HARRIS NAMED MW VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aztec volleyball player sets school hitting percentage record Source: goaztecs.com pres release Photo courtesy goaztecs.com September 19, 2016 (San Diego) – San Diego State middle blocker Deja Harris has earned Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week honors for matches played through Sunday, September 18, 2016. It is the first Conference weekly award of Harris’ career. A sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev. (Calvary Chapel HS), she led San Diego State to a 3-0 week in the SDSU/USD California Mixer. Along the way she set an SDSU school record with a.909 hitting percentage in the victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Harris averaged 3.11 kills with a .545 attack percentage over nine sets this past weekend. The kill average was her best over a weekend this season. Harris posted seven kills and a .357 attack percentage in a 3-0 win against UC Santa Barbara. She also had five block assists. In the 3-0 victory against Long Beach State, she tallied 11 kills and one dig with a .474 attack percentage. In addition to her school-record hitting mark vs. Cal State Fullerton, she also finished 10 kills and three block assists in the 3-0 win versus the Titans. After her performance over the weekend, Harris improved her season hitting percentage to .431, a mark which leads the Mountain West entering this week’s play. San Diego State continues its current five-match home stand when it hosts No.19 University of San Diego for a match on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 6:00 p.m. on Aztec Court.
CHARGERS BLOW OUT JAGUARS
By Liz Alper Photos courtesy Joel Price, San Diego Chargers September 19, 2016 (San Diego) – After a shocking loss last week in Kansas City, the Chargers came back home to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week, though, everything seemed to be clicking for the Chargers from the first drive of the game. After big runs from Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead, Gordon finished the job by barreling through to the end zone. 7-0 Chargers after the extra point. Even though the Chargers lost Woodhead to an injury late in the first quarter, that didn’t slow down their offense. In the second, Philip Rivers threw a short toss to Travis Benjamin and it was 14-0 Chargers with the PAT. With 10 minutes left in the half, Rivers went to his classic go-to man, Antonio Gates, for the Bolts’ third touchdown of the half and the 105th touchdown reception of Gates’ career. The PAT went through and it was 21-0 Chargers at the half. In the third quarter, the Bolts didn’t stop. Rivers looped it to Tyrell Williams who made a few moves, broke some tackles and got the 44-yard touchdown. 28-0 Chargers after the PAT. Late in the third, Rivers aired it long for a 45-yard pass to Benjamin and the Chargers scored ANOTHER Bolts touchdown, their fourth of the day. 35-0 Chargers with the PAT. The Jags got on the board in the fourth with a short pass from Blake Bortles to Marcedes Lewis and the Chargers still led 35-7. With seven minutes left in the game, Josh Lambo added three points with a field goal and the Chargers led 38-7. At the end of the fourth, the Jags added one more to make the final score 38-14 Chargers. The Bolts go to 1-1 on the season. They’ll travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Sunday. In other news, the Chargers placed Woodhead (knee) on “Reserve-Injured,” the team announced Monday. Woodhead, who helped set up the team’s first touchdown of the game with a 23-yard run to Jacksonville’s three, scored a touchdown in the Chargers’ Sept. 11 season opener in Kansas City. This is the second time Woodhead has been placed on Reserve-Injured. In 2014, he was placed on the IR list after suffering a broken ankle during the Chargers’ Week 3 game in Buffalo. Woodhead will be replaced on the active roster by former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Griff Whalen. A former undrafted free agent out of Stanford, Whalen spent four seasons with the Colts. He spent his rookie season in 2012 on injured-reserve but came back to play in 33 games with three starts during the 2013-15 campaigns. His career totals include 45 catches for 487 yards (10.8 avg.) with three touchdowns. Whalen also has experience as a kick and punt returner. He has 25 career kickoff returns for 645 yards (25.8 avg.) with a long of 50 and 46 career punt returns for 376 yards (8.2 avg.) with a long of 51. Whalen has some postseason experience as well. He played in two playoff games for the Colts in 2013, catching seven passes for 93 yards. Whalen is a native of Sylvania, Ohio. He will wear No. 83 for the Chargers.
CANDIDATES FORUM SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 5, 2016
East County News Service September 19, 2016 (Poway) — The Poway Chamber of Commerce and the Green Valley Civic Association (GVCA) will host a Candidates Forum on Wednesday, October 5 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Painted Rock Elementary School multi-purpose room, 16711 Martincoit Road, Poway 92064. Candidates for both Poway City Council and the Poway Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education will be in attendance to answer a variety of questions on the issues facing the community. The event is free and open to the public. PUSD candidates are scheduled from 7:00 to 7:50 pm. Poway City Council candidates will follow from 8:10 to 9:00 pm. There will be an opportunity for a “meet & greet” with the candidates during the 20-minute intermission. For more information call the Poway Chamber office at 858.748.0016.
BLOODMOBILE DRIVE SEPT. 25: SHORTAGE OF BLOOD DUE TO ZIKA
In partnership with the San Diego Blood Bank East County News Service September 19, 2016 (El Cajon) — The San Diego Blood Bank will accept blood donations at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (2766 Navajo Road) in El Cajon on Sunday, September 25, 2016 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the parking lot. All blood types are needed. Current inventory for the universal blood type, O negative, is at critically low levels. The San Diego Blood Bank is experiencing a shortage of donations, due in part to the Zika virus travel deferral, which asks donors who’ve traveled to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central or South America to wait 28 days after returning to the U.S. to begin donating again. Donors must meet the following eligibility requirements: 17 and older (Age 16 requires a parental consent) 114 pounds and in good health It is recommended that donors consume an adequate meal and plenty of fluids prior to giving. A photo identification must be presented upon signing up to donate. Donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment for their convenience but walk-ins are also welcome. To schedule an appointment, please call 619 – 469 – 7322 or visit www.SanDiegoBloodBank.org.
LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS REGION—BUT NOWHERE NEAR RECORD 199–MILE BOLT
East County News Service File photo September 19, 2016 (San Diego) — Thunderstorms brought some wild weather to San Diego County on Monday. According to the National Weather Service, 15 lightning strikes were reported countywide, from coastal areas to the mountains. The lightning caused some brief fire outages and minor fires in some urban San Diego neighborhoods. Dry lightning was also reported, away from rainfall. The storm brought just over a half inch of rain, offering little relief from drought. Speaking of lightning, here are some enlightening trivia facts. Last week, the World Meteorological Organization committee confirmed a new world record for the world’s longest distance of a single lightning flash. The dramatic bolt of lightning occurred over Oklahoma in 2007, traveling horizontally for 199.5 miles! That’s roughly the distance from San Diego to Santa Barbara. The World Meteorological Organization also announced another record—a lightning bolt in France in 2012 lasted 7.74 seconds—far longer than the fraction of a second duration for the average flash of lightning.
AZTECS FOOTBALL: SDSU’S DONNEL PUMPHREY AND TANNER BLAIN NAMED MW PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Pumphrey (offensive) and Blain (special teams) earn MW weekly accolades Source: goaztecs.com Photo courtesy goaztecs.com September 19, 2016 (Colorado Springs, Co.) – San Diego State football players Donnel Pumphrey (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Tanner Blain (Lindenhurst, Ill.) have each been named Mountain West Players of the Week, the league announced Monday. Pumphrey was chosen as the MW Offensive Player of the Week, while Blain garnered MW Special Teams Player-of-the-Week accolades. It is Pumphrey’s second straight MW weekly award and sixth of his career, while Blain picked up his first league nod. Rashaad Penny was also the MW Special Teams Player of the Week last week. The duo helped the now 22nd-ranked Aztecs (3-0) defeat Northern Illinois, 42-28, on Saturday for their 13th consecutive victory. Pumphrey had 220 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries (9.6 avg.) a week after breaking Marshall Faulk’s career SDSU rushing record with 281 yards in a San Diego State 45-40 win over California. The 220 yards moved him past Faulk for the school’s all-time all-purpose yard record (5,811). It was also his school-record 24th career 100-yard game (also passing Faulk) and fourth career 200-yard game, which ranks second in Aztec history. Pumphrey, who also became the Mountain West’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (52), scored on runs of 33, 46 and 79 yards with the latter being a season-long run. In the fourth quarter alone he rushed two times for 112 yards and touchdowns. The 220 yards are tied for the fifth most in a game this season (he is also No. 1 at 281, set last week vs. Cal.). On the season, Pumphrey has rushed 73 times for 599 yards (8.2 avg.) and seven touchdowns, while adding nine catches for 67 yards (7.4 avg.). He leads the nation in rushing yards and all-purpose yards (666), and is tied for third in rushing touchdowns (7), tied for fifth in points (42) and sixth in rushing yards per carry (8.21). Blain, meanwhile, had a stellar game in front of his home state, punting five times for 212 yards, averaging 42.4 yards per boot with a career-high-tying four inside the 20. He ended up with four punts inside the 7-yard line, including three inside the 5 (2, 3 and 4) with the other landing on the 6. On his four punts inside the 7, the Huskies were held scoreless. His other punt was a season-long 52-yarder. On the year, Blain has punted 18 times for 697 yards (38.7 avg.) with seven inside the 20 and five fair catches. SDSU is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2011 and for just the second time in the last 35 seasons. San Diego State, which is coming off its first unbeaten September since the 1981 squad went 2-0, has won 13 consecutive games, outscoring the opposition, 482-189 (37.1-14.5) over the streak. It is the second-longest active win streak in the nation behind the defending national champion Alabama (15) and is the longest in school history since a 21-game streak from 1968-70. Eleven of the 13 Aztec wins during the streak have come by at least 14 points. SDSU has a bye this week and returns to action Oct. 1 at South Alabama in Mobile, Ala.
READER’S EDITORIAL: BLM SHOULD FINALIZE WIND AND SOLAR LEASING RULE FOR PUBLIC LANDS
By Ryan Alexander, president, Taxpayers for Common Sense September 19, 2016 (Washington D.C.) — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is expected to release its Wind and Solar Leasing Rule in the next few weeks. The rule would create a system for competitive solar and wind energy development on federal lands. It would also establish megawatt (MW) capacity fees for wind and solar energy projects in order to capture a fair market value (FMV) and a fair return for taxpayers. View the BLM proposal here. The federal government should not just give away public assets. Revenues from royalties collected from natural resource development on public lands and waters represent an important source of non-tax income for the federal government. Ensuring that taxpayers are receiving a fair return through the fair assessment and accurate collection of royalties has been a guiding principle for TCS for more than 20 years. Although commercial wind and solar development will not extract a resource from federal lands in the same sense that removing a mineral like coal does, it will use resources such as advantageous location, terrain, and prime wind and solar resources for commercial gain. The federal land to be used for wind and solar power generation provides critical resource inputs that have additional value far in excess of basic rental fees charged for occupying the land. The BLM should account for the value of these resources. Other resource development programs use a system of competitive leasing and royalties to capture fair market value. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act requires that the government receive FMV for the use of the public resources. Typically, the BLM collects the majority of revenues by charging a royalty per unit of commodity produced. This is also typically the case for energy development on private lands. Oil and gas leases are subject to royalty fees of 12.5 percent for onshore leases and 18.75 percent for offshore. All federal coal leases pay an 8 percent royalty payment for underground mines and 12.5 percent for above ground. Congress created systems that allow the BLM to designate and offer leases in competitive auctions to help ensure FMV. Other renewable energy systems, such as geothermal and offshore wind and solar, also use a competitive leasing framework. The proposed rule would replicate other energy development programs. Legislation has not been enacted to establish either a wind or solar energy development program. Absent the authority to charge a royalty, the BLM has charged rental rates that take into account the added value of advantageous renewable resources as a means to ensure a fair return for taxpayers. Though inferior to a royalty, the proposed rule would improve this process by creating a MW capacity fee using a project’s potential electric generation and average wholesale prices of electricity. Linking the fee to wholesale electricity will help ensure a fair return when prices are