DEPUTY STRUCK BY FLEEING VEHICLE IN SPRING VALLEY
East County News Service June 29, 2015 (Spring Valley) – Renee Chan, a parolee wanted on a warrant is under arrest for assaulting a deputy with a vehicle in Spring Valley this morning. A concerned citizen called 9-1-1 to report hearing a physical altercation between Chan and a roommate inside a home on Tyler Street in Spring Valley. Deputies from the Rancho San Diego substation responded. When the first deputy approached the residence, a black Ford 500 with two occupants started to drive away. The deputy motioned for the vehicle to stop and the driver halted. A passenger with blood on his clothing and shoes got out and started to walk away. When the deputy addressed the passenger, the driver abruptly accelerated and struck the deputy on his knee with the vehicle’s bumper, said Sergeant Pat McEvoy. The driver was later identified as 30-yaer-old Renee Chan, who fled the scene in his vehicle. Deputies, California Highway Patrol units and a Sheriff’s helicopter searched the area and saw a man matching the driver’s description entering a local business. The CHP officer detained him without incident and confirmed he was the suspect. The vehicle was found nearby. Chan was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. He is currently on county probation, released early under the state’s Assembly Bill 109 requirements. His probation had been revoked without bail and there was an arrest warrant outstanding at the time of his incident.
RAMONA FIREWORKS SHOW ON JULY 4 COULD BE FINAL DISPLAY
East County News Service June 29, 2015 (Ramona) — The annual Ramona Fireworks display, synchronized to music, will be held on July 4th at 9 p.m. at the Ramona High School football field, after a pre-fireworks picnic and activities at Olive Pierce Middle School. But the Ramona Rotary Club, which organizes the display, has come up short despite substantial community fundraising efforts and warns that unless substantial donations or sponsors are received, this will be the last fireworks show in Ramona. The announcement follows the demise of several other popular fireworks shows. Lake Murray’s fireworks show ceased four years ago, amid a funding shortfall and fear of lawsuits such as litigation filed against the City of San Diego seeking to halt fireworks at the bay. Last year, Valley Center announced an end to its Independence Day pyrotechnics, citing lack of sponsors and fudns. The Olympic Training Center cancelled its fireworks show this year because last year’s caused a fire. Ramona has been hosting its fireworks show for the past 18 years. The Ramona Sentinel reports that the fireworks cost almost $1,500 a minute for the 20-minute show. Those wishing to support Ramona’s fireworks show can drop donations into buckets labeled “Fireworks” at stores throughout the town including Albertsons, Stater Bros. and Kmart this Saturday, or contact the Ramona Rotary Club through its website at http://www.ramonarotary.org/. You can also mail a check made payable to Rotary Club of Ramona Foundation and mail it to Ramona Fireworks, P.O. Box 276, Ramona, CA 92065. Rotary is nonprofit and donations are tax deductible.
FLOODING, FIRES, POWER OUTAGES AS STORM SWEEPS ACROSS EAST COUNTY
East County News Service Photo: View from Lyons Peak, Jamul, courtesy UCSD HP Wren webcam Update 3:30 p.m. – Mudslide across roadway: Highland Valley and Archie Moore roads, Ramona, CHP site reports Hellhole Canyon Preserve: Vegetation fire, North County, per scanner Lightning fire on hillside, Bancroft and Campo Rd. reported, scanner and CHP June 30, 2015 (Lakeside) 2:40 p.m. – Thunder, lightning and heavy fires are sparking multiple emergency responses across East County. Here are highlights within the past hour: Flooding is reporting in Alpine at Tavern and East Willow Road exits. A fire was reported at 94 near Shockey Truck Trail. Fire crews have also been dispatched to Kitchen Creek near Cameron Truck Trail, per scanner traffic. An earlier fire on Highway 67 near Slaughterhouse Canyon is out, halted at about 3 acres. Power lines are down and a power pole reported leaning across the roadway at Dye Road in Ramona. SDG&E reports power outages in Eastlake/Otay are impacting 171 customers with restoration estimated at 6:30 p.m. A larger outage is affected 623 households in Dulzura, Potrero, Campo, Japatul Valley, Buckman Springs, And Morena Village areas with rsetoration estimated for 4:30 p.m.Sign up to receive free East County Wildfire and Emergency Alerts at the top right side of our webpage. Alerts are available via e-mail and you can also receive our free weekly newsletter. In addition you can follow East County Alert on Twitter.com for text messages on your mobile device. We recommend all of these as you don’t know which form of communications will work best in a major regional emergency.
