News

PADRE PULLS PLUG, CANCELS CABLE SKI PARK FOR SANTEE LAKES

By Miriam Raftery
 

March 24, 2011 (Santee) – Padre Dam Municipal Water District announced today that its Board of Directors voted on March 22 to end its agreement with Sudweeks Development LLC to construct and operate a cable ski park at Santee Lakes. Sudweeks “was unable to proceed with the project and requested a settlement. The lack of available financing in the current economy played a major role in Sudweeks’ request,” a press release issued by the district revealed.
 

“We saw the cable ski park as a new and exciting family recreation opportunity, and as an innovative use of recycled water for recreation, which is what Santee Lakes is all about,” said Padre Dam’s General Manager, Allen Carlisle. The project, which would have been built on Lake 1, also included a restaurant, pro shop and recreational beach area.
 

But Julie Naggar, who has led opposition to the project, said she is relieved by the cancellation. “I just think it’s a win for the neighborhood… The people who love this park come here for the beauty of it. A daily ski park would have been unbearable, with the noise and the crowds.”


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LIGHT RAIN FORECAST FOR WEEKEND

 

March 24, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Grab your umbrella if you’re heading out this weekend. The National Weather Service predicts light rainfall late tonight and early tomorrow, with a second storm due to arrive Saturday night.

 

Snow levels are predicted to drop to 5,500 feet, with windy conditions in San Diego’s desert areas.


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MOTORIST KILLED IN LAKESIDE

March 23, 2011 (Lakeside) 11:39 p.m. – A single car rollover accident tonight on San Vicente trapped a driver’s arm beneath the vehicle, Incident Page Network reports. The driver was later pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner is en route and San Vicente has been closed down between Wildcat Canyon Road and Arena, CHP's website reports. No further details are yet available.


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LA MESA WOMAN CROWNED MISS SAN DIEGO'S OUTSTANDING TEEN

 

SAN DIEGO, CA – On Saturday, March 19, the Miss San Diego Pageant and Scholarship Association held the 2011 Miss San Diego Pageant at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. Thirty-five talented women ages 13-24 participated in a program that has been a San Diego tradition since the late 1920’s. Over $4,000.00 in scholarships were awarded.

 

Danamarie McNicoll Carter of La Mesa won the title of Miss San Diego’s Outstanding Teen 2011. She is a former Miss Teen La Mesa and a student at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace. She wowed the judges with piano performance which accounted for 35% of the overall score.


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COURTHOUSE CLOSED IN EL CAJON DUE TO ELECTRICAL SHORT

 

March 22, 2011 (El Cajon) – The El Cajon Superior Court has closed today due to a power outage caused by a short circuit in the electrical system. Phone service is also not working. 

 

Smoke detectors went off around 1:40 a.m. and firefighters found the electrical box smoldering, El Cajon spokesperson Monica Zech indicated. The incident also knocked out a backup power system for the courthouse.


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U.S., COALITION FORCES STRIKE GADHAFI COMPOUND IN LIBYA

 

By Miriam Raftery

 

March 20, 2011 (Washington D.C.) – Navy Vice Admiral William E. Gortney called initial attacks on Libya’s air and missile defense systems “very effective in degrading the regime’s air defense capability” for launching long-range missiles. Speaking at a Pentagon news conference today, Gortney said the U.S.-led coalition launched 124 Tomahawk missiles against Libyan military targets.

 

The attacks, following a United Nations establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya, are aimed at preventing Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gadhafi from “slaughtering his own people” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.


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HELICOPTER RESCUE HIKER WHO REPORTEDLY OVERDOSED AND FELL IN PALM CANYON

 

March 20, 2011 (Borrego Springs) – Copter 10, crewed by Cal-Fire and San Diego Sheriff personnel, was dispatched to aid a downed hiker in Palm Canyon in the desert at Borrego Springs around 4:55 today. “Initial reports were that the victim had overdosed on a hallucinogenic drug and had possibly sustained a spinal injury,” Deputy Scott Bligh said.

