By Miriam Raftery

January 22, 2021 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police officers conducting a traffic stop in the 1200 block of Main Street led to the arrest of Neil Alequin, 37, of El Cajon on numerous charges of possessing illegal weapons and drugs.

A probation search of his vehicle and residence found numerous weapons including six illegally possessed handguns (several loaded), illegal high-capacity magazines, various calibers of ammunition, parts and machining equipment used to assemble illegal firearms, several stun guns, brass knuckles, and a pistol suppressor. The search also found narcotics.

Regional taskforce formed to bridge the digital divide gap in the San Diego region

Source:  SANDAG

Photo: Creative Commons by SA

January 22, 2021 (San Diego) - At its meeting Friday, the SANDAG Board of Directors adopted a resolution to support increased broadband access throughout the region to help bridge the digital divide – the gap that exists between those with and without access to information and communications technology such as broadband, computers, and smart phones. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issues caused by the digital divide, limiting people’s ability to work from home or participate in virtual classroom settings.

By Miriam Raftery

January 22, 2021 (El Cajon) – The January 26 agenda for the El Cajon City Council includes a proposal to remove Planning Commissioner Humbert Cabrera over alleged conflicts of interest and ethical concerns.

According to a report by Mayor Bill Wells and Mayor Pro Tem Gary Kendrick, the City Council has received complaints about Cabrera in emails and public comments.  The report raises three main areas of concern.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: screenshots via C-Span

January 21, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – Under the heaviest security since the Civil War, one week after a violent attack on our nation’s Capitol, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office on January 20.

It was a day of historic firsts. Harris is the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American to become Vice President. Her husband, who is Jewish,became First Gentleman. The nation’s youngest Poet Laureate, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, delivered a powerful rendition of her poem, “The Hill We Climb”, a message of unity, healing and courage written after she witnessed the insurrection at the Capitol.

Chief Justice John Roberts swore in President Biden. In his inaugural speech, Biden said the day represents “A day of history and hope” adding, “Democracy has prevailed.   So now on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.”

By Miriam Raftery

January 21, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – Within hours after his inauguration, President Joe Biden has issued dozens of executive orders, announced ambitious efforts to combat the coronavirus, bring relief to struggling Americans including renters and students with loans, bring aid to local governments, fight climate change, reunite families separated at the border, and more. He also fired three Trump administration officials who had sought to undermine their agencies’ missions. In addition, he announced daily themes for his first month in office.

Update 8:54 p.m.:  Sally Yako has been found and is home safe with her family, Sgt. Hettinger has advised ECM.

Photo: Red Subaru Forrester, similar to vehicle driven by Sally Yako

By Miriam Raftery

January 20, 2021 (Spring Valley) – The Sheriff seeks public help to find Sally Yako, who has dementia and epilepsy. She left her Spring Valley home around 1 p.m. yesterday, driving her red 2008 Subaru Forrester (license 6KFX846).  She crossed into Mexico at San Ysidro and was seen returning to the U.S. through the same port of entry at 8:51 p.m. last night, says Sgt. Michael Hettinger.

Update 3:40 p.m.:  Forward spread of the fire has been stopped at 15 acres, per Cal Fire.

January 20, 2021 (Rancho San Diego) -- The #CampoFire in Rancho San Diego poses an immediate structure threat along Avenida Roberta x Calle Los Arboles in the Rancho San Diego neighborhood in unincorporated El Cajon, Cal Fire reports. Campo Fire was reported just before 12:45 p.m. in an area near Jamacha Road and Campo Road

Evacuate if in the area or if you feel threatened. A temporary evacuation point for the #CampoFire is at the Edwards Cinema parking lot at 2951 Jamacha Rd.

The fire has charred about five acres as of 1:15 p.m.

Viewl life feed courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News: https://www.pscp.tv/10News/1lDxLpQynmyxm

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

(Photo courtesy of Biden Inauguration committe)

Update from San Diego's Mayor Todd Gloria:  "San Diego will participate in the National Memorial to Lives Lost to #COVID19 as organized by @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris "Tonight, the Convention Center and buildings in #BalboaPark will be illuminated in amber and red, white, and blue to honor those we have lost to the virus."

