By Miriam Raftery

March 8, 2015 (San Diego)--Here’s some news that may not be music to your ears.

The World Health Organization, or WHO, reports that over a billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of losing their hearing.

By Randy Zuniga

March 8, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Garnet Peak is a fun and easy hike with spectacular views. The amazing part about this hike is the amount of payoff for how short the hike really is. An “out and back” that is 4.4 miles long (roundtrip) with most of it along the beautiful Pacific Crest Trail. In this compact hike one experiences a picturesque summit overlooking the Anza Borrego desert, Imperial Valley, and on clear days even the Salton Sea.

For complete Calendar including Authors Events, go to www.SDWriteWay.org

VOLUNTEER EDITOR WANTED: I am planning to retire and move to a southern Mexican beach resort and need help in editing the Calendar. Only "ego dollars" but you can promote your own services. As a member of the press, you can also go to many events and classes for free. You will also be a volunteer for the http://EastCountyMagazine.org.

East County News Service

March 8, 2015 (San Diego's East County) --Two suspects are under arrest on suspicion of two armed robberies that occurred yesterday—one at Fashion Valley shopping mall and the other at a Vons store in La Mesa.

March 8, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Our January radio shows are now online!  You can listen online now (note sound files may take a minute to load). For links to listen to the shows plus a full list of topics and interviews in January, click here and scroll down.

Our top newsmaker interviews included representatives from Cleveland National Forest, the County’s Farm to School produce program, a War Victims group seeking reparations for Iraq War refugees, the postal workers’ union on cuts in postal services, a leading solar company on changes in solar incentives for consumers, an environmental advocate battling Soitec Solar’s projects in Boulevard, and La Mesa’s Chamber of Commerce president on honoring local heroes. Plus we interviewed two law-enforcement officers-turned-authors, La Mesa Police Chief Dan Willis and former ICE special agent Timothy Daniels.

You can hear the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ 89.1 FM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 to 6 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m, and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

By Miriam Raftery

March 8, 2015 (San Diego)--As the nation commemorates the 50^th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, investigative reporter Greg Palast has published findings that show we still have a long way to go as a nation to achieve civil rights for all people.

March 7, 2015 (San Diego)--On Thursday, March 19, three seasoned freelancers Hilary Achauer, Anita Palmer, and Lynette Smith, will provide valuable insights to help editors and writers put together successful job quotes at the next program meeting of the San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN). The presentation, Getting the Price Right: The Art of Bidding Jobs, will take place at 6:30 p.m. in San Diego County Health Services Complex.

East County News Service

March 6, 2015 (El Cajon) – The East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) has been closed for five years, in need of roofing repairs and other renovations.  On March 10, El Cajon City Council’s consent calendar includes approval of plans and bid specifications for ECPAC improvements.

Originally Published on the ECOreport

Editor’s Note: The ECOreport is pleased to present a unique article by Dr. Allan Hoffman, former senior executive at the Department of Energy, who served under five Presidents between 1978 and 2012, reviewing ECOreport partner, Robert Lundahl’s film, “Who Are My People?”

At the ECOreport, we have been aware that Lundahl’s film captures a key transition in the history of renewable energy, as concentrating solar, which had been developed in the US, began to return in the hands of international firms building large solar facilities in the Mojave desert.

Lundahl ventured to these remote locations to capture responses from Native American elders whose communities and tribal groups have had a connection to the land since time immemorial. The film is about resulting conflicts in values that define renewable energy in its current form, and provide a consultative view about how we implement these technologies today, and in the future.

March 6, 2015--I was invited to review the documentary film “Who Are My People?” because of my professional familiarity with concentrating solar power technologies. I was responsible for the U.S. Department of Energy’s broad range of renewable energy electricity programs for several years during the Clinton Administration. “Who Are My People?” is well worth watching.

Church also hosts Requiem concert April 2

Photo by Steve Odland

March 7, 2015 (Mt. Helix) – An annual tradition held for nearly a century, Sunrise Easter services are held atop Mt. Helix in an east-facing amphitheater crowned by a large cross. This year, Foothills United Methodist Church in La Mesa will host the free service.

Arabo praises support for relocation of displaced Christians

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Syrian refugee children at clinic in Jordan, by Russell Watkins, Dept. for International Development

March 6, 2015 (San Diego’s East County ) – Today the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the global community, led by the United States and Europe, to take action to save the lives of 4 million Syrian refugees.

Valdez stars in Oedipus Rex,  running March 7-29

By Mimi Pollack

Photo by Daren Scott

March 6, 2015 (San Diego)--It couldn’t always have been easy growing up as part of “Chicano theater royalty” or a Latino dynasty, yet Lakin Valdez, son of Luis and Lupe Valdez, comes across with ease and grace. The youngest of three brothers, all of them working in various aspects of theater, film, and television, Lakin is unassuming, smart and thoughtful.

By East County Magazine

View a detailed list of pedestrian accidents resulting in serious injuries or deaths in El Cajon

March 5, 2015 (El Cajon)--El Cajon has had 17 fatality pedestrian accidents from 2011 to 2014, including six on Main and East Main Street. The city also had 61 serious injury accidents involving pedestrians during the same period.  During the first few weeks of 2015, fatal pedestrian accidents have claimed more lives, including a 7-year-old boy and an elderly woman in El Cajon.

East County News Service

March 5, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police Officer Christine Greer has filed a lawsuit against the department alleging discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation and disability.