HUNDREDS FLOCK TO GULLS BLOCK PARTY
September 8, 2015 (San Diego) – If San Diego isn’t a hockey town, as many claim, we have a funny way of showing it. With the Gulls returning to San Diego after a nine year absence, many excited hockey fans came to the Quartyard downtown to meet coach Dallas Eakins and other members of the Gulls’ staff in a Q&A hosted by the voice of the Gulls, Craig Elsten. All fans received a promotional Gulls scarf, as well as a free ticket for alcohol. There was also food catered by Baja Rockin’ Lobster and Cali Comfort BBQ. Live bands, including San Diego locals Seeking Alpha, performed. Head coach Eakins and other Gulls’ staff members hosted a Q&A. When asked what adjustments he’ll make coming from the NHL to the American League, Coach Eakins says “Here in the American League, you still want to win, but you got to develop your players. We want our players to have success here, we want to win hockey games, but our main objective is to get these kids into the NHL and the Anaheim Ducks.”
MONSANTO’S ROUNDUP INGREDIENT CAUSES CANCER, CALIF. EPA SAYS
By Miriam Raftery September 8, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—California’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a notice of intent to label glyphosate, an herbicide that is the main ingredient on Monsanto’s Roundup, as a carcinogen“known to cause cancer.” The public has until October 5th to comment on the proposal. Glyphosate has also been linked to a sharp drop in Monarch butterfly populations across the nation as well as to potential health impacts in humans. As glyphosate use has skyrocketed and eliminated milkweed from agricultural fields, Monarchs’ primary food source, the butterflies have declined by more than 80 percent in twenty years, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. A recent study on rats exposed to very low doses found adverse changes in the rats’ livers and kidneys. Additionally, the World Health Organization has concluded that glyphosate a probably carcinogen. If the EPA designation is approved, it would require that all products containing glyphosate carry warnings on labels. In addition, places where the herbicide is applied could be required ot have notices posted to warn of exposure in advance, as Proposition 65 requires. Center for Biological Diversity scientist Nathan Donley, in a prepared statement, praised the EPA for taking steps to protect people and wildlife form a toxic chemical. He says, “More than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are used each year in the United States, and the science is clear that it’s a threat to public health and countless wildlife species. It’s long past time to start reining in the out-of-control use of glyphosate in the United States.” World usage of glyphosate is at an all-time high. Its use increased more than 20-fold, since 1990, largely due to the widespread adoption of crops, particularly corn and soy, that are genetically engineered to withstand what would otherwise be fatal doses of glyphosate. Residues of the toxic chemical are now found on 90 percent of soybean crops. More use means more exposure, Donley says, adding, “It’s nearly impossible for people to limit exposure to this toxin because it is just so widespread. That’s why we need much tighter controls on its use.” Monsanto has insisted that its product is safe despite evidence to the contrary, and claims the World Health Organzation’s data is flawed. The company engages in intense lobbying and makes hefty campaign donations to politicians, who have been reluctant to restrict genetically modified crops or use of glyphosate. Now with California leading the way in declaring the chemical a carcinogen, some health and environmental advocates hope the labeling will be the first step toward ultimately banning the chemical, as was done with DDT and other products found to endanger human health or wildlife.
IRS ALLOWS 30% TAX CREDIT FOR INDIVIDUALS IN COMMUNITY WITH SHARED SOLAR PROJECT
By Miriam Raftery September 8, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a determination finding that individuals who invested in a shared community solar project can qualify for a 30% federal renewable energy tax credit. While the ruling legally applies only to the Boardman Hill Solar Farm in Vermont, it is expected to boost demand for community solar, helping to further grow the already exploding residential solar market. The announcement comes in a joint press release issued by the nonprofit Clean Energy States Alliance and the law firm of Foley Hoag which arranged for submission of a private letter ruling request to the IRS to clarify the issue. CESA’s executive director Warren Leon says the ruling implies that the IRS may receptive to other shared community solar project members who claim the residential income tax credit (RITC) offered to homeowners adopting solar “when a project mirrors the structure used in this case.” Rhone Reasch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, says “This ruling helps pave the way for even more growth under the widely successful federal investment tax credit.” While the ruling can’t be cited as precedent legally by other taxpayers, it does suggest the IRS could be receptive to similar claims. Nicola Lemay, Foley Hoag partner, says the IRS letter “fills an important gap” with a written resource “which can be used by courts, IRS personnel, and practitioners in structuring community shared solar projects.” The tax credit is set to sunset at the end of 2016, however, creating a short window for communities to cash in on the credit. CESA will hold a free webinar on this issue on September 22. Details are in the CESA press release. View the press release View the private letter ruling
STORMY WEATHER TO RETURN
East County News Service Photo credit: NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) September 7, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) –Thunderstorms erupted Monday over the San Diego County mountains and drifted into the deserts, where strong slow-moving cells produced 1-2″ of rain in an hour. Flash flooding was reported in the San Diego County deserts on Hwy 78 and Highway S2. Thunderstorms are likely to form again Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons in the mountains and deserts, the National Weather Service predicts. Heavy rains with any slow moving thunderstorms may produce flash flooding over the mountain areas and the lower deserts, as well as debris flows. High temperatures 5 degrees or more above normal are also forecast for our region this week. For latest watches, warnings and advisories, please visit the Detailed Hazards Viewer. For the latest precipitation totals forecast, see the National Weather Service’s Quantitative Precipitation Forecast product. Click here for the latest Weather Stories. Sign up for iNWS (free) to get text message or e-mail notifications of hazards for your specific area(s). Consider using the FEMA mobile app also to get all-hazard alerts.
