HUNTER NAMED CO-CHAIR OF NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE COMPONENTS CAUCUS
Printer-friendly version November 18, 2010 (Washington, D.C). — Congressman Congressman Duncan Hunter has been named co-chair of the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, replacing Steve Buyer (R-Indiana), who has served as co-chair since the Caucus was started 18 years ago. Those who serve our nation in the Guard and Reserve capacity are making enormous contributions to the combat mission overseas," said Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and veteran of two wars. "I hope to incorporate many of my own experiences serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan when advocating for the issues that are most important to the men and women of the Guard and Reserve, as well as their families.” Calling Congressman Buyer “a powerful and reliable voice for America’s armed forces,” Hunter added, “His commitment to our military, whether as a citizen in the Reserves, a member of the House or leader of the Guard and Reserve Caucus, has been exemplary and I know I speak for many of my colleagues when I say his presence and insight will be missed.” Created by Congressman Buyer and then-Congressman Paul McHale 18 years ago, the bipartisan National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus is now over 230 Members strong and is a vigilant and influential advocate for maintaining the readiness of our nation’s Guard and Reserve forces. “It has been a great honor to serve as co-chairman of the Caucus, and as I look toward retirement, it is important that the Caucus continue its important work in capable hands,” Buyer said. Congressman Buyer expressed confidence that Hunter will help represent within Congress a philosophy that recognizes and endorses the vital capabilities provided by our citizen soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, in the defense of the nation. “Duncan is the first Marine combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to be elected to Congress and currently serves as a Captain in the Marine Reserve. Having recently returned from war and garnering firsthand experience of the challenges faced by our reserve and component members, Duncan is well suited to serve as the Republican co-chair of the Caucus,” added Buyer. Printer-friendly version
A KNOX HOUSE CHRISTMAS: DEC. 4 IN EL CAJON
Printer-friendly version November 18, 2010 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Historical Society invites the public to “A Knox House Christmas” at the Knox House Museum on Saturday, December 4 from 2-4 p.m. Handcrafted gifts, ornaments, textiles, period items, jams, jellies and bakery items will be offered for sale—along with free cider with purchase. Knox House Museum is located at 280 N. Magnolia Avenue in El Cajon. Built in 1876, the building originally served as a hotel and residence for Amaziah Lord Knox and is the oldest commercial building in El Cajon. The site served as an overnight stopping place for gold miners en route to Julian and also served as a post office—with Knox as the first postmaster. Printer-friendly version
COUNTY, MARINES TEAM UP TO COLLECT TOYS FOR TOTS
Printer-friendly version Donations Collected Through Early December at Five County Airports November 18, 2010 (San Diego)–You can help the U.S. Marine Corps and San Diego County put smiles on the faces of less fortunate children this holiday season by donating new, unwrapped toys at County airports in Fallbrook, Ramona, Carlsbad, El Cajon and Borrego Springs during the Marines’ annual Toys for Tots campaign. County residents can drop off their donated toys at each of the airports any time up until Dec. 4, with the exception of Fallbrook Airpark, which will continue collecting donations until Dec. 11. Uniformed Marines plan to collect the toys in person at special events at Ramona Airport and Fallbrook Airpark. The first collection will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday Dec. 4 at Ramona Airport. The second will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11 at Fallbrook Airpark. People who come to the events will be able to see Marine Corps vehicles, vintage World War II aircraft and other private aircraft, on the ground and in flight. Toys collected at El Cajon’s Gillespie Field, Carlsbad’s Palomar-McClellan Airport and Borrego Valley Airport will be flown to Ramona Airport and collected at the Dec. 4 event. Pam Slater-Price, Chairwoman of the County Board of Supervisors, said, “We’re honored to work with the Marine Corps and be a part of the Toys for Tots campaign. Toys for Tots is a Marine Corps tradition that goes as far back as I can remember. They spread holiday cheer to both the children and to everyone who donates.” Last year, San Diego County resident’s donations at the airports filled six 7-ton trucks. For more information contact Bo Donovan at (760) 787-1523. Printer-friendly version
ARREST MADE IN GAS STATION ROBBERY
