By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2014 (San Diego)—San Diego Unified School District should require all schools to use its website content system, a San Diego Grand Jury report titled “Can we please get on the same page?”  issued today advised.

The report concluded that many San Diego city schools have set up independent websites outside of the school district's management structure, leaving the San Diego Unified School District little or no say on the websites' content or how they are used. In fact, private foundations control many of the sites, acting as school website administrators who do all of the on-line updating of the content. Foundations operate autonomously outside of the District's established policies and procedures, even accepting commercial paid advertising on the school sites. In some cases advertisers have solicited the students’ for personal information, the Grand Jury report revealed.

“I don’t want Disney Land in my backyard!”—Santee Lakes Resident

Jessica Richmond

April 24, 2014 (Santee)-- Amid growing residents’ concerns, Santee Lakes park administrators dropped the proposed plan for a recreational zip line, removing it from a proposed master plan. After meeting with community members, staff decided it would be in the best interests of the residents and the park to keep incursions into the peaceful out-door serenity to a minimum. Many Santee resident were outspoken in their protests against the addition of a zip line for fears that it would endanger wildlife and increase noise, traffic, and parking problems, leading to over-commercialization of the natural beauty at the lakes.

April 24, 2014 (Lakeside) Tomas Gracilazo, trick roping expert, will perform his dazzling showmanship routine at each performance of the Lakeside Rodeo, which celebrates its 50^th anniversary with performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday  April 25-27 this weekend.

You can also see a full range of other rodeo events including bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, steer wrestling, tie down roping, bareback bronc riding, and saddle bronc riding. There’s also a special stick horse riding competition for children.

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Last week, we reported that applicants for the controversial gas-fired Quail Brush Power plant proposal asked the California Energy Commission to extend a suspension for another year and keep alive the potential to revive the project proposed next to Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diegio and schools in Santee.

April 23, 2014 (San Diego) – Campus police at San Diego State University have sent an alert warning students about a hot prowl burglary that occurred around 3:50 a.m. this morning.  A female victim awakened to find an unknown man burglarizing her apartment.

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A lawsuit filed against San Diego Supervisors asks the court to set aside the County’s new wind energy ordinance and an amendment to Boulevard’s community plan.  The case will be heard on Friday, April 25 at 1:30 p.m. in Superior Court, Department C-72, with Judge Timothy Taylor presiding. The courthouse is located at 220 West Broadway, San Diego.

The suit was filed by two community groups-- the Protect Our Communities Foundation, Backcountry Against Dumps-- and  by Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Group. Plaintiffs seek to half industrial wind development in their backcountry community. They contend that such projects pose serious impacts to wildlife, water resources, human health and safety that the Board ignored.

By Leon Thompson

April 23, 2014 (Lakeside) --At El Monte Park in Lakeside on March 29, the Kurdish people celebrated Kurdistan’s independence and the Kurdish New Year.  

According to Chinar Hussein who helped start the Kurdish Community Center in El Cajon it is fitting that the two events be celebrated together since it is like a “new beginning” for the Kurdish people.  She said one reason the occasion was so joyous is because this particular celebration is forbidden in their homeland, Kurdistan, a mountainous region that encompasses portions of  northern Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria.

April 23, 2014 (La Mesa) - A structure fire is burning at a multi-family apartment complex at 3430 Helix Street in Spring Valley. The Incident Commander has requested that the street be closed in both directions. 

Units are on scene, or responding shortly before 4 p.m. from Heartland and Monte Vista. So far there are no reports of injuries.

April 23, 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.

• Racist online forums linked to deadly hate crimes: rights group report (Reuters)
• Toyota recalls about 6.4 million vehicles globally  (KXII)
• Medicating our troops into oblivion: prescription drugs said to be endangering U.S. soldiers (IB Times)
• Arizona tribe set to prosecute first non-Indian under new law (Washington Post)
• Should you control your own car's data? (UT San Diego)
• US Soldiers Deploying To Poland In Wake Of Violence In Ukraine (Video) (KPBS)
• Grieving borrowers told to repay student loan (UT San Diego)

WORLD

• Europe keeps wary eye on jihadists traveling to fight in Syria  (CS Monitor)
• NATO to send ships to Baltic to bolster defense of E.European allies (Jerusalem Post)
• US releases $450 million of frozen Iranian funds after IAEA report  (Jerusalem Post)
• US decries anti-Semitic leaflets in Ukraine  (AP)
• China Admits That One-Fifth Of Its Farmland Is Contaminated (NPR)
• In Nigeria, the mass abduction of farmgirls isn’t shocking (CNN)
• Thugs with machetes attack Nigerian party congress  (UT San Diego)
• Gunmen kidnap Tunisian diplomat in Libya (Reuters)

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

Update: Police have concluded that this incident was a hoax; the girl has admitted she was not abducted by a stranger.

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2014 (San Diego) – San Diego Police are seeking a man in  a black mask, driving an older black SUV or van who reportedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl. The girl was walking near the 4700 block of F Street about 7 p.m.Monday evening when she was abducted at gunpoint.

According to police, the suspect is described as a black man, 40-50 years old, with tattoos on his hands and arm. He wore a black mask, shirt and pants and was driving an older black SUV or van.  He was armed with a handgun.

Registration deadline April 24

April 23, 2014 (Santee) – You’re invited to the 13^th annual Wil Wilson Memorial Spring Valley Lions Club Kids Fishing Derby this Saturday, April 26.  T he derby will take place on Lake 4. Check in at 6:30 am ends at 11:00 am. Awards will be given for the biggest fish, smallest fish, and most fish.  A barbecue lunch follows the Awards Ceremony.

April 22, 2014 (San Diego)--It's a startling phone call you could receive: "There's a warrant out for your arrest." A scam going on right now in many counties hopes that fear will cause you to act without thinking.

By Miriam Raftery

April 22, 2014 (Alpine)—Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Lakeside resident Kimberly Renee Hayes. According to Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff’s homicide unit, Hayes was murdered in an apartment in El Cajon on March 8; the next morning her body was dumped and set on fire on a dirty road off Sequan Truck Trail in Alpine.