Source: U.S. Health and Human Services

Photo:  CC via Bing

October 30, 2021 (Washington D.C.) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding a total of $797.5 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their children.

By Miriam Raftery

October 30, 2021 (San Diego) – On Tuesday, Supervisors approved a measure introduced by Supervisor Joel Anderson to bring help to homeless people in East County.

The new ordinance gives staff 120 days to propose locations for homeless shelters in unincorporated areas, as well as safe parking lots for people living in vehicles. The sites will have wrap-around services, so homeless families and individuals will receive support to get off the streets.

“The goal is to put these individuals on a path towards stability, independence, and employment,” says Anderson.

Adult animal adoption fees reduced to $10 with a donation of an unopened pet treat

East County News Service

October 29, 2021 (San Diego) --  To celebrate Halloween, San Diego Humane Society is hosting an adoption promotion titled All Treat, No Trick Oct. 29-31, 2021. During the event, generously sponsored by Purina<https://www.purina.com/>, adoption fees for adult animals (7 months and older) will be reduced to $10 with the donation of an unopened pet treat to San Diego Humane Society.

These large snails can potentially transmit rat lung worm disease

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Channeled apple snail laying a mass of pink eggs  by Katasha Cornwell, Fl. Dept. of Transportation:

October 28, 2021 (San Diego) – What are those pink clusters on rocks at Lake Murray and Lake Miramar?  After an East County Magazine inquiry, an official with the city of San Diego confirmed that they are eggs laid by Channeled Apple Snails. Also known as the “golden snail,” the crustacean is an invasive species from South America with potential to become a serious agricultural pest—and also potential to transmit rat lung disease. 

They are listed as a restricted species prohibited in California – but they are now found in several California counties and a handful of other states including Florida, Alabama, Arizona, and Idaho.

East County News Service

View video: https://www.facebook.com/CityOfElCajon/videos/3043747972534333 \

October 27, 2021 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon and Heartland Fire & Rescue shared a video on its Facebook and Instagram accounts recounting a recent rescue by firefighters using swift water rescue equipment recently received through a grant from the Firehouse Sub Public Safety Foundation. The equipment was received just two weeks prior to the rescue

View games live on Channel 4 and streamed live at YurView.com

East County News Service

October 21, 2021 (San Diego) --  Cox Communications’ YurView network has partnered with the California Interscholastic Federation this year to bring exceptional local high school sports, including football, basketball and volleyball, on Channel 4 in San Diego and Channel 118 in Orange County, as well as streaming on YurView.com.

By Miriam Raftery

October 24, 2021 (San Diego) – “Just a couple of weeks ago, a quarter of a million kids were getting COVID,” says Dr. William Tseng, area assistant medical director of Kaiser Permanente and Kaiser’s vaccine expert. That’s according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' new site tracking COVID cases in U.S. children. Deaths of children due to COVID have occurred in 48 of 50 states.

In an exclusive interview via Zoom on October, the day the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) broadly expanded eligibility of COVID-19 booster shots, East County Magazine interviewed Dr. Tseng on who should get boosters and what parents should know about COVID vaccines for children ages 5-11, which are likely to be approved in early November.  The answers may surprise you!

Click the image at left to view the full interview (which will also air on KNSJ radio) or click "read more' and scroll down to read highlights.

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2021 (San Diego) –  East County Magazine tonight received 11 awards in San Diego Press Club’s 48^th annual Excellence In Journalism competition. The honors include three first place awards, recognitions for both our online news site and radio show coverage during the past year’s turbulent times.  ECM’s awards span a broad range of categories, including three of the four awards presented for breaking news. Since its inception in 2008, ECM has won 137 major journalism prizes.

Congratulations to ECM’s award-winning reporting team:  Miriam Raftery, Henri Migala, Helen Horvath, and the late Briana Gomez as well as columnists David Shorey and Paul Levikow.

“I’m proud of our team for once again going all out to report news that matters, even amid a global pandemic and civil unrest, at times risking their own safety to get the stories,” says ECM editor Miriam Raftery. " It's especially poignant to see two posthumous awards honoring works by Briana Gomez, who was such a talented and devoted young journalist."