Printer-friendly version November 18, 2010 (La Mesa) – Last night, La Mesa Police Department’s special enforcement detail team arrested Randall Goins, 34, for the November 13th robbery of the 76 gas station at 6085 Lake Murray Blvd. Goins displayed a knife and threatened to stab the clerk, who gave him all the cash in the register, according to authorities. Goins was arrested at his residence in downtown San Diego and was later booked into San Diego County Jail on one count of robbery – 211 PC. If you have any information on this case or any additional cases, please call the La Mesa Police Department at (619) 667-1400. You may also call Crime Stoppers’ anonymous toll-free tip line (888) 580-TIPS (or www.sdcrimestoppers.com). You can remain anonymous, and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case. Printer-friendly version
ON THE SILVER SCREEN: MAKE TRACKS FOR “UNSTOPPABLE”
Printer-friendly versionBy Brian Lafferty November 12, 2010 (San Diego)–Tony Scott’s last movie, The Taking of Pelham 123, had exciting action and suspense on an immobile subway train hijacked by John Travolta with Denzel Washington trying to stop him. In Unstoppable, we get equally exciting action and suspense on a runaway train loaded with toxic chemicals with Denzel Washington trying to prevent it from careening towards a populated town. Unstoppable is the latest entry in a recent line of Tony Scott action movies where the editing and pace is frenetic, the camera moves around constantly, and there are lots of explosions and crashes. The story takes a back seat to the action but I didn’t mind. I was expecting to see trains smashing into stuff and Unstoppable satisfied my appetite. Starring alongside Denzel Washington is Chris Pine, who is familiar to most moviegoers as Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. Both his characters in that movie and Unstoppable have the most unsettling first days on their respective jobs. In Star Trek, he plays an arrogant, reckless newly commissioned captain thrust into battle against a galactic foe. In his most recent movie, he employs a similar persona only this time he’s an upstart and somewhat arrogant new train operator. He and Washington don’t get along together; Washington is being forced into retirement so that fresh, younger guys like Pine can take their jobs. They eventually have to put aside their differences to stop this train before it kills thousands of people. When I reviewed Red a few weeks ago, I talked about fast-paced editing done properly. This is the perfect example. Tony Scott is a director who always gets it right. It isn’t just him but the editors he employs. One of the cutters for Unstoppable is Chris Lebenzon. Over the years he has had a solid relationship with Scott. I offer Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, Days of Thunder, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, and Pelham as evidence of their consistent, successful director/editor relationship. Like the output I just cited, the edits in this movie are quick and hyperkinetic but Lebenzon makes each cut nearly invisible. This is primarily because he lets the action dictate the editing and not the other way around. Writer Mark Bomback, whose previous credits include Live Free or Die Hard, has written a screenplay that is both gripping while also at times sparing. There is a lot of suspense and people do die. The action sequences are few. There aren’t too many crashes and smashings and that is a positive aspect. Bomback knows when to hold back. This accomplishes three things: 1) The movie doesn’t get boring; if there was nonstop destruction, it wouldn’t matter how well-done it was, it would have gotten tiresome after a while, 2) Each action sequence and crash carries the same impact as the previous one and 3) It avoids repetition; there are a lot of different things to crash into and a variety of dangers. It would have been easy for Bomback to write himself into corners but he doesn’t. Unstoppable is an action movie done right. There are no incongruous special-effects and action sequences thrown in for the sake of having action; every one of them is integral to the story. It also contains two important characteristics vital to solid action movies: three-dimensional characters that are easy to care about and a simple, comprehensible story. Follow Brian Lafferty on Twitter: twitter.com/brianlaff Printer-friendly version
ELDERLY DRIVER INJURES MOTORCYCLIST IN ALLIED GARDENS
Printer-friendly version November 18, 2010 (San Diego)—A 90-year-old woman driving a Toyota made an unsafe left turn across oncoming traffic on Waring Road in Allied Gardens yesterday at 4:07 p.m., striking a motorcyclist, according to San Diego Police Sergeant David E. Jennings. The motorcyclist collided with the passenger side of the Toyota. He suffered broken bones, including a fractured pelvis. Printer-friendly version
NEED TO BURN OFF YOUR THANKSGIVING FEAST? $1 BODYWRAPS DURING HOLIDAY “UNWRAPPING” WEEKEND
