San Diego inland and college communiites

HEARING MAY 19 ON CITY’S PLAN TO CLOSE LAKE MURRAY ON WEEKDAYS; OTHER LOCAL LAKES FACE CUTS

Residents launch petition to keep lake open

By Karen Pearlman

Photo, left, by Miriam Raftery:  Lake Murray

May 12, 2025 (San Diego) – Lake Murray is one of several local reservoirs that may see their hours of operation get slashed starting next year because of budget issues in the city of San Diego.

To cover the city’s $258 million deficit in its budget, the San Diego City Council is considering reducing the hours of both Lake Murray and Miramar Lake from seven days a week to just two – Saturday and Sunday.

Other outlying bodies of water overseen by the city of San Diego, including the El Capitan Reservoir, Lake Sutherland and Barrett Lake, are also slated for reductions in hours.


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SDG&E SHUTS OFF POWER DUE TO FIRE DANGER; MORE COMMUNITIES FACE POTENTIAL OUTAGES INCLUDING MOST OF EAST COUNTY

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

December 9, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – With a red flag warning in effect from the National Weather Service due to high fire danger today through Friday, SDG&E has begun public safety power shutoffs affecting 8,949 customers in Alpine, Boulevard, Campo, Descanso, Jacumba and Jamul. There are also unplanned outages in Julian and Borrego Springs. However, up to 108,619 more customers may face planned power outages between now and December 13 at noon, according to SDG&E, including most East County communities.

Communities at risk of outages in San Diego County include the Barona reservation, Borrego Springs, the Campo reservation, Capitan Grande reservation, Cardiff, Chula Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Fallbrook, Granite Hills, Jamul Indian Village, Julian, La Jolla Reservation, Lakeside, La Mesa, La Posta reservation, Lakeside, Los Coyotes Reservation, Manzanita reservation, Mesa Grande reservation, Pala,

Pala reservation, Pauma Valley, Pauma reservation, Poway, Ramona, Ranchita, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Santa Fe, Rincon reservation, San Diego, San Marcos, San Pasqual Reservation, Santa Ysabel, Santa Ysabel reservation, Santee, Solana Beach, Sycuan  reservation, Valley Center, Viejas Reservation, and Warner Springs.

Community Resource Centers are open in many communities.  For a list of community resource centers, see https://www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard.


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WILD BAT FOUND INSIDE SAFARI PARK TESTS POSITIVE FOR RABIES

Rabies is often transmitted through a bite, cut or abrasion, and uncommonly once saliva meets your eyes, nose or mouth.
 
Although bats are essential to the ecosystem and pollination process, keeping a safe distance is important. 
 
Image Credit: PhotoSpin
By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office
 
October 2, 2024 (San Diego, CA) -- County public health officials are looking for people who may have come in contact with a bat found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Monday, Sept. 23 at 2:15 p.m. that later tested positive for rabies. 

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42ND ANNUAL ADAMS AVENUE STREET FAIR SAT 9/21 & SUN 9/22

East County News Service
 
This weekend! 
 
August 9, 2024 (San Diego) -- The 42nd annual Adams Avenue Street Fair features 75 musical acts on seven stages and is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Southern California’s largest free two-day music festival is held each year in September in the community of Normal Heights.
 
Adams Avenue Street Fair is 10 blocks-long and includes Adams Avenue Park. The event features carnival rides, beer gardens, festival foods and 300 exhibitors with unique offerings. Adams Avenue businesses are packed with customers over the weekend and are proud sponsors the event. 

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DISCOVER THE NEW HEART OF SAN DIEGO'S DINING: THE INAUGURAL TASTE OF COLLEGE AREA DEBUTS SUNDAY SEPT. 29

Discover an exciting array of around-the-world cuisine and experience the vibrant College Area neighborhood like never before.
 
East County News Service
 
September 11, 2024 (San Diego) – The College Area Business District announces the Inaugural Taste of College Area taking place on Sunday, September 29th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This unique event invites foodies from across the city to embark on a culinary journey that offers a fresh perspective of the College Area neighborhoods. With over 20 local establishments participating, this event promises a rich tapestry of flavors, showcasing the neighborhood’s up-and-coming culinary scene.

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SEPTEMBER BRINGS COOL CONCERTS TO EAST COUNTY

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo:  CC by SA-NC via Bing
 
July 31, 2024 Categorized: September (San Diego’s East County) – Musical entertainment options in East County for September including Celtic Thunder singers from Ireland, English protest singer/songwriter Billy Bragg, acclaimed songwriters/musicians Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov, country music singers Sara Evans and Eric Paslay, and the famed Jacksons. 
 
Below are details on their upcoming local concerts at venues including The Magnolia, SDSU, and Sycuan.

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AZTEC LACROSSE RECEIVES IWLCA ACADEMIC HONORS

 
SDSU lands on Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Squad
 
Visit GoAztecs.com for full article

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MONTEZUMA MESA ALUMNUS WINS THE OPEN

 
July 23, 2024 (San Diego) -- Former San Diego State men’s golfer Xander Schauffele (pictured, courtesy: SDSU) captured his second major of the season, winning 2 The Open Sunday afternoon at Royal Troon Golf Course in Troon, Scotland. Schauffele fired a 6-under 65 in today’s final round on the par-71, 7,385-yard course to finish at 9-under 275, two shots clear of co-runner-ups Justin Rose and Billy Horschel.
 