Jan. 18, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) Part of the inaugural events for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris include a service tomorrow afternoon, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m. eastern standard time. The service will be held at 2:30 p.m. pacific standard time. They encourage all to light a candle in memory of those lost to COVID19 and place it is a window.

On the official Facebook page for the inauguration, the event is described as such:

“On January 19 at 5:30pm (local time- E.S.T.- 2:30 p.m. P.S.T. in California) we invite Americans across the country to come together for a national moment of unity and remembrance to honor the lives lost to COVID-19.

In Washington, D.C., we will host a ceremony with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, featuring the first-ever lighting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to honor and remember those who have died. You can watch live on Biden Inaugural social media channels.

East County News Service

January 18, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to take place this Wednesday, January 19 in front of the Capitol. Washington D.C.is under heavy security following last week’s capitol insurrection, with 25,000 National Guard troops stationed there—five time more than the number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

Due to threats of violence and the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of guests will be limited to mainly members of Congress and guests. The Capitol mall is closed to the public for security reasons. The event will be live streamed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.  You can also watch the inauguration on C-span, CNN and other major networks. Throughout the day and evening, a variety of inaugural events will be held that the public can watch or paticipate in virtually.

January 17, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Post-COVID lungs worse than the worst smokers' lungs, surgeon says (CBS)
• Federal COVID-19 reserve is now empty, prompting angry reponses (The Hill)
• Trump tries to claw back billions from COVID-19 distributor (Ars Technica)
• Adequate Levels of Vitamin D Reduces Complications, Death Among COVID-19 Patients (Boston University School of Medicine)
• 240 Israelis found with COVID after vaccination, underscoring need for vigilance (Times of Israel)
• Brazil researchers report disappointing 50.4% efficacy for China's CoronaVac vaccine (Reuters)
• South Africa COVID strain: what you need to know (CNBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Look, up in the sky - it's a flying Cadillac! GM unveils futuristic vehicle (Reuters)
  
  
  
  Amazon Is Booting Parler Off Of Its Web Hosting Service (Buzzfeed)
• Google Play suspends Parler for failure to moderate posts that incite violence  (CBS)
• PayPal and Shopify remove Trump-related accounts, citing policies against supporting violence (CNet)
•  Facebook bans Trump from posting for remainder of his term in office (CNN)
• Twitter permanently bans Trump (CBS)
• Parler CEO says social media app, favored by Trump supporters, may not return  Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Juliette Nash, Community Training Coordinator, San Diego Humane Society

Photos courtesy San Diego Humane Society

January 16, 2021 (San Diego) -- Whether you’ve just adopted a puppy during the pandemic or you’re a longtime pet owner, positive reinforcement-based behavioral training is key to a happy, healthy human-animal relationship, especially while everyone is spending more time at home. But with most traditional in-person training classes on hold in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, you may feel your options are limited. That is not the case, though — and trainers at San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) have moved many of their training classes online. They have found online training classes, conducted via Zoom or other video chat platforms, can bring tremendous results to pets and families alike.

The Importance of Training Your Pet

By Mike Allen

January 15, 2021 (Santee) -- Santee residents will get a chance to vote on the Fanita Ranch project, but will have to wait until November 2022 to do so.

At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Santee City Council voted 4-0, with Mayor John Minto absent, to place the controversial 3,000-unit residential development on the next regularly scheduled city election rather than rescinding its earlier approval vote for the project or setting a special election. According to the county Registrar of Voters, a special election would cost the city about $850,000.

This wasn’t what the Council originally intended. In September the board approved a slew of amendments to the Fanita Ranch Specific Plan and approved the project in a 4-1 vote, with former Councilman Stephen Houlahan opposed.

By Miriam Raftery

January 15, 2021 (San Diego) – Santa Ana winds are forecast to roar into our region, bringing high fire danger Friday and Saturday along with soaring temperatures up to 20 degrees above  normal.

SDG&E has announced possible public safety power shutoffs to more than 11,000 customers across San Diego County’s mountain and rural communities. For updates, see the outage page at www.SDGE.com.

The National Weather Service warns that “strong, damaging Santa Ana winds” are expected to again be likely Monday through Wednesday—along with likely high fire danger if humidity remains low.