Printer-friendly version iTAN Solariums serves up specials Nov. 26-28 September 18, 2010 (San Diego’s East County)—The days following Thanksgiving will be celebrated for more than just shopping this November. iTAN Solariums, San Diego and the Inland Empire’s premier sun, spray and spa salon, will offer $1 FIT Bodywraps and specials on sun and spray services during its Holiday Unwrapping weekend, November 26th – 28th, at all iTAN locations. “iTAN Solariums is giving you another reason to enjoy an active and healthy holiday this Thanksgiving” said Faraje Kharsa, CEO of iTAN Solariums. “Follow-up your Thanksgiving festivities with a visit to iTAN Solariums and lose up to 1,400 calories in just a single $1 FIT Bodywrap session.” Kicking off the weekend, iTAN Solarium’s “Black Friday Specials” will include: • 50% off Designer Skin Black, one of iTAN Solariums most popular tan-enhancing and skin-nourishing lotions • 25% off all packages and lotions • $99 for nine level 4 or mystic tans (originally $216) • Three FIT Bodywraps for the price of one ($99) or six FIT body wraps for the price of two ($199) The $1 featured FIT Bodywrap, offered on Saturday and Sunday for first-time body wrap customers, reduces the appearance of cellulite and results in a loss of up to 1,400 calories in one 60 minute session, according to a company press release. Heat from the FIT Bodywrap softens fat tissue causing it to break up and be released into the blood stream in the form of calories to be burned up as energy, iTan says. When the body has an excess of calories, the body stores them as fat. FIT Bodywraps reverse this process by breaking the fat down into calories and placing them back into the blood stream to be used as energy. To read more about the science behind FIT Bodywrap, see http://www.itansolariums.com/spaservices-fit-bodywraps.html . All specials and services during the Holiday Unwrapping Weekend are based on a first come, first serve basis. Visit www.iTANsolariums.com for a location nearest you. In East County, iTan has salons in El Cajon, La Mesa, Ramona and Santee. Printer-friendly version
ON THE SILVER SCREEN: YOU’LL BE SURE TO GET YOUR MONEY’S WORTH – AND MORE – BY SEEING SMALL, INDEPENDENT “THE FREEBIE”
Printer-friendly versionBy Brian Lafferty November 12, 2010 (San Diego) – The Freebie has a simple story, and it runs only seventy-eight minutes, but director Katie Aselton has crafted a movie that is more than mere premise. In addition to having two likeable characters and dialogue that is real, honest and rich, the movie also kept me guessing until the very end. Playing at the Ken Cinema starting today, Aselton and Dax Shepard play a married couple who realize they haven’t had sex for months. They decide to try an experiment: for one night, they will have sex with another person. They agree not to tell each other what happened but as in all movies in which characters have an affair, keeping quiet is difficult. When they finally open up to each other it causes complications that may destroy their marriage. There are many directions that Aselton could have taken with this premise but she elects for a choice and tone that isn’t obvious. The movie works because the characters are honest and their decision to experiment a genuinely innocent one. There is no twisted subtext or deviant motivation behind their behavior. It is a simple experiment, nothing more, nothing less. The semi-linear structure at first looks like a gimmick employed by Aselton to invigorate the story. But upon further examination, it benefits it. After they propose the idea to each other, the aftermath of the one-night stand is shown. Aselton comes home but nothing much is said. That gives a sense of mystery. I wanted to know what happened. Was it good? Bad? Maybe the latter, based on Aselton’s blank expression as she walks absently down the road but there is no way to know for sure. Afterwards the events leading up to the experiment are shown. Some of the events are predictable but Aselton matches the number of those scenes with those that totally surprised me. It is written in stone that after that night, the relationship would turn fragile because they would discover it was a bad idea. Just when it looks like the film will lead us down the familiar clichéd path and just when we think we have learned everything, Aselton throws us not just one twist but another on top of it. And even after that we’re not sure if we finally know everything or if things will really be the same. The movie is in the Mumblecore vein. This isn’t surprising, given that one of the producers is Mark Duplass, a veteran of the movement who also co-wrote and co-directed last summer’s successful Mumblecore film, Cyrus. In The Freebie, the dialogue is largely improvised. The actors manage to consistently keep each conversation not only afloat but interesting, genuine, and real-life. It also helps that the two main actors have experience with improvisation. Aselton is a regular on the F/X series The League, which is semi-improvised and