HOMEOWNER SHOOTS SUSPECT IN HOME INVASION ROBBERY
East County News Service June 29, 2015 (El Cajon)—Three suspects are in custody after a group of people reportedly forced their way into a garage and tried to assault a homeowner and collect a debt, But the homeowner, who lived in the 8200 block of Limon Lane in unincorporated El Cajon, armed himself with a shotgun and shot one of the suspects in the leg. Sheriff’s deputies from Lakeside and Santee responded at 4:30 p.m. to a report of the shooting. They transported the wounded suspect to a hospital. Three dogs also injured in the altercation were treated by animal Control. Witnesses gave deputies the description of a vehicle seen leaving the area at a high speed. Deputies stopped the vehicle in the 8700 block of Rockview Drive and detained two men. Methamphetamines and a clown mask were found in the vehicle. Following an investigation, three men were placed under arrest for home invasion robbery, said Sergeant Tim Chantler, who added that the investigation is continuing.
DUMANIS CELEBRATES SUPREME COURT RULING ON GAY MARRIAGE–AT WHITE HOUSE
By Miriam Raftery June 29, 2015 (San Diego) — San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis in Washington D.C. for a talk on police body cameras, was also present with her spouse in the Supreme Court when the historic decision legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states was announced. Dumanis, who is openly gay and married to her partner, tweeted, “We were there in the U.S. Supreme Ct /Justice Kennedy delivered opinion, constitutional right to marry to all!!!” Dumanis and her partner, Denise, also attended a White House reception for Pride Month earlier in the week with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
A CHARMING STORY OF FRIENDSHIP FOR KIDS 0 – 6: IS THE LIZARD REAL OR IMAGINARY?
The Huge, Gigantic, Humongous Lizard; in my Living Room, by Anat Tour (Amazon, 2015, 26 pages) Book Review by Dennis Moore June 29, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Anat Tour, an East County resident and high school math teacher, has come a long way since our initial meeting at a Barnes & Noble Author Forum that I was moderating in La Mesa in April of 2011. Then, an unpublished author, Tour asked me at the end of the event how to get her Mama’s Shoe published. I suggested getting it published as an eBook with Barnes & Noble, which she did, and now with her 7th publication; The Huge, Gigantic, Humongous Lizard: in my Living Room, she is a firmly established author and illustrator. Tour’s passion and concentration are children’s books, and it helps that she is a mother of 4 children, who actually contributes to her writing and the themes of her books. Her children provides her with plenty of material for her writing, having the imaginative nature and curiosity that children normally have. I once described the author as “East County’s Renaissance Woman”, due to her prior life as an international model, her transition to a high school math teacher, and being the lead singer for Possession, a local band. The Huge, Gigantic, Humongous Lizard, is a whimsical story that young children are sure to delight in reading, and better yet, to have it read to them by their parents. Tour is a master story-teller in this regard. It is a charming story of friendship, typical of Tour’s previous children’s books, with colorful eye catching illustrations done by the author herself – which tend to bring the imaginative world of children to life. A young child states to his mother throughout the course of the story that he sees a large lizard in their living room, which it seems that he is the only one to see it, further stating: “Mama, just because you didn’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.” Is it real or imaginary? Initially, the mother goes along with her son’s story, by stating that when she was a little girl she had an imaginary friend, an elephant friend named “Wibble Wabble Woo.” Actually, this was one of the characters taken from one of Tour’s previous books. The young boy would take his mother from room to room in their house, even having her look into the closet and the bathroom, for this Huge, Gigantic, Humongous Lizard. “Mama went to check the closet, but there was no Huge, gigantic lizard hiding in the closet.” One week later, this seemingly figment of Mama’s son’s imagination would actually appear before her eyes. This is a warm and imaginative story by the author, which is typical of her previous children’s books. Dennis Moore is the Associate Editor for the East County Magazine in San Diego and the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online newsletter for writers in San Diego that has partnered with the East County Magazine, as well as a freelance contributor to EURweb based out of Los Angeles. Mr. Moore can be contacted at contractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.
