News

MORE THAN 100 CATS TAKEN FROM LAKESIDE APARTMENT

 

More than 100 cats are in the care of County Animal Services after they were relinquished by a resident in Lakeside Thursday. Sheriff’s deputies were conducting a welfare check on a person at the home and discovered the animals, then called Animal Services.


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SANTEE COUNCIL CHOOSES CINEMARK FOR THEATRE MULTIPLEX; APPROVES TRAFFIC FLOW PLAN WITHOUT MAST BOULEVARD EXTENSION

 

By Paul Kruze

Link to audio of Santee City Council Meeting, Oct. 25, 2017

November 3, 2017 (Santee) -- Cinemark Theatres won unanimous approval from the Santee City Council Wednesday to operate a multiplex movie theater. The multiplex theater is to be built on a seven-acre parcel purchased last spring from the County of San Diego near the Santee Town Center shopping mall and Parc One apartment complex at 320 Town Center Parkway.


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TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER, 2 OTHER AIDES INDICTED IN MUELLER PROBE: CHARGES INCLUDE CONSPIRACY AGAINST UNTED STATES

By Miriam Raftery

October 31, 2017 (Washington D.C. )  -- George Papadopoulos, foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has pled guilty to criminal charges pertaining to his dealings with Russian foreign nationals. Two others,Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his business associate  Rick Gates, have been arrested and indicted on felony charges, court documents unsealed on Monday reveal. 

The 12 counts include charges of conspiracy against the U.S., failing to register as foreign agents, making false statements to federal investigators, tax fraud, and laundering tens of millions of dollars through offshore accounts for clients in the Ukraine,  including former Ukranian president Viktor Yanukovych, Associated Press reports. Yanukovych was a staunch ally of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.


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KALASHO THREATENS EAST COUNTY MAGAZINE—AND LOSES NONPROFIT STATUS OF HIS BEAUTY PAGEANT

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Councilman Bessmon "Ben" Kalasho has escalated his war on media outlets that have published factual investigative reports on his business, political, legal and ethical controversies.

After first threatening litigation against the San Diego Union-Tribune and ridiculing its reporters, Kalasho has now threatened to sue East County Magazine (ECM), though he has not disputed the accuracy of any specific points in our reports. He has also made provably false, defamatory and malicious statements about our media outlet and reporters, as we have documented clearly in this article.

Ironically, amid his baseless efforts to smear our reputable nonprofit, his own nonprofit beauty pageant has had its nonprofit status revoked by the State of California following ECM's inquiries to state regulators, the Attorney General confirmed to ECM.


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VOTER FRAUD QUESTIONS HAUNT LA MESA'S NEW SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER

 

By Ken Stone

Originally published by Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rebekah Basson, 25, was appointed to the La Mesa-Spring Valley school board in August. Photo by Ken Stone

November 1, 2017 (La Mesa) - La Mesa’s new school board member voted in Georgia’s November 2016 election despite later swearing that she had been a resident of the East County district for 1 1/2 years — going back to about January 2016.


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NEW YORK TRUCK ATTACK ON CROWD WAS INSPIRED BY ISIS, NYPD CONFIRMS

 

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2017 (New York) – A terrorist who plowed a rented truck onto a bike and pedestrian path, killing eight people yesterday in Manhattan and injuring a dozen more left a note pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State or ISIS,  John Miller, the deputy New York police commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, said at a briefing  today.


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PROBATION AWARDED GRANT TO MONITOR HIGH-RISK DUI OFFENDERS

 

The San Diego County Probation Department will use a half-million dollar grant to keep high-risk DUI offenders from getting behind the wheel again.

Nationally, nearly one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of drunk driving are repeat offenders and 50 to 75 percent of convicted drivers continue to drive on a suspended license, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.


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GAS PRICES GO UP AS TAX HIKES TAKE EFFECT

 

East County News Service

November 1, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- The next time you pull up at the pump, you’ll be paying more.

Taxes on gasoline and diesel went up starting Wednesday this week to pay for repairing California’s crumbling roads and bridges that in danger of collapse, as well as to improve public transportation.


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KALASHO OBJECTS TO CITIZEN CALLING FOR HIS RESIGNATION; EL CAJON COUNCIL BANS FEEDING OF HOMELESS IN PARKS OVER HEPATITS CONCERNS

 

By Paul Kruze

November 1, 2017 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to ban feeding of the homeless in public places due to hepatitis concerns, fill a vacancy on its veterans’ commission, and approve a residential housing development. But the most contentious moments came during an impassioned plea from a citizen calling for Councilmember Ben Kalasho to resign, over objections of Kalasho, who sought to silence the resident from speaking out.


