East County News Service

File photo: Cottonwood Golf Course, site of the proposed sand mine along the Sweetwater River

March 7, 2022 (Rancho San Diego) – Several community groups have sent letters to the county sharply criticizing the draft EIR on the proposal for a controversial 10-year open pit sand mining operation proposed on the site of the Cottonwood Golf Course.  Groups providing detailed comments on the inadequacy of the report include the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the Sierra Club, the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group and Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine, a coalition of concerned residents.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Councilmember Liana LeBaron

Updated March 6, 2022 8:30 p.m. with comments from Councilman Gastil.

March 6, 2022 (Lemon Grove)  -- After weeks of contentious meetings, the Lemon Grove City Council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, March 8 to consider a resolution for the Council majority to condemn alleged misconduct by Councilmember Liana LeBaron including disruptions at Council meetings and accusations made against staffers that the City contends are false.

The City Attorney has also sent a letter to LeBaron and other Councilmembers threatening legal action against her. 

Le Baron has denied wrongdoing. An attorney representing the Project for Open Government has also weighed in, criticizing the City's actions.

Source: Helix Water District

Photo: Bald eagles at Lake Jennings, by Scott Lagace

March 5, 2022 (Lakeside) -- Helix Water District has launched its 11th annual Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest to share the beauty of its reservoir with the local community. The contest is open to photos taken at Lake Jennings in Lakeside between March 1 and May 31, 2022.

East County News Service

Awards honor photographer Mike Norris and The Hamlett Coffee Shop

March 4, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-79) has announced Black History Month honorees chosen after nominations were submitted by constituents.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Security footage shows fire at at  Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the southern Ukrainian city of Enerhodar

Update March 4, 2022: The fire has been extinguished and the containment vessel has not been breached, according to Ukrainian authorities.

March 3, 2022 (San Diego) – "As a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire,"  Dmytro Orlov, mayor of Enerhodar, a city in southern Ukraine, posted tonight on  hisTelegram channel. The facility contains six nuclear reactors.

The nuclear facility is the site where Ukrainian citizens have gathered in recent days forming a human shield in an effort to prevent Russian troops from capturing the nuclear plant. 

By Miriam Raftery

Read full transcript of State of the Union speech

View video of State of the Union speech

View part 2 of our coverage, on domestic issues addressed by Biden

View the Republican response

Photo: President Joe Biden, center, says of the Ukrainian people, "You inspired the world.'  Left, Vice President Kamala Harris, right, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

March 2, 2022 (Washington D.C.) –President Joe Biden drew bipartisan applause during his State of the Union speech last night, when he recognized the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. and asked those in the Capitol chamber to rise and show the world that, “We, the United States of America, stand with the Ukrainian people.”

Biden announced new, strenuous actions against Russia and key supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. These include:

• Closing off U.S. air space to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia;
• Ordering the U.S.  Justice Department to form a task force to go after crimes committed by Russian oligarchs and “corrupt leaders” profiting off Putin’s regime;
• Plans to seize oligarchs’ assets including yachts, private jets and luxury homes
• Releasing 30 million gallons of oil from America’s strategic reserved, matched by an equal amount from other nations to help reduce gas prices without Russian oil.

These add to recently imposed sanctions including:

By Kylie Dees; Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

Photo:  Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, screenshot via C-Span

 View video of Gov. Reynold’s response. Read full text.

View video of President Biden’s State of the Union speech.  Read full text .

Read ECM's coverage:  Part 1:  Response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine; Part 2: Domestic agenda.

March 2, 2022 (Washington D.C. ) – On Tuesday, March 1st, in response to President Biden’s first State of the Union address, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered the Republican rebuttal. Reynolds began by stating that “instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time.” She claimed that the President has failed to make America respected around the world and united as a whole, while Biden’s main priority is to make America united once again.

Reynolds said, “It’s time for America to once again project confidence; it’s time to be decisive. It’s time to lead.” She added that America cannot project strength abroad if we are weak at home. Her speech pointed out what she viewed as weaknesses as well as strengths to build on.

By Jonathan Goetz

Last update: 7:07 p.m.

March 2, 2022 (Cleveland National Forest) - CAL-Fire San Diego has sent air resources to a remote area east of Irvine, in Orange County with smoke also visible in Riverside County in Southern California. The fire began at 11:20 a.m. in the Holy Jim trail area, per Cleveland National Forest, which is coordinating the firefighting response.

The Fire Integrated Real-time Intelligence System (FIRIS) reported that as of 4:24 p.m. the #JimFire had reached 551 acres. It can be difficult to map and fight fires in such mountainous terrain.

By Miriam Raftery

March 2, 2022 (El Cajon) – The Sheriff’s department has identified the officers involved in  February 16, 2022 shooting incident in El Cajon as deputies David Lovejoy and Jonathan Young. Both are assigned to the Lakeside substation and are currently on administrative assignment while an investigation by El Cajon Police Department continues.

Deputy Lovejoy has been with the Sheriff’s department for over eight years and Young has served there for six years, says Lt. Randy  Soulard with the El Cajon Poice Department.

The Sheriff has released video of the incident, which confirms that the driver, T Erik Talavera, 31, exited the van but failed to comply with commands from deputies. He was shot while lying on the ground, reaching for a weapon he had dropped.

By Chuck Westerheide, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 28, 2022 (San Diego) - The Medical Examiner’s Office needs your help identifying a man killed while crossing Interstate 805 in January.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: First night of bombing in Kyiv,via Kristine Alessio from a friend in Ukraine

February 27, 2022 (San Diego) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia’s nuclear deterrent missile system to be on high alert, in response to what he calls “dangerous rhetoric” from the West and growing resistance to Russian forces that have invaded the Ukraine, Reuters reports.

Also today, for the first time in history, the 27-nation member European Union today announced it will send weapons to a nation at war, the Ukraine. Europe and Canada have banned all Russian aircraft from their airspaces, including planes belonging to Russian Oligarchs. In addition, the EU also banned airing of broadcasts by RT (Russian Times), Russia’s state media outlet.

NATO has activated forces to defend NATO nations in the event Russia’s military aggression advances to other nations that are NATO members, which the Ukraine is not. Under the North American Treaty Organization alliance, an attack on one nation is considered an attack on all.

The Pentagon has responded to its NATO commitment by sending B-52 bombers to patrol the skies over Eastern European allied territory, Newsweek reports today.

Source: County News Service

Photo: close-up of 38 caliber revolver handgun with safety trigger lock.

February 25, 2022 (San Diego) – Starting today, a new County of San Diego ordinance requiring that all guns be safely stored takes effect. It requires all guns in homes or structures near a home to either be secured with a trigger lock or be locked away in a container.

East County News Service

February 24, 2022 (San Diego) -- Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) today released a statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Jacobs is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. In late January, she traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, as part of an official bipartisan Congressional delegation led by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks.

“I condemn President Putin’s unjustified attack on Ukraine that will have devastating and deadly consequences for the Ukrainian people and widespread consequences for the European continent. I stand with the Ukrainian people who woke up to Putin’s declaration of war, to explosions rocking their cities, and to a new and horrifying reality for the future," Jacobs says, adding,  “When I visited Ukraine with my colleagues last month, it was clear that the United States Congress and the Biden Administration – along with our NATO allies and partners – are united in our strong support for the Ukrainian people."