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July 2, 2012 (Austin, Texas) -- There are a lot of cool things you can do with $1,000, but scientists at an Austin, Texas college have come across one that is often overlooked: for less than a grand, how’d you like to hijack a U.S. government drone?
A group of researchers led by Professor Todd Humphreys from the University of Texas at Austin Radionavigation Laboratory recently succeeded in raising the eyebrows of the US government. With just around $1,000 in parts, Humphreys’ team took control of an unmanned aerial vehicle operated by the US Department of Homeland Security.
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July 2, 2012 (Otay Lakes) – Refugio Robert Medina, 30, of Bonita has been identified as the victim in a fatality accident that occurred June 29 at 10:50 p.m. on Otay Lakes Road south of Highway 94.
Medina was driving his red Chevy Suburban SUV at a high rate of speed when he failed to negotiate a right-hand curve in the roadway, according to Officer Brian Pennings with the California Highway Patrol.
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July 4, 2012 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon will officially be turning 100 years old on Monday, November 12, 2012. In celebrating our mission statement, “Honoring and Celebrating the People Who Make El Cajon the Valley of Opportunity,” the City will be hanging colorful Centennial banners on light posts in El Cajon, depicting various historical moments during the past 100 years in El Cajon.
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July 1, 2012 (Otay Ranch) -- SANDAG implemented across-the-board toll reductions for the South Bay Expressway (State Route 125 toll road) today and marked the historic occasion by hosting a free community celebration at the Otay Ranch Town Center.
Dignitaries at the event included SANDAG Chair and Encinitas Mayor Jerome Stocks, Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox, and County Supervisor Greg Cox.
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July 1, 2012 (Washington, D.C.) -- A special study (pdf) conducted by CPSC staff found that 65 percent of all fireworks injuries in 2011 were sustained during the 30 days surrounding the Independence Day holiday. More than half of these injuries were the result of unexpected ignition of the device or consumers not using fireworks as intended.
Fireworks injuries most often resulted in burns to the hands and head, including the eyes, face, and ears. According to the special study, sparklers, firecrackers, and aerial devices were associated with the most incidents.
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July 4, 2012 (San Diego) -- Gam3rCon, the first local event dedicated to celebrating the world of video games and interactive entertainment, returns July 11-15 with even more to offer than it had in its first two years. In addition to the video gaming lounge, with tournament play of the most popular games; the Retrocade featuring old-school Atari, Sega, and other early systems; and the table-top gaming lounge; there will also be rooftop parties and live theater. The event runs concurrent with Comic-Con International offering an additional venue for geek fun for those who couldn’t get tickets to Comic-Con, or just want to focus on gaming.
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July 1, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Two quakes measuring 4.6 and 4.7 on the Richter scale struck Baja, California during the night.
The first jolt earthquake struck at 8:25 p.m.; the second at 11:36 p.m.
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June 30, 2012 (El Cajon) – Residentsat the Villa Embasador Inn, a residential motel on East Main Street in El Cajon, tried valiantly to save the life of a disabled woman found floating face down in a spa last night, but were unable to revive her.The victim’s wheelchair was nearby.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 29, 2012 (San Diego) – The Society of Professional Journalists' San Diego chapter has awarded East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery the James Julian Memorial Award for best community service series.Raftery received the honor, along with a $100 prize, for her series titled FEMA refund demand sparks firestorm of controversy.
The series also won an honorable mention in daily news reporting. In addition, Raftery won a second place award for environmental reporting for an East County Magazine article titled County issues draft wind ordinance; backcountry leaders level harsh criticism.
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June 29, 2012 (San Diego)--Your Independence Day celebration can be ruined if fireworks injure one of your family or friends. Cal Fire reminds everyone that all fireworks are illegal throughout San Diego County. Their use, transportation or possession could result in a fine or jail. Cal Fire also advises anyone causing a fire with fireworks would be responsible for the damages.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 27, 2012 (San Diego)--Your Online Weather for SD: A system moving inland to the north will weaken the high pressure with a deepening of the marine layer this weekend. High pressure will start to rebuild through Tuesday, with a slight cooling trend with more clouds and higher humidity over the mountains and deserts.
