By Mary Domb Mikkelson

January 2, 2014 (La Mesa) -- Have you ever had to take your break in a linen closet, sharing space with toxic chemicals and carts piled high with linens and cleaning supplies?   Had no place to sit and rest, no fresh air, no restroom, no access to food and water?

January 2, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--During the past ten years, the U.S. Forest Service’s fleet of firefighting planes has dropped from 44 aircraft to just eight planes.

Now California’s Senator Dianne Feinstein has added language into the Defense Bill that would double the current fleet size to 16 planes – still far short of a decade ago.

By Miriam Raftery

It’s the season for peace, goodwill toward men.  But one out of every eight people in our world goes to bed hungry each night.  Yet the world actually produces enough food to feed all of the 7 billion people on earth.

So why are so many going hungry?

By Miriam Raftery

January 1, 2014 (San Diego's East County) -- Governor Jerry Brown granted a Christmas Eve pardon to a firefighter who saved a teenager’s life during the Harris Fire in Potrero after suffering serious burns herself.

Brooke Linman had been convicted of firearms, drug and theft charges almost 20 years ago, but straightened her life out and began working as a firefighter in 2001. In 2007, her Cal-Fire crew was sent to help save homes in Potrero, where they helped evacuate Richard Varshock and his father, Thomas Varshock, who had been trying to defend their home against the firestorm. But  the fire engine was overcome and caught fire, forcing them all  to race on foot through a wall of flames.

January 2, 2014 (Lemon Grove) – Writer-teacher Estelle Lauer will discuss “New Immigrants to Lemon Grove: History Right Now.”  The event, sponsored by the Lemon Grove Historical Society as part of its History Alive series, will take place on Thursday, January 9 at 7 p.m. in the H. Lee House Cultural Center, 3205 Olive in Lemon Grove.

Pontiff named Time Magazine's Man of the Year

By Miriam Raftery

January 2014 (Rome)--On New Year’s Day at the Vatican, Pope Francis issued an impassioned plea for world peace.  He told the thousands of faithful gathered there that we are all part of the same human family, and we share a common destiny.

“This brings a responsibility for each to work so that the world becomes a community of brothers who respect each other, accept each other’s diversity, and takes care of one another,” the Pope said.

Then he did a remarkable thing.  Pope Francis laid aisde his prepared speech, and asked, “What is happening in the heart of man? What is happening in the heart of humanity?”  Deploring the violence in nations around the world, he said, “It’s time to stop.”

Photo, left: Enduro Racer, world's first electric off-road racing vehicle

By Nadin Abbott

Photos Tom and Nadin Abbott

January 1, 2014 (San Diego) --The San Diego Auto Show opened this morning in San Diego. With it came a slew of new and old offerings from multiple manufacturers. We talked safety, future tech and new releases with people who are in the industry.

The first surprise, at least for this reporter, was the Enduro Racer, the EV 1.1 that sat with the hybrid and electric vehicles. The obvious question is, what is an off road racing vehicle doing in the middle of this green technology?

January 1, 2014 (San Diego’s East County ) --ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• A Struggle to Balance Wind Energy With Wildlife (New York Times)
• Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission’s accomplished (Washington Post)
• Time Is Running Out To Save Florida's Oranges (NPR)
• Colorado and Washington brace for marijuana tourism surge (RawStory)
• How To Protect Yourself And Your Data After Target Hacker Breach (NPR)
• Fear and hopelessness as families prepare to lose unemployment benefits (Buzzfeed)
• Federal judge: NSA data collection is lawful 'counter-punch' against terror (CS Monitor)
• Boy Scouts of America to open ranks to gay youths Jan. 1 (CBS)
• Pennsylvania court: Towns can restrict fracking(APM: Marketplace)
• FBI Spooks (Reason)

WORLD

• Russian Bombings Kill 31, Raise Olympic Security Fears (KPBS)
• Israel to release some Palestinian prisoners, build 1,400 new West Bank homes (CS Monitor)
• El Salvador volcano erupts, evacuations ordered (Reuters)
• Americans Are Safely Airlifted Out Of South Sudan (NPR)
• Thousands demand Italian government resign in Rome rally (Reuters)
• Egypt's Morsi to be tried on conspiracy charges (CS Monitor)
• Exclusive: Assad's secret oil lifeline: Iraqi crude from Egypt (Reuters)
• Why Canada's high court lifted a ban on brothels (CS Monitor)
• 'Jihad Tourism': From Germany To The Syrian Battlefield (NPR)

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

An electrical fire on New Year’s Eve morning destroyed a medical clinic in El Cajon.