 


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PROTESTS MOUNT AGAINST BIG BANKS STATEWIDE AND LOCALLY


HOMEOWNERS & COMMUNITY MEMBERS ASK PUBLIC TO SUPPORT LEGISLATION TO SLOW FORECLOSURES; RAMONA CITIZENS LAUNCH NATIONAL REFORM CAMPAIGN

 


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FIRE SEVERELY DAMAGES CHURCH COMPLEX IN VALLEY CENTER

March 20, 2011 (Valley Center) – An electrical fire that started in the basement has severely damaged Saint Stephens Roman Catholic Church in Valley Center, causing an estimated $150,000 in damage. County building inspectors have found the structure to be unsafe, requiring immediate stabilization before salvage and repair can begin.


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BBB WARNS CONSUMERS OF PHONY IRS CALLS IN LATEST ID THEFT SCAM

 

March 20, 2011 (San Diego)--The San Diego Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers about a new identity theft scam involving phony e-mails supposedly from the federal government’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The phishing e-mails are requesting personal information from a W-2 form that are prepared by employers.

 


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SAFETY OF U.S. NUCLEAR REACTORS QUESTIONED: CA SENATORS CALL FOR INSPECTION OF STATE’S NUCLEAR PLANTS

 

“The most inexpensive way to meet your SQ (seismic qualification) is to lie. The industry does it all the time.”

--Greg Palast, former lead investigator in  government nuclear plant fraud and racketeering investigations

 

By Miriam Raftery
 

 

March 17, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) –Catastrophic failures at a half dozen nuclear facilities in Fukushima, Japan has led to questions regarding the safety of nuclear reactors in America-- both existing facilities and new ones proposed—including some designed or operated by the same companies responsible for the nuclear meltdowns in Japan.


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WEATHER ALERT ISSUED FOR STORM SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY

 

March 18, 2011 (San Diego) – The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather alert for San Diego County due to a strong storm system forecast to reach our region Sunday night and Monday. Light showers may occur earlier and extend through Tuesday. Significant rain, gusty winds and mountain snow is predicted starting Sunday night.


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TRACE RADIATION FROM JAPAN REACTORS COULD REACH CALIFORNIA FRIDAY, UNITED NATIONS SAYS

Core damage confirmed at 3 reactors; spent fuel rods a rising concern at 4th;
U.S. urges evacuation within 80 kilometers (50 Miles) around stricken plants

March 16, 2011 (San Diego) – The United Nations has released a forecast indicating a radioactive plume from damaged Japanese nuclear reactors at Fujushima Daiichi cold reach the Aleutian Islands off Alaska on Thursday and Southern California late on Friday, then east to Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and likely points beyond.

 

The U.N. has not issued a statement on how much radiation the plume could contain, however numerous other experts have indicated that amounts are expected to be small and below levels likely to harm human health. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is setting up additional radiation monitors on the West Coast as a precaution. An existing monitor in San Diego is currently non-operational, according to the EPA’s RadNet real-time radiation monitoring database online.

 

Murray Jennex, a nuclear expert at San Diego State University, told by ECM of the non-operational monitor locally, called back a short time later to reveal, “We’re going to set up monitoring here and try to get real numbers."


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SCOPING MEETING MARCH 29 ON EL MONTE VALLEY MINING, RECLAMATION & GROUNDWATER RECHARGE PROJECT

 

March 17, 2011 (Lakeside)--Helix Water District is beginning the environmental review process for the El Monte Valley Mining, Reclamation, and Groundwater Recharge Project (El Monte Valley Project). A second public scoping meeting for the Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment seeks input on what will be studied.
 

The second scoping meeting will be held in Lakeside, Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 7 p.m. in the Lakeside Christian Church, 13739 El Monte Road, Lakeside, CA 92040.


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HOW SAFE IS YOUR SUSHI? COUNTRIES EYE FOOD SUPPLY SAFETY IN WAKE OF JAPAN NUCLEAR CRISIS

 

By Jeremy Los & Miriam Raftery

 

March 17, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)—As Japan’s nuclear crisis worsens, the European Union and some Asian nations are taking steps to protect their food supplies from Japanese imported foods and fish that may be contaminated by radiation.

