East County News Service

August 31, 2023  (El Cajon) -- Pacific Emblem Company, a 35-year-old custom manufacturer of patches, emblems and wristbands, is stepping up in a big way to help raise money for the fire victims on Maui.  The company’s goal is to raise $50,000  or more through its special site, www.MauiStrong.help and donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation (referred to as the Maui Strong Fund). 

100% of the money raised will be donated (after the cost of goods, employees, and shipping, which is free for the public. 

The company has ties and friends on the Hawaiian Islands and wanted to do something to help as much as possible. 

“My heart hurts for all those on Maui who lost their lives, homes, and businesses and I had to do something to raise desperately needed funds for the residents,” said Rich Soergel (aka Dr. Patch) at the helm of Pacific Emblem Company.

Our readers value East County Wildfire and  Emergency Alerts!  Read some of their testimonials below.

You can also support our alerts  with a donation at https://www.EastCountyMedia.org/donate. 

“You guys are fast! Often I get your alerts before I hear from dispatch.  I forward many of your …Wildfire & Emergency alerts to all our people.” – Chief August Ghio, president, San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association (now retired)

“Everyone here should sign up for East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts.”—Supervisor Joel Anderson, at a town hall in Julian

“As Executive Director of the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County and President of the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, I would like to commend Ms. Raftery (founder of East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts) for her suggestions for protection of San Diego County's unincorporated and wildland-urban interface areas.” – Marty Leavitt

“Thank you so much for the unexpected yet timely alert regarding the fire yesterday.  We saw the smoke but were left completely uninformed. Then suddenly I rec’d your email!  I’m referring you to many others.” – Ellen Sullivan, reader

by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Photo, August 11, surveilance photo of the raid (Courtesy Marion County Record)

August 31, 2023 (Topeka, Kansas) — Police Chief Gideon Cody arrived at the Marion County Record and handed a copy of a search warrant to Deb Gruver, the veteran reporter who had questioned him about alleged misconduct at his previous job.

August 29, 2023  (San Diego) -- The National Weather Service has extended the Excessive Heat Warning for the San Diego County deserts, mountains and valleys through Wednesday, August 30, at 8 p.m.. Temperatures will reach 110 to 117 degrees in the deserts, 95 to 107 in the valleys, and 90 to 100 in the mountains.

The San Diego County Department of Emergency Services advises:

• Stay inside or shaded areas. Drink lots of water.
• If you feel sick from the heat, call 9-1-1.
• Never leave young children or pets alone in vehicles.
  

Source:  SDG&E

Photo:  Shelter Valley Community Center Board President Steve Bassett inspects installation at Shelter Valley Community Center site.

Connected devices such as energy storage and smart thermostats centrally managed to reduce demand on the grid

August 28, 2023 (San Diego) – As extreme heat records fall across the West and strain the power grid, San Diego Gas & Electric is piloting a new cleantech innovation known as a virtual power plant (VPP) to reduce energy demand and put electricity back on the grid during peak hours – all through leveraging the capabilities of customer-owned smart thermostats, rooftop solar, energy storage and other connected resources such as water pumps.

Judge denies couple’s request to delay sentencing, after they claimed air travel was unsafe for Jessica Kalasho due to pregnancy

By Miriam Raftery

File photo of  Ben and Jessica Kalasho at a prior hearing

August 26, 2023  (San Diego) – Former El Cajon Councilman Bessmon  “Ben” Kalasho and his wife, Jessica have been found guilty on four counts each of contempt of court in a civil defamation case won by attorney Lina Charry. 

They have been ordered to report to San Diego Superior Court on September 1 to being serving an eight-day jail sentence, as well as pay fines of $1,000 apiece for each count.

By Miriam Raftery

August 25,  2023 (Milwaukee) – Eight Republican presidential candidates squared off in a debate in Milwaukee. Donald Trump, facing indictment on 91 criminal charges in four cases, did not participate but was a topic of discussion among his opponents.  The debate proved lively, with some candidates sharply differering with each other, all criticizing Democrat Joe Biden’s administration, all approving Vice President Mike Pence's action to certify votes, but only two willing to criticize Trump, the party frontrunner.

The issues ranged from abortion, which all eight candidates support restricting, to Bidenomics, climate change, crime, border security and foreign policy. Clear policy differences emerged--as well as some strong clashes among contenders.

Fox news anchors Bret  Baier and Martha MacCallum posed questions to the candidates shown in the photo, top left to lower right: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum,  former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie,  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Former United Nations Ambassador and ex-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and  U.S.Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina.

Our coverage includes positions of Trump, despite his absence, and the record and stances of the Biden administration as well to provide the range of options for voters.

By Shauni Lyles, County of San Diego Communications Office

Video by Suzanne Bartole

August 24, 2023 (San Diego) - It’s been one year and counting since hopeful chefs looking for a way to start a business in their homes found one through the County’s Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) program.

By Jessyka Heredia

August 18, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – Approximately 50 people were in attendance earlier this month at the Lemon Grove Library to hear what Mayor Raquel Vasquez, the city council and staff has accomplished this past year and what is planned moving forward for Lemon Grove.

