By Miriam Raftery

Photo by A. Fanous, St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, before the bombing

April 11, 2017 (Alexandria, Egypt) – At least 45 people are dead following bombings on churches in two Egyptian cities, the New York Times reports.  The attacks which occurred on Palm Sunday targeted Christian worshippers.   The actions follow a December declaration by ISIS, or the Islamic State, terror group to slaughter Christians at the homes, places of worship and elsewhere in Egypt.

By Liz Alper, ECM film reviewer

Photo via Facebook

April 10, 2017 (San Diego) - The Armenian genocide was a horrific event in September of 1915 in which Turkish forces (then still under the control of the Ottoman Empire) slaughtered thousands of Armenian men, women and children.  Director Terry George attempted to put this tragedy on screen in The Promise, starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon.

How the City Games the System Through Sampling Bias. 

By Joseph Glidden

April 10, 2017 (La Mesa) --At its annual Town Hall Meetings, the City of La Mesa gathers skewed data that is then uses to make important decisions at the Strategic Planning Session held later in the year. While the town hall meetings might give the illusion of civic engagement, the data collected is misleading at best. Once again the City Council is busy with the irrelevant, at the expense of the essential.  

La Mesa has been holding annual town hall meetings for the past 10 years. One on the east side of town and the other on the west. Over the years and at both locations, the concerns voiced by residents have been conspicuously similar. Why would this be so?

By Miriam Raftery

April 10, 2017 (San Diego) – East County Magazine interviewed actor Victor Crosswaite Contreras,  a member of Descendants of Early San Diego.  There’s still time to enter a script-writing competition by May 31^st for this year’s TwainFest in Old Town.  Scripts should bring to life an early resident of the San Diego region in the 1800s.  In our interview,  Contreras shares details –and delivers a dramatic reading of one of last year’s winning scripts, depicting famed bandito Joaquin Murrieta.

Listen to our interview and Joaquin Murrieta dramatic reading:  http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/audio/2017/April/Newsmaker-VictorContreras-TwainFest2017.mp3

East County News Service

April 8, 2017 (Sacramento) -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, along with 15 fellow attorneys general, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio et al v. Hodges before the Sixth Circuit United States Court of Appeals on Thursday. The amicus brief defends a woman's right to access essential healthcare services, including reproductive health services, and a qualified healthcare provider's right to participate in offering publicly-funded health services to all people.

By Sam Warren, copyright 2017

April 8, 2017 (San Diego) – Whether you’re looking to write your first novel, meet a novelist, or hear from the White House insider who disclosed President Nixon’s secret taping system, you’ll find a trove of events for readers and writers in San Warren’s literary calendar this week.

La Mesa to vote April 11 on resolution to oppose AB 805

By Miriam Raftery

April 8, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Elected leaders in numerous local cities are gearing up to oppose a state bill that critics warn weaken the voices and voting power of smaller cities on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), as well as the Metropolitan Transit System and North County Transit District.  The bill gives more power to the city of San Diego, which critics contend will mean not enough clout by representatives from the county or other cities in the region to pass, block, or even place items on the agenda.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Oroville Spillway, Calif. Dept. of Water Resources

April 7, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s official:  Governor Jerry Brown today declared an end to California’s statewide drought, thanks to heavy winter precipitation.

But groundwater levels in some areas remain low, so the state will maintain some restrictions on water use to encourage conservation. Brown did not lift the drought order for Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne Counties, where wells went dry and some residents continue to rely on trucked-in emergency water supplies.

Residents are asked to continue avoiding wasting water by hosing off sidewalks or watering lawns during or shortly after a rainstorm.

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – A pack of candidates are lining up to challenge Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) for the 50^th Congressional seat.  Now, filmmaker  Mike Garcia, has announced that he is producing a documentary titled “The Race to Replace Duncan Hunter.”

Hear our interview with Mike Garcia, originally aired on KNSJ radio, by clicking the audio link and scroll down for details.  Garcia talked about his vision for the film and what key issue he believes could flip this red district blue in 2018—or sooner, should there be a special election if the seat becomes vacant.

Hunter is viewed as vulnerable for the first time in this conservative-leaning district, since he is under investigation by the Justice Department for using some $60,000 of campaign funds for personal expenses.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Alpine) -- Alpine Garden Club Presents the Waterwise & Butterflies Plant Sale & Festival in Alpine on Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Christ the King Episcopal Church (1460 Midway Dr., Alpine).

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Lemon Grove) — Three separate accidents on Palm Street in Lemon Grove on April 4^th and 5^th caused serious damages and injuries, Sergeant Jorge Dueno with the Sheriff’s Department reports.  No charges are expected to be filed, as drugs, alcohol and distracted driving did not appear to be factors. 

Community unites to remember two-year-old cancer fighter, raise $75,000 for childhood cancer research

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Alpine) - The Kylie Rowand Foundation will host its 4th Annual Prayers for Kylie Golf Tournament at the Steel Canyon Golf Club on Friday, April 21 at 1 P.M.

Company’s farm manager sexually bullied female farmworkers and fired workers who complained of widespread abuse, federal agency charges

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) – Bornt & Sons, Inc., its former farm labor contractor Barraza Farm Service, LLC and Barraza Farm Service, Inc. violated federal laws by allowing ongoing sexual harassment of female farmworkers, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed this week. Bornt & Sons and Barraza also unlawfully retaliated against workers who opposed the harassment and against family members of victims, the EEOC alleged.

Funds to furnish training room for Employment and Career Services at JFS Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) – Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) has been awarded more than $19,600 by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Program from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to create a special training room that will allow the agency’s Employment and Career Services department to provide job training and preparation services. The training room will be a resource for low-income San Diegans and will include new computer equipment, training materials and supplies.