By Miriam Raftery

September 8, 2017 (San Diego) – An 8.1 earthquake has struck Mexico off the west coast near Chiapas and Oaxaca overnight, killing at least several dozen people though that count is expected to rise dramatically.  The quake, the strongest in a century to hit Mexico, and aftershocks are triggering tsunamis, one measuring 3 foot already and potential of waves up to 10 feet tall, CNN reports:  http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/08/americas/earthquake-hits-off-the-coast-of-southern-mexico/index.html

Many more fatalities and major economic loss are expected, the U.S. Geologic Survey predicts:  https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us2000ahv0#executive

Meanwhile Mexico’s east coast is awash in heavy rains and strong winds from Hurricane Katia , a category 1 hurricane off Veracruz.  A hurricane warning is in effect for Cabo Rojo to Laguna Verde.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos:  Hurricane damage in the Caribbean, courtesy of Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

September 7, 2017 (San Diego) – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has issued a report on devastating wrought by Hurricane Irma, a powerful category 5 hurricane that smashed into multiple Caribbean islands and is now on track to hit Florida this weekend. Evacuations are ordered in every Florida county.  The storm could also veer north after Florida toward Georgia and the Carolinas.

By Miriam Raftery

September 6, 2017 (San Diego) -- After the Trump administration announced repeal of DACA,  the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities across the nation to rally in support of protecting the dreamers, young people brought to the U.S. as children by undocumented parents.  Those young people now face deportation under President Trump’s executive order, unless Congress takes action within six months to protect them.

East County News Service

September 6, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - On the heels of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma is now wreaking havoc in the Caribbean and is heading toward the U.S. mainland.

Irma is the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, with wind speeds of 185 miles per hour. It slammed into the U.S. Virgin Islands as a category 5 hurricane, and is also soon expected to ravage Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory and other Caribbean islands.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Department of Homeland Security

September 4, 2017 (San Diego) – Homeland Security in Thursday announced four companies chosen to build prototypes of a border wall in the Otay Mesa area in San Diego. President Donald Trump has threatened a government shut down if Congress won’t fund subsequent construction of a wall along most of the international U.S.-Mexico border in an upcoming spending bill. 

By Chris Jennewein

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

Photo: An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer escorts a suspected undocumented immigrant. Courtesy ICE

September 4, 2017 (San Diego) -- A new report that President Trump plans to end protection from deportation for 800,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to America as children drew sharp criticism from San Diego elected officials.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Photo left:  Los Angeles Air Ops via L.A. Fire Department; Jason Moore on Twitter

September 3, 2017 (San Diego) – The Border Fire near Dulzura is 100% contained. But across California, many far more major brush fires are blazing. Several local firefighting agencies have dispatched crews to aid in conflagrations across the state.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Jamul Indian Village site before the casino

September 3, 2017 (Jamul) - U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller, Eastern District of California,  dismissed on August 29^th an amended complaint in Rosales v. Dutschke which sought $4 million in damages for what plaintiffs contend was the illegal and unconstitutional desecration of Native American remains to make way for the Hollywood-Jamul San Diego Casino.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Billy Ortiz: El Capitan Dam in Lakeside, ranked “fair” for safety, has an “extremely high “downstream hazard status for potential loss of life and property damage.

September 2, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - The State of California on Friday released data on dam safety in California which found nine percent of dams statewide fall below satisfactory and could pose potential hazards in severe storms or earthquakes—including nine dams in San Diego County.

By County News Center, County of San Diego Communications Office

Image credit:  PhotoSpin

September 2, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office warned residents to be careful when donating to charities that promise to help victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The DA’s Office is offering important consumer advice and information to avoid becoming a victim of charity scams.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Erik Prince, Blackwater founder

September 1, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Blackwater founder Erik Prince has been “implicated in murder,” the Nation reports. The article, written by journalist and author Jeremy Scahill, indicates that sworn statements filed in Federal Court on August 3rd allege that the private military company’s founder, Erik Prince launched a “crusade” to eliminate Muslims and Islam.Many East County residents will recall meeting Scahill, who visited Potrero and San Diego back in 2007.  Scahill came to warn local residents about serious ethical issues involving Blackwater, which was aiming to build a paramilitary training camp in a valley in Potrero. 

The Nation article reports that a former Blackwater employee and an ex-Marine who worked as a security operative for Blackwater both made explosive allegations in sworn statements claiming that Prince may have murdered or facilitated the murder of people who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. Their identities are being kept secret for their own protection.

Customers are encouraged to save energy to earn a bill credit

September 1, 2017 (San Diego) --   San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has called a Reduce Your Use Rewards event for today, Friday, Sept. 1, due to continued hot weather throughout the region causing a rise in electric demand. To reduce strain on the electric grid, SDG&E is encouraging customers to reduce their energy use between 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

By doing so, those who are signed up for the program will be eligible to earn a bill credit of $.75 per kilowatt hour saved or $1.25 credit per kilowatt hour saved with enabling technology, like a smart thermostat. If you’re not on the Reduce Your Use rewards program, it’s not too late to join.

Watchdog group that won lawsuit says last-minute amendment inserted by election officials would allow 40 to 70 percent of ballots to be omitted from audits

By Miriam Raftery

September 1, 2017 (San Diego) --- Citizens' Oversight, a nonpartisan group that focuses on election integrity, announced today that it has filed written comments in opposition to CA AB-840, a bill which will make drastic changes to the one-percent manual tally of elections, which would omit 40% or more ballots from the scrutiny of this important audit process. Local Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher (D-San Diego) is a coauthor of the bill.

ECM asked Vu late Thursday for comments. Vu replied via email, “The amendment came through and is sponsored by the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) and is supported by the Secretary of State and the County."

Update 11:54 a.m.  The Sheriff advised residents through Alert San Diego that  the fire is in the Bee Canyon area of Dulzura. No evacuations have been advised but residents are urged to stay tuned to local media and make sure your mobile phone is registered with AlertSanDiego to receive evacuation notices, www.ReadySanDiego.org and follow Cal Fire for updated fire information: https://twitter.com/CALFIRESANDIEGO

Update 11:40 a.m.  The fire is now 15 percent contained and has burned 120 acres, Cal Fire reports.

Update 10:45 a.m.  Fire is now 110 acres and still zero percent contained. SDG&E's helicopter, several fixed wing aircraft and over 220 firefighters are among the resources at the scene. 

September 1, 2017 (Dulzura) -- The #BorderFire burning in Dulzura has charred at least 50 acres of brush and is zero percent contained.  The blaze began at 5:40 a.m. near State Route 94 and Marron Valley Road. There are no road closures at this time. The fire is burning to the north and east.

Resources committed include 20 fire engines, 10 hand crews, 7 water tenders, 3 bulldozers, and 3 Type II helicopters.

You can view video and a map at Cal Fire's Twitter feed here:  https://twitter.com/CALFIRESANDIEGO

Source:  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

August 31, 2017 (San Diego) -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deployed approximately 200 law enforcement personnel from Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) and Special Response Teams (SRTs) around the country, including San Diego, to provide security for search and rescue teams and to assist with search and rescue operations in Southeast Texas in response to Hurricane Harvey.