Update March 8, 2012: The deceased have been identified as Jim Simmons, 41, and Donna Simmons, 16.

March 6, 2012 (Campo) – Yesterday morning, Sheriff’s deputies discovered the bodies of a man and his 16-year-old daughter at a home in the 2600 block of Cameron Truck Trail in Campo. 

“The reporting party told deputies that he read a text message on his phone,”  Sgt. David Martinez said. The message, from the father found dead, “essentially read that the man’s daughter committed suicide and the man was going to be with his daughter.”

March 6, 2012 (Sacramento) -- In January, California Fish and Game Commission president Dan Richards shot a mountain lion on a guided hunt in Idaho, after dogs drove the big cat up a tree. A guide took a picture of Richards smiling as he held up the slain animal. Richards sent it to a hunting newspaper, which posted the photo.

March 8, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Remember to wind your clocks ahead one hour this weekend. Daily Savings Time starts Sunday, March 11, so set your clocks forward before going to sleep Saturday night.

March 8, 2012 (Santee)—The City of Santee invites you to join in its free SanTree Fest on Saturday, March 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Town Center Community Park, 10123 Riverwalk Drive. 

Warning lamp and switch failures may cause airbag failure or inability to start vehicle

March 8, 2012 (Torrance, CA)– Toyota Motor Sales, USA announced yesterday that it will conduct two voluntary safety-related recalls. 

One involves air bag warning lamps that may fail, preventing deployment of airbags in a crash. The second is a stop lamp switch that may result in vehicles behind unable to start or shift out of park.

March 6, 2012 (El Cajon)—Smoke from an attic fire filled Kelley’s Pub on East Bradley Avenue this evening, but no one was injured thanks to the swift response from San Miguel Fire. Firefighters evacuated about 20 patrons safely, then attacked the fire by removing ceiling tiles, eliminating the need to cut large holes in the roof to vent the fire.

March 6, 2012 (El Cajon )- 7:00 p.m. – El Cajon Firefighters are at the scene of a one-alarm fire at Emerald Middle School, 12221 S. Emerald Avenue in El Cajon. Incident Page Network (IPN) reports heavy smoke on arrival with firefighters laying lines for a fast attack.

Source: Water Conservation Garden

File photo of barn owls, by Miriam Raftery

March 6, 2012 (Rancho San Diego) -- Last year, the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon installed a barn owl nesting box to provide a natural way of protecting the gardens from damage, mainly from rabbits because the natural predators were unable to enter the gardens, but the rabbits were. Now, the owls have returned for a second year to raise a family.  

March 6, 2012 (Sacramento)--Scientists from the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and PRBO Conservation Science have completed a study on the effects of climate change on vulnerable birds. This first-of-its-kind study prioritizes which species are most at risk and will help guide conservation measures in California. The study was published last week in the journal PLoS ONE.