July 19, 2012 (San Diego) – San Diego Police asks public help to locate Brent MacNab, who was last seen on July 15, 2012, in the area of 12000 Tivoli Park Row, San Diego (Carmel Mountain). 

He is listed as a faculty member at the University of Sydney, Australia School of Business. He obtained a PhD from the University of Hawaii in 2004 and has a decade of experience working with Volkswagen of America, Inc., BankAmerica Corp., and AT&T as well as in corporate consultation.

MacNab is 43 years old, 6’0”, 165 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.  He was driving a silver/black 2012 Jeep Wrangler with California license 6VHC214.  It is a rental vehicle.

Update 8:45 p.m. -- This border fire is burning in the Tecate creek in Mexico. Cal Fire crews on the U.S. side estimate it at 500 acres.

By Miriam Raftery

July 19, 2012 (San Diego) – Tomorrow at 9 a.m.,  San Diego County's Planning Commission will decide whether to approve a wind ordinance that would enable construction of numerous wind energy projects in our region's mountains, rural and desert communities.

Why, then, did San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency just issue a public health position statement that amounts to a whitewash of serious health problems linked to wind turbines around the world?

By Miriam Raftery

July 19, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – After forensic dog teams identified dozens of potential ancient human remain sites at energy projects on Bureau of Land Management property in Ocotillo and McCain Valley, as ECM reported this week, ECM asked the BLM what steps it intends to take to assure that any Native American remains are protected.

Two officials from the BLM have responded to our inquiry.

• Special report: water supplies pass tipping point (UT San Diego)
• Ramona’s original horses come home (Ramona Patch)
• San Diego County’s wildlife killers (Voice of San Diego)
• Heartland Fire Chief steps down (La Mesa Today)
• Unclaimed funds being held by county (10 News)
• 15-year-old Santee driver in fatal SR 52 crash sentenced to one year
• A costly, cranky day for La Mesa (La Mesa Today)
• La Mesa’s $1.9 million payment to state could be cut in half, says city manager (La Mesa Patch)

• California Health Exchange seeks to make buying insurance a breeze (Sacramento Bee)
• Lawmakers seek state parks investigation (Sacramento Bee) 

July 19, 2012 (Lemon Grove) – A SIG ALERT has been issued for eastbound Highway 94, where an overturned trash truck is blocking access to northbound SR-125.

“It was an EDCO trash truck laying on its side with its wheels pointed south,” El Cajon Councilman Gary Kendrick told ECM, who drove past the incident moments ago.

• Drug trial offers hope for Alzheimer’s treatment (USA Today)
• Worst drought in decades grips nation (Los Angeles Times)
• Why Democrats are willing to walk off the “fiscal cliff” (Washington Post)
• Can Obama save manufacturing? (Washington Post)
• Controversial GOP spending bill released (The Hill)
• Romney attacks on Bain questioned: Obama campaign accuses Romney of lying about Bain tenure (Boston Globe)
• Could Obama’s negative attacks on Mitt Romney backfire? (USA Today)
• NAACP crowd boos Romney for voting to repeal health reform (NBC)
• Condi Rice a possible VP pick for Romney: pros and cons (CNN)
• Supreme Court rejects ‘Stolen Valor’ law, says lying about military honors isn’t a crime (McClatchy News)

• Google searching for human traffickers, drug cartels  (Fox)
• Olympics security shambles is a “humiliating shambles”, boss concedes (CNN)
• Dutch, U.S. authorities investigating needles in airline sandwiches (CNN)
• Central Damascus hit by clashes (Reuters) 

July 18, 2012 (Lakeside) – Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy held a Volunteer Appreciation Party on July 14 to thank all the volunteers who have given many hours of support over the years.  The 2011 Volunteer Appreciation Awards were distributed at the party.  The winners are:

July 18, 2012 (El Cajon) – The Fletcher Hills Library is holding its annual Ice Cream Social on July 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 576 Garfield Avenue, El Cajon.  The Friends of Fletcher Hills Library will be serving up the ice cream.  Firefighters with Heartland Fire and Rescue in El Cajon will be stopping by as well.

For more information call 619-466-1132.

By Ariele Johannson

July 16, 2012 (El Cajon)—San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors voted on June 20 to approve the  Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) allowing redevelopment of 70 acres at Gillespie Field Airport from light industrial to aviation-only usage. 

Canines identify dozens of sites in path of wind and power line projects

Wind developers “cooperate” with tribes on searches-- but SDG&E refuses to allow dogs on its ECO-Substation site

Story by Miriam Raftery

Photos by Tom and Nadin Abbott, Miriam Raftery, and Jim Pelley

July 18, 2012 (McCain Valley) – Weaving across cactus-studded terrain in McCain Valley, Piper, a border collie trained to find ancient human remains, pauses to sniff the ground.  Ears erect, he sits, alerting handler Lynne Engelbert, who records the GPS coordinates. (Click video to view.) Minutes later, Piper’s find is independently confirmed by a second search dog.