JINGLE PAWS! WALK TO HELP ANIMAL SHELTER DEC. 5
Printer-friendly version November 21, 2009 (El Cajon – Bring your dog for the first annual “Jingle Paws” Walk for Pets on December 5th. Sponsored by the El Cajon Animal Center for Education Services (ACES) and Camp Bow Wow, the event will raise funds for medical needs of the animals at the El Cajon Animal Shelter. Participants can also try out an agility course, walk a hay bale maze, visits Santa’s Village, adopt a pet, and get a photo of your pet with Santa. Santa’s Village includes vendors offering doggy goods, doggy bakery tiems, pet food, refreshmetns, and photos with Santa for $5. Santa’s Adoption Villae features local rescue groups, shelters, and adoptable dogs. Santa’s Playground featuers an agility course, fitenss with your dog, free style lessons, and hay bale maze. Registration for the event begins at 8 a.m. with the walk beginning at 9 a.m. at Wells Park, 1153 East Madison in El Cajon. Cost to walk is $15 per person and includes bandana, or pay $25 for walk, bandana and T-shirt, or $50 to also get an Aces Foundation bag. Non-walkers can pay $5 to participate in Santa’s Village. For more info, call Info: 619-448-WOOF (9663) or view the Jingle Paws flyer. Printer-friendly version
A NIGHT OF MERRYMAKING IN SANTEE
Printer-friendly version November 21, 2009 (Santee) – Thousands of area residents turned out at last night’s 7th annual community tree-lighting celebration at the Santee Trolley Square. For a single night, the shopping area transformed into a winter wonderland, offering horse-drawn carriage rides, ice skating and live entertainment. Singing Solo, the Navy Southwest’s Brass Quintet and Sonrise Church choir were among the entertainers performing holiday music. Children enjoyed free crafts and cookie-decorating, along with visits from Santa. But the highlight of the night was the lighting of a 20-foot-hall holiday tree, following by a fireworks display that lit up the night sky. Around the city, monument signs were simultaneously lit to celebrate the start of the holiday season. Sponsors Waste Management, Santee Trolley Square, Daphne’s Greek Café, Fireworks America, Metropolitan Transit System, Lowe’s, Target, Eccentric Internatiohnal Chefs and Bakery, Bay City Electric Works, Searchlights of San Diego, HomeTown Buffet and Lakeside Poultry joined with the City of Santee to bring this event to the community. Printer-friendly version
SIMPLE WISDOM: THANKSGIVING TIP
Printer-friendly version Do you have an easier time giving than receiving? At Thanksgiving attention typically turns to turkey (or tofu) and gratitude. Paradoxically, giving thanks spotlights your ability to receive. The reason for this is that gratitude requires opening yourself to receiving. If you’re like many of us you may not always feel deserving. It’s easy to get caught thinking its better to give than get. Here’s the tip. Check out if you’re ready to take in gifts from others. If yes, be prepared. Focusing on receiving may bring up feelings of low self worth. This is normal. Be tender with yourself. Consider the possibility that you deserve to receive just by being born – it’s your birthright! Next, practice receiving by giving to yourself. Start by giving yourself the gift of self acceptance. Whenever you accept yourself as is, you’ll automatically feel more deserving. Also, spend some time with children, animals and nature. Their gifts are easy to receive. Finally, when you receive, you actually give others the joy of giving. Don’t be stingy. Allowing yourself to gratefully receive enables you to experience a loving, joyous connection to yourself, others and life itself. Happy thanks giving and receiving! Penelope Young Andrade LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist with over 35 years experience integrating the best of traditional and alternative approaches for bodymind transformation. www.penelopetalk.com 858-481-5752 penart@abac.com Printer-friendly version
WOMAN ARRESTED IN LA MESA FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER; ALLEGEDLY STABBED BOYFRIEND WHILE CHILDREN OVERHEARD
Printer-friendly version November 21, 2009 (La Mesa) – Tomika Carey has been arrested and charged with the attempted murder of her boyfriend, Sergeant Hanson at the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s Station has confirmed. On November 20th around 1:52 a.m., deputies responded to a call of a stabbing at an apartment complex in an unincorporated area of La Mesa. Parties at the scene informed officers that after a night of drinking, the male victim and Carey got into an argument and he pushed her a couple of times. She reportedly went downstairs and retrieved two large knives from the kitchen, went back upstairs and stabbed her boyfriend once in the neck. The incident was heard by three children in the residence, ages 6, 10 and 13. The victim was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries for treatment. The female was taken to the Las Colinas Detention Facility, where she was booked on a felony charge of attempted murder. Printer-friendly version
SHERIFF’S OFFICERS SHUT DOWN TRANSIENTS ENCAMPMENT IN LAKESIDE
