January 2009 Articles

SHERIFF SEEKS PUBLIC HELP TO FIND KIDNAPPERS OF TEEN IN POWAY

January 30, 2009 (Poway) — Three men reportedly forced a 12-year-old
girl into a van
in Poway yesterday near Scots Way and Midland Road. According to the Poway
Sheriff, the victim was walking home between 5:25 and 5:45 p.m.. Three
Hispanic male adults in older white box-type utility van stopped and forced
the juvenile into the van. The suspects drove the girl around for about 20
to 30 minutes and then dropped her off unharmed. Police have released a composite sketch of one of the suspects.


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FACE OFF: SHOULD CONGRESS SUPPORT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ECONOMIC STIMULUS PROPOSAL?

Dual views on hot topics

The
President's proposed economic stimulus plan has split Congress down party
lines, with Democrats overwhelmingly in favor and House Republicans unanimously
opposed. San Diego's Democratic Congressman Bob Filner and San Diego County
Republican Party Chairman Tony Krvaric face off with drastically divergent
views on the stimulus proposal. Texts below were submitted to ECM as press
releases issues by these political leaders' offices.


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FLAG DAY PARADE IN JEOPARDY: LA MESA SEEKS SPONSORS, DONORS TO SAVE ANNUAL EVENT

January 31, 2009 (La Mesa) -- Faced with a budget gap, La Mesa's City Council has voted not to provide financial support for the City's Flag Day Parade this year. To save the popular community event, some councilmembers and community leaders have launched a one-week fundraising drive in hopes of saving the community's parade.


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BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY ROBBED AT GUNPOINT

January 29, 2009 (La Mesa) — At 7:39 PM, La Mesa Police
responded to a report of an armed robbery from the Burlington Coat Factory
located at 7938 El Cajon Boulevard.  Several La Mesa Police officers and the Sheriff's helicopter
ASTREA responded to the scene, but the suspect had fled prior to their arrival.  The
suspect entered the open business, brandished a handgun to a clerk and ordered
them to give him the money.  The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount
of money.  No employees or customers were injured.


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FILNER REINTRODUCES BILL TO HONOR FALLEN HEROES FROM VIETNAM

January
28, 2009 (San Diego) —
Congressman Bob Filner has reintroduced legislation
to honor the service and sacrifice of many members of the United States Armed
Forces who fought in Vietnam, the “In Memory Medal for Forgotten Veterans Act”
(H.R. 671).

The bill recognizes veterans who died as a result of their service in the
Vietnam War but who do not meet the criteria for inclusion on The Wall of the
Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Fund “In Memory” program raised money to place a plaque near The Wall. The
plaque honors “those who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result
of their service.” No names are on the plaque, but all names are recorded
in the “In Memory Book” at a kiosk near The Wall. Families can order
a copy of the book.


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FRIENDSHIP PARK

Despite Border Patrol Ban, Communion Celebrations Continue at Historic Border Park--”For Now

(Karl W. Hoffman)

Editor's Note: Impacts of the border wall are important nationally and internationally, as well as for people in San Diego County. Each Sunday afternoon, Friends of Friendship Park gather at the historic venue to celebrate communion through the U.S.-Mexico border fence. Rev. John Fanestil, a pastor in the United Methodist Church and Executive Director of Foundation for Change, sent this poignant report to East County Magazine on closure of Friendship Park to the public.


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EAST COUNTY FAMILY YMCA BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW FACILITY IN RANCHO SAN DIEGO

McGrath Family Foundation, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, and Dallas Pugh Foundation pledge $5 million for capital project;Construction t to begin February 2009

January 27, 2009 (Rancho San Diego, CA) — In a time where foundations and businesses are cutting back on financially supporting non-profits, three prominent organizations are fulfilling their pledge of $5 million toward the construction of a 35,000 sq. ft. full-service YMCA facility in Rancho San Diego. The McGrath Family YMCA, located at 12012 Campo Road, Rancho San Diego (91977), will meet the health, social and recreational needs of the under-served areas of Rancho San Diego, El Cajon, Jamul, Spring Valley and Casa de Oro. Construction on the new YMCA adjacent to the current McGrath Family YMCA Sports Complex will begin in February 2009.


