September 2, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) 3:30 p.m. update:  – The Cowboy Fire is now 75 acres to 100, Cal-Fire reports.  Campo Elementary School is being evacuated, with students taken to Mountain Empire High School. 

The Cal Fire info/call center has been activated for concerned citizens.619 590 3160. In addition, residents can find updates at www.calfiresandiego.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/calfiresandiego, and www.flickr.com/calfiresandiego.

Update 2:35 p.m. Campo Elementary School is being evacuated; students will be taken to Mountain Empire High School

September 2, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The Cowboy Fire reported at 1:13 p.m. is now 20 acres, burning between Campo and Potrero near the Pacific Crest Trail.  Incident Page Network indicates the fire is near the junction of Highway 94 and Star Ranch.  Other reports indicate the location is within Hauser National Wilderness and Cleveland National Forest areas.

“Currently the fire is inaccessible by ground units,” Cal-Fire battalion chief Nick Schuler said. “They are attempting to make contact with the fire now,” he said, adding that air tankers and helicopters are also on the scene.

East County News Service
September 2, 2010 (La Mesa) – Helix Water Board general manager Mark Weston asked Board members to table a proposed resolution that would have restricted non-emergency communications among board members to business hours. Several board members also leveled criticism at media outlets that reported on the issue.

“I have said that I’m on call 24 hours a day. I’ve been in public works for 30 years,” said Weston, who stated that “portrayal of my character” in some news reports was “quite inaccurate.”

From Big Picture to Specifics

By Kristin Kjaero and Miriam Raftery

In part two of this series on election races in La Mesa, East County Magazine spotlights incumbent Ernie Ewin.
For this series we asked all candidates the same set of questions on local issues, with an open invitation to bring up anything else they would like to discuss at the end of the session. We want each candidate to speak for themselves.

 
 
Gulf oil rig explodes off Louisiana Coast (another one!)

 http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2015701,00.html
 
 
 
 
 
East Coast casts watchful eye as Hurricane Earl nears:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/hurricanes/2010-09-01-hurricane-e...

September 1, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Effective Friday September 3, at 6:00 a.m., the Cleveland National Forest will raise the fire danger level to VERY HIGH. Forest use restrictions under the very high level will be implemented at that time.

New jobs include many slated for East County;
Cedar Fire survivor also calls for stronger fire protection and improved emergency notification in region

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 30, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Most candidates only talk about creating jobs. But Mark Hanson (D-Lakeside) aims to hit the ground running if elected to fill the open 77th Assembly seat vacated by Joel Anderson, who is running for State Senate.
 
“I’ve already met with over 200 companies around the country, and I’ve identified 32 who have committed to bring green manufacturing jobs to California,” he told East County Magazine, adding that his plan includes a facility in Boulevard to manufacture parts for wind turbines. “Those companies will generate 2,200 jobs within the next two years.” Asked to name a few of the firms, he listed these:

September 1, 2010 (La Mesa) - Helix Water district has received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government FInancial Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada.  "This is the fourth year that we have received this award," said board member Chuck Muse.

September 1, 2010 (La Mesa)--Michael Penwell is being sought by the La Mesa Police Department after fleeing from a traffic stop where numerous items of stolen property, narcotics and drug paraphernalia were found. Penwell is described as a white male, 25, with blond hair and hazel eyes. He is 5 feet, 7 inches tall with a thin build and multiple tattoos. He also has a felony parole warrant for his arrest.

September 1, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) will debate her Republican opponent, Carly Fiorina, tonight at 7 p.m. The debate will be carried live at 7 p.m. by KGTV Channel 10 News.
  
Both candidates call for job creation but have conflicting strategies for how to achieve economic growth, with Fiorina supporting tax cuts for corporations to create new jobs, while Boxer focuses on tax incentives for small businesses as well as stimulus inevestments in infrastructure and sustainable industries to put Americans back to work.

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 31, 2010 (La Mesa) -- "He makes $199,000 a year and gets a car and benefits, but this public official doesn’t want to receive routine emails outside business hours. I-Team reporter Lauren Reynolds shows us the unusual steps he’s taking to be left alone.”
 
So begins a 10 News investigative report on Mark Weston, general manager of Helix Water District. View the video here.

August 31, 2010 (La Mesa) – A male bicyclist sustained serious injuries after slamming into a trolley at the intersection of Severin and Amaya drives in La Mesa. La Mesa Police dispatch received multiple 911 calls starting at 5:22 p.m. of the cyclist down on the tracks.

Calls provision allowing school lunch equipment purchases "wasteful spending"

August 31, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-El Cajon) , a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, voted against sending H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, to the full House for consideration. 

The bill aims to make school lunches more nutritious and get junk food out of schools. The goal is to improve children's health and cut down on childhood obesity, a national epidemic.  From 1980 to 2009, childhood obesity in America has tripled--and poor nutritional habits are largely to blame. In California, 30.5% of all children are obese, putting them at higher risk of diabetes and heart problems later on.

August 31, 2010 (El Cajon ) - The FBI and El Cajon Police Department seek the public’s help to identify two men who robbed a U.S. Bank branch inside Albertsons grocery store at 1608 Broadway, El Cajon, on Saturday, August 28 at 2:48 p.m. The two men simultaneously approached two tellers and threatened to shoot them if they did not comply with demands for money.

 
 
August 31, 2010 (El Cajon -- Hyde Art Gallery, located on Grossmont College’s campus in El Cajon, is presenting  through September 16 an exhibit of 31 paintings from three different artists: Wade Cline and William Glen Crooks, both of San Diego and Suong Yangchareon of Los Angeles. The paintings feature local landmarks and sights, including famous traffic intersections and waterfront scenes from San Diego, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Pasadena, San Francisco and New Mexico.