Schauffele, who also won the PGA Championship in May for his first major championship, now has nine career PGA Tour victories along with a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Schauffele is the first player with multiple majors in the same season since Brooks Koepka in 2018 and the 21st different player to ever win two majors in the same season.

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SDSU TO HOST MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Source: GoAztecs
 
Tickets start at $15 per game, $12 Student/Youth 3-12
 
May 20, 2024 (San Diego) -- San Diego State University will play host to the 2024 Mountain West Baseball Championship, May 23-26, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
 
After 30 games of conference play, Air Force, New Mexico, San José State and Fresno State have all clinched spots in the four-team double-elimination tournament, which will be held on The Mesa for the sixth time in the league's 25-year history (2001, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2022). The MW did not conduct a postseason baseball championship in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
On Thursday, second-seeded New Mexico (28-24, 17-13 MW) will battle No. 3 seed San José State (22-31, 16-14 MW) in the tournament opener at 1:30 p.m. PT, while regular-season conference champion and No. 1 seed Air Force (26-26, 18-12 MW) will square off against fourth-seeded Fresno State (29-26, 16-14) at 6 p.m.
 
 The complete MW Championship schedule is listed below.

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GLORIA APPOINTS 25-YEAR SAN DIEGO POLICE VETERAN SCOTT WAHL AS NEXT CHIEF

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association
 
March 26, 2024 (San Diego) -- Mayor Todd Gloria announced Thursday that he has appointed Assistant Chief Scott Wahl, a 25-year law enforcement veteran, as San Diego’s next chief of police.

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DOG PARK OPENS IN ALLIED GARDENS

East County News Service

 

Photo: New Allied Gardens Off-Leash Dog Park; screen shot, @AGGCcouncil via Facebook 

February 19, 2024 (Allied Gardens) – A new dog park opened last weekend in San Diego’s Allied Gardens neighborhood for pet owners to bring their dogs to frolic off-leash. The new park, next to the Allied Gardens Pool at 6707 Glenroy Street in San Diego, is larger than most other local dog parks.


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MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY GUIDED NATURE WALK AT MISSION TRAILS

East County News Service

January 11, 2024 (San Diego) -- Join a Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Trail Guide on a special Martin Luther King Day nature walk Monday, January 15, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and learn about the plants, animals, geology, history, and ecology of the park on one of these scenic trails:

* The Oak Grove Loop showcasing majestic coast live oaks and rare Engelmann’s oaks. 

* The Visitor Center Loop highlighting coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and riparian woodland habitats. 

* The Riverside Grinding Rocks featuring one of the archaeological sites in the park.


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SUSPECT IN ALVARADO AREA PHARMACY STABBING IS FATALLY SHOT BY SAN DIEGO POLICE OFFICER IN CREST

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Viktoria Voragen

 

Update January 20, 2023: The victim has been identified as Mary Ellen Carter, 66, of Lakeside. The shooting suspect was Frank Bower, pharmacist.   The officers involved in the shooting were  Officers Salvador Laurel-Torres and Robert Raynor.  Officers Laurel-Torres and Raynor have been employed with the San Diego Police Department for seven years. Both officers are currently assigned to Eastern Division. As in all officer-involved shootings, the officers in this case are currently on administrative assignment until cleared to return to full duty.

January 18, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – A man suspected of fatally stabbing a woman at a pharmacy in the College area was shot and killed by San Diego Police at a home in Crest yesterday.


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LA MESA TO HOST MEETING ON COMMUNITY CHOICE ENERGY APRIL 27

Photo: La Mesa Townhalls in 2018

By Jonathan Goetz

April 16, 2022 (La Mesa) - Building on a unanimous September 10, 2019 decision by this City's Council in California to join a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) with Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach and San Diego, cityoflamesa.us will livecast a forum on April 27 at 6 p.m. 

Representatives from La Mesa, San Diego Gas & Electric and San Diego Community Power will discuss their design to expand cheaper cleaner electricity.

There are two options to participate:

1. Zoom (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87079769622)

2. La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center (8450 La Mesa Blvd.)


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READER'S EDITORIAL: DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE ARE LOSING THE RIGHT TO VOTE

By Kathleen Harmon

 

February 1, 2022 (San Diego) – Born during the Great Depression, I was in my 30s when President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, guaranteeing that after taking office, he would pass a major tax cut bill, the Clean Air Act, and the Civil Rights Act. In addition to banning job discrimination, these laws also forbade segregation of public accommodation (for example, not allowing blacks to use the bathroom). 


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BOIL-WATER NOTICE ISSUED FOR ENCANTO AREA; GET FREE WATER AT THESE LOCATIONS OR DROP-OFF WATER BOTTLES FOR AFFECTED RESIDENTS

East County News Service

UPDATE: As of Saturday, June 12 at 11:05 a.m., the precautionary boil water notice has been lifted, reports Ready San Diego.

