. moves toward national system (Reuters)
• FBI warns banks about ATM hacking scheme (CNN)
• Do children have a right to literacy? Attorneys testing that question (Washington Post)
• U.S. Farm-Export Prices Drop Most Since 2011 (Bloomberg)
• U.S. House candidates vulnerable to hacks: researchers (Reuters)
• Chinese Song Found on US Voting System, 11-Year Old Hacks Mock FL SoS Website, More News from DEF CON Vote Hack Village (Bradblog)
• Democrats and Young People Prefer Socialism to Capitalism, Poll Finds  (Reason)

WORLD

• Burying ‘One Child’ Limits, China Pushes Women to Have More Babies (New York Times)
• IAF levels Hamas security HQ after Beersheba hit (JPost)
• North Korea has not stopped nuclear, missile program: confidential U.N. report (Reuters)
• Man suspected of terrorism attack on UK parliament after driving into pedestrians (Reuters)
• U.N. says it has credible reports that China holds million Uighurs in secret camps  (Reuters)
• Surprise Taliban Attack Leads To Days Of Fighting, Hundreds Of Deaths (NPR)
• Police fire tear gas as Romanians rally against government  (Reuters)
• From laboratory in far west, China's surveillance state spreads quietly (Reuters)

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

Celebrating the future of East County’s water with a FREE, fun event

Source:  Padre Dam Municipal Water District

August 15, 2018 (Santee) - Celebrate water at the East County Water Festival on Saturday, September 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Project Visitor Center in Santee.

By Jamie Freitas

Councilman Kalasho is running in District 1 in El Cajon, a city with a high population of immigrants and refugees, and which celebrates its diversity and patriotism with an annual “America on Main Street celebration (photo). Last year, that event included a citizenship ceremony for people from 54 different countries.

August 14, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Critics outraged over EPA’s proposed rule change on asbestos (CBS News)
• Asbestos in a Crayon, Benzene in a Marker: a School Supply Study’s Toxic Results (New York Times)
• Scientists Have Found an Important Reason You Might Want to Reconsider Taking Probiotics (Business Insider)
• Monsanto ordered to pay $289m as jury rules weed killer caused man's cancer (Yahoo! News)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• AP Exclusive: Google watches your movements, like it or not (Sacramento Bee)
• The Arid West Moves East, with Big Implications for Agriculture (NPR)
• Invasion of big, voracious lizards threatens U.S. South (Reuters)
• Facial recognition technology: The need for public regulation and corporate responsibility (Microsoft blog by Brad Smith, President, Microsoft)
• Designing the Death of a Plastic (New York Times)

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

By Miriam Raftery

Photo from San Diego Fire Dept.: Metro Arson Strike Team investigates fire scene.

August 14, 2018 (San Pasqual Valley) – The Metro Arson Strike team has reversed an earlier announcement and now believes yesterday's Cloverdale Fire in the San Pasqual Valley was not caused by arson, but instead by a rimless tire that threw off sparks, causing multilple ignition points, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This is the third fire to occur in the San Pasqual area in the past couple of weeks, though authorities have not yet announced causes of the earlier San Pasqual and Rangeland fires, which burned 240 and 250 acres respectively.

The Cloverdale Fire, under unified command of Cal Fire and San Diego Fire Department, started mid-afternoon and quickly scorched 100 acres. Today it is 65% contained and evacuations have been lifted.

East County News Service

August 13, 2018 (Borrego Springs) – Entries are being accepted now through December 1^st in the annual Anza Borrego Desert photography contest. The contest’s theme is the unique and natural beauty of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park and all photos must be taken within the state park boundaries.

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo via WikimediaImages/Pixabay

August 12, 2018 (San Diego's East County) - Fire investigators recently announced that the cause of the deadly Carr fire in Redding was a flat tire on a trailer. When the rim scraped the concrete roadway, it sparked a fire.

By Miriam Raftery

August 11, 2018 (Lakeside) – Divers searching for a 12-year-old girl who fell overboard from a ski boat into San Vicente Reservoir will resume their efforts in the morning, but the mission has shifted from rescue to recovery after her damaged life jacket was found in the water.

Divers from San Diego Fire-Rescue have been searching since 6 pm. after the accident occurred during a family outing, 10 News reports.Sheriff’s deputies, Cal Fire personnel and helicopters all assisted in ground and aerial searches, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

 
By Miriam Raftery

August 11, 2018 (Boulevard) -- Terra-Gen's proposed Torrey Wind project (with up to 30 giant turbines each up to 586 tall and 4.2 megawatts) in Boulevard is moving through the planning process quickly. Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale is asking all who have concerns or information to share on impacts of wind turbines to come to a public scoping meeting  August 23 at 6 p.m. in the new Cal-Fire/County Fire Station at 40080 Ribbonwood Road, Boulevard.

“These turbines could be twice as powerful and about 100 feet taller than the Tule Wind turbines installed on public recreation land next door,” says Tisdale. “Bigger turbines can churn out much more noise and low frequency vibrations and potential electrical pollution over greater distances that can trigger psychical and emotional stress and the body's fight or flight instinct in people and animals. Turbines have reportedly been deemed nuisances in some legal and administrative proceedings around the world, with some families abandoning their homes and other homes bought out by developers over noise impacts and related litigation.”