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HALLOWEEN CAN BE FRIGHT NIGHT FOR FIDO

 

He can smell something is up. Jack-o’-lanterns, decorations and all that candy! And what’s this? A funny hat for him?

But wait, what’s that sound? Strangers at the door!


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WILDOMAR FIRE NEAR LAKE ELSINORE SENDS SMOKE ACROSS NORTH COUNTY

 

Update:  The fire has grown to over 800 acres and 450 homes are evacuated, however it is now 50% contained.

By Miriam Raftery

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service

Photo credit: ECM news partner 10 News

October 27, 2017 (San Diego) – The #WildomarFire has charred 700 acres in the Wildomar  are of Cleveland National Forest, which is located near Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, just over the San Diego-Riverside County line.

Two hundred homes have been evacuated. The fire is currently 15 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Find details on evacuations here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5652/

Smoke from fires in Mexico including a large forest fire near Rosarito also continue to impact air quality in San Diego County, prompting the county's smoke advisory cautioning residents to avoid outdoor activities in areas with smoke.


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TOP 10 HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS

 

Halloween is a holiday all about spooky, frightful and scary things, but there are a few important things you can do as parents to help make sure your child has a safe trick-or-treating adventure.


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STATE GRANTS PERMANENT LIQUOR LICENSE TO CASINO IN JAMUL

 

Updated to include remarks from Kim Hamilton.

By Miriam Raftery

October 27, 2017 (Jamul) --The Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego has been granted a permanent license to serve alcohol by the state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Administrative Law Judge Adam Berg.  The ruling came over the objections of Supervisor Dianne Jacob, the Sheriff, the Jamul-Dulzura School District, and numerous residents in rural Jamul. 

The decision makes permanent a temporary alcohol license granted when the casino opened approximately a year ago, but also mandates that the tribe continue its previously voluntary restriction to limit alcohol sales to the hours of 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m..  View the decision.


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NORTHBOUND SR-15 CONNECTOR TO WESTBOUND SR-94 CLOSED SATURDAY

 

Source: Caltrans

October 26, 2017 (San Diego) - Maintenance crews will close the northbound State Route 15 (SR-15) connector to westbound State Route 94 (SR-94), Saturday from 3-11 a.m. for drainage cleaning, according to Caltrans.


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COUNTY ISSUES SMOKE ADVISORY

 

Smoke from fires in Mexico drifting into San Diego County

October 26, 2017 (San Diego) -- The County of San Diego’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD) issued a smoke advisory Thursday, suggesting people should limit their outdoor activities if they smell smoke from the fires burning in Mexico. Portions of North County were also impacted by a brush fire in Riverside County.


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MASSIVE PACKAGED VEGETABLE RECALL INCLUDES MULTIPLE BRANDS OF PRODUCTS, SOME SOLD AT WAL-MART AND TRADER JOE’S

 

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2017 (San Diego) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced a massive recall of processed vegetable products due to possible Listeria contamination.  The products were packaged by Mann Packing of Salinas, California and sold through multiple brands at major retailers in the U.S. and Canada including Trader Joe’s and Walmart.


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ECM WINS PRESS CLUB AWARDS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE, BREAKING NEWS, GOVERNMENTAL AND MULTICULTURAL REPORTING

 

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2017 (San Diego) -- East County Magazine picked up four more awards at the San Diego Press Club’s Excellence in Journalism Awards dinner held on Tuesday night, bringing our total to 105 journalism awards over the past nine years.


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NAACP ISSUES NATIONAL TRAVEL ADVISORY ALLEGING RACIAL BIAS BY AMERICAN AIRLINES

 

By Miriam Raftery 

October 25, 2017 (San Diego) – The NAACP, the nation’s original and largest social justice advocacy organization, has issued a travel advisory alleging racial discrimination by American Airlines and warning African-American travelers about risks to their safety and well-being aboard American flights.


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SANTEE COUNCIL TO HEAR MOVIE THEATRE PROPOSALS, WEIGH MOBILITY STUDY AT WEDNESDAY’S MEETING

 

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2017 (Santee) – The Santee City Council will hear proposals from two companies vying to build the city’s first multiplex movie theatre at today’s 7 p.m. meeting. In addition, the agenda includes  a hearing on adopting a mobility element that could include expansion of Mast Boulevard to Santee, as well as bike lanes and other items.


