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SEN. JONES’ BILL TO END ELDERLY PAROLE FOR VIOLENT SEX OFFENDERS PASSES KEY SENATE COMMITTEE

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photo snip of Jones with San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan (right) courtesy California State Republicans YouTube channel April 16, 2025 (Sacramento, CA) — In February, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 286, to close what he called a “dangerous loophole” in California’s Elderly Parole program that allows violent sex offenders

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CA SENATOR SCHIFF INTRODUCES FIREWALL ACT

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photo: Getty Fire, courtesy of LA Fire April 14, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) — U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) has introduced his first bill.  The Firewall Act aims to help homeowners hit by climate-fueled disasters such as recent Southern California fires. It would provide a tax credit for upgrades to make houses more resilient. “By getting

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WINDY AND WET WEATHER FORECAST; SNOW POSSIBLE IN MOUNTAINS

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery April 14, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – As a cooling trend continues, the National Weather Service predicts strong winds, rain, and snow for our mountain areas later this week. There is a chance of rain countywide and mountain snow on Thursday, increasing on Friday, with possible rain in the mountains as late as Saturday morning.

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MAN SHOT AFTER ALTERCATION IN EL CAJON

Printer-friendly version East County News Service April 14, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon  Police homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting.  Officers responded to call reporting the shooting in the 1100 block of East Madison Ave. at 9:47 p.m. last night. “Officers arrived on the scene within minutes and located an adult male in a parking lot suffering from

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TRUMP PAUSES MOST TARIFFS FOR 90 DAYS AFTER BACKLASH, BUT STIFF TARIFFS ON CHINESE GOODS REMAIN

Printer-friendly versionEast County business leaders speak out on impacts of tariffs By G. A. McNeeley  April 14, 2025 (San Diego) – On Wednesday, April 9, President Donald Trump temporarily dropped tariff rates on imports from most of the United States’ trade partners to 10% (for 90 days), to allow trade negotiations with those countries.    Trump announced the pause hours

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EARTHQUAKE NEAR RAMONA SHUTS DOWN HIGHWAY 76

Printer-friendly versionLast updated April 14, 2025 8 p.m including reports from readers, local authorities, and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. April 14, 2025 (Ramona) — A 5.2 earthquake struck at 10:08 a.m  about 2  miles south of Julian. The jolt was felt across the county, knocking pictures off walls and bottles off shelves at homes in La Mesa. California

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SAN DIEGO SLAMS SHUTOUT, IMPROVES TO 13-3 IN RED-HOT START

Printer-friendly versionPadres lead NL west division in team’s best season start By Karen Pearlman Photo courtesy of San Diego Padres: Winning pitcher Michael King gets Gatorade ice bath after complete-game shutout of Colorado Rockies Sunday at Petco Park April 13, 2025 (San Diego) – The San Diego Padres are all alone in first place in the National League West, above

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RESIDENTS CHARGED UP OVER PROSPECT OF BATTERY STORAGE SITE IN LA MESA NEIGHBORHOOD

Printer-friendly versionStory and Photos By Karen Pearlman   April 11, 2025  (La Mesa) —  “No matter how it’s sugarcoated, battery storage facilities are dystopian looking, loud, detrimental to real estate values and potentially deadly,” La Mesa City Councilmember Laura Lothian says.   For several years, Lothian (pictured above, with Heartland Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Bent Koch) has been a

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SANTEE SELF FUNDS $23.5M COMMUNITY CENTER; DELAYS VOTE ON PAY HIKE

Printer-friendly version  By Mike Allen Image: Rendering of planned community center   April 10, 2025 (Santee) — The Santee City Council did a bit of creative financing to fund a planned community center at its April 9 meeting.   The project, behind the Cameron YMCA that has been planned for some 20 years, could go out to bid by this

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BEWARE OF PHONY SWINE FLU PRODUCTS, FDA & FTC WARN CONSUMERS

Printer-friendly versionMay 1, 2009 (Washington D.C.)–The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are alerting the public to be wary of Internet sites and other promotions for products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The agencies are also advising operators of offending web sites that they must take prompt

