By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

November 24, 2016 (San Diego) - Save green and enjoy the upside of outside with County Parks’ Green Friday events this weekend. The County Parks and Recreation Department has come up with a variety of fun activities starting Friday, Nov. 25 and stretching into Saturday, Nov. 26. Parking, or day-use fees, will be waived on Green Friday so visitors can picnic and play at dozens of parks, and explore 350 miles of trails for free!

East County News Service

November 23, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Pickwick Players will present a murder mystery musical, “Something’s Afoot,” performing off-Broadway live December 2-7 at 9490 Cuyamaca Street in Santee.

By Rachel Williams

Photo (left to right): Ramla Sahid, founder and executive director of the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans; Shadi Martini, senior Syria advisor to the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees; Dr. Georgette Bennett, President of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding; David Murphy, former county director for the IRC in Ethiopia; Sana Shtasel, senior advisor to the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees.

Of the 16,000 Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. in recent years, not a single one has been tied to terrorism. San Diego has more Syrian refugees than any other U.S. city.

November 22, 2016 (San Diego) – Shadi Martini was manager of a hospital in Aleppo, Syria, when the Assad regime began to prosecute suspects working in opposition. Martini and his coworkers provided undercover aid to the wounded and people suffering.  But in 2012, the secret network was discovered, forcing him to flee the country.

Thereafter he served as an organizing assistant for Syrian refugees in a neighboring nation. Later, he joined the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

 “What I have witnessed is suffering is not limited to my country,” Martini said during a post-election discussion on refugees held last Thursday in San Diego by the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees and The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans.

Part II in our series on the Ocotillo wind turbine collapse

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Jim Pelley

November 22, 2016 (Ocotillo) – Ocotillo Wind Energy has issued a statement on its website after collapse of a massive wind turbine Monday at its Ocotillo, California energy project site.  The statement indicates the turbine fell within the designed setback zone and no one was injured. Officials say they are working closely with Siemens, the manufacturer of the collapsed turbine, to identify the cause of the failure, with a “full investigation” underway.   The company said safety is its “first priority” and that more information will be released as it becomes available, KYMA TV reports.

Both this project and Siemens have a history of serious problems, however, leading to questions of whether federal or state oversight is needed to protect public safety.

Source: Chargers press release

Photo courtesy chargers.com

November 22, 2016 (San Diego) - The San Diego Chargers claimed former San Diego State standout running back Ronnie Hillman off waivers after he was released by the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced Tuesday.

East County News Service

November 21, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- On Monday, December 5^th the San Diego County Library will host Vermont author Grace Gershuny in a discussion and book signing of her latest book. Ms. Gershuny will speak at the Alpine Branch, 1752 Alpine Blvd., Alpine, CA from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. and at the Lemon Grove Branch, 3001 School Lane, Lemon Grove, CA from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Jim Pelley

November 21, 2016 (Ocotillo) – A 500-foot-tall wind turbine at the Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility collapsed this morning, spewing debris and three blades each weighing many tons across the desert floor.

ECM photographer Jim Pelley, an Ocotillo resident, says 30 minutes after the collapse, the other 111 turbines were still spinning and no one from Pattern Energy had arrived.  Around an hour or more after the collapse, Pattern arrived and deenergized the entire project.

East County News Service

November 21, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- Sunday night’s storm brought heavy rains to much of drought-stricken San Diego County.

Descanso and Cuyamaca received more than an inch of rain and over an inch and a half fell on Palomar Mountain. Ramona and Julian received just under an inch, while Santee, Campo and Boulevard all got about a half inch of rain, though less than a quarter of an inch was received at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field.

For more sports coverage, visit ECM's Sports section

Source: NASCAR.com

Cover photo:  Creative Commons under Nascarking (Wikipedia).  Newsflasher photo:  Creative Commons under Flickr upload bot

November 20, 2016 (Miami) - Jimmie Johnson today won his seventh Sprint Cup championship and his first in three years at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Miami.  The 41-year-old and El Cajon native is now tied with Dale Earnardt and Richard Petty as a seven-time premiere series champion.

Source: Newcomers’ Collaborative

November 20, 2016 (El Cajon) -- On Saturday, November 5^th, 2016, 91 Spanish Speakers and at least 24 children attended a resource event coordinated by the Newcomers’ Collaborative, a workgroup of the El Cajon Collaborative. The event provided an opportunity for newcomers to browse local resources and attend workshops on navigating the education system, immigration and civic engagement, Child Welfare Services, domestic violence, equal housing rights and employment. Attendees were also able to apply for public benefits such as Cal-Fresh and Medi-Cal on-site, or ask questions regarding their eligibility or specific case.         

East County News Service

November 20, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service is forecasting a winter-like storm system will arrive Sunday and continue through the day on Monday. The brunt of this storm system will come after dark Sunday evening, and continue through Monday morning.  A wind advisory is also in effect for mountain and desert areas in San Diego County, where gusts up to 55 miles per hour may occur.

East County News Service

November 19, 2016 (San Diego) -- San Diego State University campus police have issued a warning about two strong-arm robberies. The robberies occurred yesterday at 10:30 and 11 p.m., both involving theft or attempted theft of students’ cell phones.

Below are details:

East County News Service

November 19, 2016 (San Diego) — President-Elect Donald Trump has agreed to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits representing thousands of students alleging fraud and racketeering involving the now defunct Trump University, which was never an accredited school.

East County News Service

November 18, 2016 (Lakeside) - The El Cajon Valley Gem & Mineral Society invites you to their "Gem & Mineral Round-Up" Saturday, December 3rd (9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) and Sunday, December 4th (9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.) at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds.