MAN ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF DEPUTY FOLLOWING HIGH-SPEED CHASE IN POWAY
Printer-friendly version November 24, 2009 (Poway) Poway Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop a vehicle for a minor equipment violation at Pomerado Road & Robison Boulevard in Poway at 9:33 p.m. last night.. The vehicle failed to yield and the driver, later identified as Jacob Woolsey, fired a weapon several times at the deputy as he fled the area. Sheriff’s deputies were assisted by San Diego Police Department ground units and ABLE helicopter. For approximately 10 minutes, the pursuit continued through Poway, San Diego, and 4S Ranch. At times, speeds reached approximately 90 miles per hour. Woolsey finally yielded in the 14200 block of Palisades Drive in the City of Poway, where deputies conducted a high risk vehicle stop. Woolsey was taken into custody without further incident and later booked into custody at the San Diego County Jail in San Diego. He was arrested for attempted murder and several other felony charges related to the assault on the deputy and subsequent pursuit. The investigation is ongoing. Printer-friendly version
LET IT ROLL! VIEJAS BOWL OPENS IN ALPINE
Printer-friendly version November 24, 2009 – Tribal Council leaders rolled out the first strikes following a ribbon cutting ceremony today at the new Viejas Bowl, located in the Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine. (www.shopviejas.com. Opening ceremonies included a blessing and smudging, or burning of sage, to bring good luck to Viejas’ newest entertainment venture. The new facility features 12 lanes as well as a microbrewery bar and more. “You can bowl, play pool, and there are gaming slots,” said Bobette Brown, spokesperson for Viejas. “It’s getting away from the old smoke-filled lanes to a more boutique bowling alley.” Leagues are forming, with league bowling starting after the first of the year, she added. Bob Scanell, project manager, and Peter Cortese, property manager for the Outlet Center dreamed up the idea of creating a bowling alley, said Brown. “We are excited about this new addition in the entertainment lineup here at Viejas,” said tribal chairman Bobby L. Barretet. “Viejas Bowl will be casual, but upscale and will provide a new, affordable entertainment option for families in the area.” Viejas CEO Lyn Baxter said Viejas Bowl is the tribe’s latest move toward creating a “true lifestyle center at the Viejas Outlet Mall.” Baxter noted that the trend is being followed by many traditional retail centers in this challenging economy. But Baxter noted,”Fortunately, Viejas Outlet Center’s transformation to al ifestyle center is already well underway, with the addition of a day spa, Movies in the Park, Farmers Market and the ice rink, which has been a huge hit.” Tribal members enjoyed an afternoon of bowling today. Tomorrow at noon, Viejas Bowl opens to the public. The facility offers birthday packages for kids as well as discount bowling on Sundays. For more information, visit www.viejasbowl.com. Printer-friendly version
DOLLAR- WISE DIVAS: SAVE MONEY! BRAVE THE CROWDS AND SHOP ON BLACK FRIDAY
Printer-friendly versionShare creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle! By Nancy and Dawn Clement November 26, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)-The term “Black Friday” dates back to the late 1960’s and refers to the Friday after Thanksgiving – the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season, and the day most store ledgers hit “the black” (show a profit). Retailers nationwide get a jump-start on the season by having sales on Black Friday. For many stores, this means opening their doors at midnight after Thanksgiving. If you are a night owl, that is the time to go (before all the sale items are picked over). In San Diego County, the only malls advertising midnight madness sales are the Las Americas Premium Outlet in San Ysidro and the Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine. At San Ysidro, every store in the mall will be open at midnight, with select stores opening as early as 9:00 pm on Thursday. Check their website for more specific details: http://www.premiumoutlets.com. At Viejas, stores open at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and stay open all night! See www.shopviejas.com for details. Of course, other local malls are also opening early on Black Friday. Fashion Valley mall shops will open at 5:00 am. Parkway Plaza, Plaza Bonita, Plaza Camino Real and North County Fair will all open at 6:00am. Mission Valley and UTC will be open at 7:00am, and Horton Plaza opens at 8:00am Best Buy will be open at 5:00am on Black Friday, and will begin handing out tickets for their “doorbuster” specials at 3:00am. There are three Best Buy locations in east county, La Mesa, Santee and El Cajon. If you are willing to wait, you can find deals such as an HP laptop, normally priced at $550, on sale for $200. The Disney Store opens at midnight at the Parkway Plaza and Plaza Bonita locations and at 9:00pm on Thursday at the Las Americas location. The Disney Store will be discounting all items (even already discounted items) by 20%, which makes midnight shopping all the more appealing to those with children on their gift list. If you are a determined shopper, you really can get some good deals. Many sales are for a limited time only and some not listed in an advertisement until Thanksgiving Day. Make sure you get a copy of the newspaper on Thursday morning, and check the advertising carefully. Bring a copy of the flier with you. Plan and be prepared for crowds. You can find more information on Black Friday sales online at websites such as http://bfads.net and http://www.blackfriday.info. A more recent innovation is “Cyber Monday”, which refers to the Monday after Black Friday and a busy day for online retailers. The National Retail Federation stated that 43% of retailers are planning special offers for Cyber Monday. Many consumers prefer Cyber Monday to Black Friday because of the convenience of shopping online, and the retailers are taking advantage of that. As always, there is plenty of information online about the Cyber Monday deals – try http://www.cybermonday.com or http://www.cybermondayonlinedeals.com. Nancy Clement is an East County Realtor®, mortgage broker and freelance writer and can be reached at 619-563-4184 or Dollar-wiseDivas@cox.net. Dawn Clement is a stay-at-home mother of three, a freelance writer, and creative shopper. Printer-friendly version
DOLLAR-WISE DIVAS: FREE & LOW-COST ENTERTAINMENT YEAR ROUND
Printer-friendly version Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle! By Nancy and Dawn Clement November 23, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego has excellent theater, and ticket prices are low enough (even free!) that everyone can enjoy great shows. The San Diego Performing Arts League (SDPAL) has numerous programs designed to promote local theater, including the “Target Family Theater Days” which distributes coupons allowing one child to attend a theater event free with the purchase of one adult ticket for theater, music and dance performances around San Diego County. They also work with the Theater Communications Group (a national organization of professional theaters that sponsor a “Free Night of Theater” in select cities – including San Diego. You can find more information on this program at: www.freenightoftheater.net. The SDPAL also sponsors the annual “Pay What You Can” day at Arts Tix, which offers tickets at a greatly reduced rate (the price is literally up to you). During the rest of the year, you can get half-price tickets to local music, dance and theatre events, on the day of the show, from Arts Tix. They now have two locations: the original booth downtown at Horton Plaza, and the new North County location at 360 North Escondido Boulevard in Escondido. For more information visit www.sandiegoperforms.com. In addition to these great deals, there is plenty to see and hear free in San Diego. The California Center for the Arts in Escondido has free live concerts and performances on the first Wednesday of each month. (www.artcenter.org). The Speckles Organ Society has free concerts every Sunday in the organ pavilion (www.sosorgan.com) and the San Diego Youth Symphony has frequent free performances at The Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla and at the Casa Del Prado Theater in Balboa Park. Check their website for more details: www.sdys.org. Another great way to score half-price tickets is Goldstar (www.goldstar.com). They are not ticket brokers but work directly with 3,200 venue partners. The events vary from Padres baseball games, to comedy, drama and local tours. This is a win-win as not every venue sells out and this fact enables the public to get quality entertainment at a greatly reduced price. This is how Goldstar works; you need to go to their website: www.goldstar.com/signup and sign up with your preferences of types of events you are interested in and want to learn more about. Each week you will receive an e-mail that lists events that match your preferences. When you see an event, you want to attend, just follow the prompts to sign up for it on-line. It is that easy! Think of the money you will save, money that you can use to go out to a nice dinner and round out a fun evening of entertainment! For more special events and cool ways to save money on entertainment, check out the Holidays in East County section of Eastcountymagazine.org. Nancy Clement is an east county Realtor®, mortgage broker and freelance writer and can be reached at 619-563-4184 or Dollar-wiseDivas@cox.net. Dawn Clement is a stay-at-home mother of three, a freelance writer, and creative shopper. Printer-friendly version
WHY WON’T REP. ANDERSON DISCLOSE CORRESPONDENCE WITH MAJOR DONORS?