OLIVIA’S ISLAND ADVENTURE FILM: WORLD PREMIER JULY 10-11 AT SAN DIGEO PERFORMING ARTS
East County News Service June 29, 2015 (San Diego) – You’re invited to the world premier of Visionary Dance Theatre’s fun, family-oriented adventure movie “Olivia’s Island Adventure.” The film showing will be at the San Diego Performing Arts Center (4579 Mission Gorge Place, San Diego) on July 10 and 11 at 6:45 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for individuals or $35 for a family four-pack. Filmed in San Diego, “Olivia’s Island Adventure” is tale of courage, trust, and friendship. In this island adventure, Olivia meets up with a little lost princess. They work together to get the princess back to her father. Starring Olivia Montgomery (member of Visionary School for the Performing Arts and La Mesa Arts Academy), the cast of characters (some of them quite quirky) includes Kathy Bishop (San Diego Old Globe veteran and member of SAG), Tom Bishop (registered ASCAP composer and professional musician), and Anjelica Kaylor (former NFL cheerleader). To celebrate the premiere of the movie musical, there will be special live pre-show entertainment starting at 6 p.m. including live musical performances by the movie’s star, Olivia Montgomery, and guest performances by VSPA’s talented Visionary Youth Theatre, accompanied by live musicians. For those who come early, starting at 4 p.m. local vendors will be displaying and selling products and services. At 5 p.m. gourmet food trucks will be serving up a variety of tasty fare. . Cast members from the movie will also be there to meet everyone and sign autographs. For more information and tickets, visit http://visionarydancetheatre.org/Visionary/olivias-island-adventure.
CONSUMER GROUPS WANT CONGRESS TO STOP NET NEUTRALITY SNEAK ATTACK
By Dan Herman, Public News Service PHOTO: More than 60 organizations have sent a letter calling on Congress to remove a rider in its budget bill they claim would block the FCC from implementing net neutrality rules. Photo credit: Sean MacEntee/Flickr Commons. June 29, 2015 (Washington D.C.) — More than 60 civil-rights and public-interest groups have sent a letter urging Congress to protect the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to keep the Internet open.They’re protesting a rider attached to a must-pass government funding package. Timothy Karr, senior director of strategy, is with the group Free Press. He says the provisions, buried inside a spending bill that’s 150-pages long, would cut funding the Federal Communication Commission needs to enforce net neutrality rules. “This is one of the more sneaky ways to do it, is to actually slip a couple lines of language into a budget appropriations bill,” says Karr. Advocates claim that by eliminating the FCC’s ability to protect net neutrality, the appropriations bill would have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights and the economy. The American Library Association, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation were among the groups sending the letter. In February the FCC responded to nearly four million public comments when it decided to protect the openness of the Internet – no fast lanes for corporations and slow lanes for average citizens. Karr says since the ruling, an entrenched phone and cable lobby has worked to punish the FCC in the courts and now in Congress. “The public, on the issue of net neutrality, has been overwhelmingly in favor of open Internet protections,” says Karr. “So we’re seeing the backlash of that decision.” Karr adds that the funding package is inching closer to a vote before the full House, but there’s still time for members to remove the provision.
SUPREME COURT BLOCKS LIMITS ON POWER PLANT POLLUTION
By Miriam Raftery June 29, 2015 (Washington D.C.)—In a setback to advocates of public health, the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked an administrative order by the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency that would have limited toxic mercury emissions from oil- and coal-fired power plants. In a 5-4 decision, the majority of justices sided with industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, finding that the costs of compliance must be taken into account in the regulatory process. The EPA had estimated costs of compliance at $9.6 million a year. The case, Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency, challenged regulations that arose out of 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, which ordered the EPA to expedite restrictions on emissions of mercury and 188 other air pollutants. Work on those amendments has spanned administrations of three presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. The EPA has estimated that 7 percent of women of childbearing age in the U.S. have been exposed to dangerous levels of mercury, which can cause neurological abnormalities in children, CNN reports. Justice Elena Kagan dissented, writing that agencies should have broad discretion to consider cost at a later stage, not merely an early stage as the majority held. She concluded, “The result is a decision that deprives the American public of the pollution control measures that the responsible Agency, acting well within its delegated authority, found would save many, many lives.” Some power plants have already installed pollution control equipment to reduce emissions under the ruling, so it’s not known how many others continue to pump out mercury into the air. Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy praised the decision. “The Supreme Court’s decision today vindicates the House’s legislative actions to rein in bureaucratic overreach and institute some common sense in rule making,” he said, the New York Times reports. The decision does not strike down the EPA rule, but instead requires the EPA to justify it including a comparison of costs versus benefits. EPA spokesperson Melissa Harrison said after the ruling that the EPA remains committed to protecting the public “from the significant amount of toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired electric utilities” and will continue efforts to reduce toxic pollution from those facilities.