LOCKED GATE DELAYS FIRE CREW
Printer-friendly version August 31, 2010 (La Mesa) — At 1:39 a.m., Heartland Fire dispatched a response for a residential structure fire at 20 Lake Helix Dr in La Mesa, with an initial report of smoke coming from the structure. ECM news partner Channel 10 reports that fire crews were initially delayed access due to a locked gate and unmanned guard post at the gated community. Fire crews arrived within minutes and reported light smoke coming from the garage. The fire was contained to the garage, but the house suffered moderate smoke damage. Residents were alerted by smoke detectors and successfully evacuated the house before fire crews arrived. The cause of the fire was determined to be faulty electrical wiring in the mezzanine area of the garage. Damage to the house and contents are estimated to be approximately $50,000. La Mesa Fire crews were assisted by San Miguel Fire Protection District. No firefighters or civilians were injured. Printer-friendly version
NEW LA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT OPEN HOUSE SEPTEMBER 21
Printer-friendly versionBy Kristin Kjaero August 31, 2010 (La Mesa) — The City of La Mesa is holding a free open house and tours of the new Police Station on Saturday, September 4 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Exhibits will be displayed in the Police Station Community Room. At the same time, there will be a BBQ fundraiser sponsored by both the Police Officers Association and the Peer Support Team. Funds will be used to provide various services, including teaching employees healthy ways to manage stress, providing resources to coworkers who may have sick, injured, or ill family members, and staying in touch with injured employees who are out of work for extended periods of time. “We are grateful to the citizens for the passage of Prop D, that made all this possible,” Mayor Art Madrid said. In 2004, La Mesa residents passed the Proposition D bond measure in the amount of 25 million dollars to build the new Fire Station, remodel Fire Station 13, and build the new Police Department. With the opening of the new Police Department, all three projects have been completed. In addition to he new police station above, the building also contains approximately 47,000 square feet of secured underground parking, that will hold the City’s entire fleet of City owned vehicles as well as space for employee parking. The City Council previously voted to sell the old Police Station for mixed use development, however due the economy, the buyer asked to be released from the purchase. The future of the old building remains undetermined for now. “The economy will dictate to us what we can do with it. In the interim we can possibly lease it, but in the long term we will probably put it on the market,” said Madrid, citing the Councils previous vote. Printer-friendly version
INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS SEPT. 2 IN LA MESA; ADDITIONAL MEETINGS SET AROUND COUNTY
Printer-friendly version August 31, 2010 (San Diego County) — Business and property owners interested in participating in a grant-funded program to install commercial charging units in the San Diego Region may attend one of several informational meetings. Come to one of these short meetings to learn how your business can get involved in the largest electric vehicle project in U.S. history! The EV Project is made possible by a $115 million stimulus grant from the Department of Energy.The project will deploy nearly 15,000 electric vehicle chargers around the country, including over 1,500 commercial units for public charging in the San Diego Region. These charging stations will be installed in conjunction with the release of the first of many electric cars to hit the market…the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. Meetings will be held: Thursday, September 2nd 10am-11am La Mesa Community Center 4975 Memorial Drive La Mesa, CA 91942 Thursday, September 9th 10:30am-11:30am Chula Vista Council Chambers 274 Fourth Ave, Bldg 100 Chula Vista, CA 91911 Monday, September 13th 2pm-3pm Qualcomm 6455 Lusk Blvd, Bldg Q San Diego, CA 92121 Thursday, September 16th 2:30pm-3:30pm California Center for Sustainable Energy 8690 Balboa Ave, Ste 100 San Diego, CA 92123 Light refreshments will be served. RSVP required; contact to Adrienne Lovejoy, 619.272.4280 or alovejoy@etecevs.com. Subsequent meetings will be held for homeowners interested in residential charging. Printer-friendly version
RIDING THE RAILS: REDISCOVERING SAN DIEGO’S HISTORIC PAST
Printer-friendly version All aboard! Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo By Dennis Richardson August 29, 2010 (Campo) — A cool breeze whistled in our ears as the Golden State Diesel- Electric train rumbled across the Campo Creek trestle, straight toward a tunnel blasted through a mountain. Three large owls soared through the darkened tunnel as we journeyed back in time. Our trip began Sunday morning. After hearing about train rides at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, my wife and I decided that rediscovering San Diego’s East County heritage would be a great way to spend the day. So we drove east on Highway 94, which was recently designated a state historic highway. It’s also one of the most scenic two-lane highways in our County. I found myself traveling back in time to when I was young, going on Sunday drives to the mountains with my parents in the late 1950s. Many historic sites from the ’50s can still be seen along the route; if not for the modern cars it would be hard to tell the difference. "All aboard!" conductor Richard Pennick shouted as we pulled into the station just in time to get our boarding pass for the Golden State Excursion morning train ride on the Pacific Southwest Railway. We learned that late arrivals who hold the train up for departure as they are speeding into the parking lot are cordially called "dusters" — and we were almost among them. The conductor greeted us warmly and helped us board the train, which is powered by a 1939 Diesel-Electric locomotive. As the doors closed, the horn blew and the train started moving. The conductor