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.”

 
 
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

East County News Service
August 27, 2010 (Santee) – Christina Gravitt, 46, of El Cajon was killed Wednesday, August 25 as the result of a high-speed accident. According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner, Gravitt was driving a Dodge Durango traveling southbound on Magnolia Avenue in Santee at a high rate of speed when the vehicle went out of control.

East County News Service

August 27, 2010 (San Diego's East County) - Look for relief from blistering triple-digit heat this weekend, with high temperatures forecast to dip into the 80s Saturday and Sunday in East County.  Gusty winds are also forecast in mountain and desert areas, the National Weather Service predicts.

County honors deputies who saved couple’s lives during Monte Fire;

Climbers offer safety tips for others

By Miriam Raftery

August 26, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Sheriff’s deputies Gary Kneeshaw and Scott Blight saved two rock climbers trapped on the face of El Capitan mountain during the Monte Fire in Lakeside on Saturday.  Today, the deputies were honored with a commendation from the County Board of Supervisors for their heroic actions in a daring ASTREA helicopter rescue. In a press conference at Gillespie Field in El Cajon today, Lieutenant Richardson praised the deputies for actions “above and beyond the call of duty” which “without a doubt, saved the lives” of rock climbers André Doria and Meg Rippy.
 

Doria and Rippy, 27-year-old graduate students at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, revealed details of their ordeal to East County Magazine.

August 26, 2010 (La Mesa) -- At about 5:40 a.m.,La Mesa Police responded to a single vehicle collision on the MTS trolley tracks at the intersection of Spring Street and Interstate 8. A male driver, 34, was exiting onto Spring Street from eastbound I-8 when his vehicle struck a curb and a chain link fence, then came to rest on the MTS trolley tracks.

August 26, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Citing concerns over a recent audit report, the El Cajon City Council voted 4-1 to extend funding for the El Cajon Community Development Corporation for six months instead of the full year. While the Mayor expressed confidence that a new director has agreed to correct problems identified in the audit, some Councilmembers warned that the City could exercise the City’s 30-day right to terminate the ECCDC’s contract if their concerns are not adequately addressed.

August 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement warning of extreme heat countywide this week. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the hottest days with temperatures that could soar to a scorching 117 in lower desert areas, with upper deserts and inland valleys 100 to 110 degrees. Mountains below 6000 feet will reach 90 to 100, with 80 to 90 temperatures forecast at higher elevations. Even coastal valleys could hit 100.

August 20, 2010 (Alpine) – The driver of a 2005 Dodge Caravan that rolled over on I-8 near Willows Road on August 17th died at a hospital later that evening, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office reports. Traffic was shut down on I-8 following the crash to allow an air ambulance helicopter to land.

 
East County News Service

August 20, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk David L. Butler wants to alert homeowners in San Diego County about a private company offering to charge fees for filing a Homeowner’s Property Tax Exemption claim and for obtaining comparable sales information. Butler wants homeowners to know that both of these services are provided by the Assessor’s Office for free.

Helix Water District raises rates in contentious hearing

By Kristin Kjaero

August 19, 2010 (La Mesa) – “Get used to it. We’re going to pay more each year,” Helix Water District Board member John Linden told the audience, shortly before the board voted 3-2 to raise the three-tiered rate structure an average of 8% more starting in November. Last year rates increased 21+%.

Discussion at the rate increase hearing was lively to say the least, as tempers frayed and the public, General Manager and Board members accused one another of not being truthful and of micromanaging. The room was filled to capacity, and occasionally members of the audience called out and were gaveled back to order. A La Mesa Policeman stood in the back quietly observing.

Hundreds of thousands now face starvation as crops, soils washed away
 

Rescue Task Force seeks help to save lives of Afghan women & girls at literary schools
 

By Miriam Raftery
August 19, 2010 (San Diego) –“The same floods that are hitting Pakistan are hitting Afghanistan. It’s just horrific,” said Gary Becks, founder of Rescue Task Force, a San Diego-based nonprofit that has its roots in East County. 

Becks has led relief efforts in some of the worst disasters on earth including the Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, major earthquakes, and the Cedar Fire. But the scale of devastation in Afghanistan goes far beyond even those catastrophes. Threats from the Taliban make relief efforts dangerous—and with farmlands washed away, the very survival of the Hazara people is at stake.

As last combat troops leave Iraq this week, Salas seeks to expedite help for veterans in need of medical and other services

August 19, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Assemblymember Mary Salas’ Assembly Bill 1925, which authorizes superior courts to develop and implement veteran’s courts for eligible U.S. veterans, is now on the Governor’s desk. If signed into law, AB 1925 will allow returning veterans a greater chance for succeeding in civilian life in the aftermath of combat.

