August 27, 2014 (Jamul) - The Jamul Chaparros 4-H Club kicks off its new year on Tuesday, September 2nd at 6:30 p.m.  If you are 5 years to 19 years old and want to learn more about camping, arts and crafts, pygmy goats, rabbits, or poultry, you’re invited to stop by. Or perhaps you are into cavys, computers, or dog training?  The Chaparros have projects for all interests and age levels.

August 26, 2014 (San Diego) – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced that Hewlett-Packard (HP) is recalling AC power cords for HP and Compaq notebook computers. The AC power cord can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. HP has received 29 reports of power cords overheating and melting or charring, resulting in two claims of minor burns and 13 claims of property damage.

August 26, 2014 (San Diego)--The National Weather Service has issued a beach hazards warning that Hurricane Marie is approaching San Diego’s coastline, where strong waves, coastal flooding and rip tide currents may occur now through Thursday night.

County News Service

August 25, 2014 (San Diego)—The middle-of-the-night 6.0 earthquake in Napa resulted in hundreds of injuries and should serve as a reminder to San Diegans that there is a lot that can be done to get ready for a major earthquake. Being prepared can make all the difference for the safety and survival of you and your family in a major disaster.

The Lynching of Cleo Wright, by Dominic J. Capeci, Jr. (The University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 1998, 274 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

August 25, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Terry Teachout, a New York Times critic, playwright, and inveterate blogger, and I have something in common. He and I were both born in the “bootheel” of Missouri, he in Sikeston and I in Charleston – in the area of one of the most tragic and heinous lynchings in the annals of America; the lynching of Cleo Wright. We both, also have weighed in on Dominic J. Capeci’s book; The Lynching of Cleo Wright, which has been described as “a creatively conceptualized anatomy of a lynching, and “Capeci places the lynching of Cleo Wright within the context of the city of Sikeston, the state of Missouri, and the nation.” This book should also be viewed in context with the ongoing furor and debate of Ferguson, Missouri and the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white policeman.

SAN DIEGO (August 25, 2014) — San Diego State University students are welcomed back this fall with new leadership, changing buildings, accomplished returning and 54 new faculty and a multitude of new majors and classes, which will enhance the student experience.

"Your sufferings today are the prelude of those you, Europeans and Western Christians, will also suffer in the near future…You are in danger." -- Exiled Iraqi Archbishop Amel Shimoun Nona

By Miriam Raftery

August 25, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Qaraqosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq (photo, left), has been overrun by Islamic State terrorists (formerly known as ISIS, the Islamic Sate of Iraq and Syria), CNN reports.

Sean Malone from Crisis Relief International (CRI) sent a heart-wrenching text message stating, “We lost the city of Queragosh (Qaraqosh). It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically.”

Hear audio excerpts from Morones' presentation from our East County Magazine radio show originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM:  http://www.kiwi6.com/uploads/new

By Miriam Raftery

August 24, 2014 (La Mesa)--Parishioners and guests at the United Church of Christ in La Mesa lined up to purchase T-shirts proclaiming “Love has no borders,” after hearing an impassioned presentation on the plight of border children August 17th.

Wearing a “Save the Children” tie, pediatrician Dr. Richard Short introduced guest speaker Enrique Morones, founder of Border Angels (www.borderangels.com) .  The church congregation has committed to support Border Angels’ efforts to aid immigrant children and families fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.  Over 60,000 have flocked to America seeking asylum here, including families and children placed in detention centers here in San Diego County.

“Everybody looks to the president or the mayor. But what can we do?” Morones asked.  He emphasized that the Central American refugees are fleeing to numerous nations, not only the United States.

August 25, 2014 (La Mesa) - East County news partner 10 News has tracked down the man shown in a video being beaten aboard a trolley in La Mesa on September 18^th by MTS security officers.

August 24, 2014 (San Diego)—Last week, San Diego’s City Council voted to over-ride the mayor’s veto of a minimum wage increase.  That means the increase will take effect, giving raises to low-wage workers throughout the city as well as sick days to all workers citywide.

August 24, 2014 (Descanso) – A wildland fire in Descanso on Sunday briefly threatened structures. The blaze started in light, flashy fuels near the Descanso Library at River Drive and Viejas Boulevard.

By Nadin Abbott, Reporting San Diego

Reporting San Diego sat down on August 22 in Santee with Ben Kalasho, a leader in the Chaldean community, to discuss genocide in Iraq. Excerpts below are reprinted with permission.

Aug. 24, 2014 (Santee)--“All those people who you see on the mountain side on Sinjar, sleeping on what seems to be the front of churches, those people were homeowners, they owned vehicles, they had jobs or owned businesses and are now homeless,” said Ben Kalasho, a leader in the Chaldean community and President of the East County Chaldean-American Chamber of Commerce.

According to Kalasho,600,000 people are internally displaced in Iraq. This is an almost incomprehensible number, but we cannot turn away from it.

Our leaders, starting with the President, have mentioned the Yazidis, who are an ancient people that precede Islam and Christianity in Iraq. But the plight of other minorities, including Christian Chaldeans, Siriacs and others has not drawn the same level of national media attention.

August 23, 2014 (Ocotillo)--Photographer Jim Pelley’s home is now surrounded on three sides by the Ocotillo wind facility built on public lands, despite promises when he purchased his home that the views would be protected forever.  He sent in these images to vent his frustration over the despoiled views of nature that drew him to this desert community.

At least 87 injured; wineries and historic district hit hard in Napa

By Miriam Raftery

August 24, 2014 (Napa Valley) – Governor Brown has declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and  Solano counties after a 6.0 earthquake hit just south of Napa in Northern California at 3:20 a.m., causing major damage in California’s famed winemaking region and other communities.

At least 87 people have been hospitalized, including a young girl critically injured in a fireplace collapse, CNN reports. 

By Sharon Ann Hamilton

August 23, 2014 (San Diego)--Dear Retirement Concierge,

My 16-year-old just took his solo voyage as a driver. Since I saw him learning to drive I am nervous at best when he is out there alone without a parent to guide him. At the same time my parents-in-law AND my parents are creeping into their late eighties and I notice a few dents in their cars; they all drive! That brings the tally to five people now on the road with questionable driving skills. I think I’ll be using public transportation for the next few years! What practical ideas do you have for these situations?

Signed: Scared Spitless On the Roads