She adds, “We also thank the Facebook Journalism Project for their generous support through a grant which helped enable our reporting during the pandemic, including several Zoom special reports and interviews as well as our coverage of COVID-19 issues and breaking news."

 Below are ECM's winning stories, radio broadcasts and podcasts:

Source: Caltrans

Photo: Creative Commons-SA via Bing

October 23, 2021 (Dulzura) --  Pavement rehabilitation work on a nine-mile segment of State Route 94,  from just west of Arnold Road to State Route 188 in East County, will move to weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning Monday, according to Caltrans.

The work will require lane closures on 1.5-mile sections of roadway within the project area through November. Highway personnel will direct traffic onto the open lane, one direction at a time, as crews work on the closed lane.

Traffic delays are expected depending on the traffic queues and motorists are advised to allow additional travel time to reach their destinations.

Signs will be posted ahead of the closures to alert drivers.

By Miriam Raftery

October 23, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control yesterday announced approval of booster shots for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. The Moderna booster approved is half of the original dose. Boosters of Pfizer, the third vaccine authorized in the U.S., were previously approved.

The CDC also provided consumers the option to mix and match, choosing a different booster than their original vaccine(s).

Who's eligible -- and when should you consider getting a different vaccine than your original dose? 

By Miriam Raftery

October 21, 2021 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police arrested a man this evening for domestic violence after a physical altercation at Salon Radiance.

Officers responded to a report of the altercation between a man and woman around 5:30 p.m. at the hair salon located at 4753 Palm Avenue in the La Mesa downtown village.

“When officers arrived, their investigation revealed that it was a domestic violence incident and the victim had a valid restraining order against the suspect. The victim suffered minor injuries (abrasions),” Lieutenant Greg Runge with La Mesa Police told ECM in an email response to our request for information.

Source: San Diego Humane Society

October 21, 2021 (San Diego) – The San Diego Humane Society is hosting an adoption campaign sponsored by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria Oct. 22-24. During the event titled #Gloria100, adoption fees for the first 100 adult pets will be waived. After 100 adoptions are reached, all adult animals will be $25.

“We are so grateful to Mayor Gloria for sponsoring this adoption campaign,” said Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO, San Diego Humane Society. “There is no place like home for a pet and we are lucky to have a mayor in the City of San Diego who recognizes the importance of highlighting adoptions. Each time we find a pet a new home, we create space for another animal who needs our help.”

476 of 605 officer deaths in 2020 and 2021 in the U.S. were due to COVID-19

By Miriam Raftery

October 17, 2021 (San Diego) – Law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to protect the public. Yet many have voiced fear over COVID-19 vaccines as their unions push back against mandates.

The irony is that according to the “Officer Down Memorial Page,” the greatest risk by far to the lives of police and other law enforcement officers isn’t an armed criminal. In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 killed by far more law enforcement officers nationally and statewide than anything else. In California last year, COVID took the lives of more officers than all other causes of death combined.

San Diego County included in drought declaration

By Rachel Decker, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

October 20, 2021 (San Diego) - Gov. Gavin Newsom today declared a drought emergency for the entire state of California, as conservation efforts continue to fall far short of state targets.

By Miriam Raftery and Henri Migala

View Zoom interview with Dr. Mark Sawyer, infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital and advisor to the FDA, responding to parents' concerns:  https://youtu.be/qSlSxgWUQaU   

View video of protesters:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deM8NE8SWAo

October 20, 2021 (La Mesa) – Over 300 parents, teachers, staffers and students held a protest Tuesday against new mandates to require vaccines in public schools and against existing mask mandates.

Local demonstrators gathered on the Grossmont bridge over Interstate-8 in La Mesa, part of a statewide school walkout day over California’s public health mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants waved flags and held signs, slowing traffic on the freeway as some motorists honked in support.

ECM spoke with several parents  regarding their concerns for their children's health, and also consulted a prominent pediatric medical expert on COVID-19 to respond to those concerns. In addition, we reached out to two East County school districts to assess the impact of the walkout on school funding and attendance.

Parents and school employees speak out; medical expert responds