 

“FDA will be examining both food products labeled as having originated in Japan or having passed through Japan in transit,” the U.S. Food & Drug  Administration said in the Bloomberg Businessweek article. “The same is true for raw ingredients.”

 

In a conference call today, Howard Backer, M.D., Associate Secretary of Emergency Preparedness for California Health and Human Services Agency, told ECM that the FDA is "screening all shipments that come from Japan for food products.  This is not new; for anti-terrorism reasons our ports already do screening of radioactivity for all containers."

 


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U.S. MILITARY BLOCKS MAJOR WEBSITES TO FREE UP BAND WIDTH FOR JAPAN RECOVERY EFFORTS

 

 

March 16, 2011 (San Diego) – CNN reports that the U.S. military has temporarily blocked access to 13 major sites including YouTube, eBay, Amazon. Sites are blocked across the Department of Defense’s .mil computer system at the request of the Pacific Fleet, which is off the Japan coast aiding in rescue and relief efforts.

 

The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, based in San Diego, has been posting photos and updates on Facebook about crews' efforts to assist following the 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and now, nuclear crisis. 

 

The blocked sites are:

 

 


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RADIATION LEVELS NOT ELEVATED ON WEST COAST

March 16, 2011 (San Diego) -- Radiation levels on the the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii are not elevated overall above normal expectations as of early this morning, according to data on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency RadNet site.  Some West Coast cities showed levels below many locations in points farther east.

 


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SALES OF POTASSIUM IODIDE PILLS SOAR AMID NUCLEAR FEARS, BUT AUTHORITIES CAUTION PILLS CAN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH


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“VERY DANGEROUS” RADIATION LEVELS AFTER EXPLOSION AT 3RD JAPANESE NUCLEAR REACTOR; FIRE AT 4TH REACTOR

 

Radiation levels around the crippled reactors now high enough to cause “immediate harm to human health” Japanese authorities say, adding core containment may be breached.

 

“I wouldn’t be within 50 km right now. If I was not a Japanese national, I would be making plans to leave.” – Murray Jennex, nuclear expert at San Diego State University, tells ECM in exclusive interview

 

Updated March 15, 2011 1:40 a.m. - Russia, S. Korea on "high alert" for possible radiation poisoning

By Miriam Raftery

March 14, 2011 (San Diego) – NHK TV in Japan this evening has broadcast the latest grim twists in the nuclear crisis at plants in Fukushima. Radiation levels over 400 milisieverts--that's 1,000 times higher than the microsievert measurements earlier reported (the equivalent of 400,000 microsieverts)-- are now present following a third explosion-- this one at reactor #2 and considered more serious than two prior explosions at reactors #1 and #3.

 

According to a radiation expert interviewed on NHK, exposure at these levels can cause infertility. “Just in an instance you mean?” a reporter asked. “Yes,” the expert confirmed, adding that at 500 ML, lymphocytes (white cells) in blood will decrease. Anyone without protective clothing is at risk, he emphasized, adding that radiation at these levels “can affect your genes….It is very dangerous.”


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SAN-DIEGO BASED AIRCRAFT CARRIER PASSES THROUGH RADIOACTIVE PLUME; CAPTAIN ASSURES ALL PERSONNEL SAFE

 

By Miriam Raftery

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March 14, 2011 (San Diego) – The U.S. S. Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier based out of San Diego, has repositioned after detecting radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Japan that has undergone a partial meltdown. According to Captain Thom Burke, commanding officer, all personnel aboard are “safe and healthy.”

 

The ship has been deployed to assist in relief efforts following the devastating earthquake and tsunami, which has left an estimated 10,000 dead and many more missing in Japan.


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MELTDOWN FEARS CONTINUE WITH FAILURES AT MULTIPLE JAPANESE NUCLEAR PLANTS


U.S., other nations issue travel warnings for Japan; France and Germany advise citizens to leave Tokyo

 

By Miriam Raftery


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REMINDER! DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME TONIGHT

 

March 12, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- Don't forget!  Set your clocks forward an hour tonight for the start of daylight savings.