introduced himself as he clipped our tickets. We heard the sounds of the train, clip clap, along with the squeaking of wheels, feeling the rhythm as the train rolled forward down the tracks. Soon after leaving the train station we approached a road crossing near the Campo Trading Post Market. The crossing arm lowered and the train’s horn blew, giving warning that we were coming so that traffic stopped for our train. Normally I am on the other side, driving the car and waiting on the train; at that moment I felt the power of the train. We meet a very nice family of four from Serra Mesa: John McMurria, Marion Wilson, three-year-old Lyttle and 17-month old Miller. The kids had a great time walking around between all three cars, parents in tow. They talked to the conductor, ate lunch that their parents had brought, and felt the wind on their faces as they stood next to the train’s brakeman, Bruce Paulis, while sucking on lollipops. We enjoyed the beautiful natural sights as our journey continued through secluded high desert mountains of East County. During the first part of the ride, the locomotive was in the back, pushing the train cars. The brakeman was positioned in front, facing the direction we headed, keeping an eye out for hazards on the tracks. We savored blue skies, clean air and open spaces, observing the beauty of nature while enjoying the comforts of the train. We saw ranches, cattle, horses, mountain quail, manzanita growing from the sides of rock faces, wild turkeys under shady oak trees, and birds of prey soaring on lofty thermal air currents. Our conductor explained in detail how this highly regulated train ride is run. The federal government inspects the train and has oversight of its operations. The people who run the train, restore old trains and operate the museum are all volunteers. Those who run the trains are well trained and must follow strict rules and regulations. Their love of the trains is obvious; you would think they were all highly paid professionals based on their approach to their tasks. (If you love trains, too, the museum is actively seeking more volunteers.) Each trainman carries a pocket watch-and all are synchronized before the train ever leaves the station. Many of the passengers had cameras and posed with the conductor,engineer and brakeman. We passed a sign that read "Dog Patch" and learned that it originated from a 1950’s biker bar that was located on old 94. We squeaked over the Campo Creek Trestle, which drops off to the dried river bed below, ending the first part of our journey at the international tunnel, where the Mexico and United States border’s meet. (Editor’s note: until recently, train trips to Tecate, Mexico were offered out of the Campo depot, including a section across an elevated trestle across a towering gorge. But a fire damaged tracks in Mexico; trips to Tecate, famed for its brewery and other attractions, may resume if repairs are completed south of the border.) On the trip back to the station, we saw a sign marking the Pacific Crest Trail, which originates at the Mexican border and heads all the way north to Canada. Rail signposts state how far from San Diego we are (63, at one point). It’s a tribute to the builder of this short rail, John D. Spreckles, that this line exists. As we pulled in for the end of our hour-long journey, passing wildflowers in bloom, we learned that this short line also was used for taking freight and people to El Centro, where they could link up to trains leading to other parts of the country. Our adventure was not yet over, since we took time to visit the Museum. Founded in 1961, the Museum which houses over 80 types of railroad equipment to wonder over, walk through and touch. The Museum is a story of its own, with friendly hosts eager to answer questions and share their wealth of historical knowledge and lore. The Campo train ride and Pacific Southwest Railway Museum were delightful destinations that allowed us to experience riding the rails through San Diego’s backcountry and bygone times. The cost is affordable, too.Visiting the museum costs
CHALLENGE CENTER’S 13TH ANNUAL COMEDY NIGHT PRESENTS NORM MACDONALD
Printer-friendly version August 30, 2010 (La Mesa)–Norm MacDonald, star of movies and Saturday Night Live (SNL), will take the stage at Challenge Center’s 13th Annual Comedy Night on September 11 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The event benefits the scholarship fund established by Challenge Center, a nonprofit gym in La Mesa that has achieved dramatic results helping patients with strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as other debilitating conditions. Tickets for the event are $175. The evening will include a silent and live auction with Steve Atkinson of Channel 10 news as the evening’s master of ceremonies, gourmet dinner and wines, and a chance to win a top of the line Apple iPad Wi-Fi +3G, 64gb through Comedy Night’s opportunity drawing. Opportunity drawing tickets are $25 per ticket or 5 tickets for $100, and only 500 opportunity tickets will be sold. You do not need to be present to win. Comedy Night’s comedian Norm MacDonald’s has tickled America’s funny bone when he first stepped onto the SNL cast of 1993-1997. His dry and witty humor granted him a chair on the infamous SNL Weekly Update. After SNL, he continued his acting career with his own show, The Norm Show, held special appearances on popular sitcoms such as My Name is Earl, and featured in such films as Dirty Work, Billy Madison, The People vs Larry Flint, and Pittsburgh. Challenge Center is a nonprofit medically-oriented gym that uses licensed staff to provide physical therapy and specialized fitness programs using the latest universally accessible equipment in a fun, supportive environment. Clients of the Challenge Center include adults of all ages and children living with MS, diabetes and paralysis or who are recovering from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries. For over 23 years, Challenge Center has provided such skilled physical therapy and has dramatically changed the lives of children and adults living with disabilities. Printer-friendly version