May 25, 2010 (El Cajon) Chase Bank at 966 North Johnson in El Cajon was robbed at 9:45 this morning by a man who went behind the bank counter and contronted an employee with a knife, demanding cash.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) -- The new San Diego County Library Acoustic Showcase offers a wonderful variety of some of San Diego's very best singer/songwriters, folk music performers and story tellers.
These concerts are FREE to the community and include locations in East County. The following are upcoming concerts for June 2010.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) -- Students from the Renewable Energy Leadership Institute (RELI) demonstrated their newly-learned skills to the San Diego Unified School District Board today, unveiling an electric go-cart and solar charging station.
The RELI pilot program was conceived under leadership of school board member Shelia Jackson to generate excitement among high school students about career opportunities in the renewable energy industry.
UTILITY ALSO PRESENTS ITS ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN FOR OUR REGION AT ECEDC COMMUNITY LEADERS SPOTLIGHT
May 25, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has announced that the company will bring the world’s largest heavy-lifting helicopter in the world to our region to construct Sunrise Powerlink, which SDG&E hopes to begin constructing this summer. “It can also be used for firefighting—and it can bring up to 2,500 gallons of water,” said Michael R. Niggli, president and chief operating officer of SDG&E. By contrast, the largest firefighting helicopter previously in San Diego had a capacity of 300 gallons, he said.
Niggli made the remarks during the East County Economic Development Council’s Community Leaders Spotlight at Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego yesterday. The company's executives also presented business and education leaders with its plans for economic revitalization and sustainable energy that SDG&E indicated will benefit East County.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) – Police seek help to find Li-Juan Ji, 79, who has been visiting from China and speaks only Mandarin Chinese. The elderly woman was last seen yesterday morning at 7:30 near 4700 Seminole Drive in the Rolando area (between La Mesa and the College vicinity), near the intersection of Stanley with a bag of recyclables. She was wearing a tan sweater and grey pants, and often wears a pink sunscreen pulled over her face.
She is 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 90 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She does not wear jewelry.
If you have any information, please call San Diego Police at 531 2000.
Times have changed since La Mesa became a city in 1912--the year the Titanic sunk, Teddy Roosevelt ran as a Bull Moose, and silent movies were the hot pop culture crazes.
May 24, 2010 (La Mesa) – The jewel of the hills will be a century old in 2012—and city leaders are gearing up to celebrate La Mesa’s history and culture through exhibits, education venues, institutional presentations and community events. (Get ready to party hearty!)
How much do you know about La Mesa's history and how times have changed in the past 100 years?
May 24, 2010 (La Mesa) - Bryce Taylor, Sam Ferguson and Ellen Blackwell each won their respective divisions at the La Mesa Soap Box Derby Race on Saturday (May 22). The course was set up on a downhill section of Junior High Drive next to the La Mesa Middle School. Competitors faced each other in tournament bracket pairings to determine the division winners.
As a result of winning their respective divisions, Taylor, Ferguson and Blackwell earned the right to participate in the National Soap Box Derby, held in Akron, OH in July.
May 24, 2010 (Washington D.C.) - Congressman Duncan Hunter praised a not guilty verdict in the case of Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe, who faced court-martial for allegedly beating Iraqi detainee Ahmed Hashim Abed and lying to investigators.
Abed was arrested in September in Iraq for allegedly orchestrating the 2004 murders of four U.S. contractors working for Blackwater USA in Falluja. The contractors' burned bodies were later hung from a bridge, triggering the siege of Falluja.
May 24, 2010 (La Mesa) – Councilmember Ernest Ewin has proposed that La Mesa create a program to encourage residents to turn in unused and expired prescription drugs and also launch a “No Drugs Down the Toilet or Drain” campaign. The proposal will be considered by Council on Tuesday, May 25 during the Council meeting starting at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
“Prescription drugs have long been recognized as a threat to child health and related criminal activity,” Ewin wrote in a memo to the Mayor and members of the City Council. “Also, drugs in landfills, our streams, bays and ocean are also of concern.”