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CONGRESS SENDS LILY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT TO PRESIDENT FOR SIGNATURE

By Miriam Raftery

 

Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) with Jan Hedlun
of Potrero.

“This issue is as basic as it gets,” said Congressman Filner (D-CA), who voted
in favor of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is now on President Barack
Obama’s desk.  ”You should not be paid less because you are a woman. You
should not be treated differently because of the color of your skin or your
religious beliefs. The Supreme Court has tried to roll back the clock on this
issue of basic fairness, but Congress will not stand for it.”   San
Diego Congressional representative Susan Davis also voted for the bill, while
Congressman Brian Bilbray, Duncan D. Hunter and Darrell Issa voted against
the measure.


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ASSEMBLYMAN ANDERSON URGES LEGISLATURE TO SUPPORT ISRAEL IN GAZA CONFLICT

ASSEMBLYMAN ANDERSON URGES LEGISLATURE TO SUPPORT ISRAEL

By Miriam Raftery

January 27, 2009 (Sacramento)-- Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon), has introduced Assembly Concurrent resolution (ACR) 10, California's Resolution to Stand with Israel. The move has drawn praise from backers of Israel and criticism from supporters of the Palestinians.

"It's vital that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel as they defend themselves from terrorists," said Anderson, who introduced the measure on January 13th.


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AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION SENDS LETTER TO OBAMA OPPOSING SCHWARZENEGGER REQUEST TO EXPEDITE SUNRISE POWERLINK; CITES CONCERNS OVER AIR QUALITY AND FIRE RISK


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January Capitol Report: How They Voted

Capitol Report LogoCongress approved several major bills in January, including measures to improve healthcare for low-income children, provide oversight of bail-out funds, delay conversion to direct TV,  set aside public lands and ocean areas as environmental preserves, protect fair pay for women,  and improve remedies for victims of discrimination. The Senate also approved  nomination of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.  Do you know how your elected officials voted?  Find out here!

For more information on these and other bills, visit www.vote-smart.org or www.govtrack.us


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SAN DIEGO ASSEMBLYMEMBER LORI SALDAÑA NAMED SPEAKER PRO TEM OF STATE ASSEMBLY

January
27, 2009 (San Diego) —
Assembly Member Lori Saldaña was sworn into her new role as Assembly Speaker pro Tempore in a ceremony in the Capitol on December
1st. The Assemblywoman’s district encompasses most of the City of San
Diego, including neighborhoods east of I-15 between Highways 94 and 52.


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THE WILL POWER REPORT - Bad Political Theater

Nothing but the Truth!

By Will Power

Will Power LogoJanuary
23, 2009 (San Diego's East County) —
Arnold “Terminator” Swartzenegger,
the cinema millionaire, thinks it is amusing to cut payments to the elderly,
the poor and the disabled. To the Terminator, these folks are just props in
a California comedy that has degenerated from melodrama to tragedy as the state
approaches bankruptcy.


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OUR INAUGURATION PHOTO LIBRARY AND LOCAL INAUGURAL BALL VIDEO ARE NOW ONLINE!

View our full library of photos from local presidential inauguration events in East County and East San Diego at eastcountymagazine.org/?q=414_inauguration_photo_library.

Watch our video of the inaugural community ball in City Heights at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U9e-XN7bXs.


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INAUGURATION PHOTO LIBRARY

Marine Sgt. Shaka Greene and his son Shaka, Jr.
Marine Sgt. Shaka Greene and his son, Shaka, Jr.
Artist.
(Leon Thompson)

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INAUGURATION POEM

At the Community Inaugural Ball hosted by City Heights Library Performing
Arts Annex, Poet Sylvia Cameron Telafaro read a poem she composed especially
for the occasion. Below is the text, along with her photo.