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SAN DIEGO AREA POISED TO BE A LEADER IN BUILDING GREEN ECONOMY, SAYS NATIONAL EXPERT: AREA APT TO GET $100 MILLION IN FUNDS FOR GOING GREEN

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery May 1, 2009 (San Diego)—“We are in a moment of historic change,” Phoebe Ellis-Lamkins, chief executive officer of Green for All, said in a program yesterday in San Diego titled “Green Jobs: Fighting Poverty and Pollution.” Sponsored by the Center for Policy Initiatives, the event drew a full house of community leaders, environmentalists and labor union

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April Capitol Report:How They Voted

Printer-friendly versionApril 2009 (Washington and Sacramento) — Do you know how your Congressional and State Legislative representatives voted?   Find out here! For more information on these and other bills, visit www.vote-smart.org or www.govtrack.us   FEDERAL BILLS & VOTES (CONGRESS) HR 1: ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE Status: Passed House 241-843; enacted into law Description: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

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GOLDEN ARTISTRY DANGLES ‘KARAT’ IN HIGH SCHOOL DESIGN COMPETITION

Printer-friendly versionApril 30, 2009 (La Mesa)–A local Goldsmith has high school students competing for Gold, Silver and Bronze, looking for a diamond in the rough. More than 100 area teens have turned out for this unique design challenge, and the top prize of seeing their creation come to life. Terry Whyte, owner of Golden Artistry in La Mesa, launched the

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SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTIES DECLARE LOCAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES OVER SWINE FLU

Printer-friendly versionApril 29, 2009 (San Diego)—San Diego and Iimperial Counties both declared local health emergencies today. The declarations are routine steps in preparations for addressing an outbreak of swine flu. There are eight confirmed cases in San Diego County and 5 confirmed cases in Imperial County. The three newest cases in San Diego County include a three-year-old boy and his

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8 SWINE FLU CASES CONFIRMED IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY; SDSU CASE SUSPECTED. COULD CAMPUS BE SHUT DOWN BEFORE FINAL EXAMS?

Printer-friendly versionWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DECLARES PHASE 5 EPIDEMIC April 29, 2009 (San Diego)—Eight cases of people infected with swine influenza have been confirmed in San Diego County, confirms Tom Christensen, Health & Human Services media spokesman. Details on new cases will be released later today. Several other local cases are suspected, including an SDSU student. President Barack Obama today said

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CHARLEY’S AUNT:  VICTORIAN COMEDY AT GROSSMONT COLLEGE

Printer-friendly versionMay 1, 2009 (El Cajon)–The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present “Charley’s Aunt,” the classic stage farce about a disguise that doesn’t turn out as planned, on May 7-9 and 13-16 at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, May 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. at the Stagehouse Theatre, located on the college campus, near Parking Lot #1 and

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EL CAJON POLICE CHIEF JOINS GROSSMONT COLLEGE WALK OF FAME

Printer-friendly versionApril 28, 2009 (El Cajon)–On Friday, May 1, the Grossmont College Foundation will induct El Cajon Police Chief Pat Sprecco into their Walk of Fame for 2009. The public is cordially invited to attend the ceremonies honoring Chief Sprecco that will start at 9:00 a.m. at Grossmont College’s Main Quad area; this is following the conclusion of the San

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PRIVACY 101: DATA POLLUTION–HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS

Printer-friendly versionBy Darity Wesley "Data is the pollution problem of the Information Age." -Bruce Schneier April 28, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)–Just about every person delivers some form of data into the cyber-world at least once daily. We leave digital footprints with every website we visit, every tweet we Twitter, and every purchase we make either online or on the

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SCHWARZENEGGER DECLARES EMERGENCY, TRAVEL ADVISORY ISSUED OVER SWINE FLU

Printer-friendly versionHUNTER SEEKS CLOSURE OF BORDER UPDATED April 29, 2009 (San Diego)—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in California to request federal funds for emergency services and supplies to combat the disease. To date, 91 cases have been confirmed in the U.S., including 11 in California and five in San Diego County. The first U.S. death, a

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