By Liz Alper

Photo:  Helix alum Jack Stronach was drafted 623rd overall by the Padres.  Photo via mlb.com screenshot

June 5, 2019 (Secaucus, N.J.) - The Padres took seven consecutive pitchers yesterday on day two.  One East County kid was drafted. Today is the day to end all days: the final day of the draft and rounds 11-40, also known as the lightning rounds.  Click the cut to see who the Padres took and be on the lookout for any East County kids.

By Miriam Raftery

June 5, 2019 (Campo) – Public participation is needed at two upcoming meetings on Terra-Gen’s proposal to install 60 wind turbines, each 586 feet tall and capable of producing 4.2 megawatts of power.  The turbines are proposed on the Campo tribal reservation, from north of I-8 to near the border in the south. 

“These turbines are about twice the size with twice the harmful energy and noise as existing local Kumeyaay Wind and Tule Wind turbines. If new turbines are approved, life for many area residents will change for the worst.” Says Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Group which represents nearby communities. She adds, “People are already sick around existing turbines.”        

Below are details on upcoming meetings June 6 and June 19, where the public can learn more and speak out:    

By Liz Alper

Photo:  Valhalla alum Jeff Houghtby was drafted in the 10th round, 296th overall by the San Francisco Giants.  Photo via usdtoreros.com

June 4, 2019 (Secaucus, N.J.) - The Padres kept it mostly in the high school age range on day one.  Click the cut to see who the Friars took in rounds 3-10 on day two of the 2019 MLB Draft and also to see if any East County kids made the cut.

East County News Service

June 4, 2019 (La Mesa) – Was your home built before 1984?  If so it may qualify for historic preservation, with tax benefits and other advantages.  La Mesa Conservations and the La Mesa Historical Society will host “Historic Preservation in La Mesa: Myths, Realities and Benefits” including the city’s historic property update. The event will be held this Thursday, June 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 4731 Date St., La Mesa.

This event is free. but please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/historic-preservation-in-la-mesa-tickets-61773023777?mc_cid=a883f98a8a&mc_eid=54e8d2ba08

By Maryanne Jackson, real estate broker, CNE. CPRES. DRE#01784021

Photo: Creative Commons image via Free Stock

June 4, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Dear Maryanne,

My fiancé and I purchased our first home in December. We were told there was a septic tank on the property. We had asked our agent on numerous occasions to find out the exact location of the septic tank, but he never followed through with our request; he only told us, “The septic tank had recently been pumped therefore we really had no need to worry about it right now, we just needed to focus on closing the deal.”

Upon moving in we attempted to use the showers and toilets and noticed the water started to back up. We called numerous plumbers and the prior owner- who informed us that the septic had been renovated when the investor bought the property from her and did the flip.

We now are paying $200 a month for a porta potty rental; it is our only way to have a bathroom on our property until this gets resolved.

How could this situation have been avoided? Was there something we should have done while in escrow?

K. W. Blossom Valley

By Mike Allen

June 4, 2019 (Lakeside) -- Lakeside has a good reputation as a relatively safe area, but like every area of the county, it’s got some crime and could be made even safer if citizens make an effort and speak out when they see problems.

That was the key message imparted by a panel of experts speaking May 29 at the Lakeside Community Center organized by the Institute for Public Strategies.

By Liz Alper

Photo:  Christian Patriots alum Kyle Stowers was drafted 71st overall in Competitive Balance Round B by the Baltimore Orioles

June 3, 2019 (Secaucus, N.J.) - It’s that time of year again.  Three straight days of draft picks joining the Padres’ already stacked farm system.  ECM Sports will have coverage of all 41 of the Padres’ draft picks. Today will cover rounds one and two and both competitive balance rounds.

Updated with identies of the vicitms, provided by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office

By Miriam Raftery

June 3, 2019 (Jamul) – The driver and a passenger in a 1997 green GMC Sonoma pickup truck are dead following a head-on collision with a Jeep at 11:45 p.m. last night on Lyons Valley Road in Jamul.  The driver, Martin Lopez Soto, 19, from Lemon Grove and his passenger, Hope Najera, 18, from Jamul, died at the scene after the GMC crossed the center line into the path of the Jeep. According to their Facebook posts, the couple recently became engaged.

Witnesses called 9-1-1 but both victims were found inside the vehicle without a pulse by first responders who were unable to revive the teens despite aggressive life-saving efforts. The Medical Examiner concluded that both died of blunt-force injuries.

The driver of the Jeep, an 18-year-old El Cajon woman, had three teen passengers in the vehicle. All four sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were either treated on scene or transported to local hospitals for medical evaluations, according to the California Highway Patrol.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Duncan D. Hunter, right, via Duncan D. Hunter for Congress campaign

June 2, 2019 (San Diego) – Republican Congressman Duncan D. Hunter is drawing fire for admitting that he fired at civilians in Iraq while serving combat duty with the Marines, also posing with corpses of dead enemy combatants.

Hunter has been vocal in his public support of Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Gallagher, a San Diego-based Navy Seal charged with war crimes including shooting at civilians and fatally stabbing a young wounded prisoner, then posing with the corpse.

During a town hall meeting in Ramona over Memorial Day weekend, Hunter stated that Gallagher “did one bad thing that I’m guilty of too –taking a picture of the body and saying something stupid,” Times of San Diego reported, posting an audio recording.

Hunter doubled down on those remarks during a later taped interview with the online site Zero Blog Thirty, in which he stated, “So, I was an artillery officer and we fired hundreds of rounds into Fallujah, killing probably hundreds of civilians,” adding, “probably killed women and children if there were any left in the city when we invaded. Do I get judged, too?”

As for the charges Gallagher faces of murdering a teenage ISIS fighter who had been brought in for medical treatment, Hunter told Zero Blog Thirty, ““I frankly don’t care if he was killed. I just don’t care.” He added that even if Gallagher did stab the wounded prisoner to death, he still “deserves a break”, indicating Gallagher should not be held accountable for violating the Military Code of Justice.

Barstool Sports, which publishes the Zero Blog Thirty podcast, released a statement Sunday calling Hunter’s rhetoric “horrific.”

Are you interested in shaping El Cajon’s future? The El Cajon City Council seeks interested applicants to fill a vacant seat on the City’s Planning Commission.

Source:  City of El Cajon

June 1, 2019 (El Cajon) - The El Cajon City Council is accepting applications for the Planning Commission to fill the vacancy left by the appointment of commissioner Phil Ortiz to the City Council. The planning commission has long been a stepping stone to higher office, with many past commissioners going on to win election or appointment to council or mayoral seats.  The filing period is open through June 27, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. 

East County News Service

June 1, 2019 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr snapped this photo of a crow in El Cajon. “It was keeping an eye on me as I photographed the antics of it, being a bit playful,” he writes.

Crows are highly intelligent, capable of recognizing individual human faces and have even been trained to talk.

Meet some amazing stand-out students

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca College

June 1, 2019 (El Cajon) - Almost 2,700 graduates from Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges will be receiving 5,652 degrees and certificates at this year’s commencements, setting a new record as the largest graduating class from the two East County colleges.

Memorial gathering June 8 at 2 p.m. at Desert View Tower

East County News Service