By Miriam Raftery
 

February 13, 2011 (La Mesa) – One hundred years ago, the Flying A silent movie studio opened its doors in downtown La Mesa. The studio produced over 150 silent films in 1911 and 1912, including some shot in La Mesa, other East County locations, and San Diego.

February 11, 2011 (La Mesa)--The La Mesa Police Department, in a continuing effort to partner with communities, wiill host a neighborhood forum on Wednesday, February 23, 2011, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Lemon Avenue Elementary School, 8787 Lemon Avenue, La Mesa. This forum is part of a series of community forums to encourage public discussion and questions about issues specific to the individual neighborhoods within the City of La Mesa.

ECM pauses to ask for your reflections

By Kristin Hobbs Kjaero

February 3, 2011 (La Mesa) -- On February 16, 2012, La Mesa will turn 100, and city leaders hope to celebrate throughout the year, from special commemorative events to putting a centennial spin on annual events such as Oktoberfest. The city has extended an invitation for civic organizations to collaborate with events of their own. All, it hopes, will be underwritten -as the Flag Day Parade is- by sponsorships and volunteer efforts.

January 27, 2011 (La Mesa) – A woman walking to her car in the Wal-Mart parking lot at Grossmont Center had her purse stolen last night around 6:30 p.m.The victim was approached from behind by the suspect, who grabbed the purse by the strap and attempted to flee. The victim tried unsuccessfully to hold onto her puse, twisting her lower back during the struggle.

January 21, 2011 (La Mesa) – How can tragedies such as the massacre in Arizona, the workplace shooting at Barona, or the mass school shootings at Santana and Granite Hills be prevented?

James N. Madero, Ph.D., specializes in workplace and school violence prevention. He is the Director of Violence Prevention International, a national organizational consulting firm based in San Diego. Madero will speak on Wednesday, February 2nd at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, La Mesa. The event, sponsored by the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club, is free and open to the general public. Socializing starts at 6:30, with the program at 7 p.m.

January 14, 2011 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Arts Alliance will present its third annual theatrical production, “Radio Daze…Again” on Thursday, February 10 in the La Mesa Community Center Arbor Room.

“Last year’s Radio Daze was so enthusiastically received that we decided dot do another evening of the wonderful old scripts from the days when the radio was the major source of information and entertainment in the home,” said LMAA' spokeperson Patricia O’Reilly. “It is a trip down Memory Lane for some of us and an introduction for others to a whole new world.”

January 9, 2011 (La Mesa)--For the fourth consecutive year, youths at United Church of Christ of La Mesa (UCCLM) are active participants in the “Souper Bowl of Caring,” a month-long, nation-wide program in which donations of food, goods, and money are solicited to benefit local service agencies.

December 23, 2010 (La Mesa) – Shortly after midnight at 12:07 a.m., La Mesa Police received a report of a missing 19-year-old woman, Sara Rafou of El Cajon. Her car was found abandoned in the parking lot at Grossmont Center, near the Bank of America where she works. According to La Mesa Patch.com, she left work at 6:30 p.m.last night and has not been seen since.

December 18, 2010 (La Mesa) – A driver lost control of his vehicle on a rain-slicked roadway in the 5800 block of Lake Murray Blvd. at 1:15 this morning. The vehicle, which was traveling southbound, struck a large tree on the center median, then spun out of control and hit another tree. The force of the impact dislodged the engine and transmission. The engine was fond in the driveway of a home about 25 yards away.

December 16, 2010 (La Mesa)-- The Senior Resource Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. Below are classes offered for January on a wide range of topics of interest to seniors.

December 15, 2010 (La Mesa) –Most robbers demand cash. But at noon yesterday, a man armed with a handgun entered Dr. Newman’s Optometry Office in the 5600 block of Lake Murray Boulevard and demanded that the doctor fill a bag with eye glass frames.

December 11, 2010 (La Mesa) – This morning at 3 a.m., a man wearing a black bandana tried to rob the Shell Station at 5302 Lake Murray Blvd. The clerk noticed that the “weapon” held by the suspect was a glove folded in the shape of a gun. So when the would-be thief demanded money, the clerk armed himself with a screw driver and told the suspect to leave.