August 31, 2010 (La Mesa) -- At 1:39 a.m., Heartland Fire dispatched a response for a residential structure fire at 20 Lake Helix Dr in La Mesa, with an initial report of smoke coming from the structure.

ECM news partner Channel 10 reports that fire crews were initially delayed access due to a locked gate and unmanned guard post at the gated community.

By Kristin Kjaero

August 31, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa is holding a free open house and tours of the new Police Station on Saturday, September 4 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Exhibits will be displayed in the Police Station Community Room.  At the same time, there will be a BBQ fundraiser sponsored by both the Police Officers Association and the Peer Support Team.  

August 31, 2010 (San Diego County) -- Business and property owners interested in participating in a grant-funded program to install commercial charging units in the San Diego Region may attend one of several informational meetings.

Come to one of these short meetings to learn how your business can get involved in the largest electric vehicle project in U.S. history!

All aboard! Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo

By Dennis Richardson
 
August 29, 2010 (Campo) -- A cool breeze whistled in our ears as the Golden State Diesel- Electric train rumbled across the Campo Creek trestle, straight toward a tunnel blasted through a mountain. Three large owls soared through the darkened tunnel as we journeyed back in time.

August 30, 2010 (La Mesa)--Norm MacDonald, star of movies and Saturday Night Live (SNL), will take the stage at Challenge Center’s 13th Annual Comedy Night on September 11 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The event benefits the scholarship fund established by Challenge Center, a nonprofit gym in La Mesa that has achieved dramatic results helping patients with strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as other debilitating conditions. Tickets for the event are $175.

By Walter Davis

Editor’s note: This memoir, submitted this week, provides eyewitness insights into turbulent times in our nation's history as well as the strength of a remarkable woman and her son.

July 1, 2010 (Birmingham, Alabama)--In 1915 when Mrs. Davis was a little girl, she could not go into the front door of most restaurants and public places like bus terminals. When traveling her family was not allowed to use the public restrooms in gas stations along the way because of the pigment in their skin. Finding a hotel was a challenge and crooked police could stop, search, rape, and kill as they pleased.

August 29, 2010 (San Diego) – Sheriff Bill Gore announced last week that the Search and Rescue Unit and added a new component: an Urban Search and Rescue division. Urban search-and-rescue is considered a multi-hazard discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of hazards including earthquakes, storms, tornadoes floods dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases.

 
August 29, 2010 (San Diego) -- Falling victim to a fraudulent investment schemes could mean losing anywhere from a few hundred dollars to your life savings. While most people might not see any harm in sitting through a slick investment seminar featuring promises of big returns, the San Diego Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends researching the investment company first rather than run the risk of falling for a financial scam, drawn in by a free lunch.

 
Story and photos by Miriam Raftery

August 29, 2010 (Jamul) – “This is the most unusual ribbon-cutting I’ve ever done,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob declared, moments before driving a vintage 1907 REO car through a red ribbon at yesterday’s ceremony honoring the state’s declaration of Old Highway 94 as a historic highway. The event was held at Simpson’s “Garden Town” Nursery in Jamul—starting point for motorists’ weekend adventures.
 
To participate, just stop by the Nursery to pick up a map with a list of discounts and free items offered by merchants along the route, then present the flyer to shops and restaurants along the drive from Jamul to Boulevard today.

Public invited to meet elected officials and candidates

August 26, 2010 (La Mesa) –Instead of its annual convention, San Diego's County Democratic Party is hosting a free campaign kickoff and rally from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 29 at Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa. Members of the California Legislature as well as candidates for Congress, State Senate, Assembly, and local races will be at the event, which includes a potluck picnic and entertainment.

August 28, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) -County Supervisor Dianne Jacob and state and local tourism industry leaders will celebrate the historical designation of Highway 94 iwith a ribbon cutting ceremony at Simpson’s Nursery in Jamul at 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 28. Over a dozen businesses from Jamul to Boulevard will offer discounts and giveaways to customers who attend. The event will also feature classic car displays and a reenactment of the famed Gaskill Brothers shootout.

By Nancy Clement & Dawn Clement

Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages on tips to save money and improve their lifestyle!

August 28, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) —Want to save money on your college textbooks? Why buy when you can rent? Now you can rent textbooks from Bookrenter for a semester. Check their website to see if the book you are interested in is available--with 3 million titles, chances are good that it will be. They offer free shipping to your door and at the end of the semester, UPS comes and picks it up so you do not have the hassle of re-selling a textbook you no longer need.

Public Guardian Steps In When Loved Ones Can’t

San Diego County Health & Human Services

August 28, 2010(San Diego) -- It’s a Wednesday morning and Alejandrina Martin knocks on the door of a 67-year-old man’s apartment in a low-income complex in the Lake Murray area.

Martin is one of three Public Guardian investigators with County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency’s Public Administrator/Public Guardian (PA/PG).

August 28, 2010 (Julian) – Julian, the historic mining town in San Diego’s East County mountains, has a wealth of talented local artists. From Friday, September 3 through Monday, September 4, you can enjoy works by many artists in one location: the upstairs of Julian’s Town Hall on Main Street. Meet the artists at a reception Friday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. Also enjoy viewings of oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings, pastels, clay, photography, weaving, jewelry, mixed media and more.

SAN DIEGO – Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) announced today that the Legislature passed SB 503 to improve oversight of state bond funds. The bill now heads to the Governor for his signature.

“California taxpayers have a right to know that the bond monies they have approved for housing, transportation, and other projects are being spent efficiently and appropriately,” Kehoe said. “This good government bill will ensure strict accountability of state funds and I urge the Governor to sign this measure into law.”