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June 28, 2012 (Sacramento)—At least 65 of the 70 state parks slated for permanent closure on July 1 will remain open—even though Governor Jerry Brown made a line-item veto to cut $31 million of the $41 million in funds earmarked to keep parks open.
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June 28 (El Cajon)—El Cajon City Council, under its role as successor agency to the San Diego East County Economic Development Council, voted to approve funding for Saint Madeline Sophie’s Center and the El Cajon Scholarship Association.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 26, 2012 (El Cajon)- At the El Cajon Council meeting today, one of the items on the agenda concerned changing the zoning requirement so El Cajon residents can own chickens in their own backyards. The public was able to voice their concerns to allow backyard chicken ownership.
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June 27, 2012 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police responded to a vehicle crash yesterday afternoon in the 4900 block of Mills Street, where they discovered that a motorist had parked a vehicle on the street and failed to apply the parking break or put the vehicle in park. After the driver left the area, the vehicle began rolling backwards and across to the west side of the street colliding into an elder care home.
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June 27, 2012 (La Mesa) – By a 4-1 vote with Director Kathleen Hedberg dissenting, the Helix Water District board of directors voted to approve a water rate study that recommends rate hikes. The increase would average 4.7 percent, or $2.75 a month for the average water user, though owners of larger properties face substantially heftier increases.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 26, 2012 (Sacramento)—If you owe a hefty tax bill to the state, time to pay up or pay the consequences is running out. Starting July 1, California will suspend most occupational, professional and driver’s licenses for people with the highest unpaid state tax bills.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 25, 2012 (El Cajon) – Councilman Gary Kendrick’s proposal to legalize backyard chicken ownership will be back on the agenda at tomorrow’s El Cajon City Council meeting.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
June 24, 2012 (San Diego)--Cleveland National Forest (CNF) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have released an Environmental Assessment (EA) for feral pig management on public lands in San Diego, Riverside and Orange Counties, as well as on the Capitan Grande Indian Reservation.
Feral pigs, which are not native to our region, have caused extensive damage by rooting that destroys riparian waterways, habitat and forage for wildlife. The plan includes 600,000 acres of public lands, including many in East County.
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June 24, 2012 (San Diego) -- The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) this week approved San Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) East County (ECO) Substation Project, a development that involves two electric substations along SDG&E's Southwest Powerlink transmission line.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
117-mile, 500,000-volt transmission line improves electricity reliability, but increases concerns over fire safety for region
June 21, 2012 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced June 18 that it had completed and put into service Sunrise Powerlink, a 500,000-volt transmission line linking San Diego to Imperial Valley.
“Putting the Sunrise Powerlink into service is the final milestone in a complex and challenging energy project that ranks among the largest and most significant in the history of San Diego Gas & Electric,” said Jessie J. Knight, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of SDG&E.
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June 27, 2012 (San Diego)--Your Online Weather for SD: A system moving inland to the north will weaken the high pressure with a deepening of the marine layer this weekend. High pressure will start to rebuild through Tuesday, with a slight cooling trend with more clouds and higher humidity over the mountains and deserts.
By Miriam Raftery
June 25, 2012 (El Cajon) – Councilman Gary Kendrick’s proposal to legalize backyard chicken ownership will be back on the agenda at tomorrow’s El Cajon City Council meeting. 
June 24, 2012 (San Diego)--Cleveland National Forest (CNF) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have released an Environmental Assessment (EA) for feral pig management on public lands in San Diego, Riverside and Orange Counties, as well as on the Capitan Grande Indian Reservation.
117-mile, 500,000-volt transmission line improves electricity reliability, but increases concerns over fire safety for region
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