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TV M*A*S*H DOCTOR OFFERS HEALING WORDS FOR HUMANITY IN NEW BOOK; VISIT TO BONITA LIBRARY DRAWS FULL HOUSE

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Mike Farrell with officers of Eastlake-Bonita Democratic Club. February 17, 2009 (Bonita) — Mike Farrell and his co-stars on the popular M*A*S*H TV show raised public awareness about the human costs of war. But what many fans don’t realize is that in his private life, Farrell has much in common with the character he portrayed, Dr.

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NEARLY 20% OF ELIGIBLE CA FAMILIES MISSING OUT ON VALUABLE TAX CREDIT

Printer-friendly versionFebruary 2, 2009 (Public News Service) — Too many Californians struggling to put food on the table are also leaving money on the table; almost 20 percent of eligible California families – tens of thousands of people – are failing to claim their federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). It’s a special federal program to supplement the earnings of

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GET READY TO RUMBA! FREE WHEELCHAIR BALLROOM DANCE CLASSES START FEB 19 IN LA MESA

Printer-friendly versionFebruary 17, 2009 (La Mesa) — TheWheelchair Dancers Organization, sponsored by the Sharp Grossmont Foundation, is offering 8 weeks of free wheelchair ballroom dance classes. This is the first wheelchair ballroom dance program ever offered in San Diego by a professionally certified wheelchair dance instructor, William Valencia. Dance classes start on Thursday, February 19, from 12 Noon-1:00 pm., Sharp

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LA MESA’S BUDGET A COMPLEX ISSUE

Printer-friendly versionLA MESA’S BUDGET A COMPLEX ISSUE Annual Budget Workshop March 17 By Kristin Kjaero A number of diverse elements contribute to the city’s financial health as a whole. In a lead up to the City’s Annual Budget Workshop, we are pleased to provide an overview for our readers.   CITY FINANCES Structural Deficit For the past two and a half

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FIRE OFFICIALS SCORCH STAY-AND-DEFEND POLICY, CITE DEATH TOLL IN AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRES

Printer-friendly versionPublic urged to “leave early” when fire threatens, make preparations before fire season By Miriam Raftery February 17, 2009 (El Cajon)–“Fifty-three fire chiefs agree that the best way to keep families safe is to evacuate early,” August Ghio, president of the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association, said at a press conference at Cal Fire’s El Cajon station. Ghio

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STOP-PAYMENTS TO FOSTER FAMILIES RAISES CONCERNS FOR CHILDREN

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery February 16, 2009 (San Diego) — A letter sent by the County of San Diego last week to foster parents warned that the State of California planned to halt payments to counties for foster parent services immediately. While County officials joined with 23 other counties to file a lawsuit against the state, the prospect of losing

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NEED SANDBAGS? GET THEM AT THESE CAL-FIRE STATIONS

Printer-friendly versionFebruary 16, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)–In preparation for the expected weather CAL FIRE has prepositioned 4×4 engines in strategic locations near I-8 in East County. CAL FIRE also has sand bags available at the following stations: Deer Springs Station 11 8709 CIRCLE R DRIVE ESCONDIDO, CA 92026 CAL FIRE Station 70 16971 HIGHWAY 76 PAUMA VALLEY, CA. 92061

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CA BUDGET ONE VOTE SHY OF PASSAGE: HOLLINGSWORTH LEADS OPPOSITION

Printer-friendly version  By Miriam Raftery   February 18, 2009 (San Diego) — Efforts to pass a $40 billion state budget plan collapsed over the weekend due to Republicans refusal to support the plan, which fell one vote shy of passage in the Senate. The state has halted refund checks to taxpayers and payments to vendors, stopped 2,000 public works projects

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AT&T UPGRADES HISTORIC LA MESA BUILDING

