By Trang Pham

September 30, 2013 (San Diego)--On September 27th, Assemblymember Toni Atkins met with community members, medical interpreters and former patients to honor those who have been affected by language access barriers at medical facilities. She also called on Governor Jerry Brown to sign legislation to improve patients’ access to interpreters.

September 30, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--We had a great lineup of guests in September!  Our radio shows are now posted,  so you can listen to shows you  missed.  Below are links, along with a lineup of guests each day including Sheriff Bill Gore, Supervisor Dianne Jacob, climate change expert Eve Simmons, Noori Barka from the Chaldean American Institute, Van Collinsworth from Preserve Wild Santee, Helix Water’s Joel Scalzetti, and others including local authors, musicians, historians, and more.

Three ways to listen: 

1.  On-air broadcasts of our show run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and repeats Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM. 

2. If you can’t hear the signal, you can listen live during broadcasts at www.knsj.org. 

3. To listen online to our September shows, click “read more” below and scroll down to read a lineup of guests on each day’s show. (Note: you can find older shows further down the page you're now on.)

By Miriam Raftery

September 30, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- This week, we highlight upcoming items on the agendas for the Lemon Grove City Council and tehl Lakeside Community Planning Group.

September 30, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The San Diego Festival Chorus is a non-audition, 70-member chorus with singers from all across East County.  Beginning its 13th season, the group has performed everything from Beethoven to Broadway and everything in between.  The chorus has two concerts in December and May with its 45- piece orchestra for audiences of up to 1200.  The chorus also does outreach performances.

September 30, 2013 (La Mesa) – A wide variety of hand-crafted, fairly traded items will be available at a La Mesa gift faire scheduled for October 13 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at St. Martin of Tours Parish Hall, 7710 El Cajon Boulevard in La Mesa.  Visitors can savor samples of Fair Trade certified ice cream, (Ben and Jerry’s) and coffee while perusing gift items such as hand made baskets, jewelry, clothing accessories, and an abundance of gift items. Also available for purchase will be Fair Trade chocolate, coffee, tea, bananas and soda.

Here is an opportunity to join the many thousands of today’s consumers who are inspired to add “socially responsible” to their shopping list. To purchase a Fair Trade certified product is to make a difference. The designation signifies that artisans and farmers in the poorest areas of the world have received fair, livable wages for their product or ingredients. In addition, certain standards must be met in the production process. These include protecting the environment, building economic sustainability, and providing opportunities for education and health care for families. Young children are protected from forced labor.

September 30, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Sprites of East County, a mother-daughter non-profit philanthropic organization, is looking for new members. The organization’s goals include providing volunteer service to local charities, financial assistance to their philanthropies, along with providing scholarships to deserving young girls in the community. Sprites is comprised of mothers and their 7th-12th grade daughters who reside in the Grossmont Union High School District.

Those interested in becoming a “Sprite” can contact membership coordinators Jocelyn Cherin and Emily Waring at contact@spritesofeastcounty.org, on Facebook, and by mail at Sprites of East County Inc., P.O. Box 786, El Cajon, California 92022-0786.

September 30, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – The "History Alive" lecture series, sponsored by the Lemon Grove Historical Society, will continue on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the H. Lee House Cultural Center, 3205 Olive, Lemon Grove.  Jack Shelver, the city's first city manager, will look back at the heady days of early cityhood in 1977. 

Jack, who retired to Julian in 1994, where he serves as president of the Fire Board, spent 17 years as Lemon Grove's chief executive.  He oversaw the coming of the trolley and the recreation of the original train depot.  He also oversaw the building of the Senior Center, launched redevelopment, and established the first General Plan.

By Miriam Raftery

September 30, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Spears and San Diego Police Officer Michael DeWitt risked their lives to save two deputies who were shot and wounded by a child molestation suspect in Lakeside last September.  The deputies, Ali Perez and Craig Johnson, both survived thanks to their colleagues’ heroism.

On Thursday, Governor Jerry Brown and Attorney General Kamala Harris presented the Medal of Valor – California’s highest law enforcement award – to Deputy Spears and Officer DeWitt for their courage above and beyond the call of duty.

September 29, 2013 (San Diego) – On Tuesday, October 1^st, the California Public Utilities Commission will hold hearings in San Diego on who should pay for costs of the now-closed down San Onofre Nuclear Generation Stations – ratepayers or utility companies. The hearings will be held from 2-5 p.m. and again from 6:30-9;30 p.m. at the Al Bahr Shriners auditorium, 5440 Kearny Mesa, San Diego. 

The Coalition to Decommission San Onofre plans to hold a press conference outside the site at 1 p.m. In the evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., members of the Overpass Light Brigade will be outside the hearing to draw attention to ratepayers’ concerns.

Photo by Donnie Durfee

September 29, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – A brush fire charred approximately 10 acres yesterday afternoon near Highway 94 and the border checkpoint, the Deerhorn Valley Antler reports.  Multiple firefighting agencies swiftly responded, along with helicopters to douse the blaze, dubbed the Pink Fire. No structures were burned.

By Miriam Raftery

September 29, 2013 (Alpine) --A San Diego Police officer who lost his leg after his motorcycle was struck by a sedan Alpine back in June is now flying high. Today, James “Chappie” Hunter donned a jet pack to soar over Mission Bay, raising money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and his own medical bills.

"I'm doing amazingly great," Chappie, 41, told ECM news partner 10News. This week, he is also being fitted for a prosthetic leg.  "I've already stood once for the first time last week and I'll be walking later this week for the first time," he added.

September 27, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--The National Weather Service today issued a Red Flag Warning due to high winds, dry brush and increased fire danger in San Diego County. The Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 12 p.m. Friday, September 27 through 6 p.m. Saturday, September 28 for the following communities: Ramona, Valley Center, Fallbrook, Escondido, El Cajon, Alpine, Potrero, Campo, Santa Ysabel, Descanso, Julian, Ranchita, and Warner Springs.

“Firefighting agencies throughout the state will be on high alert this weekend,” said Cal Fire Captain Mike Mohler.  “This is the first Red Flag Warning of what is shaping up to be one of the most challenging fire seasons in many years.  High winds can turn a spark into a devastating wildfire in just minutes, so we’re calling on San Diegans to be extremely vigilant in the high fire-risk areas of the county.”

During the Red Flag Warning, Cal Fire urges all Californians to exercise extreme caution outdoors in order to prevent wildfires. A few helpful reminders and fire prevention tips include:

By Jim Wiegand, wildlife biologist

September 27, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- While Altamont Pass operators have been hiding most of their wind turbine mortality with search intervals of 30-90 days, the rest of North American wind farms hide mortality by using search areas that are far too small.  By using only 50 meter search areas for their huge new turbines, the wind facility operators can easily hide over 90% of fatalities caused from turbine blade strikes.

September 27, 2013 (La Mesa) – The Senior Resource Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. Scroll down for details on next month’s programs.  For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit www.sharp.com.