IS THE LA MESA LIBRARY “INTERIM” OR “PERMANENT?”
Deadline swiftly approaching; residents voice displeasure By Kristin Kjaero September 7, 2015 (La Mesa) — A controversy arose at the August 11 La Mesa City Council meeting when Friends of the La Mesa Library President John Schmitz noticed that a contract for the city to hire a consultant to conduct a Civic Center/Old Police Station Feasibility Study and Master Plan did not include a permanent library building. He requested that the Council add the library back in, as it was included in earlier Master Plans. Despite this omission, the Council approved the study as is, without the library. The Council will review a Staff Report on the issue of “Interim” vs. “Permanent” library on its agenda for tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., in which Staff takes the position that the City is not obligated to build a “permanent” Library building. On March 14, 2006 the City entered into an agreement with the County under which it purchased the old library site for $1, on which it built the current police station. In return, the City built the “interim” library and post office building now occupied by them (earmarked in the Civic Master Plan to become a future extension of City Hall), and promised to either begin constructing a “permanent” library building by March 2016 or pay the County the full market value the former library site as determined at March 14, 2018 value. In addition, the City reimbursed the County up to $15,000 for moving expenses into the interim building, and assumed responsibility for maintenance of both interim and permanent library buildings. The Agreement is binding for 40 years. Resident Patricia O’Reilly wrote to the Council of her disappointment in its decision, referring to a social contract with the community. She stated, “Now we are told the City has contracted for a feasibility study that does NOT include the library at all? That is inexcusable. At the very least ANY library decisions should be a part of any feasibility study so that we will ALL know what the choices could be and could ALL take part in a decision-making process.” The City’s staff report takes the position that the City is not obligated to build a permanent facility because Clause 2.1.6 of the agreement states the construction of a permanent building is “subject to the availability and securing of sufficient local, state or federal funding.” Resident Laurise Gerk also wrote to the City Council, “We are taking the position that the building of the promised library is important, and should happen! Acquisition of funding aside, this was an agreement entered into between the City of La Mesa and the County of San Diego, and it should be honored. Not just because the larger library would be nice, which it would. But also because it was a promise made. An agreement entered. It is only right.” The City applied twice unsuccessfully for state library grants, however according to the Union-Tribune, “The city’s proposal received high marks from the state, but La Mesa’s project was bypassed for others and the money set aside for library construction ran out in 2004. A $600 million state bond measure that would have provided more money for library construction was rejected by voters in 2006.” The full staff report on this item can be found here, with Item 10 beginning on page 147 of the Agenda.
ALERT: HIGHWAY 78 CLOSED DUE TO MUDSLIDES, FLASH FLOODING
September 7, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)–As remnants of Hurricane Linda hit our high desert and mountain regions, a Sig Alert has been issued for State Route 78. The highway is closed down from S-2 to Borrego Springs due to mudslides. Flash flooding is also reported on State Route 78 at Yaqui Pass. There is also heavy rain reported in the southeast portion of the county. Reader Milt Cyphert e-mailed this message: “In Jacumba we had a brief downpour. But, the major storm was Northwest of us. Machine-gun-like lightning strikes and the subsequent thunder claps and booms rattled windows and lungs here. I can only imagine what it must have been like up there where it was happening.” Sign up to receive free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via e-mail at the top right side of our homepage and also receive our free weekly newsletter. We thank the Grossmont Healthcare District for their generous sponsorship of our alerts, helping to keep you safe and informed. You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter for text alerts on your mobile phone. We recommend both the e-mail and Twitter alerts since you can’t know which form of communication will be working in a major regional emergency.