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LAKESIDE RESIDENTS CLAIM HELICOPTERS VIOLATE NO-FLY ZONE NEAR EAGLES’ NEST

 

Disturbing videos document flights near nests, possible collision with a pair of eagles, plus an eagle now missing part of its wing and its mate


By Miriam Raftery

Video by Billy Ortiz
 


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JAPAN DECLARES NUCLEAR EMERGENCY; EXPLOSION AT REACTOR INJURES 4 AS AUTHORITIES RACE CLOCK TO STOP CORE MELTDOWN

 

 

MASS EVACUATIONS UNDERWAY DUE TO NUCLEAR CRISIS;

80,000 MISSING, 1,300 CONFIRMED DEAD FROM QUAKE & TSUNAMI

 


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WOMAN ON CELL PHONE DIES AFTER STEPPING IN FRONT OF TRUCK

 

March 11, 2011 (Otay Mesa) – A woman talking on her cell phone walked against a red light into the path of a tractor trailer on Paseo De Las America at Sempre Viva Road in Otay Mesa. The truck ran over the woman, 31, as the driver, 37, made a right turn.


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1,000 DEAD IN JAPAN FROM QUAKE AND TSUNAMI: SAN DIEGO BEACH AREAS CLOSED; COASTAL AREAS ACROSS PACIFIC BRACE FOR IMPACTS

March 11, 2011 (San Diego) – Southern California beaches are closing this morning as a precaution following a powerful 8.9 earthquake that rocked Japan last night, killing hundreds from the temblor and a tsunami that subsequently struck Japan.

 


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TSUNAMI WATCH ISSUED FOR CALIFORNIA AFTER 8.9 QUAKE IN JAPAN TRIGGERS WORLDWIDE TSUNAMI THREATS

 

TOKYO FLOODED BY TSUNAMI

 

TSUNAMI COULD REACH SAN DIEGO FRIDAY  

AT 8:41 A.M.

 

TSUNAMI WATCHES/WARNINGS ISSUED FOR HAWAII, ALASKA, CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, AUSTRALIA, RUSSIA, TAIWAN, GUAM, PHLIPPINES, INDONESIA, MARIANAS ISLANDS, SOUTH AMERICA, ANTARCTICA & MORE


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EAST COUNTY RESIDENTS PROTEST ON STEPS OF SDG&E UPON NEWS THAT JUDGE CANCELS POWERLINK HEARING

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Ron Logan, Miriam Raftery, and Merton Gaudette

 

March 10, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Candy Jenkins was looking forward to seeing environmental evidence presented to a federal judge in San Diego on Monday. “I live on El Capitan Mountain,” said the Lakeside resident, who  alleges that SDG&E is building Sunrise Powerlink towers only 2,000 feet from an eagles’ nest. She has photos, and says the eagles are tagged and the locations documented by the County. “Towers weren’t supposed to be within 4,000 feet,” she said. “We’re bringing this out today in court.”

 

Told by this reporter that the hearing had been cancelled because Judge Michael Anello announced that he will be ruling on the written record only, Jenkins expressed shock. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “Whatever happened to democracy in America?”


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PASSAGES: LAKESIDE CIVIC LEADER RICK SMITH DIES; TRIBUTE PLANNED APRIL 9 AT LAKESIDE RODEO GROUNDS

 

 

March 10, 2011 (Lakeside) --After a courageous battle with cancer complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Richard “Rick” Allen Smith, 67, passed away peacefully at his home in Lakeside on February 18th.  He held leadership positions on Lakeside's fire and planning boards, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations. 

 

“His dedication to the community of Lakeside will have a lasting affect for many years to come and his experience and wisdom will be sorely missed by all who knew him," said his daughter-in-law, Michelle Dimsey. "He maintained his trademark sense of humor and “can do attitude” all the way to the end.”


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GARDENER IN ALPINE ATTACKED BY AGGRESSIVE BEES

 

 

March 10, 2011 (Alpine) – A gardener working behind Alpine Pizza and Pasta in the vicinity of Alpine Blvd. and Arnold Way yesterday shortly before 10 a.m. was attacked by an "aggressive" swarm of bees and stung repeatedly on the head and neck, Alpine Fire Chief Bill Paskle reports.


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