Printer-friendly version CRITICS ASK WHY HOMELESS ARE TREATED LIKE CRIMINALS INSTEAD OF RECEIVING HELP November 21, 2009 (Lakeside) The Santee COPPS Unit, Santee Sheriff Crime Prevention and 50 community service workers provided through Cal-Trans started a large scale clean up of transient encampments in open space southeast of Old Highway 80 and Pecan Park Drive in Lakeside on November 12th. Prior to the clean up, approximately 15 arrests had been made on and around the property. Also present was Wayne George, representative for South Coast Development, owner of the property. All areas on the property to be cleaned had been marked prior to the start of the clean up. Within three hours, all three 40 yard dumpsters were filled to capacity with trash, furniture, old appliances, etc. Local Lakeside Business owners provided heavy equipment to move larger bulkier items to the dumpsters, this piece of equipment saved hours off the clean up. Cal-Trans originally offered 25 workers for the clean up. They showed up with 50 workers. This also shortened the amount of time on the clean up. “This clearly showed the need for enforcement action in the area,” a Sheriff’s Department press release stated. “This area had not been checked for many years and now that the area has been cleaned, it will only require preventative maintenance to keep it at an acceptable level. This clean up was another perfect example of the Sheriff’s Department working with other agencies, such as Cal-Trans, Lakeside Fire Department and South Coast Development to fix a problem in the community.” But some advocates for the homeless question why encampments for the homeless are being shut down and homeless people treated like criminals when no shelter for the homeless has been established in East County during the winter months. A report titled "Homes, not Handcuffs" by The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and The National Coalition for the Homeless chronicles a trend among U.S. cities toward criminalizing homelessness. That report notes that in February 2007, the city of San Diego settled a lawsuit filed by a number of homeless plaintiffs challenging enforcement of a California illegal lodging statute in San Diego, which had been issuing tickets to people sleeping in public places. The settlement gave anyone without a place to sleep permission to do so on public property between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. But a lawyer representing the homeless plaintiffs said that the “real solution is more shelter beds to get the 9,600 homeless off the streets,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Yet San Diego City Councilmembers in recent months failed to respond to Mayor Sanders’ request for suggested locations for homeless shelters in their council districts. In another lawsuit, the city entered into a settlement with Pacific Beach United Methodist Church in April 2008 by allowing the church to continue sharing food with homeless people without the threat of fines or citations. In summer of 2008, several homeless camps in Spring Valley were approached by sheriff’s deputies who warned people to either leave or be arrested. At the time, as many as 30 people lived in this area in tents and other structures. Deputies called this “Operation Clean Sweep.” A homeless task force commented that living in a camp gives homeless people a feeling of safety they cannot find sleeping on the street. The deputies distributed small bags of supplies and a list of shelters and other resources to individuals living there. After giving inhabitants of this campsite an initial warning, deputies did not return. According to a fact sheet published by the National Coalition for the Homeless, 40% of homeless men are veterans. A startling 39% of homeless people in America are children under 18. One-quarter (25%) of homeless women are domestic abuse victims, and families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. “The people without homes have rights too,” Enrique Morones, founder of Border Angels, told East County Magazine. He noted that the Sheriff’s release made no mention of alternative housing for those displaced from the makeshift shelters in Lakeside. He concluded, “Most living in these conditions have few or no options.” Printer-friendly version
MTS HOLDS PUBLIC MEETINGS OVER PLAN TO CUT SUNDAY BUS & TROLLEY SERVICE
Printer-friendly version November 21, 2009 (San Diego) — Sales tax shortfalls and the improper elimination of State Transit Assistance funds are forcing the Metropolitan Transit System to reduce its expenses by more than $7 million. To preserve the network of weekday services and to impact as few riders as possible, MTS is proposing to substantially reduce service on Sundays. The Metropolitan Transit System hosts outreach at transit centers this weekend to notify the public of plans to reduce Sunday bus andt trolley services. New outreach dates have also been set for December 6. MTS has also posted all proposed route changes on its Web site: www.sdmts.com. In addition to the outreach meetings at transit centers, the public can also address the MTS Board of Directors at a public hearing at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 1255 Imperial Ave. A second Board meeting at which the proposed changes will be discussed will be on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010. Comments can also be submitted at mts.planning@sdmts.com or by phone 619.595.4912. Any changes to the system would not be implemented until Feb. 28, 2010. Public Outreach Schedule: Saturday Nov. 21 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Santee Town Center 152 Civic Center Drive Santee, CA 92071 Plaza Bonita 3030 Plaza Bonita Rd National City, CA 91950-8007 Bayfront E Street 750 E St. (Interstate 5 & E Street) Chula Vista, California Fashion Valley Transit Center 1205 Fashion Valley Rd. (Friars Road & Fashion Valley Road) San Diego, California Sunday Nov. 22 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fashion Valley 1205 Fashion Valley Rd. (Friars Road & Fashion Valley Road) San Diego, California 24th Street Trolley Station 506 W. 22nd Street (West 24th Street (Mile of Cars Way) & Interstate 5) National City, California Old Town Transit Center 4005 Taylor Street San Diego, California Sunday Nov. 22 – 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Rancho Bernardo Transit Station 16785 West Bernardo Drive San Diego, California Sunday Dec. 6 