ONLY 40 REMAIN IN THE WILD; MOST ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN NORTH AMERICA

"There were pups. Now it will be a challenge for them to survive."--Patrick Valentino, California Wolf Preserve in Julian

July 21, 2010 (Julian) -- “It’s depressing—very bad news,” Patrick Valentino at the California Wolf Center in Julian said upon learning that two endangered Mexican grey wolves had been found shot in Arizona. Eva Sargent at Defenders of Wildlife in Tucson told East County Magazine that a third Mexican wolf, or lobo, has been found dead in New Mexico under suspicious causes.  A fourth wolf is missing.

July 18, 2010 (Ramona) – Cal-Fire rescued four dehydrated hikers and a dog, but were unable to save a second dog that collapsed and died on the trail to Cedar Falls near Ramona on Saturday. The group had hiked more than two miles in temperatures over 100 degrees.

The tragedy illustrates the need for hikers to know safety tips for themselves--and their dogs.

BROTHERS SAVE LITTLE SISTER, 4

Updated July 18, 2010
July 17, 2010 (Spring Valley) -- 100 degree heat in Spring Valley today did not slow the attack of San Miguel firefighters on a house fire in the 8600 block of Sandy Bev Lane.  A mother and seven of her eight children were home when the blaze was reported. The mother told investigators she was in the kitchen preparing a meal when she heard the smoke alarm sound. She went down a hallway to investigate and found one of the children’s bedrooms on fire.

Seven family members evacuated safely, but once outside realized that a four-year-old child was missing.  The girls brothers, 14 and 18, ran back inside and found her hiding in her bedroom closet and rescued her.

"The policy of the GUHSD in thunder/lightning storm conditions would be to immediately seek safe shelter at the first sound of thunder." -- Larry Pear, Grossmont Union High School District

ECM Special Report

Story by Miriam Raftery, photos by Dennis Richardson

July 16, 2010 (Lakeside)—While lightning strikes caused multiple fires in East County including Lakeside, El Capitan’s football team continued practicing on an open field during a thunderstorm in direct violation of district rules.

“There was thunder and lightning in the immediate area striking the ground...during the time the kids were practicing,” ECM photographer Dennis Richardson reports. “As I was shooting pictures of the players [from a hill nearby], a man who was watching the lightning storm from the safety of his home near me told me he had just seen a bolt of lightning hit a power pole near Wildcat Canyon and Willow Road.” That’s about half a mile from the football practice, he estimated.

 

Playing sports during a thunderstorm can be deadly. In 2008, all eleven players on a football team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were killed when lightning struck the field. 

July 16, 2010 (Pine Valley) – San Diego Sheriff’s office today announced a search for a Rancho San Diego man who was last seen on June 30th. Steve Smith, 47, was reported missing on July 12; his vehicle was towed by California Highway Patrol on July 8 at 2:30 a.m. from the Pine Valley bridge. Smith may be suicidal and in possession of a firearm, according to an investigation by detectives with the Lemon Grove Sheriff substation.

July 14, 2010 (San Diego's East County) --A woman is distraught and threatening to jump off a bridge over Eastbound highway 54 near the 805 junction, Incident Page Network reported at 6:05 p.m.   

Traffic is also slow on westbound I-8 due to two major accidents, including a rollover at Fairmont where a vehicle rolled down an embankment, forcing a road closure.  A second accident has occured near College Avenue.

 
LOCAL LEADERS REACT TO DECISION WITH SHOCK & AWE

July 13, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The last 19-mile link of SDG&E’s controversial Sunrise Powerlink transmission line project has been approved by Cleveland National Forest director William Metz, the Union-Tribune reports.
 

July 13, 2010 (Alpine) –A Life-Flight helicopter has been called to transport a five-year-old boy struck by a vehicle to a local trauma center. The child is breathing and conscious, but may have broken bones, according to a Sheriff’s official.

The child was struck by a hit-and-run driver in the 2100 block of Alpine Glen Place in the Japatul Valley area around 5 p.m. and reportedly was crushed between the vehicle and a block wall.  A search is on for the driver of the vehicle after law enforcement obtained the address at which the vehicle is registered, ECM has learned.

July 10, 2010 (Pine Valley) – Donald Patterson, 57, of El Cajon has been identified by the San Diego Medical Examiner as the driver of a pickup that plummeted off I-8 near the Sunrise Highway exit in Pine Valley on Wednesday, sparking a brush fire.

By Miriam Raftery

July 9, 2010 (San Diego's East County)  -  What are the odds of a big quake striking your community?  Now there's a website where you can type in your zip code and learn the probability of a major quake striking in the near or distant future.

I typed in my own zip code (91941 La Mesa) and was startled to learn that the odds of a 6.0 magnitude quake or greater striking within the next 10 years is 50%--and in some nearby towns the chances are even greater. 

What should you do to stay safe when an earthquake strikes?

July 9, 2010 (San Diego) – East County Magazine added another award to its growing list of honors last night at the Society of Professional Journalists awards banquet at the Bali Hai restaurant in San Diego. SPJ-San Diego presented ECM with a first-place award for investigative reporting in the daily news reporting category.

July 8, 2010 (La Mesa) – A 74-year-old woman whose car crashed through a fence and tumbled 60 feet down an embankment on Aztec Drive in La Mesa has been rescued. Heartland Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the accident at 12:30 p.m. and found the vehicle had landed in a drainage ditch. It took ten firefighters approximately half an hour to extricate the woman from the vehicle by removing the roof of the car.

July 7, 2010 - A strong earthquake jolted East County at 4:53 p.m. today.  The quake, which was centered 13 miles north northwest of Borrego Springs in San Diego's East County, was initially rated a 5.9 on the Richter scale but subsequently downgraded to a 5.4 according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"Montezuma Valley Grade had boulders rock and come loose, laying in the roadway, a citizen reported," a deputy at Borrego Springs told East County Magazine.  "They felt it was a safety hazard and I dispatched County Roads...Cell phone service went out for about five minutes also; all circuits were busy."

"It was a rough jolt," Linda Narrin, an employee at Orchard Hill Bed & Breakfast Inn in Julian, told East County Magazine.  

July 6, 2010 (Washington D.C.) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on July 1st unveiled an innovative new on-line tool aimed at helping consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources to access quality, affordable health care coverage.