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COUNTY EXTENDS EMERGENCY OVER HEPATITIS A, DECLINES TO TEST SAN DIEGO RIVER WATER

 

East County News Service

October 24, 2017 (San Diego) — County Supervisors voted Tuesday to again extend the public health emergency declaration over Hepatitis A for two more weeks.  As of Oct. 18, 516 cases have been diagnosed, including 19 fatalities.


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CALTRANS ANNOUNCES 15 LOCAL PROJECTS THAT WILL IMMEDIATELY BENEFIT DUE TO PASSAGE OF SB 1

 

Source:  Caltrans

October 24, 2017 (San Diego) -- Caltrans has 15 fix-it-first projects in San Diego and Imperial counties that will benefit from the passage of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act.  Almost half of those projects will began much sooner than expected due to the passage of SB 1, the state’s transportation agency announced today.  The list includes one East County project, fixing a dangerous curve on State Route 94 in Dulzura.  Another will impact commuters from East County, including a paving improvement project on a section of State Route 52.


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MERCURY INSURANCE CASE AGAINST CA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER GOES TO U.S. SUPREME COURT

 

Source: California Insurance Commissioner

October 23, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- Mercury Insurance Company and a coalition of insurance industry groups filed a petition against Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones in the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, again challenging his authority to protect California consumers from excessive and unfair insurance rates.


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AFFORDABLE CARE ACT HEALTH PLAN ENROLLMENT NOV. 1-DEC. 15

 

East County News Service

October 23, 2017 (San Diego) - Open enrollment to get coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2018 begins on November 1st and ends December 15th.  Many Americans aren’t getting this important information, since the Trump administration has taken the following steps to sabotage getting word out and discouraging people from signing up.


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BORREGO SPRINGS BREAKS GROUND ON NEW PARK, LIBRARY AND SHERIFF STATION

 

East County News Service

October 23, 2017 (Borrego Springs) -- The County broke ground over the weekend on a public park, a new library and a Sheriff’s station in Borrego Springs. 

The modern library will be 13,500 feet and equipped with energy efficient features for zero net energy use—also provided plenty of air-conditioned space for residents to escape extreme heat. The new library will be three times the size of the old one that it will replace and will also include a homework center, children’s area, community room and more.  Read details: http://www.sdcl.org/PDF/sdcl_br-faq.pdf


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AEROBATICS STUNT PILOT AND PASSENGER PRESUMED KILLED IN FIERY CRASH; COMPANY HAD PRIOR FATAL ACCIDENT AND SAFETY VIOLATIONS

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Smoke from crash visible on UCSD’s HP Wren camera

October 23, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The small plane that crashed late Saturday afternoon east of the El Capitan Reservoir, sparking a 20-acre brush fire during a red flag warning for high fire danger, was an Extra EA-300/L plane registered to KD Leasing in Henderson, Nevada, National Transportation Safety Administration (NTSA) records indicate. 


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EAST COUNTY RESIDENTS TO RALLY AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OCT. 24

 

 

East County News Service

October 22, 2017 (El Cajon) – The East County Coalition will hold a Hope Rally on Tuesday, October 24th  in El Cajon, where community residents and professionals will walk, rally and give presentations to raise awareness about domestic violence on.  Last year, there were 16,719 domestic violence incidents reported in San Diego County and up to a dozen homicides related to domestic violence. 


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EXCESSIVE HEAT AND RED FLAG WARNINGS ISSUED

 

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service

 

October 22, 2017 (San Diego) - The National Weather Service in San Diego has issued a red flag warning for high fire danger as well as an excessive heat warning. Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday could top 100 degrees in our inland region and may stay above 70 degrees even at night. 


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PLANE CRASH IN LAKESIDE SPARKS BRUSH FIRE


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EVACUATIONS LIFTED IN CAMPO FROM CHURCH BRUSH FIRE

 

 

 

 

East County Wildfire and Emergency Alert Service

Photo by Don Lumb, taken minutes after the fire was reported.

Update Octoer 22, 2017 7:45 a.m.:  The Church Fire in Campo is now 75% contained, and Cal Fire has revised size downward to 100 acres.


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A REPORTER’S REFLECTIONS ON THE FIRESTORMS OF 2007

 

 

Story and photos by Miriam Raftery

Photo, left:  Harris Fire viewed from Barrett Junction, the morning of October 21, 2007

October 21, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Ten years ago today, I was among the first reporters on the scene when the devastating 2007 firestorms began.  I couldn’t believe that just four years after the deadly Cedar Fire, the nightmare was occurring again –on what turned out to be an even more horrific scale.  

Out of the ashes of those fires, East County Magazine and our East County Wildfire and Emergency Alerts were born, to help fill a need for critical information in real-time.


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