CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS WON’T HAVE TO REPAY BONUSES
Update October 26, 2016: Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered a halt to this action, so California National Guard members won’t have to payback bonuses paid out erroneously years ago. President Barack Obama applauded Carter’s decision. Read more. East County News Service October 24, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – California National Guard soldiers have been ordered to pay back reenlistment bonuses paid a decade ago, the Los Angeles Times reports. The bonuses of $15,000 or more were offered to encourage reenlistment. The Pentagon intended those bonuses to retain experts in intelligence and other high in demand services during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But a federal investigation found that California’s National Guard offered bonuses to some people who did not qualify—and now the government is demanding that the soldiers foot the bill. If the 10,000 soldiers, who were ordered to repay enlistment bonuses refuse or cannot make the hefty payments, they’ll be charged interest, wage garnishments and get tax liens, the Times reports.
DON’T OPEN IRS EMAIL: SCAM MESSAGES CONTAIN MALWARE THAT INFECT COMPUTERS
East County News Service October 26, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, has received numerous reports around the country of scammers sending a fraudulent CP2000 IRS notice for tax year 2015. The notice appears to claim a discrepancy between income reported by an employer and the taxpayer’s income tax return. In addition to soliciting money, these emails may potentially be used to infect victims’ computers with malware. Currently, the scam is being investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The CP2000 is a notice commonly mailed to taxpayers through the United States Postal Service. But these fraudulent notices are being sent electronically, even though the IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or through social media platforms. Do not reply to the email, open any attachments or click any links. Taxpayers and tax professionals who receive this scam email should forward it to phishing@irs.com –that’s P-H-I-S-H-I-N-G at IRS.com and then delete it from your email account.
ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS
East County News Service October 26, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – East County Magazine’s World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include: U.S. General news Should we see everything a cop sees? (New York Times Magazine) An outsider takes charge of the Border Patrol (Los Angeles Times) Will The New Era of Limited Federal Monitoring Still Protect Voter Rights? (NPR) Will Maine Be the First State Where Voters May Rank Their Choices? (Reason) AARP sues U.S. agency over employee wellness programs (Reuters) US warns its citizens of possible kidnappings, terror attacks in Turkey (JPost) NSA contractor faces spying charges (BBC) Sempra owned leaking gas well in Alabama, too (Los Angeles Times) Presidential campaign Inside Donald Trump’s one-stop parties: attendees recall cocaine and very young models(Daily Beast) Fact check: The final fiery debate between Clinton and Trump (CNN) Clinton might be moving toward privatizing Social Security (Forbes) The stunningly long list of women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault (Mother Jones) Top 10 Things We Learned from Hillary Clinton Campaign’s Emails (Reason) Did FBI barter with Hillary Clinton over email classification? (CS Monitor) WORLD Hundreds near Mosul sent to hospital after sulfur plant set alight (JPost) UK to pardon thousands convicted under past anti-gay laws (CS Monitor) Mexico’s Demand for Potent Calif. Marijuana Creates Southbound Smuggling (KPBS) Did Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro stage a coup? (CS Monitor) Another North Korea intermediate range missile fails after launch (Reuters) Bennett suspends Israeli cooperation with UNESCO after Temple Mount vote (JPost) Police Van Rams Protesters at Anti-U.S. Demonstration in Philippines (NPR) Two American citizens sentenced by Iran to 10 years in jail (JPost) Exclusive: Iran steps up weapons supply to Yemen’s Houthis via Oman – officials (Reuters) For excepts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down. U.S. General news Should we see everything a cop sees? (New York Times Magazine) Body cameras have been promoted as a solution to police misconduct. But the strange two-year saga of Seattle shows just how complicated total transparency can be…. Unlike dashcams, bodycams, which are attached to an officer’s uniform or purpose-built glasses, can go into homes and hotel rooms. An outsider takes charge of the Border Patrol (Los Angeles Times) As the new chief of the troubled Border Patrol, Mark Morgan faces any number of complex problems, from corruption in the ranks to a new surge of children and families streaming to the border… Morgan spent 20 years at the FBI and was first brought to Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol’s parent agency, in 2014 to overhaul its internal affairs division. After a subsequent stint running the FBI’s training academy, he got the top job at the Border Patrol in June. Will The New Era of Limited Federal Monitoring Still Protect Voter Rights? (NPR) The Justice Department will still send out “monitors” on Nov. 8. But the number is smaller than in the past, and due to a 2013 Supreme Court decision, they’ll have limited authority to intervene. Will Maine Be the First State Where Voters May Rank Their Choices? (Reason) What if you really didn’t have to accept that there are only two valid choices for a particular race, and your third-party vote actually mattered more than as just a protest? Maine voters may find out for themselves. On their ballot this November is Question 5, a ballot initiative that would institute ranked-choice voting for statewide positions like governor and for lawmakers on both the state and federal levels. AARP sues U.S. agency over employee wellness programs (Reuters) (Reuters) – A lobbying group representing older Americans sued the Obama administration on Monday claiming regulations for programs designed to rein in employee health care costs will subject workers to invasions of their medical privacy. US warns its citizens of possible kidnappings, terror attacks in Turkey (JPost) US State