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery November 23, 2009 – After learning of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) investigation into Assemblyman Joel Anderson ‘s finances and hearing that Anderson (R-Alpine) returned some $100,000 in donations of questionable legality, East County Magazine submitted a public records request to his office. We asked to see correspondence between Anderson, his staff, and major donors implicated in an alleged scheme to bypass campaign finance laws. But our Assemblyman has concluded that the public should not see any corresponndence between his office and major donors implicated in his campaign finance scandal. Members of the Hamann family gave $30,000 to the Fresno Central Committee, which in turn donated nearly identical sums to Anderson’s campaign days later. Sempra Energy and the Barona Band of Mission Indians also gave large sums which were passed through out-of-area Republican central committees to fatten Anderson’s campaign coffers. If there was coordination with Anderson or his campaign to bypass limits on individual donations to a campaign, these would be violations of state law. In a letter dated November 17, Jon Waldie, chief administrative officer for the Assembly Rules Committee, informed ECM that our request has been denied. He cites the Legislative Open Records Act, which excludes from mandatory production correspondence “of and to individual Members of the Legislature and their staff” and “[c]ommunications from private citizens to the Legislature.” In the past, East County Magazine has received correspondence sent by individual citizens to other public entities, notably 165 letters sent by area residents to the Helix Water Board protesting a rate hike. So why is it that the Legislature has different rules than other public agencies? “The Legislative Open Records Act is written by the Legislature, so there is a total double standard there,” explained Terry Francke, legislative counsel for Californians Aware, an organization dedicated to protecting open government including citizens’ and journalists’ rights to public records. However, he clarified, the law does not prohibit such records from being released. Instead, he clarified, “It just means that they don’t have to provide you with access. They can choose to; it’s up to the legislator. “ ECM limited our initial request to donations made by individuals representing the Hamann Family Trust , Hamann Construction and Hamann Green Construction (since individual names representing those companies are easily identified, compared with representatives of other corporate donors in question). So why won’t Assemblyman Anderson choose to release the records? If he has nothing to hide and did no legislative favors in exchange for hefty donations from these individuals, why not simply disclose his correspondence with individuals in question and set the record straight? Meanwhile, controversy around Anderson’s campaign finances continues to grow. Anderson has returned approximately $100,000 in questionable donations to three Republican Central Committees which, in addition to Hamann, also passed through large sums from Sempra Energy and the Barona band of Mission Indians. Now Anderson is under fire for sending out a mailer headlined “Accountability: Unethical Politicians Hae Abused Your Tax Dollars”. Touting his Assembly Bill 1399, which would ban local officials from favoring relatives using public assets, the bill appears to target Riverside Supervisor Jeff Stone, who just happens to be Anderson’s likely rival for the 36th State Senate Seat. Stone has drawn heat for allowing his sister, a volunteer in his office who also performs some county functions, full-time use of a county-owned car. Stone has called the bill “politically motivated.” San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Logan Jenkins also blasted Anderson for hypocrisy in sending out a mailer touting his honesty, noting that “…the needle on the manure detector is going crazy.” Jenkins concluded, “Bottom line, Anderson’s sense of ethics are, let’s say, under a dark cloud that’s pouring rain.” Even conservative blogger Chris Reed, also with the Union-Tribune, sharply criticized Anderson for refusing to answer questions from any media regarding his role in the fundraising scandal. “My new suspicion,” Reed wrote, “is that Anderson either fears or is already facing a criminal investigation related to allegations of money laundering.” Reed said in his November 18th post that Riverside’s district attorney recently charged nine people, including four members of the San Jacinto City Council, with 56 felonies and 99 misdemeanors over alleged money laundering, bribery, fraud and other related charges. Riverside’s prosecutor has also won a case earlier this year, in which he sent an auto dealer to prison for repeatedly circumventing the law on maximum individual donations, Reed reported. “No wonder Anderson is nervous,” he concluded, then predicted, “This could soon mushroom into a much bigger political scandal.” Printer-friendly version
VAQUEROS HAVE BIG SECOND HALF, CORRAL WILDCATS 35-10 IN FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS
Printer-friendly version November 23, 2009 (Lakeside) – After an evenly played first half Friday night, the Vaqueros of El Capitan High School dominated the visiting Wildcats of Brawley High School in the second half en route to a 35-10 win. This was the first round of the CIF San Diego Section Division III playoffs. El Capitan entered the game as an eighth seed, while Brawley was the ninth seed. The game got off to a fast start for the Vaqueros as their stingy defense remained true to form. They forced Brawley to go three-and-out on their first possession, and after forcing the Wildcats to punt, took over with excellent field position on the Brawley 28-yard line. On their first drive, the offense for the Vaqueros spent even less time on the field than the defense did. Matt Burkett ran for five yards on the first play from scrimmage and followed up with a 23 yard run for a touchdown to put El Capitan up 7-0. Brawley responded with a big play on the first play of their next possession, when Donald Wharton threw to Frankie Mendoza on a pass play that went for 39 yards. The Wildcats were able to get as far as El Capitan’s four-yard line, but the drive stalled, so they settled for a 21-yard chip shot field goal by Xavier Martinez to get on the board, and make the score 7-3. The game shifted in the Wildcats’ favor as it seemed like they had taken some pages out of the Vaqueros’ playbook. First, their defense forced El Capitan to go three-and-out, and then they responded on offense with a big running play of their own. Mendoza broke free on a 77-yard touchdown run that put Brawley ahead, 10-7. After El Capitan’s next drive, it looked like the game was turning into a barn-burner. The Vaqueros went on an impressive 10 play drive that was a good mix of runs and passes as four different players either ran or caught the ball. The momentum the Vaqueros had established on this drive seemed to have stopped when Mark Scharfenberg was sacked for a seven yard loss that forced El Capitan into a fourth and 10 from the 23. No one on the Vaqueros seemed fazed by the predicament as Scharfenberg connected with Burkett on a 23-yard pass play for a touchdown that gave El Capitan a 14-10 lead. With the playoff atmosphere, the cool, crispy weather and both teams playing so well, the game so far was everything that fans could have expected. The only thing missing was Keith Jackson calling the play-by-play. As it turns out, the next drive may have been the turning point of the game. Brawley started on their 19-yard line, but moved the ball downfield as Wharton connected on pass plays of 31 yards to Aaron Ortega and 16 yards to Raven Smith. The time consuming drive went fifteen plays and took 7:36 off the clock, but came up short. Brawley failed to get into the end zone on fourth and goal from the one-yard line when El Capitan’s defense toughened up and tackled Mendoza for a four-yard loss. The score remained 14-10 at halftime. The second half was all El Capitan. Once again they had great field position as Ryan McBurney returned the second half kickoff 29 yards to give the Vaqueros the ball at their own 44-yard line. Earlier he had returns of 27 and 28 yards that gave El Capitan great field position to start drives. With the short field, it was easier for Scharfenberg and company to move down the field. Tyler Mason opened the drive with three straight runs covering a total of 39 yards. Robert Craighead later caught a six-yard touchdown pass to extend El Capitan’s lead to 21-10. He must have breathed a sigh of relief, because two plays earlier, he committed a false start penalty with second and goal from the three-yard line. The game would only get worse for the Wildcats. James Gallivan intercepted a pass from Wharton and nearly returned it for a touchdown. It set up an 11-yard touchdown pass reception by Mason that gave El Capitan seven more points and a 28-10 lead. In spite of being down by three scores late in the game, Brawley still had a lot of fight left in them, and went on another extended drive that covered 16 plays. It was very similar to the extended drive that they had in the first half. Unfortunately, it was too similar as it also had the same outcome: El Capitan’s defense toughened up once again and denied Brawley on a fourth and goal-to-go play. Scharfenberg connected with Brooks Noble on a three-yard touchdown pass late in the game to make the final score 35-10. "It was my first touchdown on varsity. It was a little cob route where we fake the fade and come back to the outside and Mark made a good throw," Noble said about his touchdown pass reception. Brawley threatened to score on their final drive, but once again was denied by the nasty defense of the Vaqueros. El Capitan Coach Ron Burner was not surprised with his team’s offensive production, even though the Vaqueros have a reputation for being more of a defensive team. "I thought the offense was coming around. Did I expect 35 points? No, I thought maybe 21, two or three touchdowns," Coach Burner said, "I think our offensive line came to play." Burkett felt the same way as his coach did, "Our o-line blocked good and our receivers blocked good and everything just came together" The Vaqueros will need everything to come together next week as their opponent next Friday is Cathedral Catholic, the number one seed in Division III. Tonight’s win gives El Capitan a 7-4 record. With the loss, Brawley finishes the season with
NUTRACKER BALLET COMES TO EAST COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DEC. 4 & 5
Printer-friendly version November 23, 2009 (El Cajon) — Grossmont College Music Department‘s Grossmont Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with San Diego Ballet, will present two special performances of The Nutcracker at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. The ballet will be presented at the 1,142-seat East County Performing Arts Center, 210 East Main St., in El Cajon. This holiday favorite features 100 costumed dancers, reveling in Tchaikovsky’s beloved score on an enchanting journey through a landscape of Yuletide dreams, including swirling snowflakes, leaping Cossacks and the enchanting Sugar Plum Fairy. The production is directed and choreographed by Robin Sheretz-Morgan and Javier Velasco. The conductor of the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra is Dr. Randall Tweed. Premium tickets are priced at $52 per person. Standard tickets are priced at $42 for adults, $40 for students and active military, and $22 for students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.grossmontsymphony.org, or by phone at (619) 440-2277. Printer-friendly version
EL CAJON DRUNK DRIVING VICTIM IDENTIFIED
