By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2013 (Spring Valley) – For the second time in a week, a homeless man has died in East County.  Last week, Mike Brown’s body was found beside a freeway onramp in El Cajon, just days after he was beaten and robbed of the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card he needed for food, an acquaintance of the victim told ECM.

Today, a homeless man died of smoke inhalation when the commercial trailer where he had been sleeping caught fire in Spring Valley. The deaths highlight the dangers of living on the streets or in makeshift shelters in East County, which has no shelter to house the growing number of homeless persons in our region.

By Janis Mork

April 15, 2013 (San Diego)- Last week, in the KPBS studio at San Diego State University, U-T San Diego public engagement reporter Matt Hall moderated a three-member panel  hosted by the San Diego Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)  to explore the controversial issue of press credentials.

Should San Diego Police Department stay in charge of who gets press credentials countywide?

Who needs press passes—and how does SDPD determine who does and doesn’t receive them? 

These are among the questions addressed on a panel consisting of  U-T San Diego public safety reporter Kristina Davis, true crime author Caitlin Rother, and freelance videographer James ‘JC’ Playford, who filled in for  San Diego Reader journalist Dorian Hargrove originally scheduled.

East County runners were participating in event

By Miriam Raftery and Nadin Abbott

April 15, 2013 (Boston) – Two bomb blasts ripped through the finish line area at the Boston Marathon today, turning the athletic event into a scene reminiscent of a war zone.  Over 100 people have been treated at Boston-area hospitals, some with serious injuries including amputations of limbs.  Two people are reported dead, including a child, CNN reports.

Approximately 191 people from San Diego County were running in the event, according to the Boston Marathon website.  That includes from San Diego as well as several from East County and inland areas:  Five from La Mesa, Four from El Cajon, four from Poway, and one each from Lakeside and Ramona. A hotline has been setup for families seeking information at  617-635-4500.

Today was a holiday, Patriot’s Day, in Massachusetts. The occasion honors the battles of Lexington and Concord during the Revolutionary War and celebrating America’s spirit of independence.

April 13, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – A man with physical limitations was transported to UCSD Medical Center with mild injuries after escaping a  fire at a duplex in the 7200 block of Central Avenue in Lemon Grove. Two dogs also escaped the fire, but two cats were found deceased, overcome by smoke.

Red Cross will be assisting five adults and two children displaced in the fire, as well as the two dogs.

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

April 11, 2013 (Alpine) – An 82-year-old man was serious injured while sitting on a bus stop bench outside a Circle K store on Tavern Road in Alpine.   A Volkswagon Jetta parked near gas pumps rolled out of the parking lot, pinning the man underneath.

“Several Alpine angels were able to lift the car and pull him out from under before an ambulance got there,” Dana Halzip posted on the Alpine Community Network.

By Nadin Abbott

April 7, 2013 (San Diego)— ECM spoke with County Board of Education Board Member Greg Robinson today. He shared details on how extensive the face of poverty has become in the County and how this affects our children.  He also spoke of sequestration cuts and why living wages matter.

“El Cajon has the highest rate of poverty in San Diego County,” Robinson observed, adding that poverty leads to serious problems of food insecurity as more people are going hungry.

By Miriam Raftery

April 10, 2013 (Potrero) – Jerry Fowler, who suffered serious injuries after falling into a well in Potrero on March 13, is now out of the intensive care unit at Sharps memorial Hospital but is still on “some life support” according to his parents, Thell and Normal Fowler.

“As of now, he is awake a lot of the time and sees us with his eyes and moves his head when we talk to him.  He can move his arms and legs, squeezes our hands and rubs his thumb on the back of our hands to let us know he knows it is us,” his parents wrote in an e-mail to concerned community members. “His doctor says he is not out of the woods yet, but he has a long way to go.  At first the doctors said that from the damage of the fall he may not ever wake up, but he has proven them wrong.”

April 8, 2013 (San Diego's East County) - An attorney representing Quail Brush Genco, a subsidiary of Carlyle Infrastructure Partners, has submitted a letter to the California Energy Commission's siting committee today. The letter requests a one-year suspension of consideration on the proposed gas-fired Quail Brush power plant near Mission Trails Regional Park.