Conservative group's candidates found not qualified for judicial positions by County Bar
May 24, 2010 (San Diego) – Judicial races are rarely headline news. But an organization called “Better Courts Now” founded by the late Don Hamer, an East County pastor, has lined up a slate of right-wing candidates to challenge four incumbent judges.
The group’s website states that judges should be accountable, uphold the law and make fair, impartial decisions—yet does not cite a single instance in which the incumbents failed on any specific point. (Better Courts Now notes that doing so would violate Canon 5 of the California Code of Judicial Ethics, which prohibits judicial candidates from leveling specific criticisms against opponents.)
Better Courts Now’s candidates were not found qualified for the positions they seek by the County Bar Association. In response, Better Courts Now has accused the Bar of "blatant political bias" and noted that Larry Stanwood Johnson, chair of the Bar's Certified Family Law Specialists Committee, has solicited donations from Committee members for the incumbent judges.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) – Voters, be wary. A slate mailer titled “Election Education Guide” claims to list official endorsements of the California Democratic Party for statewide candidates and propositions. But the deceptive paid political flyer is not affiliated with the Democrats. While some positions listed accurately reflect the Party’s endorsements, others falsely misrepresent the Democratic Party’s position.
For the Democratic Party’s official list of endorsements, click here.
The “Election Education Guide” slate mailer contains the following misrepresentations:
May 24, 2010 (San Diego) – A 25-year-old man was shot in a home invasion robbery last night at 6937 Saranac Street in a college-area neighborhood east of San Diego State University. According to San Diego Police Department, the man heard knocking or banging on his front door. He opened to find a robber armed with a gun. The thief and at least one accomplice pushed the victim to the ground and fired one round into his chest, then robbed the victim and two roommates of wallets and cash.
May 24, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – A group of hikers found a severely burned human body yesterday at 11:15 a.m. while hiking approximately two miles west of Sunrise Highway (State Route 1) west of mile marker 18. The San Diego Sheriff's homicide unit is investigating and the identity of the victim is unknown.
Next on tap: A Pirates of the Caribbean Party for Haitian earthquake relief
May 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Yo, ho, it was a pirate’s night on the town last night as “Sam the Pirate” Mejia led a group of revelers on a pub crawl through East County in celebration of his birthday.
Best known for his uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp and the Captain Jack Sparrow character popularized by Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Mejia started the evening off at his favorite place for grog and grubb: Hooley’s Irish Pub & Grill in Rancho San Diego.
May 23, 2010 (Escondido) -- Wesley Askins III, 29, was walking across Center City Parkway near Brotherton Road in Escondido with friends Friday night when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
Paramedics confirmed death at the scene, the County Medical Examiner reports. Askins, who was single, resided in San Diego.
May 23, 2010 (Descanso) – Three-year-old Noah Hale was found by his mother floating face-down and unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool on Friday. Following a 9-1-1 call, the toddler was air-lifted to Rady Children’s Hospital, but emergency room medical personnel were unable to save him.
May 23, 2010 (Borrego Springs) – A 24-year-old San Diego man was killed Friday night while riding off-road motorcycles with a friend in the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recreation Area. The victim lost control of his motorcycle and was ejected at Shell Reef Expressway at Fault Wash in Borrego Springs.
May 22, 2010 (Rancho San Diego)—Cub Scouts from the Wolf Den of Pack 391 donned gloves and helped pick up trash around Steele Canyon Bridge earlier this month—all as part of their recycling requirement to earn Wolf badges.
The Pack includes students at local elementary schools in first through fifth grade. Second graders from the wolf Den picked up three bags of trash as well as some items to be recycled.
May 22, 2010 (El Cajon ) – The 19th El Cajon Invitational Art Exhibit and Artists’ Reception will be held on Sunday, June 6 from 3 to 6 p.m.
View works of numerous artists and photographers, meet artists Barbara McVey and Cindie Wolf , and savor wine and cheese at the reception, which will be held at the St. Clair Gallery in the East County Business Center, 270 East Douglas Avenue in El Cajon.
The Franklin Scandal, By Nick Bryant ( Trine Day LLC, Walterville, Oregon, 2009, 652 pages.)