Department updates travel warning for American citizens in Turkey. NSA contractor faces spying charges (BBC) An NSA contractor is accused of stealing vast amounts of government secrets over a 20-year period. Sempra owned leaking gas well in Alabama, too (Los Angeles Times) ‘We cannot breathe’; a poor Alabama town has lived with the rotten egg stench of gas for 8 years Presidential campaign Inside Donald Trump’s one-stop parties: attendees recall cocaine and very young models(Daily Beast) …after I wrote for The Daily Beast earlier this year about the parties he hosted in the 1990s where “his wealthy friends, high-rollers from his Atlantic City casinos, and potential Trump condominium buyers could meet models” from second-tier agencies, several men who attended those parties at the Plaza Hotel emerged to share scandalous specifics about Trump’s presence and behavior at events where illegal drugs and young women were passed around and used.. I’ve been covering Trump since 1985, when I worked for The New York Times’ women’s pages. Fact check: The final fiery debate between Clinton and Trump (CNN) The third — and final — presidential debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump was held Oct. 19 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace. We found plenty of factual inaccuracies: Clinton might be moving toward privatizing Social Security (Forbes) The presidential candidates say they won’t touch Social Security. But there are signs that Clinton might want to push for some degree of privatization. The stunningly long list of women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault (Mother Jones) Last Friday, the Washington Post published a leaked tape showing Donald Trump speaking to Billy Bush of Access Hollywood, describing groping and kissing women without their consent…. Trump responded to the onslaught of criticism by saying that what he described was just “locker room talk”—not a description of something he’d ever actually done. But
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: SUMMER TANAGER
East County News Service October 26, 2016 (Jacumba) — Eric Kallen sent in this beautiful photo of an adult male Summer Tanager spotted in Jacumba Hot Springs yesterday morning. “This species is becoming more common in San Diego County,” he reports.
ANZA-BORREGO FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH FREE WEEKENDS AT BORREGO PALM CANYON
Starts Season-long Celebration for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park East County News Service October 25, 2016 (Borrego) – How do you protect and preserve Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California – with its 600,000 acres of flora, fauna, hiking trails, free camping, archeological sites and much more? That’s the job of the Anza-Borrego Foundation, celebrating its 50th anniversary this desert season. To kick off its golden anniversary, Anza-Borrego Foundation will offer “BPC for Free” – six weekends of free access for new visitors to the Park’s most popular hiking trail. Borrego Palm Canyon (BPC) is a family-friendly, three-mile hike known for its oversized palm tree grove and bighorn sheep sightings, culminating in a palm oasis and waterfall. BPC for Free is available one weekend per month through the season. The first was during last weekend’s Borrego Days Desert Festival, October 22-23. Additional free dates are: November 19-20 December 17-18 January 21-22 February 11-12 March 25-26 Passes are limited to 100 vehicles per weekend and must be reserved in advance at www.theabf.org/BPCforFree. “For five decades, Anza-Borrego Foundation has supported the Park, its natural landscapes, wildlife habitats and cultural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy,” said Executive Director Paige Rogowski. “We hope BPC for Free will encourage new visitors to check out Borrego Palm Canyon and explore the rest of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is free every day.” A scenic two-hour drive from San Diego, Riverside and Palm Springs, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is an 83-year-old desert escape beloved by one million visitors each year. Anza-Borrego Foundation provides financial support for park programs, acquires land for conservation in and around the Park, educates the public about the Park’s resources and supports research relevant to the region. The Foundation’s accomplishments include adding 54,000 acres to the Park, providing education programming for more than 13,000 children and adults, helping create the Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center with University of California, Irvine, and funding The Stout Paleontology Laboratory and the Begole Archaeological Research Center. Additional anniversary programming and events will be announced throughout the desert season. Anza-Borrego Foundation sponsors include Bike Borrego, Borrego Outfitters, and La Casa del Zorro Resort & Spa. To learn more, plan your visit, become a member or volunteer, visit www.theabf.org. About Anza-Borrego Foundation Celebrating its 50th anniversary this desert season, Anza-Borrego Foundation (ABF) is the official nonprofit partner of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. ABF provides financial support for Park programs, acquires land for conservation in and around the Park, educates the public about the Park’s resources and supports research relevant to the region. In addition to raising private funds to support park programs and projects, ABF offers an extensive selection of guidebooks, clothing and other products in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s Visitor Center and State Park Store. To learn more, plan your visit, become a member or volunteer, visit www.theabf.org.
MORE THUNDERSTORMS, RAIN IN FORECAST THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
East County News Service October 25, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) — Yesterday’s storm dropped only minimal rainfall but over 4,000 lightning strikes occurred across southwestern California. But a new storm Thursday evening through Friday could bring heavier rain, hail, thunderstorms and dangerous lightning, the National Weather Service predicts. Watch for rain-slicked roads and highways across the region, with heaviest rains likely Thursday night, diminishing throughout the day on Friday. If you see dark clouds or hear thunder, stay indoors since lightning can strike up to 30 miles away.