Dax Shepard, according to the production notes, was a member of The Groundlings, a Los Angeles improv troupe. The Freebie also has great production values. From the colorful cinematography (particularly the bar, with hues of orange and red) to the soft lighting that lends it a graceful feel, Aselton puts enough effort into the film without looking too ambitious. From the characters, story, dialogue, and look, The Freebie is a film that clicks on every level except for the music, which for the most part feels disorganized, a mishmash of piano keys and chords. But in the end I didn’t care about that. Just as good things come in small packages, great things come from small movies. Follow Brian Lafferty: twitter.com/BrianLaff Printer-friendly version
PREVENT FLOODING THIS WINTER: COUNTY GIVING FREE SANDBAGS TO RESIDENTS
Printer-friendly version People Encouraged to Protect their Properties and Keep Rains From Washing Away Soil November 18, 2010 (San Diego)–With storms expected this weekend and the rainy season looming, the County Department of Public Works reminds people in unincorporated areas that they can get free sandbags to protect their homes, neighborhoods and streets from becoming damaged by mud, flooding and soil runoff. The Department of Public Works provides sand and bags for free at seven locations, and encourages residents to stock up. Heavy rains can cause severe soil erosion, especially in areas that aren’t covered by lawns, trees, shrubs and other foliage. In addition to damaging people’s properties, erosion and runoff can create flooding, block roads, and clog sewers and culverts, creating even more damage. To get free sandbags, residents who live in unincorporated areas just need to bring their own shovel to any of the following locations: • Valley Center, CAL FIRE Station 73: 28205 N. Lake Wohlford Road. • Valley Center, CAL FIRE Station 70: 16971 Highway 76. • Julian, CAL FIRE Station 50: 1587 Highway 78. • Alpine Fire Protection District, Station 17: 1364 Tavern Road. • Ramona, CAL FIRE Mount Woodson Station: 16310 Highway 67. • Fallbrook, North County Fire Protection District, Station 4: 4375 Pala Mesa Drive. • Dulzura, CAL FIRE Station 30: 17304 Highway 94. For more information about the County Department of Public Works and its services, please visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dpw. Printer-friendly version
COMMUNITY RALLIES TO HELP LAKESIDE SADDLETRAMPS AFTER FATAL CRASH
Printer-friendly version Funds to help families, blood drive, and card collection planned By Miriam Raftery November 18, 2010 (Lakeside) – Two funds have been established to help the families of four members of the Saddletramps motorcycle club in Lakeside who lost their lives in a tragic accident November 13th. Community members have also rallied to organize a blood drive and collect sympathy cards. “These families include one who lost both a mom and dad, leaving behind two young sons. The families are in need of aid to help with funeral costs as well as money for food, utilities and the basics of life,” a press release from the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce states. Donations may be sent to: The Saddletramps, c/o The Smiths (President of the Club) at 16204 Alpine Blvd., Alpine, CA 91901. A Harley Davidson dealer is hosting a blood drive on Saturday, November 20th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help those who remain hospitalized with wounds ranging from internal injuries to broken bones to brain hemorrhaging. An American Red Cross bloodmobile will be at the Harley Davidson dealership at 5600 Kearny Mesa Rd. in San Diego. The El Capitan Parents and Teachers Association (PTSA) is collecting gift cards for the Trayer and Heath families at Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market today, Thursday, November 18, 2010 4 to 8 PM. Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market 9720 Wintergardens Blvd. in Lakeside. Purchase the gift cards inside the store and then place them in the collection container at the door. A memorial services for friends and family of the victims will be held at The Renegade, 14335 Olde Highway 80, El Cajon, on on Sunday, November 21 at 2:00 p.m. Local Saddletramp members Lance and Amy Heath of Alpine, Bill Miller of Ramona, and Tonya Trayer of El Cajon died in the accident on Highway 98 east of Ocotillo. A gold Honda civic crossed the center line, causing another vehicle to swerve. The second vehicle struck the motorcycles, killing the four club members as well as the driver’s passenger, Ana Lilia Gonzalez. The vehicle that struck the cyclists has been cleared in a blood alcohol test; authorities continue to seek the Honda that fled the scene. Injured are Kelly Halley, Wilson Trayer, William Barnes and Melanie Barnes. A trust fund has been established to help the Trayer family, NBC news reports. The Trayers had three children. Donations can be made through the Union Bank of El Cajon, at 580 North 2nd St. Printer-friendly version