Book Review by Dennis Moore
May 23, 2010 (San Diego) –Author Nick Bryant reveals a tragic and sinister tale of a nationwide pedophile ring that pandered children to a cabal of the rich and famous, stretching from Southern California to cornfields of Nebraska and beyond to our nation’s capitol. The Franklin Scandal reveals political powerbrokers who had access to the highest levels of our government and connections in the CIA. One of those powerbrokers is Lawrence E. "Larry" King, Jr. (no relation to the TV talk show host of the same name), identified by other sources as the primary pimp of the nationwide pedophile ring.
This book gripped me and held my attention like none I have ever read; I couldn’t put it down. The Franklin Scandal is riveting!
UPDATE: Assemblyman Joel Anderson won the Republican primary and will square off against Democrat Paul Clay, a teacher, in the 36th State Senate election November 2. Scroll down for profiles on both candidates.
City of La Mesa and City Heights Community Center also among honorees in San Diego's eastern regions
May 22, 2010 (San Diego) – Walk San Diego’s recent Golden Footprint Awards included a special recognition to Lemon Grove’s Mayor Mary Sessom for “outstanding vision and leadership in promoting walkable communities.”
May 22, 2010 (San Diego)--In 2001 Dreamworks released Shrek. Based on a children’s book, the movie was an inventive, clever, and witty satire of fairy tales. It was a huge hit and spawned three sequels, the last of which being Shrek Forever After.
May 22, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Two earthquakes measuring 5.3 and 4.8 in magnitude struck at 10:33 and 10:00 a.m. The temblors were centered 14 and 13 miles SSW of Seeley, California, according to the U.S. Geological Service.
The quakes caused significant shaking in East County and San Diego, causing windows to rattle on Mount Helix. If you had damage from the quake, please post in the comments section below. Click here to see an enlarged map.
No reports of damage have been received, said a dispatcher for Heartland Fire, which services much of East County.
May 22, 2010 (Lakeside) -- Robert David Becker, 35, died yesterday morning in a motorcycle accident on the Yuima Indian Reservation on State Route 76 near Rincon. According to the North County Times, Becker was riding with a group of motorcyclists when he rounded a curve and hit motorcycles stopped ahead of him. He fell into traffic and was run over by a pickup truck.
May 22, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego Police are investigating a complaint of a man who reportedly chased a 15-year-old girl last night near South 39th Street and Ocean View Blvd. in the Mountain View neighborhood of San Diego, located east of I-15 and south of Highway 94.
May 21, 2010 (San Diego) -- The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health is investigating three illnesses that match a Salmonella outbreak linked to three brands of alfalfa sprouts. Consumers and local grocery stores are urged to check for the recalled products.
The products are connected to 23 illnesses in 10 states, including 11 people in California. The latest known illness was on May 2. Six cases nationwide have required hospitalization.
Donations, supplies also needed to help children who survived quake
May 21, 2010 (Mt. Helix) – Dr. Carolle Jean-Murat gives a grim update on the plight in Haiti. “Only a few people have received tents, tarps, or food to sustain them. Many are presently dying of disease, malnutrition, or simply checking out mentally or dying with a broken heart.”
May 21, 2010 (Valley Center) – Cal-Fire firefighters are dousing hot spots from a half-acre brush fire near 29902 Valley Center Road. The fire’s spread has been stopped. The blaze, which began at 3:46 this afternoon, was caused by youngsters playing with illegal fireworks.
May 21, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – A 68-year-old man has been attacked by bees in the 500 block of Tecate Road. According to Cal-Fire firefighters at the scene, the aggressive swarm may be Africanized bees.
May 25, 2010 (El Cajon) Chase Bank at 966 North Johnson in El Cajon was robbed at 9:45 this morning by a man who went behind the bank counter and contronted an employee with a knife, demanding cash.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) -- The new San Diego County Library Acoustic Showcase offers a wonderful variety of some of San Diego's very best singer/songwriters, folk music performers and story tellers. 
