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ACTIVISTS TO HOLD EMPTY CHAIR TOWN HALL MARCH 23, AFTER REP. ISSA REFUSES CONSTITUENTS’ REQUESTS FOR MEETING

Printer-friendly version LIVESTREAMING UPDATE:   For those unable to attend  in-person, here are platforms where organizers plan to livestream this event:   Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/indivisiblencsd/  TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@indivisiblencsd   Youtube Live – https://www.youtube.com/@IndivisibleNCSanDiego Twitch.tv – https://www.twitch.tv/indivisiblencsandiego;  By Miriam Raftery March 14, 2025 (Escondido) – After weeks of rebuffed requests for Congressman Darrell Issa  (R-48)to hold a community townhall to discuss constituents’ concerns, activists have scheduled an “Empty

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GUHSD BOARD REFUSES TO RECONSIDER MASS FIRINGS, DESPITE PICKETING, PROTESTS, AND ANGRY CROWD AT MARCH 11 MEETING

Printer-friendly versionBy Alexander J. Schorr Photo, left, via Grossmont Education Association: angry crowd turns back on Acting Superintendent Sandra Huezo and the GUHSD board March 13, 2025 (El Cajon) – The Grossmont Union High School district staff and its students have been protesting the board majority’s controversial firings of teaching, librarian, and counseling positions in recent days, including student walk-outs, picketing

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URBAN TIMBER FINDS RURAL SALVATION IN CAMPO

Printer-friendly versionBy Leorah Gavidor March 13, 2025 (Campo) — When Urban Timber partners Jessica Van Arsdale and Dan Herbst learned they had just a few months to move their well-established tree salvage business, the couple had to scramble to find a place to move hundreds of tons of logs that they had saved from the landfill. The company that saves

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READER’S EDITORIAL: YES, IT’S TIME TO BLOCK DESTRUCTIVE BUDGET

Printer-friendly versionAn open letter sent to California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff By Chuck Brown, Spring Valley March 13, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – The House passed legislation to fund the government through Sept. 30 and thereby avert a shutdown at the end of this week. The measure now goes to the Senate, where Democrats must decide whether to support

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KRISTEN DARE EXITS SANTEE CHAMBER

Printer-friendly version By Mike Allen March 12, 2025 (Santee) — Kristen Dare, who led the Santee Chamber of Commerce as CEO for the past six years, resigned from the position to take a new job at Waste Management Corp. In an email sent to chamber members March 3, Chamber Chair Susie Parks said she is grateful for Dare’s decade of

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EL CAJON BANS SALE OF VAPING DEVICES DISGUISED AS OTHER PRODUCTS

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery March 12, 2025 (El Cajon) – By a unanimous vote, El Cajon’s City Council yesterday voted to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the sale of vaping or e-cigarette devices disguised as other products.  According to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, teens are using stealth vaping products. Some are hidden in backpacks or hoodies. Others resemble flash drives,

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EL CAJON MOVES FORWARD ON MEASURE DENOUNCING ANTISEMITISM, DESPITE CONCERNS OVER WORDING

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Photo: Doris Bittar, a Lebanese-Palestinian woman with a Jewish husband, wants a resolution that protects everyone equally without infringing on free speech rights. March 12, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council once again waded into contentious waters at yesterday’s meeting, weighing a resolution to condemn antisemitism, with the Council majority refusing to remove a

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ADVANCING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES: DRINKING ALCOHOL INCREASES THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE

Printer-friendly versionBy Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County March 17, 2025 (San Diego) — The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory in January highlighting the cancer risks associated with even small amounts of alcohol consumption, noting that alcohol links to at least seven types of cancer. However, alcohol does not only increase the risk of cancer.

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GROUP THAT HELPED TRANSFORM LITTLE ITALY POISED TO COLLABORATE ON REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN EL CAJON

Printer-friendly version By Karen Pearlman  Photo, left, by Miriam Raftery:  El Cajon’s downtown district March 12, 2025 (El Cajon) – A new city vibe is expected to come to the more than 100-year-old city of El Cajon.  Earlier this month, the Downtown El Cajon Business Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting a safe and prosperous downtown El Cajon, announced that

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SAN DIEGO HOME DIALYSIS PROVIDER LAUNCHES COUNTYWIDE KIDNEY DISEASE AWARENESS PROGRAM DURING NATIONAL KIDNEY MONTH

