By Miriam Raftery

January 30, 2020 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce invites you to its 12^th annual Salute to local Heroes. This year’s theme is "Hooray for Hollywood: and the event will be held on March 12 at Sycuan Casino Resort from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

First responders from La Mesa Police, fire and paramedics will be honored as well as members of the retired senior volunteer patrol. The celebration also includes installation of the Chamber’s new board of directors.

Suggested attire is Hollywood glam, cocktail or business.

January 21, 2020 (La Mesa) -- You're invited to support East County Magazine at our most exciting East County Dining Club event yet!  At the Spacebar Cafe & Wine Bistro in La Mesa on  Thursday, January 30th, take a virtual trip to Spain.

Tapas, dinner and Flamenco music show: This special event begins with happy hour and Spanish-style tapas (appetizers) at 6 p.m., followed by delicious dinner options incuding Paella Valencia and a live Flamenco show at 7 p.m. We will have prize drawings galore, too!

Feast your eyes on our very special menu here, with a range of options in every price range including Paellla Valencia (seafood or meat versions), the national dish of Spain.

RSVP by Monday: The restaurant asks that you pre-order your main dish (entree) when you RSVP to us by Monday Jan. 27 at (619)698-7617 or email editor@eastcountymagazine.org.  You can pay at the event, and you can order everything else there including appetizers, deserts, salads, wine, beer, or other beverages.

Prizes:  Our raffle includes whalewatching tickets from Hornblower Cruises, Spacebar Cafe and Wine Bar gift certificate, gift certificate to Fort Cross Old Timey Adventures, wine lovers gifts, cuisine of Spain cookbook, leather purse, jewelry, gift certificates to local stores and restaurants, and more!

Benefits: Spacebar Cafe & Wine Bistro will donate 20% of proceeds to East County Media to benefit East County Magazine and East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts. In addition, 100% of raffle ticket sales will benefit these nonprofit causes.

January 29, 2020 (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 a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• U.S. deficit to eclipse $1 trillion in 2020, CBO says, as fiscal imbalance continues to widen (Washington Post)
• In 5-4 ruling, Supreme Court allows Trump plan to deny green cards to those who may need gov't aid (NBC)
• New immigration policy withholds automatic citizenship for some children of troops overseas, but not all (Military Times)
• Bolton Revelations Anger Republicans, Fueling Push for Impeachment Witnesses (New York Times)
• Crystal Geyser Is In Hot Water, Fined $5 Million for Hazardous Arsenic-Laden Waste (Sunset)

WORLD

• Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off the coast of Jamaica and is felt as far away as Miami (CNN)
• Trump leaps into Middle East fray with peace plan that Palestinians denounce  (Reuters)
• China evacuations begin as WHO voices concern about virus spread (Reuters)

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

By Miriam Raftery

January 29, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for San Diego County’s inland region. The advisory is in effect from 4 p.m. today through 12 noon on Friday for San Diego’s mountains and valleys, with gusts up to 55 miles per hour forecast. In local desert areas, the wind advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. today to 6 p.m. tonight.

In addition to potentially damaging winds, the forecast also includes elevated surf at beaches with waves up to six feet, and a warming trend through the week with temperatures rising into the 80s by the weekend.

By Miriam Raftery

January 28, 2020 (San Diego) – A traveler to San Diego who recently visited China may have contracted a new coronavirus tied to a global outbreak of respiratory illness. County health officials have sent a sample to the Centers for Disease Control for testing.

Today the Centers for Disease Control issued a travel advisory urging travelers to cancel all non-essential travel to anywhere In China, where 25 to 50 million people are now quarantined in multiple cities.  The CDC broadened its warning, which formerly only applied to the Wuhan province where the disease was first identified in December.

Screenings of airline passengers from China are also being expanded to 20 airports with quarantine facilities. 

Hong Kong has announced it will stop issueing permits to travelers from mainland China. Inside China, transportation out of impacted cities is shut down, leaving some Americans stranded  Yahoo News reports.

By Miriam Raftery

January 28, 2020 (El Cajon) – A Santee man is dead after the 2016 Dodge Ram pickup he was driving crashed down an embankment and struck a boulder last night around 8:46 p.m.

According to Officer Travis Garrow with the California Highway Patrol, the driver, 46, was traveling east on La Cresta Road in unincorporated El Cajon east of Forester Creek “at a high rate of speed” when he lost control and plunged off the side of the roadway.  The vehicle became airborne before overturning down an embankment and striking the boulder.

