November 30, 2015 (La Mesa)--Blo Blow Dry Bar announces East County San Diego’s first blowout and beauty bar. Blo La Mesa is hosting its grand opening  December 8th, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 8806 Grossmont Boulevard with a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m.

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

Photo credit: Laura Musikanski/Morguefile

November 29, 2015 (San Diego)-- Environmental organizations are mobilizing to fight one of the state's three biggest power companies over an issue known as "community choice aggregation," a movement by cities to create nonprofit agencies to buy and sell power to consumers.

San Diego Gas and Electric just announced it is forming a separate marketing entity to lobby against the idea. By law, the utility can't use ratepayer money for that purpose.

East County News Service

November 29, 2015 (San Diego's East County)--The National Weather Service has issued a frost advisory for chilly weather tonight and Monday night throughTuesday morning, with morning low temperatures in the 20s and 30s and frost likely across much of our inland region.

Be sure to cover any cold-sensitive plants and please bring your pets inside to keep them safe.

East County News Service

December 1, 2015 (Otay Mesa) – On December 9^th,  a private port of entry called the Cross Border Xpress is set to open in Otay Mesa with a bridge linking the facility to the A.L. Rodriguez International Airport in Tijuana.  The Tijuana airport services 4.5 million passengers each year, 60 percent of whom cross the international border.

The Cross Border Xpress will be available only to ticketed airline passengers and will be the first border crossing in California to charge a toll: $15 for those who pre-pay at the facility’s website, or $18 for those who pay at the gate. Tickets are slated to go on sale this week at www.CrossBorderXpress.com.

East County News Service

November 30, 2015 (Ramona) – On Tuesday, December 8^th, the Ramona Municipal Water District will consider options to fund ambulance services. Those options include keeping the same paramedic transport services and replacing three ambulances (requiring a public vote to raise a fire fee), or outsourcing service to  private company.  The 2 p.m. meeting will be held in the Ramona Community Center,434 Aqua Lane.

East County News Service

November 28, 2015 (San Diego)--Jamul Indian Village Chairwoman Erica Pinto and Council Members invite you to the complimentary premiere viewing of A Thousand Voices, a documentary of Native American women from the beginning of time. The film will premier on Monday, December 14 at 11 a.m. at Kroc Center, 6611 University Avenue in San Diego. 

The film is free and light refreshements will be served. Please RSVP to Lisa Cumper, lcumper@jamulIndianVillage.com, 619-669-4855.

About A Thousand Voices:

By Miriam Raftery

November 26, 2015 (Alpine) – Lions, Tigers and Bears sanctuary in Alpine has announced the death of its beloved matriarch tiger, Natasha, who was 19 years old. 

“Natasha was the epitome of the old saying "that's one tough cookie", as she had more than her fair share of struggles over the course of her life, but always came out on top,” a post on the organization’s Facebook page states.

Natasha and her late mate, Raja, were the founding tigers of Lions Tigers & Bears over 13 years ago.

By Miriam Raftery

November 25, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – The National Defense Authorization Act signed into law by President Barack Obama includes protection for military working dogs, which will now be guaranteed a return home and retirement in the U.S.

“Best of all, the people who know these dogs better than anyone — their handlers who served bravely alongside them on the hot desert sands of Iraq and Afghanistan and on bases around the world — will be given the first rights at adopting these canine heroes,” says Robin Ganzert,PhD, President of the Amreican Human Association, which pushed for the legislation.

East Count News Service

November 25, 2015 (San Diego)--Each holiday season, A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing) and moms from around the country share their stories of loss while calling for an end to the war on drugs – which they believe has been disastrous for tens of millions of families. Many of the moms leading this campaign have been personally impacted by the war on drugs.

The holidays are a particularly painful time for families – whether they are separated because of a loved one’s incarceration, lost on the streets due to drug problems, in danger because of drug war violence, or have lost a loved one to accidental overdose.     

Part 2 in our series on foster youth programs.  Read Part 1 here.

By Tasha Matthews

November 25, 2015 (San Diego)--Just in Time (JIT) is an organization that helps foster youth receive necessary resources in finance, education, basic needs, and life skills.  Just in Time for foster youth was a part of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation in 2003 (now known as Promises2Kids).  Since then, Just in Time has vastly expanded, dedicated to helping foster youths through their early adult years. Just in Time has eight programs and is growing more along the way:

November 24, 2015 (Ramona) -- San Diego Sheriff's Deputies assigned to the Ramona station working with FBI agents have made an arrest as a result of the investigation into the November 19^th robbery of the Bank of America branch located at 1407 Main Street, Ramona. Timothy Grahman, 64, was arrested Friday on Hanson Lane in Ramona and has been booked into San Diego Central Jail.

East County News Service

November 24, 2015 (El Cajon)--A fire at an El Cajon home could have been far more tragic – if not for the courage of a neighbor.

East County News Service

November 25, 2015 (El Cajon)-- This morning at approximately 1:20 a.m., a large cylinder was being towed eastbound I-8 around 2^nd St.  The cylinder snagged on a power line causing several power poles to be snapped in half south of I-8.  Sometime this morning, the entire freeway will be shut down in both directions for approximately one hour to remove the old power lines. 

Later on today, the freeway will once again be shut down to install the new lines.  The second closure will be approximately 8 hours later.  Currently, there are several closures in place with alternate routes of travel. 

Here is a list:

East County News Service

November 21, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Worldwide,  last month’s temperatures over land and oceans made this the hottest October in the past 136 years since data has been kept.  It was also the sixth straight month in which a global temperature record has been broken – and was the greatest departure from average temperature for any month since record keeping began in 1888.