June 11, 2021 (San Diego) -- The City of San Diego is advising the public to not drink tap water without boiling it first in the Encanto area. This includes the area north of Brooklyn Avenue, south of State Route 94, west of 69th Street and east of Kelton Road, as well as Leppert Court, the 1100-1469 blocks of Watwood Road and the 1000-1400 blocks of Larwood Road

The Boil Water Notice was issued after a construction crew damaged a water main near Imperial Avenue and 65th Street Thursday.The city expects to have the problem resolved by Sunday. Until then, those affected should comply with the notice to avoid potential illness.


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MOUSE NEAR SANTEE TESTS POSITIVE FOR HANTAVIRUS

A western harvest mouse collected in routine monitoring in open space along the border of Santee and San Diego has tested positive for hantavirus, County environmental health officials said this week.

County officials are reminding people that if they find rodents in their homes, garages, sheds or cabins they should never sweep up or vacuum up after them, but use “wet-cleaning” methods instead, to keep from breathing in the virus and getting sick.

Click "Read More" for more information and to review "Wet-cleaning" methods to safely clean up and dispose of mouse nests and/or droppings.


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CITY OF SAN DIEGO EARLY RETURNS: GLORIA AHEAD IN MAYORAL RACE

Update November 9, 2020:  Barbara Bry has conceded the race to Todd Gloria.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photos: Barbara Bry (left, twitter profile picture), Todd Gloria (right, wikipedia profile picture)

Nov. 3, 2020 (San Diego) – Two democrats vied for the position of San Diego Mayor: Todd Gloria and Barbara Bry. Gloria, as of election night, has a sizable lead, with 56.29% of the vote over Bry at 43.71%.

Both gave election night speeches. Bry spoke earlier in the evening and thanked supporters of this “independent woman.”

Gloria, a third generation San Diego resident, talked about “breaking barriers.” If he prevails, which appears likely as of election night, he will be the first openly LGBTQI, first Filipino, elected Mayor of San Diego, and first Latino/Native American in recent memory.

Mara Elliott has a substantial lead over candidate Cory Briggs. She had 67.59% of the vote over Briggs, 32.41%, in the race for San Diego City Attorney.

The five odd numbered City Council seats 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, in the City of San Diego, were up for election.


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ROLLING BLACKOUTS ACROSS COUNTY: BE PREPARED

 

East County News Service

August 14, 2020 (San Diego) -- The California Independent System Operator (ISO), which oversees the statewide electric grid, has directed SDG&E to initiate rotating, one-hour service interruptions (rotating outages) throughout its service territory in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The blackouts are underway and are currently affecting thousands of residences.  View a list of current outages and estimated restoration times at  https://www.sdge.com/residential/customer-service/outage-center/outage-map.

While the rotating outages will be widespread in the region, communities located in high fire threat districts, which experience public safety power shutoffs, will be exempt from the service interruptions, SDG&E announced today.



The local outages are the result of excessive heat driving up electricity use and putting strain on the grid. CASIO has declared a “Stage 3” power emergency because contingency reserves have fallen or are anticipated to fall below requirements and cannot be restored without service interruptions.


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WOMAN WITH MEMORY ISSUES MISSING: POSSIBLY IN ENCANTO, CITY HEIGHTS OR DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO

East County News Service
 
Photo Courtesy: San Diego Police Department
 
April 23, 2020 (San Diego East) --  Ernestine Edwards was reported missing to the San Diego Police Department. It is believed Edwards went missing between March 27th and April 1st 2020. Edwards resides in the Encanto area of Southeastern San Diego. She has family and friends in City Heights and Downtown San Diego.
 
Edwards has been having memory loss and is believed to be suffering from the beginning stage of dementia. Edwards has been getting forgetful and can’t remember where she lives. Edwards may not remember she has her own apartment and could be seeking assistance at local shelters or even living homelessly. Edwards uses the bus and trolley systems, but usually gets around on foot.
 
Edwards is described as a black female, 63 years old, 5’3”, 100lbs, Grey Hair, Brown Eyes.
 
If you have seen or had any contact with Edwards please contact the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000.

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FEDS RAID JEWELER LEO HAMEL’S HOME AND STORES IN GUN TRAFFICKING CASE

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

February 13, 2019 (Jamul) – A mansion in Rancho Jamul Estates owned by prominent jeweler Leo Hamel was raided today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Some of his jewelry stores were also searched in connection with a firearms trafficking case, 10 News reports.

In 2016, Hamel ran for the California State Assembly as a Republican, seeking to represent most of East County. Despite announcing that he had dropped out before the primary election, his name remained on the ballot and he advanced to the November run-off, but was defeated by Randy Voepel.


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HOUSE FIRE BY SDSU RULED AN ARSON

 
By Liz Alper
 
December 10, 2015 (San Diego) - The San Diego Fire Department has ruled that a fire that started in a house rented by tenants by San Diego State was an arson, NBC7 reports.

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