By Miriam Raftery

April 29, 2017 (Warner Springs) – Ten historic cottages at Warner Springs Ranch Resort reopen this weekend, after the resort’s long closure for remodeling under new ownership.

“As they were in the past, Warner Springs Ranch Resort cottages are meant to provide a simple, rustic setting similar to that experienced in the old west…a place to create memories that last a lifetime,” an announcement from Warner Springs Resort reads. “You’ll find our cottages to be a comfortable environment to unwind after a great day on the golf course or on horseback.”

East County News Service

April 29, 2017 (Santee) -- Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, City of El Cajon and the County of San Diego were recently honored with being named “Recycled Water Agency of the Year” - medium agency category - from the WateReuse California Section and the WateReuse California Board for their work on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program. To celebrate,  they teamed up with Ballast Point Brewing Company to serve up a”Padre Dam Pilsner,”  a  beer made with treated wastewater from the East County Advanced Water Purification Program  at a reception last month at the Westin hotel downtown.

Nico Siragusa, Donnel Pumphrey and Damontae Kazee all selected on final day of draft

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  Donnel Pumphrey (left), Nico Siragusa (center) and Damontae Kazee (right) were each drafted today.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

April 29, 2017 (Philadelphia) - San Diego State had three players selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, which wrapped up Saturday in Philadelphia. Nico Siragusa and Donnel Pumphrey were each picked in the fourth round, while Damontae Kazee was selected early in the fifth round.

By Miriam Raftery

April 29, 2017 (La Mesa) – Helix Water District has announced cancellation of its regularly scheduled meeting May 3^rd, but will hold two budget workshops on May 3^rd and 4^th and 4 p.m.  See below for the budget workshop agendas, which are identical both nights.

East County News Service

Photo:  Fearless Girl, Wall Street, N.Y.

April 28, 2017 (Julian) – Seeking to reverse “damage to our country using our American values of inclusion, tolerance, fairness and respect,” residents in Julian are organizing an Indivisible group, part of the nationwide effort to resist the agendas of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

East County News Service

April 28, 2017 (San Diego's East County) – A final push is underway to locate any old photographs, faded newspaper clippings, promotional materials and other historical documents for possible inclusion in a yet-to-be-published book chronicling the history of Grossmont Hospital and Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD).

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview, originally aired on KNSJ radio, by clicking the audio link, or scroll down for highlights.

April 27, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Gloria Chadwick is a registered nurse who has worked in the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital. She's been elected to serve five terms on the Grossmont Healthcare District Board.  The first woman elected nearly 20 years ago, she's currently Vice President of the healthcare district serving East County. 

At a town hall meeting held by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), she announced plans to challenge him for  his seat – and passed out a pill bottle with her remedy to fix Congress:  “restoring integrity, providing affordable healthcare, creating more jobs, and protecting Medicare and the rights of Veterans.”

Voters couldn’t ask for a greater contrast.  Hunter, at his town hall, said he doesn’t believe healthcare is a right, but merely believes in “access” for those with the ability to pay for it. Chadwick describes herself as a “nurse warrior” who has been a fierce advocate for her patients – and now wants to do battle for constituents across the 50^th Congressional District.  In an exclusive interview with East County Magazine aired on KNSJ, she shared her vision for reforming healthcare, strengthening services for veterans and military families, and protecting a clean, healthy environment.

East County News Service

April 27, 2017 (Malibu) --With Southern California experiencing a “super bloom” after years of draught there is no better time to get out and enjoy the beautiful nature of the region.   But where to go, now that the Anza Borrego bloom is nearly over?

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

April 27, 2017 (El Cajon) – A “homemade smoke device” set off in a boy’s restroom at Granite Hills High School this morning at 10:10 a.m. tripped a fire alarm, according to Grossmont Union High School District spokesperson Catherine Martin on Twitter.

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

April 27, 2017 (Spring Valley) - Mount Miguel softball is a little worse for wear; they’re 5-7 overall and 1-3 in league play so far heading into today’s game against El Capitan.  The Vaqueros are a different story; they sport a decent 12-10 overall record, but are undefeated in league play with a 4-0 record coming into today.  Sophomore Nya Maga started on the hill for the Matadors against junior Elena Laddon for the Vaqueros.

