RAMONA BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT ARRESTED
November 24, 2015 (Ramona) — San Diego Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to the Ramona station working with FBI agents have made an arrest as a result of the investigation into the November 19th robbery of the Bank of America branch located at 1407 Main Street, Ramona. Timothy Grahman, 64, was arrested Friday on Hanson Lane in Ramona and has been booked into San Diego Central Jail. The suspect displayed a handgun in his waistband and handed the teller a hold-up note. Authorities sent surveillance photos to media and Crimestoppers received numerous tips as a result, said FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth. Anyone with information concerning this robbery is asked to contact the FBI at telephone number (858) 320-1800 or San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 540-8477. To view photographs of other wanted San Diego bank robbers, please visit https://bankrobbers.fbi.gov.
THE CIRCLE PLAYERS ARE ACE HIGH
By Kathy Carpenter Assoiciate and Youth Reviewer www.sdtheatrereviews.com November 24, 2015 (El Cajon) – “The Circle players is a theatre outreach under the Neighbor to Neighbor program of the First Presbyterian Church of El Cajon. The goal of The Circle Players is to provide a resource to those in our community who want to share their talent in acting and other performing arts, as well as technical and production aspects of the theatre. The Circle Players is a hospitable and welcoming group who provide for twenty dollars, not only a murder mystery play, and a meal, but an entire theme filled event–an interactive good time for all. I have been out for two events; first, the Murder Mystery Cafe, last Spring. I loved that one. I’ve been to several murder mysteries of this sort and this was by far my favorite. The suspects actually came and sat down at your table for you to question, and there was an actual clue for you to be able to solve the crime. This past weekend The Players presented Wrangle at Red Mountain Ranch by Nancy Bond, directed by Joel Gossett. This was a real hootenanny. For this show you were invited to wear your western duds.You sat at long picnic tables with red checked tablecloths, bowls of chips and salsa, pitchers of .lemonade and water. Little pails held the silverware, ballots, and a cowboy themed word scramble to add to the fun. We were serenaded while we waited by a five piece band, Howard “Boss Man” Bivens, Cindy Graham “Crackers”, Eric “Sven’ Lingren, Dennis “Rusty Fingers” Mckinley, and “Hang on Heidi Mckinley. They set the mood with old country tunes and invited people to sing-a-long while we were being served our hearty meal.of chili, pork, cole slaw, cornbread, and a Hawaiian roll, followed by a delicious dessert. The play itself was more of a take your best guess, after watching quite a bit of acting for this type of play, even a skit within the play. A few people from the audience were invited to participate in the skit. Your chance to be a star. While the entire audience was invited to make horse clopping sounds. Involving everyone added to the total dude ranch theme of the night. The cast consisted of Hanna Feinstein, Justin Briggs, Kathe Perdue, Jack Vernon, Frank Ferrone, Maxine Levaren, Sharonfaith Horton, Steve Perdun, and Joel Gosset. If it’s fun ye be wantin’ The Circle Players next Mystery Dinner Theatre will be “MURD-ARRR!!!” Pirates of the Salty Dog – April 29 & 30, 2015 at 7:00pm or May 1,, 2015 at 2:00. If you want to act or help they can be reached at thecircleplayers@gmail.com or call (619) 588-5348. In February they will have a staged reading of “The Importance of Being Ernest” by Oscar Wilde. In October they will do “The Trial of Dr. Martin Luther.” Experience The Circle players for yourself sometime in the near future.
NEIGHBOR SAVES PETS FROM FIRE
East County News Service November 24, 2015 (El Cajon)–A fire at an El Cajon home could have been far more tragic – if not for the courage of a neighbor. When Anthony Menchaca spotted an orange glow shortly after midnight on Tuesday, he ran outside and saw flames engulfing the studio apartment. Knowing his neighbor was at work and had pets inside, he broke a window and risked his life to save four dogs and two cats from the fire. Fortunately he was not injured, and managed to rescue all of the animals. Firefighters doused the blaze, which may have started in the kitchen.
VIEJAS TOY DRIVE RUNS THROUGH NOV. 30
Party Dec. 9 for all toy donors November 25, 2015 (Alpine)—For every toy donated to this year’s toy drive, Viejas Casino & Resort will match it one-for-one. “We have a very ambitious goal and we need your support to achieve success,” a press release states. Since the Toy Drive in partnership with The Salvation Army in 2010, Viejas has donated over 30,000 toys, giving back to our community and helping to make the holiday season brighter for children in need. The drive has grown from collecting 360 toys in 2010 to 14,702 toys in 2014. Bring in Viejas new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages now through November 30. When you bring in a new, unwrapped toy of a minimum $5 value, you wil also receive $5 in Free Play Cash at the casino (One Free Play Cash offer per guest per day through Nov. 30) All donors are also invited to attend a hosted event at Viejas Casino & Resort on December 9 to present the toys to the Salvation Army.