Heartland Fire and Rescue along with Cal Fire responded to the blaze at 1321 East Main Street, at the corner of East Main and Melody Lane, at 8 a.m.  Crews found heavy smoke coming from the clinic.  The building was occupied, but fortunately those inside were able to escape and call 911. No injuries were reported. 

By Miriam Raftery

December 31, 2013 (Alpine) – Residents of Alpine are pulling together to help a young couple whose home on Arnold Way was destroyed by a fire on Christmas Eve.

Shara Halverson and her boyfriend, Sean Barrett were away visiting friends when their home caught fire.  They have no renters insurance and lost almost everything in the flames, though they are grateful for small miracles.

By Nadin Abbott

December 31, 2013 (San Diego)—On December 23rd, Judge Howard Shore delayed his final decision on the placement of Mikel Wayne Marshall, a convicted sexual predator, in Jacumba Hot Springs on a conditional release. Shore said that he wants to personally inspect the property recommended by state officials before making his final decision after hearing compelling testimony from residents, including a survivor of sexual abuse who resides in Jacumba Hot Springs.

January 1, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- Ho ho! So that sweater from Grandma is two sizes too small, or the video game you got isn’t working at all.

If you have gifts to return, be aware that some stores have moved up deadlines to return holiday gifts this year according to a survey by www.ConsumerWorld.com . 

By Miriam Raftery

December 30, 2013 (Ramona)--After 20 years, Hawk Watch, a popular wildlife educational program in Ramona featuring  hawks, owls and eagles, has been cancelled for 2014 .  Visitors can still go birdwatching on their own at the Ramona Grasslands  Preserve, but there will be no organized presentations or up-close looks at captive birds of prey.

 Wildlife Research Institute, which ran the program, announced the cancellation on its website with no explanation.  But the decision likely stems from trouble raising funds for the nonprofit after news broke that its founder, David Bittner, was sentenced in federal court  in August after pleading guilty to unlawful taking  a Golden Eagle without a permit and failing to file any data reports for a four-year period on birds that he had banded.

Update January 3, 2014:  Five days after his heart surgery, which wound up being a quintuple bypass, we interviewed Leon in his hospital room.  Hear for yourself how energetic he's feeling - and how he's already setting the pace for walking a mile a day around the recovery ward. This interview aired on our East County Magazine Show on KNSJ Radio:  http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/1x5gj5h5h7/Leon-HospitalInterviewPost-Surgery.mp3

Editor’s Note:  We send warm wishes for a speedy recovery to Leon Thompson, our “East County Eater.”  If you were at our holiday party, you'll recall Leon gleefully carving up the prime rib.  Tomorrow, Leon is undergoing triple bypass surgery, or as he calls it, “the trifecta.”   Undaunted, he asked us to post this message for our readers—including his witty review of hospital food, along with his New Year’s resolution for healthy dining—and a special request for our readers.

By Leon Thompson, a.k.a. the East County Eater

December 26, 2013 (La Mesa)--This is Leon Thompson, otherwise known as the East County Eater to readers of East County Magazine. Today I’m reporting from Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.  My lifetime of savoring great foods, along with a family history of coronary artery disease, has finally caught up with me.  So I’ll be undergoing triple bypass surgery Friday morning—split down the middle like an oyster, with some fancy rerouting of my plumbing by the cardiac surgeon, and then I’ll be trussed up like a holiday turkey, with a few weeks to marinate before I’m back on the beat.

So by the time you hear this broadcast, hopefully I’ll have a healthy heart just in time for the New Year.

By Miriam Raftery

December 28, 2013 (Alpine) -- Meatball’s fame just keeps growing.  On New Year’s Day, the Rose Parade will feature a float honoring Meatball, the now famous black bear residing at Lions, Tigers and Bears, a rescue facility in Alpine. 

Meatball was removed from the wild after he started raiding trashcans in a suburban Glendale neighborhood, where he had a fondness for frozen meatballs. Now the City of Glendale is drawing attention to the situation of Meatball of other wildlife with its float in the Rose Parade. The float, titled “Let’s Be Neighbors” will feature a mechanized Meatball in a trash can surrounded by other forest creatures.