February 21, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - "Mars One" , a Dutch nonprofit, has announced plans to build the first permanent settlement Mars.  More than 200,000 people applied to join the first expedition of settlers on a143 million mile, one-way trip to the fourth planet from the sun.

East County News Service

February 20, 2015 (San Diego)—Threats of Islamic State (or ISIL) forces spreading across northern Africa and into Europe are growing.  After establishing a caliphate in portions of Iraq and Syria, ISIL jihadists have reportedly burned 40 people alive  in Iraq’s Anbar province as well as a Jordanian pilot and beheaded 20 Egyptian Christians in Libya. This weeks, Turkish intelligence reportedly warns that ISIL may be plotting terror attacks in Turkey.

By Miriam Raftery

February 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Last week,  a young Jewish man was shot and killed outside a Copenhagen synagogue. In Paris, as many as 250 Jewish graves were desecrated.  At the University of California in Davis, California earlier this month, swastikas were sprayed on a Jewish fraternity house after a demonstration by pro-Palestinian students, one of whom  proclaimed on Facebook that Hamas and Sharia law had come to the campus, prompting 23 organizations to demand an investigation to protect Jewish students’ safety. These are the latest in a string of hate crimes targeting Jewish people around the world.

It's a violent start to the New Year that continues a chilling trend.  Last year, 2014, was a year of unprecedented anti-Semitic violence worldwide, the Simon Wiesenthal Center reports. That report found that due to violent anti-Semitism, Jewish people worldwide now face the greatest challenges since the end of World War II, when 6 million Jewish people were exterminated in concentration camps by the Nazis.

By Miriam Raftery

February 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – A federal judge in Texas has issued a preliminary injunction blocking President Obama’s executive actions on immigration from being implemented, while a lawsuit filed by Texas and 25 other states works its way through the courts.

Source: Heartland Fire & Rescue

February 14, 2015 (El Cajon)-Heartland Fire & Rescue crews in El Cajon responded to reports of a brush fire in the 1500 block of Orange Avenue in El Cajon Saturday afternoon at 4:41 p.m.   Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke coming from a hillside behind a home at 1522 S. Orange Avenue.

By Patsy Fritz

February 16, 2015 (San Diego)--The County General Plan, adopted August 3, 2011, took 12 years and cost $18,600,000. It’s based on smart growth/smart location. But if you think it will effectively control sprawl in the backcountry, you may have to think again.

On Saturday, February 21 at 9:00 a.m. the County will hold its second public workshop on a controversial clause in the General Plan that limits “leapfrog development.” The County Planning & Development staff is seeking to abandon the current limitation and are seeking an “equivalent” standard. Location of the workshop will be 5500 Overland Avenue, Room 120 at the County Operations Center (on Kearney Mesa in San Diego). 

Lasting two hours, the agenda is identical to one held Wednesday, February 11, where opposition was raised to any change, by many of the rural Community and Sponsor Group members who attended.

By Miriam Raftery

February 15, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--A toddler who captured the hearts of a community has died after a long battle with neuroblastoma cancer.  A memorial service was held on Valentine’s Day for Kylie Rowand of Alpine, with hundreds of mourners dressed in pink at Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon.

February 13, 2015 (San Diego) — With Valentine’s Day approaching, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials want to remind travelers of prohibited flowers from Mexico, so there are no surprises at the border.

By Ariele Johannson

NOTE: Check with the County of San Diego if you plan to attend the hearing at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 20^th, in case the hearing is postponed. San Diego County Planning Commission meets in the COC Conference Center Hearing Room at 5520 Overland Avenue, San Diego. Phone: (858)-694-3816. Agenda changes must be made 72 hours before the hearing.

February 12, 2015 (Ranchita)—Visitors driving to the Anza-Borrego Desert  on Highways S2 and S22 pass through the small community of Ranchita. The unincorporated community of Ranchita is approximately 12 miles southwest of Borrego Springs at 4,065 feet elevation. A Telecommunication Facility Major Use permit application—APPLICATION #P-11-034—has been made by Vista Towers, LLC, a company that owns and manages a number of urban and suburban sites. Its website states,“Our specialty is developing multi-carrier facilities in underserved rural areas.” The proposed Verizon and AT&T cell towers would be visible from designated Scenic Highway S22. In fact, the proposed site is only 800’-1000’ from what is called the “view shed” on roads designated as scenic highways or byways. A portion of the Pacific Crest Trail goes through this area, also.

A hearing is scheduled in San Diego at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 20th to review the permit application made by Vista Towers, LLC, Wireless Site Solutions.

By Miriam Raftery

February 11, 2015 (Washington D.C.)--A group calling itself the Cyber Caliphate hacked into Twitter accounts in the U.S. on Tuesday, issuing threats against first lady Michelle Obama, the President’s children, and American military spouses.

Update 10:40 p.m.:  The suspect is now in custody, CBS 8 reports.  San Diego Police, also on scene, took the lead in convincing the suspect to surrender.

Photo: Suspect Mike Montana, courtesy  ECM news partner 10 News

February 10, 2015 (El Cajon) - 9:06 p.m. -- The El Cajon SWAT team has surrounded a home at Prescott & Noden in El Cajon, seeking suspect Mike Montana wanted for shooting of CBS News 8 sports anchor Kyle Kraska. Kraska was shot and seriously wounded earlier today outside his Scripps Rancho home.

There are many emergency vehicles in the area of Chase and Avocado in the vicinity of the SWAT action, ECM reporter Paul Kruz reports.  AVOID AREA. View map .

The suspect was seen leaving the shooting scene in white van with Superior Painting logo on the side.

East County News Service

February 10, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The Metropolitan Water District, which supplies San Diego County with water, warned Monday that it may cut water deliveries by 5 to 10 percent or even more this summer.  The decision will be made in April, after assessing how much water the District gets from the State Water Project, the Colorado River and other supply sources.

February 9, 2015 (Alpine) - For more than a year, community members in Alpine have pulled together to support the family of Kylie Rowand, a toddler battling neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer. Pink ribbons painted the town pick, as we reported. Alpine residents held fundraisers to help pay the family's medical bills.

Update February 10, 2015:  NBC has suspended Williams without pay for six months.

By Miriam Raftery

February 8, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Journalists know that in  the news business, credibility is everything.  Former CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite was known as the most trusted man in America.

But now Brian Williams, news anchor at NBC TV, has come under fire after apologizing for claiming he was in a helicopter struck by enemy fire in Iraq when others at the scene disputed the story. His recollections of occurrences during his coverage of Hurricane Katrina have also been cast into doubt.  Williams has announced he will take a few days off as the firestorm grows, fueled by ridicule on social media. 

The Twitter hashtag  #BrianWilliamsmisremembers  is abuzz with Photoshopped images of Williams boasting of roles in various historical events, to the amusement of the Twittersphere and doubtless the chagrin of NBC. Below are a few of the more creative examples:

February 7, 2015 (El Cajon)--The City of El Cajon Teen Coalition presents a “Youth of the Year” Award, recognizing those who go above and beyond in serving their community through their leadership abilities and/or community service in El Cajon.  These are the young individuals that have made a big difference in this community.