“SEX IN OUR CITY” SEMINAR TO BE HELD OCT. 20 AT ALVARADO HOSPITAL
Event includes Hors d’oeuvres and Discussion on Flibanserin and Other Sexual Health/Relationship Topics for Women September 7, 2015 (San Diego)– With FDA approval of the new libido drug for women – flibanserin – women finally have options. This is the first FDA libido drug approved for women, despite the fact that Viagra was approved for men 17 years ago. San Diego women are invited to attend “Sex in Our City” seminar to learn more about flibanserin (to be marketed as Addyi), as well as what else on the horizon for women in terms of dealing with low sex drives, sexual health in young women and pre- and post-menopause, bedroom secrets to enhance your relationship, hormone treatments and alternatives, and other topics. “Sex in Our City,” San Diego’s most popular sexual health event for women, will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and includes Sex in the City-themed appetizers, dessert table and mocktails. Hosted by Alvarado Hospital, “Sex in Our City” will be led by world-renowned expert Irwin Goldstein, MD, and sex therapist Rose Hartzell, PhD, EdS. Seating is limited for this FREE event so sign up early to ensure you get a seat for you and your BFF (best friend foreover, or sister, mom…). Due to the sensitivity of the subject matter, this is for women-only. Pre-registration is required by calling (800) ALVARADO (800-258-2723) or sign up online. (link: http://www.alvaradohospital.com/About-Us/Event-Registration.aspx) Dr. Irwin Goldstein, medical director of the sexual medicine program at Alvarado Hospital, has authored more than 325 publications in the field of sexual dysfunction, with 20 consecutive years of funding by the National Institutes of Health in this area. He is editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine and has received multiple lifetime achievement awards for his pioneering efforts in sexual medicine. He appears regularly on FOX5 and is interviewed frequently by national publications, such as New York Times, US News & World Report, Yahoo Health, Medscape and others. Dr. Rose Hartzell is also an expert consultant/writer and is the sex therapy ambassador for The 100 Women Project. She serves as a monthly sex expert for FOX5 News in San Diego and has been featured on CW6 in San Diego. She has been quoted in many magazine and newspaper articles, including The New York Times and Women’s Health magazine.
READY, SET, STOMP! HACIENDA DE LAS ROSAS WINERY CELEBRATES REOPENING
By Miriam Raftery Photos by Miriam Raftery and Kristin Kjaero September 7, 2015 (Ramona) — Members of the Hacienda de las Rosas Winery’s wine club kicked up their heels on Labor Day at the winery’s 8th annual grape stomp. The occasion also marked the grand reopening of the winery, which was closed over the summer following the death last winter of winemaker William Holzhaur. Today, however, was a day of festivities as guests stomped grapes, sipped wine, savored tacos and enjoyed horse-drawn carriage rides. The event also included a silent auction and donations to benefit the Ramona Humane Society. After four years of drought, crops this year are reduced across the Ramona Valley wine region, winery owner Tammy Rimes said. But that didn’t hamper the festivities, as guests doffed shoes to partake in a centuries-old Italian-style winemaking tradition. The stomping is just for fun, since no stomped grapes are used in actual vintages bottled. Rimes recalls the winery’s first grape-stomp held in Old Town, where the couple once had a tasting room. “It was William’s idea to have a grape stomp,” she recalled her late husband, “and he told me I could dress up as Lucy!” The Lucy costume is long since retired, but Rimes has carried on the tradition now enjoyed each year by winery club members savoring the fruits of the family’s labors including some wonderfully rich red wines, each named after one of the prized Peruvian Paso horses that Rimes also raises here. Meanwhile, the circle of life continues with today bringing joyous news to the family: a grandchild of Rimes and Holzhaur is expected to be born next year. For more information on Hacienda de las Rosas Winery in Ramona, visit www.sdwinery.com.
MAKING DANCERS’ DREAMS COME TRUE AT VISIONARY DANCE THEATRE
East County News Service Hear our radio interview on KNSJ with the co-founders of Visionary Dance Theatre: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/audio/2015/October/Newsmakers-VisionaryDanceTheatre-final.mp3 September 7, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Spencer Powell and Mickey Mounarath, artistic director and business director of Visionary Dance Studio in east San Diego, have a shared vision to enrich the community and give opportunities in the performing arts to disadvantaged young people. Their mission includes fostering “diversity that has no limits in its creative process,” according to the nonprofit’s website at www.visionarydancetheatre.org. Powell knows first-hand the importance of mentoring for a young person with talent. “My mother was a single Mom on welfare,” he told East County Magazine. Fortunately, this gifted performer and teacher had a generous mentor who helped pay for his training in dance—so he went on to an illustrious career in dance and choreography that including serving as artistic director of Ogden Contemporary Dance Theatre. Now retired from the professional dance circuit, he’s giving back, helping find mentors to support aspiring young people with talent in both dance and musical theatre. Mounarath, also a professional dancer as well as a consulting to the IT and performing arts industries, has co-produced all of the dance concert productions at Visionary through Mounarath-Powell Productions. The pair have also founded Visionary Youth Theatre and Visionary School for the Performing Arts. Together they work to find philanthropists to mentor young people locally, helping youths from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds follow their dreams and attain success in the performing arts. Dance instruction includes ballet, tap, hip-hop, modern dance and more as well as musical theatre. Students mentored by Powell have gone on to perform on the Broadway stage, as well as to become teachers and college professors. There is also an adult dance theatre group, including some performers who take stage along side their children in Visionary’s impressive productions. Visionary also works to make the performing arts accessible and affordable to the community, through performances such as their upcoming show, “Hairspray,” a ‘60s themed musical theatre production this month running Sept. 10-12 and 17-19 and “Kaleidoscope,” a dance production on October 23rd. Visionary’s studio is currently located at 7202-A El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego, just east of La Mesa, though they are working to move to a more expansive studio space in La Mesa in the near future. To learn more about Visionary Dance Theatre, purchase tickets to upcoming shows or donate to support their nonprofit, you can visit www.VisionaryDanceTheatre.org.