By Mike Allen

June 14, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Like every city and the state of California, La Mesa is grappling with the ever-burgeoning costs related to generous pension benefits negotiated by labor unions years ago.

By Miriam Raftery

June 13, 2017 (La Mesa)—Helix Water District’s board will hold a special meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at the district headquarters (7811 University Avenue, La Mesa) to consider the proposed fiscal year 2017-18 budget of $88,282,730. Click to view the complete board package.  Scroll down for details on a proposed rate increase, most due to a hike in rates from the County Water Authority:

By Miriam Raftery

June 13, 2017 (El Cajon ) -- The U.S.  Patent and Trademark Office has issued an order cancelling Ben Kalasho’s trademark for the San Diego-East County Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce name.  The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board held that the trademark caused confusion with the Chaldean  American Chamber of Commerce based in Detroit, which has been using the name since 2001. 

The board held that the trademarks were similar and that the local group used the entirety of the Detroit group’s name in its branding.

Kalasho founded and served as President of the local Chamber before stepping down earlier this year to avoid conflcts of interest after his election to the El Cajon City Council.  Kalasho’s wife, Jessica, currently serves as President.

By Miriam Raftery

June 13, 2017 (San Diego) -- The Board of Supervisors will look at ideas next week designed to help get the homeless into homes.  County Supervisors Ron Roberts and Dianne Jacob unveiled the three initiatives to spur the building, renovation and acquisition of affordable housing and stem the growing tide of homelessness.

By Miriam Raftery

View James Comey’s introductory remarks and full testimony.  

June 8, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – In riveting testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee today,  fired FBI director James Comey confirmed that President Donald Trump  asked him in person and in phone calls to back off the investigation of National Security advisor Michael Flynn’s Russian ties. 

Trump fired Comey after he refused to back off the investigation or swear a loyalty oath, promising "honesty" instead. Comey said Trump  then“chose to defame me—and more importantly, the FBI by saying the organization was in disarray and that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple.”

Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe backed Comey in his recent testimony , stating,“Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day,” adding that Russia probe is “significant.”

Kalasho provides documents to bolster his defense, though this isn't first time he has faced claims of fraud or ethics questions

By Miriam Raftery

Updated with comments from Tawfiq's attorney

June 7, 2017 (El Cajon) – A lawsuit has been filed against the Miss Middle East Beauty pageant  USA Inc. and Ben (Bessmon) Kalasho, organizer of the pageant and an El Cajon City Councilman.

The suit, filed by pageant winner Zhala Tawfiq and first reported by the Reader, claims the pageant is fraudulent, that prize money was not paid, and that after she objected to giving up passwords to her social media accounts, photos of her face photoshopped onto someone else’s nude body were posted on  an Instagram page named “Zhala_Tawfiq_Fanpage” with a  post reading, “Leaked images of Miss Middle East Beauty Queen.”  Soon after she was removed as pageant winner and the title was given to the runner-up.

Asked if he posted the photos, Kalasho told East County Magazine, “Absolutely not." He indicated Tawfiz was replaced due to not fulfilling terms of her contract.

By Miriam Raftery

June 6, 2017 (La Mesa)—Helix Water District’s Board meets Wednesday, June 7 at 6 p.m. (7811 University Ave., La Mesa.  View board package . 

Items of interest include a presentation by the County Water Authority un its lawsuit against the Metropolitan Water District, a proposal to adopt a resolution declaring an end to drought level 1 restrictions but keeping in place other permanent water use restrictions.  The board will also consider spending funds on a customer satisfaction survey.

Below are notes received from Board member Kathleen Hedberg with additional comments on these items.

East County News Service

June 5, 2017 (Lakeside) – A 37-year-old woman has died after she and a second motorcyclist parked on the shoulder of Winter Gardens Boulevard south of Creekford Road in Lakeside were struck by a Ford Taurus Monday at 8:52 p.m.

East County News Service

June 4, 2017 (San Diego) – If you’re a landlord looking for tenants, the County is offering bonuses of up to $500 if you’ll rent to a homeless family, veteran or other homeless person who has a rental assistance subsidy from the County of San Diego Housing Authority. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: NASA satellite:  Arctic ice reached an all-time record low in March, due to record temperatures.

June 2, 2017 (San Diego)—President Donald Trump’s announcement yesterday to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord  means the U.S. joins Syrian dictator Bashar Assad as the only other world leader who does not believe climate change is a serious threat to the planet.   Every nation on earth signed the Paris agreement calling for aggressive action to combat climate change, except for Syria and Nicaragua, but Nicaragua wanted even stronger actions to protect planet Earth.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Daren Sefcik

June 1, 2017 (Borrego Springs) – The 47^th annual Anza Borrego bighorn sheep count is set for  June 29^th through July 1^st,  with a mandatory orientation on June 17^th for all new counters and recommended for those who participated in the past.   The count will go on despite the death of its long-time leader, Ranger Steve Bier. 

“We were unable to find the master sheep count mailing list,”  states a letter from Anza Borrego Desert State Park Superintendent Kathy Dice and volunteer Sheep County Coordinator Mark Jorgensen, who are organizing a new sheep counting team. If you know of counters,  please forward their contact information to AB.Sheepcount@parks.ca.gov.

By Jonathan Goetz

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

May 30, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council had a packed agenda Wednesday at its 3 p.m. meeting, taking actions including:

• Voting 5-0 to put an item on an upcoming agenda to have staff prepare a report on feasibility of hiring a Crisis House “homeless navigator” expert to match unique needs of homeless people with private and public programs to help house the homeless;  
• Voting 4-1 to hold two town hall meetings annually to allow residents to propose agenda items and for Council to set agenda priorities;
• Heard a report from the County Water Authority claiming Metropolitan Water has been squandering funds and overcharging ratepayers;
• Honoring participants and supporters of America on Main Street;
• Presented awards to local youths and Friends of East County Arts contest winners
• Praised a resident for using a drone to get evidence of an illegal marijuana dispensary.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos:  Norm Case examines Civil War drum played at the Battle of Shiloh  (photo, left) by his ancestor, Philo L. Case (photo, right)

May 28, 2017 (Ramona)--Philo Case, a drummer in the Union Army, played the long roll that called troops to arms during the battle of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest conflicts in the Civil War.  This Memorial Day weekend, his drum is on display at Hatfield Creek Winery in Ramona at 2 p.m. each day. 

Norm Case, Philo's descendent, shared the amazing history handed down through his family -- a tale that includes not only Civil War stories, but also a mystery involving another branch of his family tree that includes the niece of John Wilkes Booth.  Case says she's told him her family has kept a secret for generations--claiming her uncle came to Yakima, Washington and asked that his presence be kept secret -- after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

May 27, 2017 (San Diego) --Dr. Tom Deméré, curator of paleontology and director of PaleoServices at the San Diego Natural History Museum, was our guest recently on the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ.   Deméré vigorously defended his team’s conclusions that  bones from an ancient mastodon skeleton found locally were broken and sharpened with stones onsite by early humans 130,000 years ago.  

Click the audio link to hear our full interview, and scroll down for highlights.

Source:  City of La Mesa

May 26, 2017 (La Mesa) - May is Drowning Prevention Month in the City of La Mesa, and as the Memorial Day weekend approaches, the community is reminded to be safe in and around water.  

According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury and death worldwide. Children, males, and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning.  In addition, the Center for Disease Control and Injury Prevention states that children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rate, with most of those drownings occurring in home swimming pools and during the months of May to August.