AND THE WINNER IS….AUCTIONEER STEVE HAMANN
Printer-friendly version By Jeremy Los February 12, 2011 (El Cajon)–On Monday, February 14, the El Cajon Citizen of the Year Committee will host its annual “Citizen of the Year” luncheon with the San Diego-East County Chamber of Commerce. This year, the committee will honor charitable auctioneer Steve Hamann as the El Cajon Citizen of the Year. Labeled as an "auctioneer extraordinaire", Hamann has been providing his talents to auctions for 15 years. Initially falling into the business by pure chance, he now finds himself a busy man with 45 events on the schedule for 2011 already. Along with doing numerous charitable auctions, Hamann also is a current member of the Rotary Club of El Cajon and has served as President of the Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club. This work with the Rotary Club has led him to be a motivational speaker at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. He is also a prominent member of the Lakeside AYSO, volunteering as commissioner for three years. In 2000, Steve created “Kids Zone,” a program that tries to reduce the amount verbal violence on the sideline at AYSO games. The program is now being used in over 50 percent of AYSO regions throughout America. Steve’s hard work and charitable nature is what led to his selection as El Cajon Citizen of the Year. “The committee selects the citizen of the year based on their amount of volunteerism, service to their community, and community activism,” says Committee Chairman Allen Brown. “Community organizations are the ones who nominate candidates for the award.” St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, the Rotary Club of El Cajon, Stoney’s Kids, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of East County nominated Hamann. He will be recognized at a luncheon on Monday February 14 at 12 pm, at the Ronald Reagan Community Center in El Cajon. For tickets or details, visit the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce website at http://eastcountychamber.chambermaster.com/events/details/el-cajon-citizen-of-the-year. Printer-friendly version
NORTHBOUND HIGHWAY 67 TO CLOSE ALL DAY SUNDAY
Printer-friendly version February 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) — Major delays are expected all day Sunday, February 13 on State Route 67 northbound as construction crews close the highway from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. between Bradley and Woodside avenues. The connector ramp from eastbound Interstate 8 to northbound SR-67 will also be closed. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is advising motorists to use alternate routes. The highway will be closed for the final pavement work to the new SR-52 connector. Caltrans will place more than 20 detour and/or Changeable Message Signs in the area to assist motorists around the closure. Crews will also close the Bradley Avenue northbound on-ramp as well as the northbound Prospect Avenue off-ramp on Sunday. "We are in the final stretch of work for the State Route 52 Sunny Side Gateway Project before we open the lanes to the public," said Caltrans Corridor Director Joel Haven. A grand opening of the completed project is slated for March 19. For more information, please see the SR- 52 Sunny Side Gateway Project Fact Sheet at dot.ca.gov/dist11/facts or contact the Caltrans Public Information Office at (619) 688-6670. Printer-friendly version
IMPOSTERS POSE AS WATER DISTRICT EMPLOYEES, BURGLARIZE HOME IN DEL CERRO
Printer-friendly version (San Diego) San Diego Police Department detectives are investigating a residential burglary that occurred in Del Cerro today around12:45 p.m. A man posing as a City of San Diego Water Department employee went to the home of an elderly couple and told them he was there to check on a problem with their plumbing. He said he needed to be allowed inside to check their faucets. While the man distracted the residents, a second suspect entered the home and stole cash and jewelry from the bedrooms, Lt. Andra Brown with San Diego Police reports. The suspects left on foot together. No vehicle was seen. Both suspects are described as Hispanic males between 35-40 years of age. Both were about 6’ tall, weighing approximately 200 pounds, with dark hair. The initial suspect spoke Spanish while talking on his cell phone during part of the contact. Citizens are cautioned to be wary of such scams. In order to protect themselves from such imposters, citizens can find safety information on the City’s website at www.sandiego.gov/water/operations/imposters and be aware of the following: • City employees wear a uniform and badge or identification • Look for City vehicles with proper City decals • Water quality samples are generally taken from outside the residence • Employees do not collect past-due bills in person or engage in door to door sales Anyone with information concerning this case is asked to contact the San Diego Police Department Eastern Division at (858) 495-7900 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Printer-friendly version
SECOND LAWSUIT IN MONTH FILED OVER POWERLINK;