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CONGRESSMAN HUNTER OPPOSES SENDING GUANTANAMO PRISONERS TO CAMP PENDLETON

By Miriam Raftery


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LAKESIDE POLICE SEEK MAN IN SILVER CAR WHO TRIED TO  LURE 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL INTO VEHICLE

Mitsubishi Eclipse with spoiler, vehicle possibly driven
by suspect.

January
15, 2009 (Lakeside) —
Lakeside deputies responded to a radio
call of a possible kidnapping at 10133 Maine Avenue in Lakeside shortly before
7 a.m.  Upon
arrival, deputies contacted the victim, a 15-year-old ninth grade female who
attends El Capitan High School. The victim reported an unknown male had followed
her as she walked to school from the intersection of Channel Road and Industry
Way (near Highway 67). The male suspect made several attempts to lure the female
into his vehicle by offering her a ride, and eventually stopped his vehicle
on Mapleview Street just west of Highway 67. As the victim attempted to walk
past the vehicle, the suspect got out of his vehicle and walked toward the
victim. The suspect placed his hand on the victim's shoulder and she fled the
scene to the 7-11 store at 10133 Main Avenue where she called the Sheriff's
Department.


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KING'S VISION LAUDED AT LA MESA MULTI-CULTURAL FESTIVAL:

 

Music, Dance, and Storytelling Highlight 13th Annual Event -- VIEW OUR VIDEOS!

Moreton Bay Fig Morris English Dance Troupe.

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Miriam Raftery and Leon Thompson

 

January 18, 2009 (La Mesa) — "On Tuesday, we will celebrate a historic day--I never thought I would see the day when we would have an African-American president," Dr. Eugene R. Bailey, retired U.S. Navy captain, told an audience of several hundred people at La Mesa's Multi-Cultural Festival. "Today I have to pinch myself to believe I actually commanded ships," said Bailey, who entered the Navy when opportunities for minorities were restricted. "We Americans have actually come a long, long way."


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La Mesa Multicultural Festival Videos


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MARCH 17 HEARING SET IN SAN DIEGO ON SDG&E PLAN TO SHUT OFF POWER ON DRY, WINDY DAYS

By Miriam Raftery

January 23, 2009 (San Diego) -- An administrative law judge has issued orders requiring the California Public Utilities commission to hold three public hearings on SDG&E's proposed shut-off of power to back country communities during high-wind events with low humidity.


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2 FEDERAL AGENCIES APPROVE POWERLINK; SCHWARZENEGGER ASKS U.S. FOREST SERVICE TO EXPEDITE OK TO BUILD POWERLINK THROUGH CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST

By Miriam Raftery January 24, 2009 (San Diego's East County)--In the last days of the Bush administration, two federal agencies gave a parting gift to Sempra Energy. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission designated a vast swath of San Diego's East County as a federal energy corridor, paving the way for the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to approve Sempra's controversial Sunrise Powerlink project one day before George W. Bush left office. For construction to commence, however, the U.S. Forest Service (a division of the U.S.


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EAST SAN DIEGO COUNTY RESIDENTS FLOCK TO BE PART OF HISTORY AT LOCAL INAUGURAL EVENTS; SHARE REACTIONS TO OBAMA SPEECH

By Miriam Raftery

Antoinette Curry and Dupreesha Jones have hope for their
futures.
(Leon Thompson)
Vets at Inauguration
Sunny Farrand, San Diego Heroes To Hometown, clasps
hands with
fellow onlooker as Obama is sworn in.
Vets at Inauguration
Crowd at Malcolm X shows emotion as Barack Obama is sworn in as America's first African-American President.

January 21, 2009 (San Diegoâ’s East County) — Cheers and tears of joy
were evident among hundreds of local residents gathered at the Malcolm X Library
in east San Diego yesterday to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama,
America’s first African-American President.

