East County News Service

August 9, 2016 (Campo-Lake Morena) — A GoFundMe site has been established by Bill Holtwick to help raise money for huge medical costs needed to save the life of his wife, Pat.  Claudia Millerbragg, who runs a Campo-Lake Morena community forum, has confirmed that Pat Holtwick is a cherished community member who has devoted many hours to rescuing abandoned or abused animals.

“I am 71 years old and Pat is 66 and we just can’t keep up with physical and or the financial responsibilities. We are both on Social Security, and are on a very low/limited income,” Holtwick writes.

August 9, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• San Diego’s housing crisis squeezing the middle class (KPBS)
• Focus: San Diego connections to the Rio games(San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Police, sheriff finalize body camera policy (Voice of San Diego)
• Face off over development in rural San Diego County (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Neighbors save veteran from Santee mobile home fire (NBC)
• Back to school: It is time for the distracted driver talk (Reporting San Diego)

STATE

• Pilot Fire scorches 7,500 aces in San Bernadino Mountains; feds say it could become ‘major disaster’  (Orange County Register)
•  One way to save California’s coast: Save a bill that bans private meetings with developers (Los
• Two babies born in California with Zika-related severe birth defects (Sacramento Bee)

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

By Miriam Raftery

August 9, 2016 (El Cajon) — The Federal Aviation Administration has approved a request from Gillespie Field Airport Manager Marc Baskel to permanently raise the minimum altitude for air traffic over Gillespie Field from 1,188 feet to 1,388 feet.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated August 9, 2016 to include clarification provided by County spokesman Michael Workman.

August 8, 2016 (San Diego) — Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfeil has issued a preliminary decision finding that San Diego Registrar of Voters Michael Vu erred in failing to include provisional and late vote-by-mail ballots in a hand-count of votes from one percent of precincts—an audit intended to assure accuracy.

A national search will soon begin to fill the role of athletic director for SDSU

Source: SDSU Media Relations

Photo: Jenny Bramer, courtesy goaztecs.com

August 8, 2016 (San Diego) - San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman today announced that university Athletic Director Jim Sterk has resigned.  Jenny Bramer, who has been a valuable member of Aztec Athletics leadership for 13 years, will assume the role of Interim Director of Athletics.

Company adds new wildfire risk reduction model, more weather stations

Source: SDG&E

Photo: Cal Fire

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ-IBIVYhdo&feature=youtu.be

Aug. 8, 2016 (San Diego) -  San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today unveiled the latest additions to its fire-preparedness toolkit for this year, which includes the return of the Erickson Skycrane “Sun Bird” for the seventh straight year. The helitanker, which holds a maximum of 2,650 gallons of water or fire suppressant and can get airborne in just 15 minutes, already helped knock down two fast-moving brushfires just days after its arrival in San Diego on July 1.

Clinton slams plan as “lower wages, fewer jobs, more debt, tax breaks for the 0.1.%.”

By Miriam Raftery

August 8,2016 (Detroit) –  Donald Trump laid out his economic agenda, promising to “jump start” the American economy in a speech in Detroit today.  The plan calls for tax cuts, dismantling trade pacts, slashing regulations on businesses, eliminating Obamacare and boosting production and burning of coal, a greenhouse gas blamed by scientists for climate change.

Then No One Can Have Her, by Caitlin Rother (Kensington Publishing Corp., New York, NY, 2015, 435 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

August 8, 2016 (San Diego) - New York Times Bestselling author Caitlin Rother has done it again! Following on the heels of Lost Girls and I’ll Take Care Of You, two true crime novels that this writer had the distinct pleasure and honor of writing reviews of for the East County Magazine in San Diego, is this riveting and brutal novel that examines the personification of evil and depravity; Then No One Can Have Her.

UPDATE AS OF 6:47 PM:  BRYAN HAS BEEN FOUND

East County News Service

August 7, 2016 (Lakeside) - The Sheriff's Departments wants the public's help in locating a missing person at risk in the East County.

East County News Service

August 6, 2016 (Washington D.C.) - Al Shabrawy Meat Inc. is recalling meat and poultry products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. Some of the products contain pistachio nut and soy, known allergens, which are not declared on the product label. The products include salami, bologna, mortadella, sausage, soujouk and makanek meats.

East County News Service

Photo: San Diego Fire Department, via San Diego Police Department Twitter feed

August 6, 2016 (El Cajon – Governor Jerry Brown, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and thousands of San Diegans turned out Friday morning at Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon to honor the memory of murdered San Diego Police Officer Jonathan DeGuzman. 

Officer DeGuzman died in the line of duty, gunned down July 28 in an attack that also critically wounded his partner, Wade Irwin.

San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman called Officer DeGuzman a “great man” who was liked by everybody on the force.  “As he would approach you, he would flash his big smile, and positive energy was just all around him.” The Chief added that DeGuzman was an outstanding police officer because he “truly cared about everyone.”

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter

August 5, 2016 (San Diego) - After a good series against the Brewers, the Padres saw the Philadelphia Phillies for the first time since April.  Christian Friedrich got the start for San Diego against a man who was the subject of heavy trade rumors, Jeremy Hellickson.

August 5, 2016 (Santee) -- San Diego Sheriff is advising residents who live near the 9900 block of Woodglen Vista Drive in Santee to stay indoors due to a SWAT stand-off.

The incident began after deptuies were called to a residence for a domestic dispute mid-afternoon.  A suspect believed to be armed refused to come out and a stand-off has occurred.  Scanner traffic indicates the suspect reportedly shot arrows at officers, according to posts at Brush Party Fireline on Facebook.

By Tasha Matthews

ECM Editor Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

August 4, 2016 (La Mesa)--Councilmember Guy McWhirter opened the La Mesa City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 26^th by expressing concern for our country in the wake of recent shootings of police officers. He thanked police for their brave work helping to protect citizens—two days before two San Diego Police officers were shot, one fatally.

But the Council rejected a Grand Jury recommendation to create a police oversight board aimed at assuring that citizens’ rights are protected if officer misconduct is alleged. The Grand Jury made its recommendations to La Mesa and other local cities in a report on Citizens Oversight Boards of Police Behavior.

East County News Service

August 4, 2016 (Santee) - The Pacific Island Beer Company invites you to a Polynesian parking lot luau on Sunday, August 21 from noon to 7:00 p.m.