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) -- Students from the Renewable Energy Leadership Institute (RELI) demonstrated their newly-learned skills to the San Diego Unified School District Board today, unveiling an electric go-cart and solar charging station.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has announced that the company will bring the world’s largest heavy-lifting helicopter in the world to our region to construct Sunrise Powerlink, which SDG&E hopes to begin constructing this summer. “It can also be used for firefighting—and it can bring up to 2,500 gallons of water,” said Michael R. Niggli, president and chief operating officer of SDG&E. By contrast, the largest firefighting helicopter previously in San Diego had a capacity of 300 gallons, he said.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) – Police seek help to find Li-Juan Ji, 79, who has been visiting from China and speaks only Mandarin Chinese. The elderly woman was last seen yesterday morning at 7:30 near 4700 Seminole Drive in the Rolando area (between La Mesa and the College vicinity), near the intersection of Stanley with a bag of recyclables. She was wearing a tan sweater and grey pants, and often wears a pink sunscreen pulled over her face.
May 24, 2010 (La Mesa) – The jewel of the hills will be a century old in 2012—and city leaders are gearing up to celebrate La Mesa’s history and culture through exhibits, education venues, institutional presentations and community events. (Get ready to party hearty!)
by Christopher Mohr
May 24, 2010 (Washington D.C.) - Congressman Duncan Hunter praised a not guilty verdict in the case of Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe, who faced court-martial for allegedly beating Iraqi detainee Ahmed Hashim Abed and lying to investigators.
May 24, 2010 (La Mesa) – Councilmember Ernest Ewin has proposed that La Mesa create a program to encourage residents to turn in unused and expired prescription drugs and also launch a “No Drugs Down the Toilet or Drain” campaign. The proposal will be considered by Council on Tuesday, May 25 during the Council meeting starting at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
May 24, 2010 (San Diego) – Judicial races are rarely headline news. But an organization called “Better Courts Now” founded by the late Don Hamer, an East County pastor, has lined up a slate of right-wing candidates to challenge four incumbent judges.
May 25, 2010 (San Diego) – Voters, be wary. A slate mailer titled “Election Education Guide” claims to list official endorsements of the California Democratic Party for statewide candidates and propositions. But the deceptive paid political flyer is not affiliated with the Democrats. While some positions listed accurately reflect the Party’s endorsements, others falsely misrepresent the Democratic Party’s position.
Police seek 2 suspects in a black SUV
May 24, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – A group of hikers found a severely burned human body yesterday at 11:15 a.m. while hiking approximately two miles west of Sunrise Highway (State Route 1) west of mile marker 18. The San Diego Sheriff's homicide unit is investigating and the identity of the victim is unknown.
May 23, 2010 (San Diego’s E
ast County) – Yo, ho, it was a pirate’s night on the town last night as “Sam the Pirate” Mejia led a group of revelers on a pub crawl through East County in celebration of his birthday.
May 23, 2010 (Descanso) – Three-year-old Noah Hale was found by his mother floating face-down and unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool on Friday. Following a 9-1-1 call, the toddler was air-lifted to Rady Children’s Hospital, but emergency room medical personnel were unable to save him.
May 22, 2010 (Rancho San Diego)—Cub Scouts from the Wolf Den of Pack 391 donned gloves and helped pick up trash around Steele Canyon Bridge earlier this month—all as part of their recycling requirement to earn Wolf badges.
May 22, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Two earthquakes measuring 5.3 and 4.8 in magnitude struck at 10:33 and 10:00 a.m. The temblors were centered 14 and 13 miles SSW of Seeley, California, according to the U.S. Geological Service.
May 22, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego Police are investigating a complaint of a man who reportedly chased a 15-year-old girl last night near South 39th Street and Ocean View Blvd. in the Mountain View neighborhood of San Diego, located east of I-15 and south of Highway 94.
May 21, 2010 (San Diego) -- The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health is investigating three illnesses that match a Salmonella outbreak linked to three brands of alfalfa sprouts. Consumers and local grocery stores are urged to check for the recalled products.
May 21, 2010 (Valley Center) – Cal-Fire firefighters are dousing hot spots from a half-acre brush fire near 29902 Valley Center Road. The fire’s spread has been stopped. The blaze, which began at 3:46 this afternoon, was caused by youngsters playing with illegal fireworks. 
Swarm may be Africanized “killer” bees
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