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. UTC Transit Center Westfield University Mall 4545 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, California La Mesa Blvd Trolley Station 8248 La Mesa Blvd. (La Mesa Blvd & Spring Street) La Mesa, California The proposed changes for Sunday service include: • Eliminating 27 bus routes on Sunday only. • Reducing the frequency on 17 Sunday bus routes. • Changing the hours of operation for all the routes on Sundays, meaning they will begin operating later in the morning and stop operating earlier at night. • Reducing Sunday 15-minute service to 30-minute service on the Orange and Green Line • Changing the hours of operation on Sunday for the Blue, Green and Orange Lines for the trolley • There will be some changes to Saturday routes and some minor modifications to weekday service. The rationale for reducing Sunday service as opposed to other options includes: • MTS has raised fares three times in the past 18 months, and the MTS Board of Directors did not want customers to pay more • Concentrating service cuts to Sunday allows MTS to retain almost all weekday and Saturday service • Sunday has almost 50% less riders than the average weekday (145,000 vs. 274,000) • Sunday has the highest percentage of discretionary trips, or non-work-related trips • Sunday service will be maintained in the corridors with the highest use • Sunday service will maintain regional connectors to support network viability For further information on fares, routes, and schedules, or to plan a trip, visit www.sdmts.com or call 511. Printer-friendly version
ACADEMIC LEAGUE #3: RESULTS AND FEATURED MATCH: GRANITE HILLS AT EL CAPITAN
Printer-friendly version November 18, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) By Steve Haiman, co-coordinator The moderator for today’s Grossmont Union-High School Academic League Match pitting the Granite Hills “Eagles” against the El Capitan “Vaqueros” was Valhalla math teacher extraordinaire Brian Andersen. He kept the match moving and in good order with a good sense of humor. In Junior Varsity competition the Eagles pulled out a last minute win with a score of 82 over a very competitive Vaquero squad with 67. In Academic League competition that is the difference of one 3 point Toss-up question and a 5 point Bonus question that could’ve gone either way! The crowd of over 40 parents and students were at the edge of their chairs right up to the buzzer ending the 25 minute match. Of note: Granite Hills JV, coached by Rachel McCurry, had strong performances from co-captains Taelor Getz and Thomas Rainey with help from Hector Peralta, to name just three of the five person teams. El Capitan JV, coached by Dena Rosenberger, was led by captain Joseph Boman who was quick to the buzzer and answered a lot of questions. Tyler Campbell and Abby Brown were of great assistance as well. In the Varsity Competition, El Captain, also coached by Dena Rosenberger, got off to a quick lead that they never relinquished. Led by captain Annica Redmond with strong support from Brendan Price and Kaitlyn Chung, they racked up 93 points after 35 minutes of competition. Ron Whitney coached the Varsity Granite Hills squad with co-captains Brian Smart and Gavin Brown. Paul Rothstein accounted for quite a number of correct answers to help his team get 53 points. The El Capitan Varsity Team was especially sartorially splendid with their new tee shirts sporting the school’s colors. They wore black with gold and white lettering identifying them as Academic League participants. Lookin’ good! For full results of week #3 Academic League Competitions, click here. Printer-friendly version
MEFDLY LARVAE FOUND IN FALLBROOK
Printer-friendly version November 20, 2009 (Fallbrook) — A fruit stripping and cutting operation in Fallbrook has lead to the discovery of 68 Mediterranean fruit fly larvae. “This is actually good news because it allows us to stop the Medfly from producing another generation and reduces the chance of residents moving infested fruit,” said Robert Atkins, County Agricultural Commissioner. California Department of Food and Agriculture personnel had recently checked the fruit after finding three adult Medflies in the area. “The larvae were found in close proximity to the adult flies and will not cause the quarantine area to be expanded. Homeowners and others visiting the affected area can help by not removing backyard fruits and vegetables because the produce may be infested with maggots.” Boundaries for the new Fallbrook quarantine have been established by County and State agriculture officials. Properties were treated with Naturalyte, which contains Spinosad, a naturally-occurring extract from soil bacteria. Officials have been releasing sterile Medflies in the Fallbrook area since Nov. 10 to mate with the females, but not produce offspring. Medflies attack more than 260 different fruits and vegetables. The female lays eggs inside the fruit, which hatch into maggots that tunnel through the flesh of the fruit, making it inedible. If the problem goes untreated, commercial growers in San Diego County could lose as much as $280 million worth of crops and backyard gardeners would not be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors. A map of the current Medfly quarantine area in Fallbrook can be found at http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/awm/medfly.html and http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/pqm/manual/pdf/maps/3406MedFlyFallbrook.pdf. To report maggots in fruit that is not decayed, call 1-800-491-1899. Residents with fruit trees in their yards who would like a fruit fly trap placed on their property can call 1-800-300-8727 (TRAP). For more information, visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov/awm. Printer-friendly version