February 21, 2011 (Escondido) – Alvin Palmes, 28, died Friday of peritonitis due to small bowel perforation following surgery for stab wounds. His death has been ruled a homicide.

February 21, 2011 (Descanso)-- Sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Border Patrol agents and CalFire personnel responded to a call of a dead body in rural Descanso around 7:15 a.m. Authorities found a Hispanic man dead at the scene. He may have been with a group of illegal border crossers who entered the U.S. this weekend during sub-freezing temperatures.

A man hospitalized in San Diego has identified a woman found dead in the same area as his wife. He told authorities that members of the group became separated from each other near Descanso. U.S. Border Patrol agents are now searching the area for other potential victims, said Lt. Dennis Brugos with the Sheriff’s homicide detail.

Obesity - The Solution, by Max Sturman (Do It Naturally Foundation, San Diego)

Book Review by Dennis Moore

February 20, 2011 (San Diego)--There is no more timely or urgent message than that found in Max Sturman's Obesity - The Solution. A February 1st story in the San Diego Union-Tribune states, "In a new attempt to help an overweight nation slim down and improve its long-term health, the government released new dietary guidelines that called on Americans to eat less, cut down on salt, bulk up on fruits and vegetables, and try water instead of sugary soft drinks."

Sturman, a 93-year-old San Diego author, has been delivering this message for years in fitness and healthcare books through his Do It Naturally Foundation, a non-profit that he founded.  His longevity is no accident--but, he believes,  the result of healthy living and a diet based on natural foods.

February 20, 2011 (La Mesa)-- On February 19, around 6:08 P.M., La Mesa Police Officers responded to a report of a robbery at 70th Street and Alvarado Road. The victim, a 33-year-old man, reported being robbed while crossing the street. As he stood on the center median waiting for traffic to clear, he was approached by the suspect, who told the victim he had a gun and demanded money.

February 20, 2011 (Valley Center) Last night at 6:10 p.m., three armed men entered an open door at 27446 S. Canal Road on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation in Valley Center. A woman was waiting at the open door for friends to arrive when the men burst into the home, according to Sergeant Bob Bishop with the Sheriff’s department.

February 19, 2011 (La Mesa)--San Diego FBI Special Agent eith Slotter, announces the arrest of Cesar Daniel Flores, age 20, of Imperial Beach. He is charged with robbing Bank of the West in La Mesa on February 4th.

February 19, 2011 (Pine Valley) – Two separate serious accidents have just occurred on both sides of I-8 near the Pine Valley exit.

At 4:16 p.m., CHP reports that a small sedan spun out and rolled onto the center divider. A pedestrian was hit on the westbound side. Two additional vehicles then spun out.
 

The second accident occurred nearly simultaneously on eastbound I-8 just east of the Pine Valley bridge around 4:15 p.m. At least two vehicles have rolled over and injuries are reported, with one vehicle on its roof as of 4:21 p.m.

February 19, 2011 (Washington D.C.) – San Diego’s Congressional delegation is speaking out on spending and budget-cutting priorities –with widely divergent views. While Republicans have slammed President Barack Obama’s proposed budget, Democrats are blasting the rival Republican House appropriations bill.

As with any omnibus proposal, the devil is in the details. Issues at stake include funds for local border projects,  birth control access, water supplies for Southern California, job training, and more.  Here’s what our five local House representatives and both California U.S. Senators have to say about the spending proposals that Congress is weighing.

February 18, 2011 (Alpine) – A solo vehicle spun out of control, rolling overall several times shortly before 10 p.m. tonight on eastbound I-8 just west of Willows Road in Alpine. According to the California Highway Patrol website, one patient is bleeding from the head.

In addition CHP has received a report of a mudslide or rockslide on Sunrise Highway near mile marker 17. A separate caller reported a boulder on the southbound side of Sunrise Highway near old Highway 80.

February 18, 2011 (Sacramento) -- Do opponents of gay marriage have legal standing to challenge a decision overturning Proposition 8 in federal court after the state’s two top officers opted not to defend the measure? California’s Supreme Court has announced it will take up that legal question.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has issued recalls on bassinets, heaters, food dehydrators, children’s chairs, and Disney watches due to hazards posed to consumers. For details, click the links below:

February 18, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Heavy rains, thunderstorms, and flash flooding are forecast for tonight and tomorrow with snow falling down to 3,000 feet. That’s low enough to dust the tops of El Cajon Mountain (El Capitan and Tecate Peak, as well as communities such as Pine Valley and Warner Springs. A slight chance of severe weather including hail, waterspouts and tornadoes also exists through tomorrow night.

Multiple locations on district campuses were available, but GUHSD chose to use church instead, ECM research reveals

By Miriam Raftery

Jeremy Los contributed research for this report

February 18, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a national nonprofit organization, says that it’s “problematic” and likely unconstitutional for the Grossmont Union High School District to host a school event at Sonrise Church, a fundamentalist place of worship in Santee.

An East County Magazine Special Report

ECM conducted exclusive interviews with people who fled war-torn Somalia and were granted asylum in the U.S. Fearing retribution against family members still in Somalia, the asylees agreed to speak out under condition that their identities be protected. The stories below are real, though the names are pseudonyms. Their tales describe dramatic round-the-world journeys to reach America, hardships endured on the road and inside U.S. detention facilities, as well as hopes for the future as they start new lives through Project Refuge in San Diego.  

By Miriam Raftery

February 17, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Aisha comes from a rural area near Mogadishu in Somalia. “I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said of the fighting and war-torn conditions that led her to flee her homeland.