Printer-friendly version February 11, 2011 (San Diego). – Legal troubles are mounting for San Diego Gas and Electric’s proposed "Sunrise Powerlink" transmission line with the filing of a new lawsuit this week by three local organizations against California’s State Water Resources Control Board. The lawsuit was filed in California State Superior Court in Sacramento. The lawsuit is the first to challenge a decision by the water board, which plaintiffs claim wrongly certified that Powerlink will not harm downstream water quality and will otherwise comply with the federal Clean Water Act. The lawsuit also alleges that significant harm to wetlands and washes was never adequately addressed in Powerlink environmental documents following the last minute decision to relocate the project from North to South San Diego County. “The water board also failed to reopen environmental review of the project following SDG&E’s disclosure last spring of significant new impacts to waterways in its "Project Modification Report". The board also cynically rejected opponents administrative appeal of its water quality certification on a manufactured technicality,” a press release issued by plaintiffs states. "Anyone who cares about clean drinking water and a clean ocean has a stake in this fight", said Denis Trafecanty, President of the Protect Our Communities Foundation. "The more land you bulldoze upstream, the more extreme flooding you get downstream, just like what happened to San Diego in December." "Major expected erosion from new roads, cleared tower pads, and construction yards was never seriously considered in powerlink documents because a final route hadn’t even been selected," said Stephan Volker, attorney for the groups. "Due process is also at stake: The water board retroactively changed the date of its decision permitting the project in a fraudulent attempt to reject opponents’ administrative appeal." "BAD has continuously worked to protect and defend at-risk rural groundwater water resources, including our successful application for federal designation of the Campo / Cottonwood Creek Sole Source Aquifer that Sunrise Powerlink will impact," stated Donna Tisdale, President of Backcountry Against Dumps. SDG&E’s $2-3 billion Sunrise Powerlink is a major new electrical transmission line that would be constructed from the Imperial Valley to central San Diego County near Poway. California ratepayers would pay for the 123-mile transmission line consisting of a 500kV main line starting from near El Centro and Mexico to a new substation in the Japatul area east of Alpine. Two smaller 230kV spur lines would connect to San Diego with future plans by SDG&E to extend the 500kV main line north to Riverside through wilderness and communities. SDG&E did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. The groups’ lawsuit can be viewed at: http://www.protectourcommunities.org. The Protect Our Communities Foundation is a non-profit community organization dedicated to the promotion of a safe, reliable, economical, renewable, and environmentally responsible energy future for San Diego County. http://www.protectourcommunities.org. Backcountry Against Dumps is a non-profit organization, based in Boulevard, whose members and supporters are directly affected by the Sunrise Powerlink, related energy and transmission projects, and the destruction of federal and private land for inappropriate commercial industrial-scale energy development. www.backcountryagainstdumps.org. The East County Community Action Coalition (“ECCAC”) is a coalition of community groups, individuals and organizations, with the common goal of promoting and preserving the quality of life for residents of eastern San Diego County through coordinated community action. www.EastCountyAction.org. Printer-friendly version
REMEMBERING DR. AMORITA TREGANZA
Printer-friendly version Helen Ofield, president of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, will present "Dr. Amorita Treganza: A Renaissance Woman" on Mar. 5 at 9:25 a.m. in the Balboa Park Club, Balboa Park, as part of the annual, two-day conference of the Congress of History San Diego & Imperial Counties. The half-hour powerpoint presentation traces Dr. Treganza’s storied career from Spanish dancer, lemon fruit packer and actor to her groundbreaking achievements as a pediatric optometrist and first woman to head a national medical association, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. She ran medical offices in San Diego and Lemon Grove. A resident of Lemon Grove from 1926 until her death in 2002, Dr. Treganza’s home–the original 1906 cottage built by her grandfather, horticulturist Eduardo Treganza–survives today in all of its charm thanks to Gary S. Elbert, an interior designer and historical society life member. Dr. Treganza’s father, Alberto O. Treganza, (1876-1944) was a noted architect whose beautiful Spanish revival homes live on county-wide. His lasting monument, however, may be The Big Lemon, which he designed in 1928 as a parade float. His 14-year-old daughter rode on the float as the town’s first Miss Lemon Grove. Her brother, Adan Treganza, was the famous anthropologist whose discoveries throughout the Southwest and Mexico can be seen in the museum named for him at San Francisco State