Good Samaritan asks why law enforcement took so long to rescue the woman

View video by Angel New of the rescue (warning, strong language and partial nudity)

Photo, left: Screenshot of  video by Angel New shows paramedics and deputies working to revive the victim, as Scot Wolfe (right), the heroic citizen who first went into the water to save the woman, looks on.

By Miriam Raftery

Shiloh Ireland  contributed to this report

August 3, 2022 (Lakeside) – A woman was saved from drowning at Lindo Lake yesterday after Scot Wolfe, a bystander, entered the water to save her.  Sheriff’s deputies followed and pulled the woman out of the water and began lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived.

But some Lakeside residents are criticizing deputies and a park ranger for not taking action until a citizen went in first.  A video by Angel New on Facebook shows that at least a minute and forty seconds elapsed before the first deputy went into the water. Several deputies, appearing in no rush, can be seen standing beside the lake, one stating that they must take their equipment off before they can enter the water.

East County News Service

August 1, 2022 (La Mesa) -- On Saturday, agents from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) and detectives from the La Mesa Police Department conducted a “shoulder tap” sting operation targeting adults who furnished alcoholic beverages to minors. A decoy contacted several adults throughout the operation and three arrests were made.

By Chuck Westerheide, County of San Diego Communications Office

August 1, 2022 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego was awarded $6 million in Proposition 47 grant funding that will be used to help people returning to their communities after serving time in County jails. The financial support is earmarked for those leaving custody who have a history of behavioral health needs and are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The County will also leverage an additional $4 million for a total program of $10 million.

East County News Service

July 31, 2022 (Spring Valley) – A San Diego man, 27, was killed after his black Toyota sedan veered out of traffic lanes and hit a white box truck parked on the shoulder of I-15 northbound, near Friar’s Road.  The driver of the white box truck, a 25-year-old Spring Valley man, had stopped due to a flat tire. He was standing on the shoulder and suffered injuries after the collision pushed the truck against him Friday around 1:09 a.m.

Update: The site came back up by early evening; the CDC has not announced what caused the outage.

July 28, 2022 (Washington D.C.) - The website for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov) has been down for at least half an hour, as of 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

ECM's editor found the site down while attempting to research travel vaccine requirements. She notified the CDC's media relations office, which was unaware of the outage.

By Miriam Raftery

July 27, 2022 (Pine Hills) – The body of Terry Hughes, 76, has been found, according to a post by Cheryl Bakken on the Find Terry Hughes Facebook page. Hughes left his Pine Hills home near Julian for a walk Monday around 4 p.m.

East County News Service 

July 26, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Do you recognize any of these jewelry pieces? El Cajon Police

detectives are working a burglary series associated with elder abuse. Victims who were being cared for by a caregiver had personal items stolen, ECPD reports on its Facebook page. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Miriam Raftery and Henri Migala (Elijah McKee, also a winner, was not present)

July 26, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Magazine continues to be recognized for its high quality reporting on news in the public interest in San Diego’s inland region.

On July 21^st, the Society of Professional Journalists held its annual journalism awards presentation.  East County Magazine received three awards, bringing our total number of professional journalism awards to 140 since our inception in 2008. The winning journalists are Elijah McKee, Henri Migala, and Miriam Raftery.

By Miriam Raftery

July 24, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service is forecasting cooler temperatures and possible thunderstorms today through most of next week in San Diego County’s mountains and deserts.

Gusty winds, lightning, heavy rain and small hail may also occur with afternoon thunderstorms.  The odds are slight for today, but increase later in the week.

By Miriam Raftery

July 21, 2022 This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19.  According to a White House briefing, he is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms.    The 79-year-old President has begun taking Paxlovid, an anti-viral medication effective during the first several days after symptoms appear.

According to the White House physician Kevin O’Connor’s letter, those symptoms include a runny nose, fatigue and a dry cough.

The President’s last negative test was Tuesday; the positive result was found during routine testing for the President. All contacts since Tuesday will be notified, per the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.  He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence,” the release states.

By Christianne McCormick and Miriam Raftery

View full hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrUa0hfG6Lo&t=189s

July 21, 2022 (Washington D.C.) – Last Tuesday’s hearing by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2020 attack on the U.S. Capitol revealed new evidence, which exposed then-President Donald Trump’s use of social media to influence his followers, including violent extremists in designated hate groups.

Testimony revealed that instead of conceding the election after extensive briefings by top legal advisors informing him that he lost, Trump instead took actions that incited violence and inspired coordination among extremist groups including the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, whose leaders have been charged with seditious conspiracy. Evidence also showed coordination between key Trump advisors and extremist leaders in the days leading up to the January 6^th insurrection. A former Oath Keepers member testified to how he was swayed by Trump's deceptions and a documentary filimmaker confirmed the group's violent intentions.

Trump's White House Counsel Pat Cippolone, former Attorney General Bill Barr and others have testified that Trump was fully informed that no fraud sufficient to overturn election results had been found, after 60 judges found no evidence to overturn any election results. But the President continued to spread the false claim that the election was stolen, pressured Vice President Mike Pence to illegally stop certification of electoral votes, and sought to corrupt the Department of Justice to make false claims.

Republican Senator Liz Cheney said of Trump, “He had access to more information than almost any other American that the election was not stolen,” adding, “No rational or sane man could ignore that or reach an opposite conclusion.” Yet Trump ignored advice of top legal advisors and his own campaign chairman, relying instead on unsubstantiated and debunked legal theories promoted by his personal attorney, Rudy Giiuliani,

The committee presented evidence laying out a disturbing timeline of events:

By Miriam Raftery

July 21, 2022 (Washington D.C.) – After the Supreme Court ruled that states can ban or restrict abortion access, overturning Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration has taken several actions to protect abortion access in certain circumstances. Specifically:

• The administration cited a law on the books since 1986, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires abortions be allowed in all states if a woman’s life or health is at stake; hospitals that refuse can lose Medicare and Medicaid funding.
• The Health and Human Services (HHS) Department warns that pharmacists must dispense medications used for miscarriages and early-term abortions, or face potential criminal penalties. Attorney General Merrick Garland similarly issued a statement that states cannot ban mifepristone, a drug approved by the FDA for early pregnancy termination among other uses.
• HHS launched a website to help people nationwide find reproductive care and understand their rights at https://reproductiverights.gov/
• President Joe Biden signed an executive order to protect patient privacy and access to emergency contraception and medication abortions.
• HHS has advised pharmacies not to discriminate based on types of contraception sold, if any birth control items are sold in their retail stores.
  

By Miriam Raftery

Photos via Sara Jacobs’ Facebook

July 19, 2022 (Washington D.C.) – Seventeen members of Congress including San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs were arrested today during a peaceful protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court over its controversial ruling that overturned Roe vs. Wade and allows states to ban or restrict abortions.

By Miriam Raftery

July 19, 2022 (Pine Hills) – Authorities are search for Terry Robert Hughes, 76, who was last seen yesterday afternoon. He failed to come home after a walk near Pine Hills. Search and rescue crews are combing roadways in the area and ask public help to bring him home safely.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Denise Thomas Photography, courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

July 19, 2022 (Alpine) – Bonnie Baum Roth, 35, was taking her young daughters to a dance competition in Long Beach on Friday when she lost control of her SUV, which plummeted down an embankment on I-8 near Alpine. She was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol.