LAKESIDE RESIDENT HEADS TO OLYMPICS
Printer-friendly version East County News Service May 30, 2016 (Lakeside) – Lakeside resident Nicholas “Nic” Long will be representing the U.S. at the Olympics in Brazil. The BMX cyclist qualified for Team USA on Sunday, finishing third in the UCI BMX World Championships in Colombia. The 26-year-old has previously won three World Cup medals and is a two-time national champion in 2010 and 2013. He also took silver in the 2011 Pan American games. This will be the second Olympics for Long, who placed 17th in the men’s BMX race in the 2012 Olympic games but did not advance to the finals. He is a graduate of Grossmont and Cuyamaca Community Colleges. He enjoys traveling the world and getting tattoos, according to the Team USA website. Read more: http://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/May/29/Nic-Long-And-Alise-Post-Qualify-For-Olympic-BMX-Team-With-Bronze-Medals-At-Worlds. Printer-friendly version
TEEN DIES OF STABBING INJURIES
Printer-friendly version Authorities seek public help to locate his killer, an unidentified Hispanic man May 30, 2016 (Spring Valley) – Jeffrey Quirino, 17, died this morning at a hospital of stabbing injuries suffered May 23rd in Spring Valley. Family and friends held a candlelight vigil in his memory last night in Spring Valley. His sister, Kimberly Quirino, posted on Facebook that Jeffrey’s organs have been donated to help five other people survive. “He will be living on in other people,” she wrote. “As hard as it is it’s never goodbye. You’ll always be here, they’re won’t be a day you’ll be forgotten. My son will be named after you & I know you would have been happy.” Deputies from the Rancho San Diego station responded to a reported fight on May 23rd at 4:31 p.m. in front of an apartment at 8941 Delrose Avenue in Spring Valley. When the arrived they found the victim had been taken to a hospital by a passing motorist, said Lieutenant Kenneth Nelson. Detectives from the San Diego Sheriff’s homicide detail and the East County Gang Task Force are investigating the killing, which may be gang related. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Homicide Detail at (858) 974-2321/after hours at (858) 565-5200. You can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 and be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Printer-friendly version
COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION TAKES STAND IN ALPINE HIGH SCHOOL ISSUES
Printer-friendly version “Save Alpine High” GoFundMe site launched to pay for legal appeal By Miriam Raftery May 30, 2016 (Alpine) — The San Diego County Taxpayers Association is speaking out against the Grossmont Union-High School District for failing to honor the intent of voters who supported Proposition U. The group’s new leader, Haney Hong, has also sharply criticized the GUHSD for spending taxpayer money on legal action while refusing to fund construction of an Alpine high school. Asked his view on $2.3 million in legal fees billed to the district as of January to fight a suit brought by Alpine taxpayers over Grossmont’s refusal to build the school, Haney Hong, new leader of the SDCTA, told Times of San Diego, “This expenditure of taxpayer funds, regardless of whether it meets the letter of the law, certainly doesn’t meet the spirit of the bond proposal and seems highly inappropriate. More importantly, it could have been avoided completely if the district had followed the expenditure plan promised in its bond measure.” Hong further faults the district for forcing district residents including those in Alpine to pay for the district’s legal costs to evade building a high school after the same voters already paid for a high school in the bond measure a decade ago. Alpine taxpayers and the Alpine Union High School District filed suit asking a court to set aside $43 million in bond funds to build the school. A Superior Court judge earlier this month issued a tentative ruling for Grossmont, finding that the bond allowed but did not require that the high school be built. But Hong made clear, “The construction of a new high school in Alpine was a significant part of this bond proposal featured prominently in the argument for it featured on the ballot in 2008.” Since the ballot measure, Prop U, passed by a slim 1.65 percent margin, Hong suggested it likely would have failed without support of Alpine voters who wanted the high school. The district has cited declining enrollment as its reason for not building the school, though supporters of the school claim an enrollment trigger in the bond was met more than once. Alpine taxpayers have indicated they hope to appeal. They have launched a GoFundMe site to raise money for their legal costs: https://www.gofundme.com/savealpinehigh. The site also lists long-time supporters of the Alpine High School’s recommendations for candidates they believe are most supportive of the school. Printer-friendly version
VACANCY ON LAKESIDE PLANNING BOARD: JUNE 1 DEADLINE TO APPLY
Printer-friendly version East County News Service May 30, 2016 (Lakeside) – The Lakeside Community Planning Group has a vacancy. Applications are due June 1st at 6:30 p.m. Qualified applicants may submit an application at the June 1st LCPG meeting at the Lakeside Community Center (9841 Vine St., Lakeside). Membership qualifications and the BOS application form may be accessed at the Clerk’s Web site at www.sdcounty.ca.gov/cob/ or by calling the Clerk’s office at 619- 531-5600. Planning Group Application Printer-friendly version
YEAR-LONG CONSTRUCTION STARTS THURSDAY ON STATE ROUTE 67 AT HIGHLAND VALLEY AND DYE ROAD INTERSECTION
Printer-friendly version East County News Service May 30, 2016 (Ramona) — Travelers on State Route 67 in the community of Ramona are alerted that construction activities will begin Thursday at the intersection at Dye and Highland Valley roads, according to Caltrans. Crews will begin placing construction signs and marking underground utilities. Most construction activities will take place weekdays from 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. However, weekend and overnight work will be scheduled as needed. Motorists can expect to see barrel type barriers along the roadway to delineate the work areas from live traffic. The intersection will remain open for the duration of the project. The SR-67 Dye Road/Highland Valley Road Improvement Project will widen SR-67 from two to four lanes through the intersection. Improvements include reconfiguring the intersection to accommodate commercial truck turns, adding a second left-turn lane onto the highway from both Dye Road and Highland Valley Road as well as adding an equestrian trail on the northerly side of both roads. Other improvements include push-button pedestrian crossings, upgraded drainage, and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant concrete curbs. The project will help reduce existing and future traffic congestion and address mobility concerns due to peak hour traffic delays. The $14 million project is funded with state and San Diego County dollars. The roadwork portion of the project is expected to be finished in about a year. Motorists are reminded to drive with caution and Be Work Zone Alert. Please contact the Caltrans Public Information Office at (619) 688-6670 with questions or concerns. Printer-friendly version
ASK AN AUTHOR – BOOK COVERS AND WRITING PARTNERS
Printer-friendly version Answering your questions about writing, publishing, and marketing books By Sarka-Jonae Miller Writing duo Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are dropping by to talk book covers, chick lit and favorite spots in San Diego. Although Steinke currently resides in Chicago both authors are San Diego natives. The writers have been best friends for decades and have some advice for people thinking of writing with someone else. Their published works include The Year We Turned Forty, The Status of All Things, and Your Perfect Life. They say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” but with today’s market, how important are book covers to overall exposure and success, and by extension, does the same theory also apply to e-books as well? – Sahar Abdulaziz, author of Secrets That Find Us L&L: Book covers can be everything! Whether e-book or paperback, a book cover that catches the reader’s eye, one that conveys a feeling or theme will make readers push the purchase button or pick it up at their local book store. SJ: Book covers can make or break a book. I don’t think a great cover will sell a poorly written book, but a poorly designed cover could keep a great book from being discovered. Hire a professional and take the time to think about what emotion you want to elicit from potential readers. Where are your favorite spots to read or write in San Diego? L&L: Liz lives in San Diego and loves to write anywhere in La Jolla Cove or at her local coffee shop in Vista, Lush. It’s got a great atmosphere! Lisa lives in Chicago but is native to San Diego. When she visits, she loves to sit in her parents’ patio. (She loves Chicago, but misses the ability to sit outside year-round!) SJ: You had a website called Chick Lit is Not Dead that you changed to LizandLisa.com in 2014. Does this mean Chick Lit is Not Dead is dead? What are your current thoughts on the genre? L&L: We decided to change the site name to increase our online presence. Great fiction that deals with strong women and the issues they face will never die! However, the term chick lit no longer seemed to represent the real and important things authors were writing about, and started to phase out because of that several years ago. SJ: You’ve been best friends forever and writing together for a decade. Have you ever had a major disagreement about your work and how did you resolve it? L&L: We’ve disagreed over just about everything at some point–edits, queries and storylines! The key is to cool off and try to see things from the other person’s point of view. And always put things behind you and move on once it’s resolved. SJ: What are you ladies working on now? L&L: We just finished a women’s suspense novel that will be out next year, about a wife who treks to Maui after her husband is killed in a fiery crash there with another woman. We’re very excited about it! SJ: Do you have any upcoming appearances in Southern California? L&L: Liz will be at the El Segundo author fair on June 12th! SJ: What is the best piece of writing advice you have received? L&L: Never become too emotionally attached to your writing–when you do it becomes very difficult to edit objectively. Got Questions? Send them to Sarka-Jonae Miller through Twitter @sarkajonae, Facebook, or via her author website. Additionally, live events can be found on SJ’s events page. About Sarka-Jonae Miller SJ is a local author, book marketing manager, publicist and columnist who writes chick lit and steamy romance based in San Diego and Los Angeles. Her novels include the Between Boyfriends series and the All for You series. SJ also writes health and fitness articles for Align Life and Natural News. Check out her Between Boyfriends blog for book reviews, author interviews, TV episode synopses, and giveaways. Follow @sarkajonae and @sjpublicity9 on Twitter for more writing tips, book recommendations, and industry news. Get health and exercise articles from @sjnews9. Printer-friendly version
PADS TAKE EARLY LEAD, BUT SEATTLE RALLIES BACK TO TAKE GAME ONE
Printer-friendly version By Liz Alper Photo courtesy @Mariners on Twitter May 30, 2016 (Seattle) – On this Memorial Day, the Padres traveled to Seattle, the land of Starbucks and where rain is the dominant weather pattern, to face the Mariners in a split four-game home-and-home series. Andrew Cashner started on the mound for San Diego against Nathan Karns for Seattle. After Melvin Upton Jr. got a leadoff hit in the second, Christian Bethancourt singled to bring him home and the Padres took a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, the Mariners committed another error on a Brett Wallace double, causing Matt Kemp to score and the Padres went up 2-0. But the Mariners aren’t the best team in the AL West for nothing. Seth Smith doubled in Seattle’s half of the sixth, scoring Norichika Aoki and the Padres led by one at 2-1. The Mariners tied the game at two with Nelson Cruz’s single, scoring Smith. They took the lead 4-2 on Kyle Seager’s two-run homer. It just kept getting worse. In the eighth, Adam Lind singled and scored Robinson Cano and Luis Sardinas to make the score 6-2. Dae-Ho Lee homered on a line drive to center, driving in two and the Mariners went up 9-2. In the ninth, the Padres got one back on a single by Alexei Ramirez, but the rally was stopped short and the Mariners took game one 9-3. Tomorrow, the Pads and Mariners will play another matinee at 12:40 p.m. James Shields will be on the mound against Hisashi Iwakuma for Seattle. Printer-friendly version