University, where he established the Anthropology Department. Her mother, Antwonet Kaufman Treganza, was the first woman to head the Lemon Grove Chamber of Commerce and serve as postmaster. A leading ornithologist, she wrote a weekly birding column for the San Diego Union in the 1920s and 1930s. Dr. Treganza’s grandmother, also very accomplished, wrote poetry and studied fossils and shells, amassing an impressive collection. Dr. Treganza led the effort to found the Lemon Grove Historical Society in 1978 and was a past president. She urged the saving of the town’s first church as a civic museum (today, the Parsonage Museum), a goal carried out by her successors on the society’s board between 1997 and 2000. The historical society presented a large exhibition, "The Treganza Family in Lemon Grove," in the Parsonage Museum in 2000-2001. The museum is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and weekdays by appointment for classes and tour groups from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Information: 619-460-4353; www.lemongrovehistoricalsociety.org. Printer-friendly version
A HAIR-RAISING HEIST
Printer-friendly version February 11, 2011 (Rolando) – San Diego Police report that around 3:26 a.m., two suspects broke the front glass doors at Change U Beauty 6463 University Ave and entered, then stole numerous human hair extensions value at about $10,000 and an undisclosed amount of money. One suspect was wearing a dark coat with a dark hat, scarf and gloves. The second suspect was wearing a dark green teal coat with a dark hat, scarf and gloves. SDPD’s Mid-City Division is handling the investigation Printer-friendly version
COPPER CREEK CONCERT FUNDRAISER FOR ST. ANDREW’S YOUTH, MARCH 2
Printer-friendly versionFebruary 11, 2011 (La Mesa) — Following a traditional Mardi Gras pancake meal at 5:15 p.m., Copper Creek Band will perform, 7 p.m. on March 2 at the Community Center of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 8650 Lake Murray Blvd., La Mesa. Proceeds will benefit the church’s Youth Group. Tickets will be given for a donation of $10, and the dinner costs $2 with a concert ticket. Copper Creek Band features Kevin and Lauren Krekelberg, Cliff Niman and John Seever. For more information 464-4211. Printer-friendly version
ECM WORLD WATCH BULLETIN: EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MUBARAK RESIGNS
Printer-friendly version World, U.S. and local leaders react to peaceful toppling of regime by Egyptians seeking democracy February 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak announced his resignation today, following 18 days of massive protests by Egyptians demanding democracy. The Egyptian military is currently in charge, leaving questions over who will ultimately fill the void left by Mubarak and when democratic elections may occur. Still, news of Mubarak’s departure has been greeted with cheers in the streets of Cairo and cautious optimism by most world leaders. “In Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence—not terrorism, not mindless killing…that bent the arc of history toward justice once more,” President Barack Obama said, also making clear that “Nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day.” He called for enactment of key legal reforms to bring “all of Egypt’s voices to the table.” San Diego Democratic Congresswoman Susan Davis issued a statement which read in part, “Americans and people worldwide who strove for their own freedom and democracy can identify with the exuberance felt by Egyptians today.” Noting that significant challenges remain, Davis added, “I am hopeful that Egypt and the United States will maintain a strong strategic partnership which is so vital toward long term peace in the region and that the next government in Cairo will maintain strong ties with their partners in Israel and the region.” House speaker John Boehner, a Republican, observed, “I hope this will lead to an orderly transition to a more orderly government.” Former Israeli Ambassador to Cairo Zvi Mazel observed that Mubarak kept peace with Israel, where concerns over whether the new government will maintain that peace remain. “He was leading the war against Iran, against radical Islam,” Mazel said, Voice of America reports. Printer-friendly version
SEMI JACK-KNIFED ON I-15 AT RANCHO BERNARDO ROAD
Printer-friendly version February 11, 2011 (San Diego) — A jack-knifed semi truck on I-15 north of Rancho Bernardo Road continues to clog traffic during rush hour. The accident, which occurred shortyl after 3 p.m. today, spilled more than 100 gallons of diesel fuel. Three lanes remain closed as of 5:30 p.m. and CHP officers have been dispatched to replace cones after several motorists traveled into lanes that were shut down. A SIG alert remains in effect. If you received this alert from a friend, sign up for free Viejas Wildfire & Emergency alerts via e-mail by clicking the signup at the top right side of our homepage. You can also receive a free weekly newsletter from East County Magazine with top news and events locally. You can also sign up for free alerts via Twitter on your mobile device by following ViejasAlerts on Twitter at www.twitter.com. Printer-friendly version