By Miriam Raftery

April 9, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – As a slap in the face to women on Equal Pay Day today, Senate Republicans blocked passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act for women – for the third time. The measure failed due to lack of a single Republican vote. The bill had aimed to provide more effective remedies for women who are paid less than men for the same work.

California's Senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, support the bill.  On the House side, San Diego Democratic Congresswoman Susan Davis is pushing for passage of a similar measure,  H.R. 377.  San Diego Democratic Congressman Scott Peters is a cosponsor of the bill, which local Democratic Congressman Juan Vargas also supports.  

East County Republican Congressman Duncan D. Hunter has previously voted no on a similar paycheck fairness measure for women, along with San Diego Republican Darrell Issa.

Chaparral Institute objects to ordinance due to potential environmental impacts and possible abuse of citizens' rights

By Miriam Raftery

April 5, 2014 (San Miguel) San Miguel Fire Board meets on April 9 at 5:30 in the fire station at 2850 Via Orange Way in Spring Valley. This week the board will consider an ordinance allowing the board to declare waste and certain vegetation a public nuisance – including  potentially the majority of native vegetation in the district.

By Miriam Raftery

April 5, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)  -- U.S. District Court Judge M. James Lorenz has issued a ruling in a case challenging the U.S. Department of Energy’s approval of a Presidential Permit issued for Sempra Energy's cross-border transmission line. The line would connect Sempra’s Energia Sierra Juarez Wind project in northern Baja, Mexico with SDG&E’s $435 million ECO substation now under construction.

Update: This suspect has been arrested.

April 8, 2014 (Rancho San Diego)-- Deputies with the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station want your help in finding a man wanted in connection with a string of commercial robberies, home invasions and car thefts in East County.

By Lori Abbott, California News Service

April 7, 2014 (Sacramento) - An EpiPen can be a lifesaver for someone with a severe allergic reaction. That's why a state lawmaker wants them available in all public schools. Senator Bob Huff's bill (SB 1266) passed the Senate Education Committee last week and now heads to the Senate Health Committee. The bill would require school districts to give the epinephrine auto-injectors, known as EpiPens, to trained school personnel to use in emergencies.

April 6, 2014 (San Diego)Mission Federal ArtWalk, the largest fine art festival in Southern California, will commemorate its 30th year with a 17-block celebration in the lively neighborhood of Little Italy in San Diego. Founded by local artists, Mission Federal ArtWalk has become a showcase for established and emerging artists and the ultimate event for aficionados and casual collectors. The two-day celebration runs April 26 and 27 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

East County Resident Named President

April 7 2014 (Lakeside) - The San Diego Chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), a non-profit trade organization of licensed landscape and landscape-related contractors elected its board of directors recently. East County resident Lawrence O’Leary was elected president of the board for a second term.  The other elected board members are:

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2014 (Lakeside) – Sheriff’s deputies have arrested Steve Nakho, 24, for allegedly assaulting a man with a stick, then chased the victim with a knife Sunday night.  The victim told police he fled from the assailant and sought help at a USA gas station on Woodside Avenue.

By Miriam Raftery

Calls to poison control centers due to electronic cigarettes have risen sharply, the Centers for Disease Control reports. First marketed in the U.S. in 2007, e-cigarettes now account for nearly 42% of all cigarette-related calls to poison control centers.

By Miriam Raftery

April 6, 2014 (San Diego)-- Lowe’s Home Centers have been ordered to  pay 18.1 million dollars to settle claims from San Diego and other California counties for illegally disposing of hazardous waste.

April 5, 2014 (San Diego) - April 6-12, 2014 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week – a time for law enforcement, prosecutorial agencies, victim advocates and community members to come together and support victims of crime.

April 6, 2014 (San Diego)--The rains have gone and temperatures are expected to start rising again. And that means swimming pool season can’t be far off!

Tour stops in San Diego on Thursday & Friday, August 7 & 8 at Cal Coast CreditUnion Open Air Theater at SDSU.  Tickets on sale Thursday, April 10 at 10am

April 5, 2014 (San Diego) –The band Rebelution’s “Count Me In Summer Tour” across America will include two performances at San Diego State University’s Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater on August 7 and 8.  Tickets go on sale April 10 at 10 a.m.  The tour promotes the group’s new album, Count Me In, due out in June.

April 4, 2014 (La Mesa)--Learn to paint a masterpiece in just a few hours with step-by-step instruction at the San Pasqual Winery Tasting Room, 8364 La Mesa Boulevard in La Mesa on April 8 from 6-9 p.m.. No painting experience is necessary.