”I am happy because with Barack, I know we can be anything we want,” said
Antoinette Curry, a student who attended the inauguration viewing along with
other 7th and 8th grade students from teacher Haroon Abdul-Mubaarik’s classes
at Holly Drive Leadership Academy in San Diego.


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Congressman Hunter Bill Would Prevent Transfer of Guantanamo Prisoners to Camp Pendleton

January 21, 2009 (Washington D.C.)-- On his first day in office, President Barack Obama ordered that the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay be closed down within a year. Closure of the now-infamous detention facility could result in some of the 245 prisoners held there being transferred to Camp Pendleton in San Diego, according to a Pentagon study. Newly elected Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-Alpine) has introduced a bill, coauthored by San Diego Republican Congressmen Darrell Issa and Brian Bilbray, to block transfer of detainees from Guantanamo to Pendleton.


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POLICE SEEK ROBBER WHO ATTACKED CLERK WITH HAMMER AT LA MESA SHELL STATION

January
21, 2009 (La Mesa) —
A man attempted to rob the Shell Gas Station at 5302 Lake
Murray Boulevard, La Mesa at 6:32 this morning by threatening the clerk there
with a hammer.  The suspect entered the business and demanded money.  The
suspect threatened to hit the clerk, 28, with a ten-inch-long sheet rock hammer.  A
struggle ensued over the hammer and the clerk was finally able to wrestle the
hammer from the suspect.  The suspect punched the clerk at least once
during the fight. 


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SAN DIEGO CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER SHARES SENTIMENTS ON OBAMA VICTORY

By Miriam Raftery

Carrol W. Waymon, PhD

January 20, 2009 (San Diego) — Watching the presidential inauguration of Barack
Obama holds special meaning for Carrol W. Waymon, PhD, San Diego’s most prominent
living civil rights leader.

”It’s incredible to me,” said Waymon, who led efforts to desegregate schools
and housing in San Diego as head of San Diego’s Human Relations Commmittee.
He also served as San Diego’s official delegate to the funeral of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. “I couldn’t imagine at that time in 1968 that we’d have a
black president 40 years later.”


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DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS & INSIDERS REFLECT ON WHAT OBAMA WIN MAY MEAN FOR STATE, CITY GOVERNMENT

Story and photos by Miriam Raftery and Leon Thompson

Marty Block

January 20, 2009 — At the Malcolm X Library inauguration viewing, East County Magazine asked elected officials and legislative insiders whether state and local governments are likely to see change as a result of the Barack Obama presidency.


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FREE "MVP" HAIRCUTS AT SPORTS CLIPS IN SANTEE; STORE CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING JAN 24-25: DONATE $5 TO SANTEE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB AND GET A HAIRCUT FREE

January 19, 2009 (Santee) — Sport Clips, providers of "championship haircuts"
for men and boys in a sports-themed environment, announced today a Cut-A-Thon
at their new Santee-area store to benefit the local Boys & Girls Club.

Customers that donate $5 to the organization on either Saturday, January 24
from 9 to 6 p.m. or Sunday, January 25 from 10 to 5 p.m. will receive a free
"MVP" haircut.


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Editorial: ELECTION REFLECTION

By Mary Handfelt

January 19, 2009 (Lakeside) — The election that wouldn't
end is over; all the parties have cranked down their intensity level notch
by notch. The
victors have quietly settled into a new kind of peace, as if committed to demonstrating
in hyperbole the open minds and hearts that they promised would be - the harmony
that comes from choosing peace not war, or even bipartisan sparring.


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125 PRODUCTS RECALLED FOR SALMONELLA; FDA PUBLISHES LIST OF TAINTED PEANUT BUTTER PRODUCTS; WAL-MART BAKERY PRODUCTS, MAJOR SNACK FOOD BRANDS & DOG BISCUITS ON LIST

CALIFORNIA HAS MOST CASES IN NATION, CDC REPORTS


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