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POWERLINK MEETING IN LAKESIDE: TONIGHT AT 6 PM

Printer-friendly version    February 2, 2010 (Lakeside)  SDG&E will host a community meeting with the Lakeside Community Council  tonight at 6 pm. to discuss impacts of Sunrise Powerlink on Lakeside.   Members of the East County Community Action Coalition will also be on hand to provide information on citizens’ efforts to halt the controversial high-voltage line. The meeting, whichi is open to

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FREE TAX HELP FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

Printer-friendly version Many aren’t aware of tax credit that can be claimed, County says February 1, 2010 (San Diego)–The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) has launched the 2010 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) campaign, an effort to get more low-income families and individuals to take advantage of the federal government’s largest cash assistance program. “The

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EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: February 1, 2010

Printer-friendly version  February 1, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) — EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP features important stories impacting East County published in other media. Top stories in this Roundup issue: • San Diego to cut services at 13 fire stations • Life sentence in Mount Helix abduction case • County government resents bearing safety net burden • The Supervisors: in their own

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UNDERCOVER OPERATION: 5 SNAGGED IN EL CAJON PROSTITUTION STING

Printer-friendly version  February 1, 2010 (El Cajon) – Five women were arrested January 28 in El Cajon on prostitution charges. El Cajon Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit conducted an undercover operation targeting individuals involved in prostitution.   Upon conviction of prostitution related charges, arrestees may be placed on geographic probation and ordered to refrain from certain activities in specified areas

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QUICK RESPONSE SAVES SPRING VALLEY HOME FROM KITCHEN FIRE

Printer-friendly version  February 1, 2010 (Spring Valley) – On Saturday evening, San Miguel Firefighters responded to a kitchen fire in the 600 block of Water View in Spring Valley. When crews arrived, they saw flames coming out an attic vent of the single story home.The homeowner and his 14-year-old daughter were inside at the time, and were alerted when several smoke

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CROWD PIGS OUT AT GRAND OPENING OF SMOKIN’ JOES IN SANTEE

Printer-friendly version   January 31, 2010 (Santee) – The owner of Smokin’ Joes Barbecue in Santee made a whole-hog effort to please guests at the grand opening of his new restaurant yesterday. After slow-roasting a whole pig on a spit, Joe Jones and his restaurant crew served up succulent results to a hungry crowd lined up for “pig pull” samples.

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RAW FOOD PRESENTATION: ABNA HOSTS FEB 18 EVENT AT THE VINES IN ALPINE

Printer-friendly version  January 31, 2010 (Alpine) — Want to get fit and healthy in the New Year? Certified raw culinary chefs Diane Haworth and Michael Varbaek will be guest speakers for the Alpine Business Networking Association (ABNA) on Thursday, February 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Vines Bistro & Wine Bar, 2502 Alpine Boulevard in Alpine. Guests are

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MAN KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH IN JULIAN

Printer-friendly version    January 31, 2010 (Julian) – Carl K. Davis Jr., 28, of San Diego died in a head-on collision shortly after noon yesterday on Highway 78 at Payson Drive, Julian.   He was driving his motorcycle eastbound at a high rate of speed, according to authorities, when he crossed a double yellow line and struck a pickup truck.

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EARTHQUAKE RATTLES SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Printer-friendly version February 1, 2010 – An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter Scale struck off the Baja California coast at 6:19 a.m. The quake’s epicenter was 41 miles southwest of Imperial Beach, at a depth of four miles under the ocean floor, the U.S. Geological Service reports. It was felt throughout San Diego County, including East County, though no

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Register to Vote!

Printer-friendly versionVoter registration drives are being held at several East County locations listed below.   You must be registered by October 20th to vote in the November 4th presidential election. Registering in person means you don’t have to worry about forms getting lost in the mail or arriving too late.   If you’re not yet registered, you can sign up at any

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WATER SHORTAGE REVIVES RECYCLED WATER PROPOSALS

Printer-friendly versionBy E.A. Barrera Photos by Daisy Sharrock October 1, 2008 (SAN DIEGO) – Water is the single biggest issue facing the future of San Diego County. Even the process for updating San Diego County’s land use general plan – the so-called General Plan 2020 process – depends on the availability and amount of water the area will sustain. "Water

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Health Tips

Printer-friendly version HUMAN WEST NILE VIRUS CASES REACH FIVE TOTAL SAN DIEGO August 18, 2008 — Another confirmed locally-acquired human case of West Nile virus (WNV) brings the year-to-date total to five—including one patient in East County, according to the County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA).   FDA DECISION ON BPA OUTRAGES HEALTH ADVOCATES FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug 20, 2008

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A Firestorm of Controversy – Still No County Fire Department Five Years After Cedar Blaze

Printer-friendly versionBallot measure will ask voters to approve tax for fire services By E.A. Barrera Photos courtesy of La Mesa Fire Department “Given the existing high-risk conditions that are projected to continue into the future, destructive firestorms will certainly occur again. Yet, even armed with this knowledge and after the Cedar Fire wake-up call, the San Diego region is woefully

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DYING TO COME TO AMERICA – Immigrant Death Toll Soars; Water Stations Sabotaged

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery September 1, 2008 (Holtville)–“These people came here looking for opportunity. Not one of them expected to die,” said Enrique Morones, erecting a hand-made wooden cross at a gravesite marked only by a brick engraved with the name Jane Doe. A few years ago, there were twenty bricks in this pauper’s graveyard at Holtville in Imperial County,

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Tough Medicine, Part I

Printer-friendly versionGrossmont Hospital Investigations Raise Oversight Concernts, Criticisms By Sara McInerney, staff writer, and editor Miriam Raftery September 14, 2008 (La Mesa)–Revelations of preventable patient deaths and alleged neglect at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have led some community leaders to demand increased oversight even as new complaints of patient care at Grossmont surface. Grossmont is one of four hospitals in San Diego

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Tough Medicine, Part II

Printer-friendly versionCommunity Leaders Call for New Hospital in East County: Long Waits in Grossmont ER, Patient Deaths Heighten Urgent Need By Sara McInerney, Staff Writer September 18, 2008 (La Mesa)–Government investigations into at least three preventable patient deaths at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have raised serious questions about the facility’s capacity to service the needs of East County’s growing population. Closure of

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Democratic Candidates Urge Voters to Unite for Change at East County Rally

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery "I’ve been a Republican for 35 years and I became a Democrat in January," La Mesa Councilmember David Allan told a crowd of approximately 350 people at the East County Uniting for Change picnic on Sunday at Harry Griffith Park in La Mesa. Sponsored by the La Mesa-Foothills, East County and Santee Democratic Clubs, the event

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Budget Crisis Hits Home

Printer-friendly versionState workers in East County struggle to cope with prospect of huge pay cuts, lay-offs; Judge orders Sept. 12 hearing on Governor’s wage-slashing orders By Miriam RafteryPhotos by Aida Canonizado Mildred Scarber, a state employee who works at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in El Cajon, was shocked to learn that Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered all state employees’

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Taxing Issues

Printer-friendly versionLa Mesa Council candidates address budget gap, public safety and future growth By Miriam Raftery State budget cuts have left La Mesa facing a potential budget shortfall of several million dollars.  In exclusive interviews with East County Magazine, challenger Shannon O’Dunn as well as incumbents David Allan and Ruth Sterling shared their views on  bridging the budget gap as

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