high and provide lessees with relief during down years. Controlling the pace and location of development is the BLM’s responsibility as manager of these federal assets. The BLM is responsible for managing the location and pace of energy development on public lands. It has proposed advantageous conditions for companies that develop wind or solar resources in areas already vetted and prioritized by the agency for development, which should help streamline the approval process. It would also create a nomination and competitive bidding process instead of an application process. The federal coal program demonstrates the problems that occur when industry is given too much control of the process. In January, Interior Secretary Jewell announced a moratorium on new federal coal leases in order to conduct a review of the federal coal program. This was primarily because the leasing process used by the BLM known as Lease by Application gives coal companies too much control of the process. This has resulted in little competition for leases, and studies have indicated that the resulting losses for taxpayers are substantial. The BLM’s wind and solar proposal would help avoid this problem. The proposed rule should be finalized because it is the best option for ensuring fair return to taxpayers. Renewable energy generation on public lands will continue to grow. The BLM needs to establish a stable and predictable program now. The BLM’s proposal does a good job replicating the provisions of other energy development programs that have been effective at ensuring a fair return to taxpayers. The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
POVERTY ON RISE IN SAN DIEGO
By Miriam Raftery September 19, 2016 (San Diego) — The Census Bureau recently decided to double the official federal poverty level for cities with high costs of living, such as San Diego. Under the new calculations, nearly a third (31%) of all households in the city of San Diego are now living in poverty. Almost one in five children in San Diego are in families below the new poverty line, as are 32.3 percent of families headed by a single parent. Under the old calculations,15.6 Percent of San Diegans would fall below the poverty line, which is just over $12,000 for a single person and about $24,000 for a family of four—incomes so low that these households would be struggling to survive even in the poorest areas of the nation, such as Alabama or Mississippi, says Center for Policy Initiatives Director Kyra Green, Times of San Diego reports. “Incomes this low make surviving in a high cost city like San Diego extremely challenging,” Greene concludes. “Families have to make impossible choices and sacrifices just to survive.” Data is not yet available on which East County cities if any would be considered high enough in cost of living to be measured until the newly raised poverty threshold. However, Voice of San Diego has reported that in 2015, roughly a fourth of El Cajon households—nearly 25%–fell below even the old poverty line. Some rural communities likely have even higher pockets of poverty, such as Boulevard, where a planning official has said over half the children in public schools qualify for federal school lunch subsidies due to low household incomes. So what are the solutions? More affordable housing, better paying jobs and job training are factors that could make a difference in turning around poverty rates in our region.
FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE SEPT. 26 WON’T INCLUDE GREEN OR LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES
East County News Service September 19, 2016 (San Diego) — Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton will face off on September 26th at 6 p.m.Pacific Standard Time in the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York. Lester Holt from NBC news will be the moderator. But third party candidates won’t be included, because none averaged 15% or more in at least five national polls—the threshold set by debate organizers. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson calls the debate a “rigged game.” He is polling nationally at about 8% but reached 14% in a recent Washington Post poll. Green Party nominee Jill Stein, who is polling at 3.2%, has launched a petition calling for debates to be opened up to all candidates who qualified for the ballot in enough states to be a choice for a majority of voters. She says she will be outside the debate location with hundreds of her supporters. Clinton polled at 43% and Trump at 40% when the debate deadline arrived. The decision also means that only the two major party vice presidents, Mike Pence and Tim Kaine, will participate in an Oct. 4 vice presidential debate. The door is still theoretically open for minor party candidates to be included in additional debates scheduled—but only if Johnson or Stein can reach the 15% polling threshold soon.
INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO DEPUTIES’ ACTIONS AFTER BORDER FIRE FIND “NO VIOLATIONS”; CITIZENS VOICE ANGER
By Miriam Raftery Photo by Nadin Abbott, Reporting San Diego;Volunteer searchers combed burned property where two bodies were located after Sheriff’s declined to search hills behind couple’s home September 18, 2016 (San Diego’s East County)—Campo resident Claudia Millerbragg asked the Sheriff’s Department on July 2nd to launch an internal investigation into what she and other residents described as rude unprofessional treatment by Sheriff’s officials. She says three other residents also spoke with the internal affairs Frustrating by deputies’ lack of response to citizens’ concerns about two missing people after the Border Fire, Millerbragg was present with other local women who launched their own search and within 10 minutes, found bodies of the missing couple huddled between boulders behind their home. Now a Sheriff’s internal investigation into the matter has closed, with a disposition of “unfounded” in part and “exonerated” in part. The finding has left residents frustrated over the apparent lack of resolution of their concerns. According to the letter signed August 16th by Lieutenant Jeffrey S. Duckworth on behalf of Sheriff William D.Gore, “unfounded” indicates no violations of Sheriff’s Dept. policies and procedures were found. “Exonerated” indicates that the alleged actions did occur, but no violation of law or department policy was found. Citing state law, the department has indicated it will not release any details of the complaint or investigation. However Millerbragg disclosed her experiences in an August 19 letter to Sarah Gordon at the County. Millerbragg wrote that the Sunday June 26th, a week after the Border Fire began, she requested a well-being check on the missing couple, Jim and Kyrie Keefe, a t their Potrero home. She says she and a friend saw a Sheriff’s car parked and asked the deputy to go with them to the burned property. “He was extremely rude and stated it was illegal for himto go on the property without being asked by the people on the property. Seriously?”Millerbrag asked. “How are other well being checks done?” She says the officer ordered her friend, who had a leg amputated, out of the car. When told that the Keefes loved their dogs and that there were dead dogs on the property, she recalls. ”He told us that he did not care about any dead dogs.” She says when she touched his hand with her finger, he shouted at her and ordered her to move away. According to Millerbragg, the officer went off to write traffic tickets after refusing to do a welfare check on the missing couple. Millerbragg indicates she spoke with a Sargent Coordinator. She asked if a search would be done that day, or the next day, and he said no,because there was no rush since someone thought they saw Jim Keefe walking on a railroad track. “Must have been Jim’s ghost,” she reflects. Her statements contradict statements issued by Sheriff’s officials previously, who claimed a search was planned to begin Wednesday, delayed due to search dogs being in use elsewhere. Sheriff’s officials have previously told ECM that authorities searched the couple’s burned home, but not the hills behind it. Millerbragg was also present Wednesday, June 29, when the bodies were found by volunteers. “Perhaps they started `formulating’ a plan when the community members found the bodies,”she states wryly. After the bodies were found, Sheriff’s officials sealed off the area with caution tape (treating it as a crime scene, since if the fire turned out to be arson-caused, their deaths could have been prosecuted as murders). Millerbragg says she and others were ordered to stand by the road in the heat with no shade, “While the Sheriffs and other members stood under the shade trees.” Millerbragg voiced disgust at the outcome of the internal affairs investigation.”It would appear that rude, demeaning, and non caring reactions by rural sheriffs are the norm. I know of no one that has had a positive encounter with any member of the rural Sheriff department in East County,”she wrote in an e-mail Sheriff Gore and other department officials today. Miillerbragg concluded, “Several of us will be meeting to determine what other course of action we can take. We are tired of our concerns being ignored.” On social media, she questioned if such treatment of residents would have occurred in a wealthy neighborhood. She further noted, “It appears that as a case manager for County Social Services, I was held to a much higher standard of behavior than the Sheriff’s department.” Rural residents reacted with anger on social media. One woman wrote that Sheriff deputies refused to take any action after her husband and son were assaulted by two local young men, who shattered windows of vehicles and did other property damage. Other residents voiced similar complaints at a recent Campo-Lake Morena Planning Group meeting. Billie Jo Jannen, chair of the Planning Group, says she once made a citizens arrest of a bikers’ group that used to party near her home. “It got prosecuted and they haven’t been back since,”she posted on the Campo and Lake Morena Neighborhood Watch page. “I did that because the local deputies wouldn’t take action. They also tried to talk me out of the citizens’ arrest, telling me `We can’t protect you.’” Area resident Tracy Peters wrote, “We all deserve to be treated fairly.” Jannen agreed, and said of the disparate treatment of rural residents, ”Time for it to stop.”