Printer-friendly version  December 20, 2009 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting earlier this month to celebrate AT&T’s aesthetic enhancements  to its building at the corner of La Mesa Boulevard and Spring Street. Those enhancements included addition to the building’s exterior of tiled mosaics depicting scenes from the company’s history. “AT&T strives to be a

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ACLU ACCUSES SDSU OF ILLEGALLY WITHHOLDING DOCUMENTS ON ADMISSIONS POLICY CHANGE

Printer-friendly version  December 18, 2009 (San Diego) – The ACLU says San Diego State University has delivered an "empty Christmas present", turning over incomplete records in response to a public documents request.  Now the ACLU has sent a demand letter on behalf of the Education Consortium demanding full disclosure.    In an effort to better understand who SDSU consulted with prior to

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$15 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS, COUNTY ANNOUNCES

Printer-friendly versionMany East County communities are on list of eligible areas December 18, 2009 (San Diego) -If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you may be able to take advantage of state funds awarded to the County of San Diego Department of Housing and Community Development. The department received $15 million for the Mortgage Credit Certificate, or MCC, program, in addition to almost $11

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SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT: VOCAL COMPETITION AT SDSU JAN. 30 OFFERS $2,000 TOP PRIZE

Printer-friendly version December 18, 2009 (San Diego) – High school juniors, seniors and sophomores who are recommended by a vocal or choir teacher are eligible to enter the Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition at San Diego State University on January 30th, where competitors will vie for a top prize of $2,000. Applications must be received by January 15th. The competition, which

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COMMUNITY SKEPTICAL OF EL CAJON’S PLANS FOR PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Printer-friendly version  Citizens express ire over arts mismanagement by Gayle Early “That theater has been referred to as the white elephant sitting in the middle of El Cajon. It ought to be the jewel of that city, the community place to pull people in together.”—Patricia Parlin  “I don’t have a lot of faith in them. I don’t think they’ll do

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EIGHT VEHICLES BURGLARIZED IN LA MESA THURSDAY NIGHT

Printer-friendly version  December 18, 2009 (La Mesa) — Yesterday during the early morning hours, eight cars were burglarized in La Mesa, mostly in the 5600 block of Amaya Dr. and the 9100 block of Campina Dr. Various items were stolen during the burglaries, mainly loose items lying in open view. There is no suspect description at this time.   The La

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WHOOPING COUGH AT FIVE LOCAL SCHOOLS; CASES TRIPLE OVER LAST YEAR

Printer-friendly version  December 18, 2009 (San Diego) – Five area students have been diagnosed with pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is reporting. HHSA is working closely with school staff to notify the parents of all students at the schools, including three schools east of I-15. The students are:   *

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ANDERSON FINED BY FPPC; HOLIDAY PARTY DRAWS PROTESTS & TOUGH QUESTIONS

Printer-friendly version  By Miriam Raftery   December 17, 2009 (El Cajon) – The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has fined Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) $20,000 for soliciting and accepting donations over legal limits. The FPPC also fined the Fresno Central Committee $29,000 for laundering money from major Anderson donors including Hamann Construction family members, Sycuan and Barona Indian bands,

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SMUGGLED CHRISTMAS PUPPIES INTERCEPTED AT BORDER IN EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly version  County warns public of sick puppies sold through local pet dealers   December 16, 2009 (Tecate) –On Monday evening, 15  two-month-old puppies were discovered by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers as a smuggler attempted to bring the puppies into the U.S. at the Tecate Port of Entry. The sick puppies, all described as mixed breed miniature poodles,

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TERM LIMITS FOR SUPERVISORS INITIATIVE QUALIFIES FOR JUNE 2010 BALLOT

Printer-friendly versionSAN DIEGO — (December 16, 2009) – The Campaign to reform San Diego County government announced today it has passed the next crucial milestone for appearing on the June 2010 ballot when the San Diego County Registrar of Voters qualified the signatures this week. Registrar of Voters Deborah Seiler found that the measure qualified for the ballot after her

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