Broken bones and rocks yield evidence that pushes back the record of early humans in North America by more than 100,000 years

Source: Natural History Museum

Photo:  Richard Cerutti, retired PaleoServices Field Paleontologist (left) and Dr. Tom Demere, Curator of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum (right), with mastodon tusk

April 27, 2017 (San Diego) -- Discovery of a 130,000-year-old mastodon skeleton in San Diego with bones altered by early humans dramatically revises the timeline for when humans first reached North America, according to a paper to be published in the April 27 issue of the prestigious science journal Nature.  The Cerutti Mastodon site is the oldest well-documented site with evidence of human presence in the Americas—and analysis reveals some startling findings.

April 27, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views.  Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• White House unveils dramatic plan to overhaul tax code  (Washington Post)
• U.S. Chief Justice alarmed at Trump administration immigration case stance (Reuters)
• Republicans exempt their own insurance from their latest health care proposal (MSN)
• Changes to federal insurance plans could hurt parents of chronically ill children (NPR)
• Trump not going to terminate NAFTA (CNN)
• Flynn may have broken law, say Oversight leaders (The Hill)
• House Republicans introduce one-week spending bill  (Washington Post)
• Far-right Trump advisor tied to anti-Semitic paramilitary group (Vanity Fair)
• A third of US millennials still live at home, census report finds (BBC)
• Symantec attributes 40 cyber attacks to CIA-linked hacking tools (Reuters)
• House oversight panel has questions about Trump businesses, foreign emoluments (NPR)
• Trump makes his first big changes to Obamacare (Huffington Post)
• The rich are living longer and taking more from taxpayers (Bloomberg)
• Dead giant rabbit on United flight creates new problem for airline (Patch.com)
• Vaping venture poses potential conflict for Trump’s FDA nominee (Bloomberg)

WORLD

• Facing death for being gay, men flee Russia’s Chechnya (Yahoo News)
• Russia court outlaws 'extremist' Jehovah's Witnesses (BBC)
• Hezbollah's defiant signal to Israel, Lebanon, and the UN (CS Monitor)
• To fight domestic violence among Syrian refugees, an outreach to men (CS Monitor)
• Russia hacked Danish defense for two years, minister tells newspaper (Reuters)
•  Venezuela death toll hits 29, protesters battle security forces (Reuters)
• Sealed Files of United Nations War Crimes Commission Will Finally See Light of Day (Smithsonian)
• U.S., Uganda Call Off Search for Infamous Warlord Joseph Kony (NPR)
• Turkey Arrests More Than 1,000 in Massive Purge of its Police Forces (NPR)
• Turkey investigation 17, some Americans, in failed coup (New York Times)

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

April 27, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting-edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Don't Give Kids Cough Syrup or Pain Meds That Contain Codeine, FDA Says (NPR)
• Sharp Healthcare helps elderly San Diegans get medical care at home (KPBS)
• San Diego Man Saved by Therapeutic Use of Viruses (KPBS)
• Eat, Sleep, Repeat: How Kids' Daily Routines Can Help Prevent Obesity (NPR)
• Scientists Create Artificial Womb That Could Help Prematurely Born Babies (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• This new solar-powered device can pull water straight from the desert air (Science Mag)
• You Can Now 3D Print Glass (Smithsonian)
• The Scary Consequences of Old Electronics (& How to Prevent Them) (Apartment Therapy)
• Utrecht introduces ‘smart’ cycle paths that help riders hit green lights  (Lonely Planet)
• Physicists observe 'negative mass' (BBC)
• Video Shows Blue Whale Chowing Down on Krill  (Smithsonian)
• Waste Not, Want Not: Why Aren't More Farms Putting Poop to Good Use? (NPR)
• Aurora photographers find new night sky lights and call them Steve (BBC)

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

After punt return TD, the defender goes 108 yards with a return of a missed field goal

By Nick Pellegrino

April 26, 2017 (Santee) -- One of the program's top players for several seasons, Deana Guidry earned the title as face of the San Diego Surge franchise following Saturday's Women's Football Alliance {www.wfaprofootball.com} home opener.