The announcement was hailed as "good news" in an e-mail from Preserve Wild Santee sent to opponents of the project, which has generated widespread community opposition. 

April 7, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning in effect from 6 p.m. tonight to 6 p.m. Monday evening.   Gusts of up to 70 miles per hour with sustained winds of 25-35 mph are forecast for mountain , desert, valley and coastal  areas in San Diego County.

Strongest winds are expected on Monday. Expect blowing sand and dust in desert areas that will reduce visibility. Driving may be difficult in windy areas, particularly for high-profile vehicles. Be watchful for broken tree limbs; property damage is possible.  In coastal areas, winds will bring hazardous conditions for small craft, high surf and strong rip currents.

By Nadin Abbott; photos by Tom Abbott

April 5, 2013(Lakeside)— The Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) team has found 3-month-old Arisa Van Goerlitz safe tonight at 7:30 p.m. following a massive search in Lakeside. Searchers spent hours combing an area along the San Diego River bed including transient camps before locating the infant and her aunt, Deborah Ann Fowler, who has been arrested.

“The baby is okay,” Sergeant Greg Hampton of the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s station told media at the scene. “She is being evaluated by the Fire Department.” The baby was later transported to Grossmont Hospital for evaluation. The child is now in the hands of Child Protective Services and has been taken to the Polinsky’s Children Center.

The infant girl was reported missing this morning by her grandmother, Joyce Matyas, in Spring Valley at around 11:30.

Residents are asked not to harm bears; hunting bears is illegal in San Diego County

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: California Fish & Game

April 2013 (San Diego) -- Today’s reported sightings of a bear in Kearny Mesa raise an intriguing question: are black bears back in San Diego County?   In 1999 and 2000, a dozen black bear sightings were reported  in Cuyamaca, Julian, Ramona, Palomar Mountain and other mountain areas. But none had been seen in the past 13 years—until now.

This February, a Border Patrol night-vision camera caught a surprising sight: a bear crossing a roadway between the In-Ko-Pah and Mountain Springs Road near the Imperial Valley and San Diego County line, U-T San Diego reported.  ECM received a report of possible bear tracks in the southeast portion of the county last year.

Then today, multiple witnesses reporting seeing a bear in the Kearny Mesa area of San Diego.  A city Enviornmental Services employee claimed to see the bear out the window of the Sheriff’s department south of Balboa Avenue and west of I-15.  She summoned others, including an Idaho man familiar with bears, who said the large brown animal was indeed a bear.

Residents take offense at board member’s essay  ridiculing citizens as “farm animals”

By Miriam Raftery

April 2, 2013 (Julian) – The Julian Fire-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District’s Board will hold a special meet this Thursday, April 4 at 9 a.m. to discuss the proposal to turn over firefighting services to the County Fire Authority. The meeting will be held at the Julian Women’s Club. 2607 C Street.

At the last meeting, numerous residents rose to voice opposition to the plan and concerns that dissolving the volunteer fire department could lead to longer response times and decreased public safety.

By Miriam Raftery

April 1, 2013 (San Diego) – On March 29, a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) administrative law judge proposed that SDG&E be allowed to increase rates for its customers by 7.7%.  Ratepayers in San Diego are already paying among the highest utility rates in the nation. View the full decision here.

“The people of San Diego need to stand up and speak out against this unjustifiable and unconscionable increase in electricity rates,” said Mike Aguirre, former San Diego City Attorney.  Public comments should be sent to ALJ Wong at jsw@cpuc.ca.gov and to the assigned commissioner; a current service list for the proceeding is available at www.cpuc.ca.gov.

April 1, 2013 (Arkansas) – No, this is not an April Fool's joke. Thousands of gallons of tar sands oil, a gritty, toxic and flammable mixture, is flowing through the streets in a residential neighborhood of Mayflower, Arkansas after rupture of an Exxon-Mobil pipeline. The spill has also flooded backyards and threatens to spill into a lake.

Media has been reportedly largely blocked from access to the site, so residents have posted their own photos and videos online of the site, which has now forced evacaution of homeowners amid a massive cleanup effort. The spill highlights concerns over potential contamination from the controversial Keystone XL pipieline, which is proposed to pump tar sands oil from Canada across the U.S. Midwest south to the Gulf coast.