By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Oroville Spillway, Calif. Dept. of Water Resources

April 7, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s official:  Governor Jerry Brown today declared an end to California’s statewide drought, thanks to heavy winter precipitation.

But groundwater levels in some areas remain low, so the state will maintain some restrictions on water use to encourage conservation. Brown did not lift the drought order for Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne Counties, where wells went dry and some residents continue to rely on trucked-in emergency water supplies.

Residents are asked to continue avoiding wasting water by hosing off sidewalks or watering lawns during or shortly after a rainstorm.

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2017 (Ramona) –Joanne Bennett and her daughter, Paige Duffy, have a passion for baking authentic English pastries, from classics with a modern twist to a lemon curd recipe dating back over 100 years from the family’s roots on London’s east side.  Together, the mother-daughter duo opened their London Bakery in Ramona (632 Main St.) with the slogan “food fit for a Queen.” 

Both have been stricken with major medical conditions and are facing healthcare staggering bills as they struggle to keep their business open.  So an employee has organized a fundraiser tomorrow at the bakery from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The public is urged to stop in, buy some goodies, and if possible, make a donation.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) -- Reps. Darrell Issa, former Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, have introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Fair Chance Act that would give formerly incarcerated Americans a fair chance at obtaining employment with the federal government.  Senator Booker introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Flinn Springs) - The Alpine Kiwanis Club invites the public to attend the 27th Annual Vintage Alpine fundraiser held from 1 - 4 p.m. on May 7, hosted by the nonprofit Kiwanis Club of Alpine Foundation, Inc. This "Wine Experience in the Country" will take place within the lovely gardens of Summers Past Farms at 15602 Old Highway 80 in Flinn Springs.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Lemon Grove) — Three separate accidents on Palm Street in Lemon Grove on April 4^th and 5^th caused serious damages and injuries, Sergeant Jorge Dueno with the Sheriff’s Department reports.  No charges are expected to be filed, as drugs, alcohol and distracted driving did not appear to be factors. 

Community unites to remember two-year-old cancer fighter, raise $75,000 for childhood cancer research

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Alpine) - The Kylie Rowand Foundation will host its 4th Annual Prayers for Kylie Golf Tournament at the Steel Canyon Golf Club on Friday, April 21 at 1 P.M.

Company’s farm manager sexually bullied female farmworkers and fired workers who complained of widespread abuse, federal agency charges

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) – Bornt & Sons, Inc., its former farm labor contractor Barraza Farm Service, LLC and Barraza Farm Service, Inc. violated federal laws by allowing ongoing sexual harassment of female farmworkers, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed this week. Bornt & Sons and Barraza also unlawfully retaliated against workers who opposed the harassment and against family members of victims, the EEOC alleged.

Funds to furnish training room for Employment and Career Services at JFS Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) – Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) has been awarded more than $19,600 by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Program from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to create a special training room that will allow the agency’s Employment and Career Services department to provide job training and preparation services. The training room will be a resource for low-income San Diegans and will include new computer equipment, training materials and supplies.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Tomahawk missile launch off U.S. ship, courtesy of the Pentagon

April 6, 2017 (Washington D.C.)— The U.S. today launched over 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles  at the Al-Shayrat Air Base in Syria, on orders of President Donald Trump. The base is believed to be where a chemical  nerve gas weapons attack was launched on April 4^th by Bashar al-Assad’s regime that killed scores of civilians, including possibly hundreds, including many children in Idlib.

Key political leaders on both sides of the aisle voiced support for the action,  though even some supporters argue that the Constitution requires a declaration of war by Congress  to take such action. Others voice concerns over a unilateral action that Assad could view as an act of war. Now  prominent Senators and Representatives in both parties are calling for Congress to reconvene and debate whether to declare war on the Syrian government, at a time when the U.S. is already waging war against ISIS.  Assad has also fought ISIS even as his country has been split by six years of civil war.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Sacramento) -- Legislation introduced this week would make California the first state to ban perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, from fast food wrappers and takeout containers.

The bill, AB 958 by Assembly Member Phil Ting of San Francisco, would prohibit the use of the entire class of PFCs in sandwich and pastry wrappers, french fry bags, pizza boxes, and other paper and paperboard used to serve food. It is co-sponsored by the Environmental Working Group and Clean Water Action.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Lakeside) – The 52^nd annual Lakeside Western Days Parade will be held on April 29^th starting at 9:35 a.m.  This year’s theme is “Courage, honor and sacrifice: a salute to our law enforcement.”

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Washington, D.C.) - As President Trump calls for dramatic cuts to life-saving medical research, Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53) led a bipartisan group of House members in an effort to increase the budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Davis’s letter to House appropriators urges $36 billion for medical research and was signed by 206 members of the House. Trump is proposing a nearly 20 percent cut in NIH funding.

Story and photo by Ken Stone

Originally published at Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Tom Steyer speaks at La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club

April 6, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Billionaire Tom Steyer gave a stemwinder Wednesday, railing against the “liars and cheaters” of the Trump administration and calling the White House “malevolent, shallow and incompetent.”

Tom Steyer slammed the White House but cautioned against a “Fortress California” mind-set. But a La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club audience didn’t hear what some wanted most from the biggest single donor in the 2016 election.