August 18, 2010 (Ramona) – San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter rescued five hikers last night, including a 20-year-old who was experiencing heat exhaustion symptoms. One of the hikers used her cell phone to call for help and advised they were not sure if they were on the correct trail. She also reported that one of her friends was unable to walk any further.

Assemblymembers Nava & Cook Work to Prevent Future Child Abductions

August 18, 2010 (Sacramento)--A package of bills sponsored by Moe Dubois, father of slain Escondido Amber Dubois and founder of MoreKids, has been unanimously passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee recently and will be considered by the full Senate in the coming weeks.

 
By Miriam Raftery
 
August 17, 2010 (Lakeside) – Bridgette Hale died in a head-on collision on Highway 67.  Multiple witnesses called 911 to report a wrong-way driver weaving over the center line moments before he struck and killed Hale. The driver, John Holsheimer, was only charged with a misdemeanor, because California Highway Patrol did not order blood drawn to determine whether he may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
 
Now Hale’s brother-in-law, Ken Vanek, is asking a local legislator to sponsor legislation to prevent impaired drivers from evading felony charges by requiring drug testing whenever a fatality crash occurs.

 
By Miriam Raftery

August 17, 2010 (San Diego) – “We want to get the message out in East County, because we feel searches have been done everywhere in North Park,” Kim DeMars, niece of missing San Diego man David Mow, 56, told East County Magazine. Mow sent an upbeat text message to his fiancé at 6 a.m. on July 22. She sent a reply, but became concerned after not receiving a response and asked a neighbor to check on Mow later that day.  Mow had vanished—and he’s been missing ever since, along with his 2005 silver Envoy SUV, California license 5LJV959.

“He’s just a great big teddy bear of a guy,” said DeMars. Mow had a goatee at the time of his disappearance, not shown in media photos circulated at the time.  Mow was hospitalized earlier this year after losing consciousness and may have an undiagnosed medical condition, his niece added.

UPDATE 4:25 p.m. - The freeway is now reopened.

August 17, 2010 2:15 p.m. -- Interstate 8 westbound is shut down at the Willows Road exit to allow a Mercy Air life-flight helicopter to land.

A roll-over accident involving a single vehicle, a mini-van, resulted in a man trapped inside, CHP reports.  According to Incident Page Network, the patient is in CPR status and a technical rescue was required.

 
East County News Service

August 17, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday announced an indefinite stay on same-sex marriages. The 9th Circuit also expedited scheduling to hear the appeal of Judge Walker’s decision to overturn Prop 8.
 
The appeal is slated to be heard by the 9th Circuit on December 6th. Meanwhile, couples hoping to tie the knot are left in legal limbo.
 

August 16,2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Thunderstorms are forecast for San Diego’s mountain and desert areas for this afternoon and evening. A chance of thunder showers continues tomorrow.

East County News Service

August 15, 2010 (El Cajon) – Justin R. Pickett, 28, was found dead behind the wheel of a vehicle that flipped on its side at the connector ramp of northbound State Route 67 and westbound Interstate 8 in El Cajon. A canine police officer from El Cajon spotted the vehicle at 2:41 a.m. yesterday.

 East County News Service

August 13, 2010 (San Diego) – U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker lifted a stay on gay marriages yesterday, after overturning Proposition 8 as unconstitutional last week. The judge declined to implement his order immediately, however, giving opponents time to appeal to a higher court. If the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals does not intervene, same-sex marriages may occur starting Wednesday.
 

San Diego’s Assessor/Recorder/Clerk’s office is accepting reservations for ceremonies to be performing as early as Wednesday, provided the ruling holds.

Driver previously guilty of crossing double-yellow line,  faced other charges in past, ECM investigation reveals

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 12, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Bridgette Hale, a young Ramona mother with a nine-month-old infant, had high hopes for her future. She was engaged to be married. She had a new job, where she broke company records for sales calls in her first week, according to her family. But while driving to work January 26th, she was struck and killed on Highway 67 by a wrong-way driver. According to multiple witnesses, the driver, John Reinier Holsheimer, was weaving erratically and nearly hit several other vehicles before striking Hale’s car head-on.

Jewele Hiday located in South Bay area

August 12, 2010 (San Diego) San Diego Police Department reports that Jewele Hiday, 12, missing since Sunday morning, has been found safe in the South Bay area.  She reportedly ran away to a friend's after an argument with her mother.