Printer-friendly version November 23, 2009 (El Cajon) – The County Coroner’s office has identified Cydil Deann Kohlmeyer, 35, as the young mother who died from injuries sustained when she was hit by a Dodge pickup truck. Kohlmeyer was walking along Pepper Drive in El Cajon November 21 at 11:20 a.m. when she was struck by an allegedly drunk driver who fled the scene but was later found by authorities. The driver, Deborah Felix, 51, was hospitalized and will face multiple charges. The pickup truck continued eastbound on Pepper Drive, striking several parked vehicles and mailboxes, then crashing into a private residence. Units from the Lakeside, Santee and San Miguel Districts responded to a report of the truck striking a home and found the driver’s vehicle abandoned. During a search for the driver, a medic found the pedestrian who had been hit. Captain Mark Grow, Lakeside Fire Department, reported on the Heartland Zone News blog in an article titled “Tragic Start to the Holiday Season” that the victim was “found in traumatic full arrest.” Crews initiated life-saving procedures and were able to re-establish her pulse several times. She was transported by Mercy Air 6 to Sharp Memorial Hospital with a firefighter-paramedic to assist the flight crew. The patient underwent surgery but did not survive her injuries. “The intoxicated driver was later located,” Grow said. “It appears the driver was attempting to flee the scene. Crews were especially sad to discover pictures of this young mother surrounded by her family, a family that is now dealing with this tragic loss. Once again, this is the cost of driving while drunk at the wheel.” Printer-friendly version
EDITORIAL: PARTICIPATION IN CENSUS 2010 INCREASES FUNDING, REPRESENTATION FOR OUR REGION
Printer-friendly version By Warren Savage, Executive Director, Santee Chamber of Commerce The United States Census has been conducted every decade since 1790. This constitutionally mandated census is conducted to determine the number of persons living in the continental United States as well as its tributaries and territories. The U.S. Constitution requires a national census once every ten years and is a count of everyone residing in the United States: all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. All residents must be counted. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens. In 2010, the U.S. Census will define who we are as a nation and a community. Taken every ten years, the census affects political representation and directs the allocation of billions of dollars in government funding. Every year, more than $400 billion in federal funds is awarded to states and communities based on census data. Census data guide local decision-makers in important community planning efforts, including where to build new roads, hospitals and schools. Census data affect your voice in Congress by determining how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The State of Illinois lost one of its seats in the House of Representatives – dropping from 20 to 19 seats – despite a population gain from 1990 to 2000. The loss of a seat in the U.S. House also results in a loss of one electoral vote in the Electoral College. The obstacles are many, but the 2010 Census has one thing working in its favor: Every household will get a short form with only ten questions about each person who lives there – name, sex, age and date of birth, race, ethnicity, relationship to the head of household and whether the home is owned or rented. This simple, short questionnaire takes just a few minutes to complete and return by mail. All responses provided on the 2010 Census questionnaire or to a Census Bureau employee are confidential and protected under title 13 of the United States Code. Under this law, no individual or agency can have access to this information. For the first time since 1930, there will be no "long form" that previously was sent to one of every six households. It asked about everything from property taxes and indoor plumbing to education, ancestry and commuting patterns. The lengthy and probing questionnaire raised protests in 2000 by some in Congress, including then-Senate majority leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., although questions had been approved by Congress. Instead of using the long form, the Census Bureau is asking the same detailed questions through a separate survey that goes to about 3 million households a year. There will be several other changes for 2010. For the first time the agency will send forms in English and Spanish to about 13 million households in areas that have a high concentration of Hispanics. There will also be second-chance cards. The forms will be mailed in February and March. If they’re not returned, a follow-up reminder and another Census form will be sent before someone comes knocking. The U. S. Census will begin April 1, 2010. Improving the national mail back response rate is one of the primary goals of the 2010 Census. As a member of the Census committee, I urge people living within the United States to participate in this mandated effort and thank you for participating. The views in this editorial reflect the views of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. If you wish to submit an editorial for consideration, please contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org. Printer-friendly version
COUNTY RUNS OUT OF H1N1 FLU VACCINE
Printer-friendly version November 23, 2009 (San Diego) San Diego County Public Health Centers and Immunization Clinic have run out of flu vaccines. When a new shipment is received, details will be announced at the County’s H1N1 update page at: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/Portal/flu/H1N1vaccine.html. Some private clinics, hospitals and medical offices have received their own shipments of vaccines; check with your medical provider on availability. Printer-friendly version