By Sameea Kamal, CalMatters

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

Photo:  the California Air Resources Board meets at the California Environmental Protection Agency building in Sacramento on June 23, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

August 23, 2023 (Sacramento) - For a July meeting, the Little Hoover Commission — an independent state oversight agency — posted notice that the public could attend in Sacramento, but also in Traverse City, Mich., or Southampton, N.Y.

Scheme involved fake electors, seizing voting machines, and pressuring officials in Georgia and other states to break the law

By Miriam Raftery

August 15, 2023 (Fulton County, GA) – In a sweeping 98-page indictment, Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis filed indictments against former president Donald Trump and 18 others with violating the state’s Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO)  Act. The indictments, recommended by a Grand Jury, accuse the defendants of willfully joining a “conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.”

41 counts in the conspiracy case include forgery, filing false documents, making false statement and writings, impersonating a public officer, pressuring public officials to violate their oaths of office to commit illegal acts in multiple states, and illegally accessing ballots on voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia, among other things.

Trump faces 13 new criminal charges in Georgia, the fourth jurisdiction where he is under criminal indictment. The former president and current presidential candidate is charged with conspiracy to  impersonate a public officer (related to the slate of fake electors that cast votes and submitted them to official channels), conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (including in official proceedings), and conspiracy to commit filing false documents. He is also charged with pressuring public officials to violate the law for the purpose of stealing the 2020 presidential election.

The indictment alleges that after  Trump falsely declared victory following the Nov. 2020 election, Trump among other things personally committed the ofllowing illegal acts:

• Called Arizona Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers and pressured  Bowers to unlawfully appoint electors to vote for Trump, even though Biden won the state. Bowers declined and told Trump, “I voted for you… I campaigned for you.  I just won’t do anything illegal for you.”
• Joined a call to Pennsylvania legislators, made false statements and asked them to appoint electors for Trump, though Biden won Pennsylvania;
• Met with Mark Meadows and John McEntee to devise a scheme for Vice President Mike Pence  to count only half the electoral votes from some states and return others to state legislators, an illegal act which Pence refused to do;
• Solicited Georgia’s Republican Speaker of the House David Ralston (since deceased) to commit a felony by arranging for Georgia to appoint presidential electors for Trump, even though Biden won Georgia;
• Called the Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel and asked her to help get certain people to meet as fake electors and cast electoral votes for Trump in states won by Biden;
• Asked  U.S. Attorney General Jefrrey Rosen and Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue to make a false statement.  Trump urged them, “Just say that the election was corrupt,and leave the rest to me and the Republican Congressmen.”
• Made false and harassing statements against officials who refused his demands to violate the law, such as “What a fool Governor@BrianKempGA of Georgia is…Demand this clown call a Special Session and open up signature verificfation NOW.”
• Submitted false documents in a lawsuit, Trump v.Kemp, which falsely claimed that thousands of votes were cast by felons, unregistered voters, underage people and dead people, without any evidence.
• Solicited Georgia’s Secretary of State,Republican Brad Raffensperger, to commit a felony by unlawfully altering  certified election results.
• Making false statements to  Raffensperger and other Georgia officials claiming pollworker  Ruby Freeman stuffed ballot boxes, that ballots were dumped,and numerous other claims found to be false.
• Was present at a January 4, 2021 meeting with Vice President Pence,  Eastman and others. After Trump pressured Pence to reject electoral voes or delay the joint session of Congress on January 6, Eastman “admitted both options violated the Electoral Count Act,” the indictment states.
• Made false statements asserting election fraud (despite losing 62 court challenges, some decided by Trump-appointed judges) in his speech at the Ellipse and urged the crowd to march to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, where violence ensued that resulted in several deaths and 140 injured  Capitol police officers.
  

By UM News

Photos by Mike DuBose

August 22, 2023 (Nashville, Tenn.) -- Gun reform supporters, including United Methodist clergy and church members, gathered for an early morning prayer vigil at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, yesterday. The gathering came as lawmakers begin a special legislative session focused on public safety and mental health following a mass shooting at the Covenant School here in March. The Rev. Ingrid McIntyre, a United Methodist pastor, helped organize the vigil.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Michael Adam Cohen, award-winning entertainment reporter and photographer: taken near I-8 near Del Cerro

August 21, 2023 (San Diego) – Tropical Storm Hilary has moved northeast out of San Diego County.  The storm brought high winds and heavy drenching in many local communities, while others had only moderate rainfall. The storm  sparked spectacular lightning storms over East County’s mountains and even prompted a tornado warning for Alpine, Descanso, and other areas.

Though no tornados are known to have touched down, Michael Cohen photographed a funnel cloud near I-8 from his Del Cerro home.

August 20, 2023 3:55 p.m. -- A tornado warning has been issued by the National Weather SeErvice until 4 pm includes Locations impacted includes Alpine, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Descanso, Captain Gran

de Indian Reservation, Viejas Indian Reservation, Japatul Valley, and Boulder Creek. This is due to an extreme thunderstorm capable of producing tornados.

From the National Weather Service:

Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without  shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is  likely.