Printer-friendly versionHome Dialysis Therapies of San Diego offers free seminars and private consultations in March to help educate San Diegans about advanced kidney disease and available treatment options March 5, 2009 (San Diego) — Home Dialysis Therapies of San Diego, San Diego’s largest home dialysis provider, announces its countywide educational series throughout the month of March to help inform advanced

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NEW LA MESA BUSINESS HELPS SENIORS STAY INDEPENDENT IN THEIR HOMES

Printer-friendly versionMarch 13, 2009 (La Mesa) — It is estimated that 7 million women are unpaid caregivers to the elderly. They struggle to cope with the exhaustion, loneliness, mental and physical demands, and heartbreak of watching their loved one grow weaker. Advanta Home Care provides an affordable solution for older individuals or couples capable of managing their physical needs, but

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PARENTS OF MISSING ESCONDIDO TEEN ASK PUBLIC’S HELP, ORGANIZE SEARCHES: $60,000 REWARD OFFERED

Printer-friendly versionMarch 14, 2009 (Escondido)–One month after the disappearance of Amber Leeanne Duboise, 14, Escondido police have received new tips and family members are organizing searches in the community. To volunteer, visit http://www.bringamberhome.com/. Donations are also requested to help with costs of the search, which has drawn national attention. You can download flyers to post or distribute here: http://eastcountymagazine.org/?q=bringamberhome. A

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THREE ARRESTED FOR STREET ROBBERY IN LA MESA

Printer-friendly versionMarch 14, 2009 (La Mesa) At about 6:30 p.m. this evening, a man was robbed by three suspects while walking near Grossmont Center, La Mesa. The suspects walked up to the victim, brandished a knife, and demanded the victim’s wallet, I-pod, and cell phone. The suspects took the property and ran away. The victim ran and called the police

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2 LABS NEED HOME AFTER OWNER’S DEATH

Printer-friendly versionMarch 14, 2009 (El Cajon)–Singing Hills Animal Hospital is seeking a good home for two labrador retrievers whose owner boarded the dogs but died during surgery. The goal is to place both dogs together in the same home. According to an e-mail received by East County Magazine from a friend of the owner, the dogs are friendly and obedient.

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EAST COUNTY STUDENT LAUREN SMYLE IS FINALIST IN $20,000 SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST: ONLINE VOTES FROM COMMUNITY REQUESTED

Printer-friendly versionMarch 13, 2009 (La Mesa)–Lauren Smyle, a resident of La Mesa and a senior at West Hills High School in Santee, is one of 11 students in the western United States–and the only student from East Counnty–to advance to the finals in a $20,000 scholarship competition. Sponsored by Zinch.com, the contest enables students to advance based on votes received

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SEMPRA/SDG&E LOBBYIST NOMINATED BY OBAMA AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF INTERIOR: VOTE SLATED THURSDAY, MARCH 12

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery March 12, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) — East County residents opposed to Sempra Energy’s Sunrise Powerlink project are mobilizing opposition to President Barack Obama’s nomination of David Hayes as deputy director of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Hayes served as Deputy Director of the department during the Clinton Administration, but later went to work

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POWERLINK MEETING DRAWS PROTESTS IN ALPINE; PARENTS OPPOSE HIGH-VOLTAGE LINES NEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Megan Werland, right, worries about health effects of Powerlink on children including her 5-month old daughter, Eleanor March 10, 2009 (Alpine) — Children and parents staged a protest rally outside the Alpine Community Center, where SDG&E held a public meeting on Sunrise Powerlink. Holding signs that read "Class 1 Fire Risk" and "Save the Cleveland National

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SDSU STUDENTS ORGANIZE ART RELIEF EVENT MARCH 14 TO BENEFIT KATRINA VICTIMS; PLAN TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS MARCH 28-APRIL 4.

Printer-friendly versionBy Matt Schauer March 8, 2009 (San Diego) — An Art Relief Auction on March 14th will raise funds to benefit College Students for New Orleans, a non-profit organization intent on rebuilding homes in New Orleans and restoring lives of people affected by Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Katrina. We travel to Louisiana four times a year with groups as

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NEW ORLEANS JUST MIGHT BE THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT

Printer-friendly versionBy Maia Neubig Maia Neubig is an SDSU senior who traveled to New Orleans on two separate occasions as part of the Art Relief effort. The best part about the trips are the people down there, they are some of the nicest, most caring people I have ever met in my life. They truly love and appreciate every one

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