East County News Service

January 15, 2015 (Washington D.C.)—The House of Representatives has unanimously passed HR 203, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. This bipartisan legislation – originally passed by the House in the 113th Congress, but blocked by a single U.S. Senator – addresses the epidemic of suicide among our nation’s veterans.

“This is the people’s postal service, it doesn’t belong to big corporations or politicians.” - Vice President Eddie B. Cooper Jr.

Update: Listen online now to our interview with the APWU representatives:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

January 16, 2015 (San Diego)--Hear our interview with Tom Wood and Eddie B. Cooper jr. of the San Diego American Postal Workers Union. Learn about major cuts to the postal service and how they may affect you, your business and your community.  We’ll also have information about a boycott of Staples organized by Postal workers and supported by teachers’ organizations over the out-sourcing of postal work to Staples and efforts to privatize the U.S. Postal Service established by Benjamin Franklin.

Source: County of San Diego

Photo, left: Chance reunited with Lila Tatar

Photo, right: Chance with Lila and Zack Tater before he went missing

January 10, 2015 (El Cajon)--When the Tatar family came home in 2006 to find their dog had been apparently stolen from his outdoor kennel, they posted fliers around their El Cajon neighborhood and checked the local shelters. But there was no trace of their then 4-year-old boxer, Chance.

East County News Service

Photo: Muhammad ud-Deen, creative commons

January 10, 2015 (La Mesa) –Anwar al-Awlaki, a former cleric at a mosque on the La Mesa-San Diego boundary and ex-student at San Diego State may have inspired the jihadist brothers who massacred 12 people at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.  Awlaki was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in September 2011 and was believed by U.S. authorities to have been a terrorist mastermind tied to the 9/11 attacks and many other terror plots around the world.

Cherif Kouachi , one of two brothers who reportedly gunned down journalists at Charlie Hebdo, was later killed by police following a massive manhunt in Paris. Before he died, Koachi told BFM-TV, “I was sent, me, Cherif Koachi, by Al Qaeda of Yemen. I went over there and it was Anwar al Awlaki who financed me.” Reuters reports that the statement was recorded and aired on French television.

January 10, 2015 (La Mesa)--Spencer McCall, a senior at Helix Charter High School and son of Drs. Michael and Madhavi McCall of La Mesa, earned a top composite score of 36 on a recent ACT test. Nationally, while the actual number of students earning a composite score of 36 varies from year to year, on average, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earns the top score. Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2014, only 1,407 of nearly 1.85 million students earned a composite score of 36.

January 9, 2015 (El Cajon) – A man wearing dark clothing was struck by two vehicles after trying to jaywalk between signals in the 800 block of Avocado Avenue in El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

January 5, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Governor Brown has signed 930 bills into law, covering a broad spectrum of issues.  These range from laws to protect consumer rights and privacy to laws that affect gun owners, immigrants, senior care facilities, renters and condo owners, youth sports, students, prisoners, dog owners, parents, business owners, and many others.

East County News Service

January 6, 2015 (San Diego) -- In an effort to protect newborn babies from being abandoned in unsafe places or facing an even worse fate, California has a Safe Surrender Law.  Parents can bring their infant, up to three days old, to any fire station or hospital in California, as well as other designated sites. Parents are protected against prosecution as long as the child has no signs of abuse.

By Roger Coppock



January 4, 2015 (San Dego's East County) -- NASA is launching a microwave instrument to measure soil moisture. Details at https://smap.jpl.nasa.gov and http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/webcam/webcam.html.

By Miriam Raftery

January 3, 2015 (Sacramento)—“I wish everyone bone-appetit,” quipped Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, author of a bill signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown that now makes it legal for restaurants to allow patrons to bring their dogs for dining on outdoor patios, effective January 1^st of this year.

January 2, 2015 (San Diego)--If you are low-income and need a child car seat, the County has one for you.

A total of 1,944 child car seats will be distributed among low-income parents thanks to a $245,500 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The free seats will be given out through September 2015.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: courtesy 10 News

January 2, 2015 (Julian)--This week’s snowstorm transformed much of East County into a winter wonderland.

Nine inches of snow fell in Julian and a full foot blanketed the top of Mount Laguna, with several inches all the way down to Descanso, KNSJ’s home town.

The road to Julian has been ploughed and cleared for travel – but over this holiday weekend, that’s led to traffic jams as snow-loving San Diegans headed to the mountains.

By Miriam Raftery

January 1, 2015 (El Cajon) – New Year’s Eve ended in tragedy for an elderly El Cajon couple. Rosie Mondejar, 80, and her husband, Merlin, were struck by separate vehicles while crossing the street shortly after 8 p.m. in the 300 block of West Washington. Both were transported to a hospital, where Rosie was pronounced dead of serious injuries. Merlin was treated for minor injuries and released.

December 31, 2014 (San Diego)--The old song says, “It never rains in Southern California.”

But when we do get rain or snow, like this week’s storm has brought, driving can be an adventure.

To make sure it doesn’t become a mis-adventure, here are some handy driving tips from San Diego County’s Department of Public Works , or  DPW,  that will help make your rainy drive safer.

By Miriam Raftery

December 31, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A thick blanket of snow has fallen across much of  San Diego’s inland region, transforming the terrain into a winter wonderland this New Year’s Eve. Lindy Klengler sent photos taken at her Hidden Meadows home in Escondido at just 1700 feet elevation, showing snow around her swimming pool and atop palm trees. “Been here 22 years and never had this happen,” she says.

Melody Munoz and Donna Tisdale sent photos from Boulevard, where three to four inches of snow fell overnight and the temperature on New Year’s morning is a chilly 21 degrees. Snow has also blanketed Descanso and coated landmarks in Jacumba.

Julian received 9 inches of snow and on Mt. Palomar, 12 inches—a foot—has fallen, according to the National Weather Service.  ECM  news partner 10 News observes that level “beats Big Bear!”