Graham Mitchell Provides Year End Status Report of city’s efforts  

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

Complete Video: https://youtu.be/LybwvTl7E8Y

Powerpoint presentation: Homeless Program Update (Jan 14, 2020).pdf

January 27, 2020 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon City Manager Graham Mitchell has challenged other East County cities and the County of San Diego to address the current crisis level of homeless individuals, as El Cajon has during the past year.

In an overview of its efforts at the first council session for the year, Mitchell told councilmembers that the city has spent $640,000 on programs directed to people who have made El Cajon streets their home. While the city will be spending that much again this year, Mitchell challenged the smaller cities around El Cajon (Santee, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove) to make similar efforts.

“We are doing far more than what our neighbors have been doing,” Mitchell said.

Residents encouraged to submit questions for candidates 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left to right: Joel Anderson, Kenya Taylor, Brian Sesko, and Steve Vaus.

January 15, 2020 (La Mesa) -- A forum for candidates seeking to fill the District 2 county supervisor seat will be held Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Murdock Elementary School (4354 Conrad. Drive, La Mesa). The forum is sponsored by the Grossmont-Mt. Helix Improvement Association, along with East County Magazine.

All four candidates running for the East County seat have indicated they will attend. The candidates are former state Senator Joel Anderson, Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, Kenya Taylor, co-chair of the Southeastern Live Well Center Health Workgroup, and Brian Sesko, Broker and General Contractor. Click their names to view their websites and learn more about their stances and priorities.

The candidates are running to succeed County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who is leaving office after 28 years because of term limits.

Residents are encouraged to submit questions for consideration in advance to editor@eastcountymagazine.org or to yourGMIAneighbor@gmail.com.  Written questions will also be accepted at the forum. 

Source:  goaztecs.com

Video courtesy goaztecs.com

January 26, 2020 (Las Vegas) -  Malachi Flynn scored 21 points and No. 4 San Diego State staved off UNLV's second-half rally to win 71-67 on Sunday, remaining the country's only unbeaten team.

The Aztecs (21-0, 10-0 Mountain West) broke the school record for best start in the program's 99 seasons. San Diego State's 21st consecutive victory also tops the school record of 20 straight wins, set during the 2010-11 season and matched by the 2013-14 squad that made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Just Mercy: A Story Of Justice And Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson (Spiegel & Grau, New York, NY, 2014, 349 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

“Bryan Stevenson is one of my personal heroes, perhaps the most inspiring and influential crusader for justice alive today, and Just Mercy is extraordinary. The stories told within these pages hold the potential to transform what we think we mean when we talk about justice.”

• MICHELLE ALEXANDER, author of The New Jim Crow

January 24, 2020 (San Diego) - It is ironic that the aforementioned Michelle Alexander would give praise for this book by Bryan Stevenson, as both authors and their books are winners of the NAACP Image Award for their similar takes on justice and redemption. Actually, Michelle Alexander won the NAACP Image Award in Literature shortly after this writer interviewed her in San Diego for my review of her book The New Jim Crow.

Another author giving praise to Bryan Stevenson and Just Mercy is Susan Neiman, author of Learning From the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil, who was recently interviewed on our “East County Magazine Live!” radio show and references Stevenson in the interview here.

January 24, 2019 (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 a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Impeachment trial

• Let them speak: Most Americans want witnesses in Trump impeachment trial - Reuters/Ipsos poll (Reuters)
• Trump Administration Warned GOP Senators ‘Your Head Will Be On A Pike’ If They Vote Against Him, ‘CBS’ Reports (Inquisitr)
• Trump shows anxiety as Democrats lay out case against him in Senate impeachment trial (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Other national news

• 34 US service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iranian missile strike (CNN)
• The great dismantling of America’s national parks is under way (Guardian)
• DOT proposes new rules for emotional support animals aboard planes (ABC News)
• More pizza, fewer vegetables: Trump administration further undercuts Obama school-lunch rules (Washington Post)

WORLD

• Taal volcano eruption in Philippines poses deadly dilemma for people living in its shadow (CNN)
• UK's Harry and Meghan to drop titles and retire as working royals (Reuters)
• U.N. ties alleged phone hacking of Bezos to Post’s coverage of Saudi Arabia (Washington Post)

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