Dear Readers: June 15, 2009--President Obama held a townhall meeting this week and also spoke to the American Medical Association promoting his proposal to create a government healthcare system that would compete against the private health insurance system. "If you love your healthcare plan, you can keep it," Obama pledged. But if you're uninsured or under-insured, you would be able to opt into a government system, which also aims to save money for businesses strapped by rising healthcare costs for workers. (View video of the healthcare townhall meeting: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamaforamerica/gGGGTv. View video of AMA address: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamaforamerica/gGGGkD.) A healthcare for all plan is also moving foward in the California Legislature. Republicans, meanwhile, have announced plans to unveil their own alternative proposal. We'll have in-depth analysis later this week, but meanwhile we bring you two editorials with divergent points of view.

March 11, 2009 (San Diego's East County)--The term "muckraker" has often been applied derisively toward media that dredges up evidence of official misconduct or neglect. But sometimes, muckraking--and a bit of public shaming--produces reforms by alerting the public and elected officials of a need to be filled.

Dear Readers:

(Nick Schuler)

Please make this your New Year's resolution: Be sure your home is safe for you and your loved ones during this winter season.

If you own a fireplace, have your chimneys checked before burning fires in this cold winter. These photos, taken at home in Valley Center, were the result of a chimney fire. These images reminded me of my days working at the Idaho Statesman, where an editor of ours had just finished writing a story on the importance of having chimneys swept and cleaned. Unfortunately he failed to heed his own advice, and had a chimney fire that nearly burned down his own home.

Dear Readers, 

December 1, 2008 (La Mesa) — The East County Toy & Food Drive was founded 33 years ago by Stony Stone and a group of local businessmen to make the holidays brighter for children in need.

This year, your help is needed more than ever.  Stony suffered a serious health crisis several weeks ago and remains in rehabilitation.  His illness falls in a year when more children than ever need help.  Amid these tough economic times, many families have lost homes or jobs.  Some can't afford to put food on the table. 

This is a FANTASTIC resource for those of us in the East County...Well done!

— Carole Kennedy, President, California Faculty Association, SDSU

Very cool! This magazine is filling a real void!

— Jamie Reno, award-winning Newsweek journalist

Dear Readers,
Back in the Dark Ages before Internet and cell phones, chatting over the back fence with neighbors was the cool way to get news  Think of this site as your virtual back fence: a place to share your views with neighbors all over East County!