By Miriam Raftery

August 30, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – SDG&E has responded to our inquiry asking why it took 16 hours to fully restore power to communities including Potrero and Dulzura.

East County Magazine reported on complaints about a CCA private immigration detention facility in San Diego County back in 2011

By Miriam Raftery

August 29, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – Just one week after the U.S. Justice Department announced plans to phase out its use of 13 private prisons due to reports of serious abuse and ineffectiveness, as ECM reported,  Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson today called for a review to determine if use of private immigration detention facilities should be eliminated. The review should be done by November 30.

By Miriam Raftery

August 28, 2016 (Anza-Borrego Desert) – A reader of East County Magazine has come forward to say that he saw Mickey James Guidry , then 16, at the site where the Jeep driven by the teen broke down in the Anza-Borrego Desert over Thanksgiving weekend back in November 2009—just before Mickey went missing  The witness says he saw Mickey speaking with a couple who offered him a ride, and showed him a map with possible routes Mickey may have later taken on foot.   

The Jeep Mickey was driving was found 22-miles along Fish Creek Wash, its tire worn down to the rim and bumper torn off. Mickey’s wallet and ID were left in the Jeep. His cell phone was not working.  To this day, nobody knows if he managed to walk out or get a ride and go away voluntarily.

August 25, 2016 (Potrero) --Residents in the  Potrero area /unincorporated San Diego East County are encouraged to use the County’s one-day household hazardous waste collection event Sept. 17 at the Old County Fire Station in Potrero.

Did you know?  Many products used in the home may be hazardous to people, pets or the environment and should not be thrown in the trash or dumped down the sewer or storm drains.  While it is always best to use up your household chemical products, the County of  San Diego’s Department of Environmental Health would like to notify you of a one-day collection event where residents living in the unincorporated county can bring their household chemicals for proper disposal or recycling—for free!

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Federal immigration detention facility in Otay Mesa run by Corrections Corporation of America, a private prison company exposed for abusive actions at other locations investigated

August 21, 2016 (Washington D.C.) — Private, for-profit prisons are more dangerous and less effective than government-run prisons, a new report by the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General concludes.   On August 18th, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced that the Justice Dept. will be “reducing—and ultimately ending—our use of privately operated prisons.”

By Miriam Raftery

August 20, 2016 (Santee) – Three people have been hospitalized following a head-on crash at Carlton Oaks Drive and Oakbourne Road in Santee yesterday at 12:35 p.m.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego

August 19, 2016 (Boulevard) -- County Animal Services seized four horses from a property in Boulevard Thursday and Friday after investigating reports of neglect.

By Miriam Raftery

August 19,2016 (San Diego’s East County) – State and local water agency representatives have offered more information for the public following a recent report revealing that 150 reservoirs statewide are “mercury impaired,” including10 in San Diego County, as ECM reported. 

A key clarification is that the term “mercury impaired reservoirs” referred to testing of fish in those waters,  not testing of water for drinking.  Drinking water can test with no detectable mercury levels, yet still have high, unsafe concentrations of mercury in fish, particularly larger fish that have consumed smaller fish.  This problem raises a new issue: the need for new testing methods to detect low levels of mercury that while not unsafe in drinking water,  can result in unsafe levels in fish living in those waters.

By Miriam Raftery

August 18, 2016 (Lakeside) – A 58-year-old Lakeside man died at the scene of a three-vehicle crash in Lakeside yesterday afternoon.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

August 17, 2016 (San Diego) --San Diego area landlords: homeless people need your help.

The County of San Diego and its many partners are looking for landlords who are willing to rent apartments to help house 130 people who are currently homeless.

East County News Service

August 17, 2016 (La  Mesa) – At today’s 2 p.m. meeting of the Helix Water District Board (7811 University Ave., La Mesa), directors will consider addition of fees and other changes at Lake Jennings, including adding kayak rentals and a tee-pee rental venue at the campground.  These are the latest improvements proposed by a committee led by director Joel Scalzitti.    As a result, the lake that some board  members sought to close due to budget shortfalls is now operating at a profit.  View board package and agenda.

At its last meeting, the board voted 3-2 for hefty rate hikes of 10.1%, effective on water use after  November 1,2016 and billings starting January 1,2017. That action has inspired five challengers to run against two board members who voted for this hefty rate hike as well as earlier recent increases—moves that fueled outrage in public comments and emails sent to the board.

East County News Service

August 16, 2016 (San Diego, CA) – San Diegans living with Alzheimer’s received free GPS devices under a Wandering Prevention Pilot Program started by Alzheimer’s San Diego and funded by the County of San Diego.

East County News Service

August 15, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – A red flag alert for high fire danger has been issued for the mountain and desert areas in East County due to hot, dry,windy conditons through Friday. In addition, a heat advisory is in effect for inland regions in our county due to triple digit temperatures today.

East County News Service

August 12, 2016 (Campo) — A 25-year-old motorcyclist from San Diego struck a tree of State Route 94 in Campo this morning shortly after 10:30 a.m., suffering serious injuries.

UPDATE:  SEARCHERS STILL NEEDED!  Need more on horseback, on foot and on bike to search brush areas.  Bring Bluetooth wireless speakers for phones or MP3 players and play horse sounds for Royal to reply to.  Meet Aug. 13 at the Sweetwater Bridge parking lot.  Call Shawna (760) 880-1714

East County News Service

August 10, 2016 (Cuyamaca) – Searchers on foot, on horse, and a drone are requested to help find a horse named Royal that ran off on August 7 in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park at Dyar Springs Trail south of the spring.  “He was fully tacked when he left us. His saddle slipped under him and scared him,” the owner says, according to a post at the Brush Fire Partyline on Facebook.  The horse took off bucking and the owner fears he could be caught up on brush.