AVOID I-8 IN EL CAJON DUE TO POWER LINE REPAIRS TODAY
East County News Service November 25, 2015 (El Cajon)– This morning at approximately 1:20 a.m., a large cylinder was being towed eastbound I-8 around 2nd St. The cylinder snagged on a power line causing several power poles to be snapped in half south of I-8. Sometime this morning, the entire freeway will be shut down in both directions for approximately one hour to remove the old power lines. Later on today, the freeway will once again be shut down to install the new lines. The second closure will be approximately 8 hours later. Currently, there are several closures in place with alternate routes of travel. Here is a list: E/B I-8 shut down for high profile. During freeway shutdown traffic will be diverted to 2nd St. off north on 2nd St. to Greenfield Dr. Turn right on Greenfield Dr. and re enter E/B I-8. W/B I-8 during shutdown has several options. Exit Lake Jennings Park Rd. and turn right. Stay on until hit S/B SR-67 to either take driver to W /B SR-52 or W/B I-8 W/B I-8 also exit Greenfield Dr. turn right to 2nd St. Turn left on 2nd St. to re enter W/B I-8. THE CHP IS RECOMMENDING AVOIDING THE I-8 IN EL CAJON TODAY. Sign up to receive free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts at the top right side of our homepage and also have an option to receive our free weekly newsletter. You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter to receive brief text versions of our alerts on your mobile phones. We recommend all of the above, since you don’t know what form of communication will work best in a major regional emergency.
LOCAL EVENT RAISES OVER $5,000 FOR PARIS TERROR VICTIMS
Donations to help victims of the French terrorist attacks are being accepted through Friday on the Adventures by the Book website by Sárka-Jonae Miller, Ask an Author columnist On the drive home to San Diego from an event in Los Angeles, USA Today best-selling author Jennifer Coburn and Adventure by the Book owner Susan E. McBeth came up with an idea to throw a fundraiser benefiting the French Red Cross. The two women had recently taken trips to Paris and wanted to do something to help the victims of the November 13 attacks. By the time they arrived home, they already had four authors of Paris-themed books on board, according to Coburn. Eight days later on November 22, the Je Suis Paris fundraiser was realized and proceeds exceeded the initial goal of $5,000. “It was a really great night,” said Coburn, who had returned from a trip to Paris only three weeks before. “We had a lot of support. Everybody just kind of jumped in.” McBeth said they had no difficulty finding people to help. She recalled giving Coburn her cell phone on the drive to San Diego and telling her to call authors in her contact list who had a connection to Paris. Coburn first called author Amy Finley, who secured a donated venue at The Cheese Store. One hundred and thirty people attended the fundraiser. “We had no idea what to expect. I mean we only had eight days,” said McBeth. “We were really, really pleased with the turnout.” Among the attendees were seven Southern Californian authors who donated their books and time for the fundraiser, including Mary Duncan who lives primarily in Paris and had been there during the attacks, according to McBeth. Duncan flew into San Diego two nights before the event. She also has a home in La Jolla. McBeth and Coburn held a silent auction for donated items that included 15 gift baskets, dinner at best-selling author Susan Vreeland’s home, and a one-week stay at a house in Provence, France. The gift baskets included autographed books by authors such as Michelle Gable, Juliette Sobanet, Jan Moran, and Susan Meissner, as well as other goodies like massage vouchers and museum passes. “People were absolutely wonderful and generous,” Coburn said. “Some people gave us $20, some people gave us a couple hundred dollars.” She also said that everyone who had been asked to help did, often giving more than was requested. When news broke of the November 13 events Coburn said friends expressed relief that she had already left Paris, but initially she wished she had been there to offer aid. However, she later realized that since she does not speak French nor does she possess medical training she was able to do more good by organizing the fundraiser. McBeth had been in Paris two months ago for a book tour she had arranged for Vreeland and seventeen fans. It had been McBeth’s second visit to Paris, but her first opportunity to spend a significant amount of time in the city. They also visited Provence. “We felt helpless,” McBeth said, recalling her feelings when she heard of the attacks. After her time in France, she felt connected to the people and the culture, and wanted to help. She said attendees expressed similar thoughts, saying that they had also wanted to do something but didn’t know what, so they were grateful for the opportunity provided by the fundraiser. “It was so touching,” said McBeth. “Everybody went above and beyond.” Those who stayed until the event’s end participated in a candlelight vigil during which a French version of John Lennon’s song “Imagine” played. “I think that’s what people want when there’s a tragedy,” said McBeth, “to come together.” Donations are being accepted on the Adventures by the Book website until Friday, after which the organizers will announce the total amount raised. About Sárka-Jonae Sárka-Jonae Miller is East County Magazine’s Ask an Author columnist and the author of five romantic comedy novels. Her Between Boyfriends Collection is always free to Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime members, but everyone can get her latest novel Spin Control free through Black Friday. Join SJ on Facebook and Twitter.
HOTTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD
East County News Service November 21, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Worldwide, last month’s temperatures over land and oceans made this the hottest October in the past 136 years since data has been kept. It was also the sixth straight month in which a global temperature record has been broken – and was the greatest departure from average temperature for any month since record keeping began in 1888. The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for October 2015 was 0.98°C (1.76°F) above the 20th century average of 14.0°C (57.1°F). Record warmth was observed across the entire southern half of Australia, part of southern and southeastern Asia, much of central and southern Africa, most of Central America and northern South America, and parts of western North America, according to analysis by the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC). Roger Coppock, East County Magazine’s climate reporter, said after looking at NASA satellite data for October, “I thought my system had a computer error!” (View data: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata_v3/GLB.Ts+dSST.txt) Coppock sports a T-shirt that reads, “The world is going to hell, and speeding u getting there,” along with a chart to show global warming. Now he says if the October extreme temperature reading from NASA is accurate, “That slogan is going to have to be replaced with, “The world has gone to hell!”
MIRACLE WORKER TAKES STAGE AT GROSSMONT HIGH DEC. 2-4 & 9-12 AT 7:00PM
East County News Service November 24, 2015 (La Mesa) – The Miracle Worker, a play that depicts the amazing life of Helen Keller, will be presented by Grossmont High School’s drama department December 2-4 and 9-12. Blind and deaf after suffering a terrible fever as a baby, young Helen Keller (played by Ingrid Brinton) has spent years unable to communicate, leaving her frustrated and occasionally violent. As a last chance before she is institutionalized, her parents (Jennifer Burch, Matt Tyssee) contact a school for the blind, which sends half-blind Annie Sullivan (Bella Snyder) to teach Helen. Helen is initially resistant, but Annie gradually forms a bond with her and shows Helen ways of reaching others. Performances will be at Grossmont High School, 1100 Murray Drive, La Mesa. Tickets are $10 for General Admission and may be purchased at the door.
AROUND MT. HELIX: NEW BOOK ON AREA’S HISTORY
November 24, 2015 (Mt. Helix) – “Images of America: Around Mt. Helix” is on sale now. The Mt. Helix Park Foundation has partnered with La Mesa resident, author and historian James D. Newland to create this photographic history with evocative images. “This book will inspire appreciation and support for all those individuals, groups and institutions who, past and present, endeavored to develop, preserve, and enhance these communities and who were, in turn, inspired by the cultural vantages found from, and around, this extraordinary pinnacle known as Mt. Helix,” a message on the Mt. Helix Park website reads. Click here to purchase a book with proceeds benefitting the Park. The book is also available through the La Mesa Historical Society. “Around Mt. Helix” makes for a perfect gift this holiday season. Cost is $20.
FPPC PROPOSES $217 FINE ON GUHSD TRUSTEE SHIELD
East County News Service November 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) at its November 19 meeting proposed a $217 fine against Robert Shield, a trustee on the Grossmont Union High School District Board. According to the published agenda: In the Matter of Robert Shield for Grossmont Union High School Board 2014 and Robert Shield; FPPC File No. 15/271. Staff: Political Reform Consultant Jeanette Turvill. Robert Shield was a successful candidate for the Grossmont Union High School Board in the November 4, 2014 General Election. Robert Shield for Grossmont Union High School Board 2014 was his candidate controlled committee. Shield and Robert Shield for Grossmont Union High School Board 2014 failed to timely file a semiannual campaign statement for the October 19, 2014 through December 31, 2014 reporting period, in violation of Government Code Section 84200 (1 count). Total Proposed Penalty: $217. Shield – Stipulation, Decision and Order