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THE RENO REPORT: MORNING HAS BROKEN

Printer-friendly versionBy Jamie Reno Exclusive for East County Magazine October 15, 2008 (Tierrasanta) – Morning has broken. As the sun rises over the East County, a sense of calm permeates my body. Yesterday morning, when I started writing this column for East County Magazine on the new fire threats, it was a different story. I was filled with anxiety. The

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CONTROL OF GROSSMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD HANGS IN BALANCE

Printer-friendly versionElection creates rift among Republicans By Miriam Raftery Five candidates are vying for two seats on the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Board of Trustees. The stakes are high. The outcome of this election may determine if  a popular superintendent will be retained, if a new high school will be built in Alpine, and if divisive forces will

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PROPOSITION U SEEKS FUNDS FOR CLASSROOM UPGRADES, NEW BUILDINGS IN GROSSMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery Grossmont Union High School District’s superintendent and four of five GUHSD school board trustees agree that Proposition U is critical to repair and replace aging buildings throughout the district—and build a long-awaited new high school for Alpine. “We can’t modernize the old industrial classrooms abandoned years ago without Proposition U,” GUHSD Superintendent Robert Collins said

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ETHICS, BUDGET CUTS, & CHOOSING NEW CHANCELLOR TOP ISSUES IN GROSSMONT-CUYAMACA COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD RACE

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery The race:  Four candidates are running for two seats on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca College Board of Trustees.  Challengers Mary Kay Rosinski and Moe Bakeer face off against incumbents Tim Caruthers and Bill Garrett, board president.  ECM interviewed Rosinski, Caruthers and Garrett; Bakeer did not respond to interview requests. What’s at stake:  Community colleges face tough times amid

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Remember “L” is on “La Mesa” ballots

Printer-friendly versionCity faces low reserves; bond rating, city jobs at stake if measure fails to pass By Kristin Hobbs Kjaero The proposition Proponents call it the “Vital City Services Measure,” and opponents call it a “Pension Tax.” The impartial ballot analysis identifies it as a “general tax,” which means revenue would go into La Mesa’s general fund and “the City

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STATE OF DISUNION:  WAR VETERANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST MILITARY ABUSE OF TROOPS IN LOCAL STOP ON NATIONAL TOUR

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Editor’s Note:  Military authorities declined to speak with East County Magazine regarding this story. We also requested permission to interview veterans at Balboa Naval Hospital to obtain a diverse range of views on conditions in mlitary service.  Our request was denied.   October 18, 2008 (San Diego)–Army intelligence officer Selena Coppa has risked her freedom to speak out. 

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SAN DIEGO SOLAR HOMES TOUR: SATURDAY OCT. 18

Printer-friendly version The San Diego Solar Homes Tour is quite possibly the longest running and most popular tour in California.  Celebrating the ninth year of the free tour, over 40 homes throughout San Diego County are participating—including many in East County and San Diego’s Eastern region. This self-guided tour, sponsored by the California Center for Sustainable Energy,  offers real-life, working

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7th DISTRICT FIGHT – EMERALD VS. BOLING:  YOUR RINGSIDE GUIDE

Printer-friendly versionAccountant April Boling refuses to comment on allegations of “illegal and unethical bookkeeping”; opponent Marti Emerald shares vision for San Diego’s future By Joseph Rocha October 15, 2009 (San Diego)–Touted  as “The Troubleshooter vs. the Accountant” by local media,  San Diego’s 7th District Council race sounds more like a build-up to a Saturday night cage fight than a hotly contested

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HIGHWAYS OPEN, FIRES 100% CONTAINED IN CAMPO AND RANCHO BERNARDO; FIREFIGHTERS STILL BATTLE JULIET BLAZE

Printer-friendly versionOctober 14, 2008, 11:00 p.m. — All major highways in San Diego County are open tonight. The Juliet Fire, which burned 3,980 acres in the Oceanside area after spreading from Camp Pendleton, is now 60% contained and evacuation orders in Fallbrook have been lifted. The Shockey Fire in Campo is 100% contained after burning 200 acres. A small fire

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35-year-old man in custody dies

Printer-friendly version East County News Service Update Sept. 5, 2025 — The deceased has been identified as Steven Curren. He was facing charges of vehicle theft and posession of stolen property. August 31, 2025 (San Diego)—A 35-year-old man arrested Aug. 29 was found unresponsive in his cell yesterday afternoon at San Diego Central Jail and later died at a hospital.  He

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Homicide arrest in El Cajon

Printer-friendly version East County News Service August 31, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police have arrested a suspect for a deadly stabbing that occurred at 5:30 p.m. last night in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 900 block of South Sunshine, El Cajon. According to Lieutenant Eric Thornton, two men were in an altercation when one

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Safe parking site reopens in El Cajon, serving people living out of their cars

Printer-friendly version By Paul Levikow August 30, 2025 (El Cajon) – An overnight safe parking site for people living out of their vehicles reopened on Magnolia Avenue in unincorporated El Cajon Friday, after a yearlong, $3 million renovation project. It’s open daily from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Improvements announced at a news conference include flushable restrooms with running water,

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Lemon Grove Sheriff’s Substation holds ribbon cutting and grand reopening after flood damage

Printer-friendly version By Paul Levikow Photo, left:  Sheriff Kelly Martinez cuts ribbon on renovated Lemon Grove substation August 28, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez and Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow presided over a ribbon cutting and grand reopening of the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s Substation Thursday, 19 months after it was devastated by torrential rain. On

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Drug toxicity caused death of woman in Las Colinas Detention Facility

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service August 29, 2025 (Santee) – The San Diego County Medical has completed an autopsy on Callen Lines, 31, who was found unresponsive in her cell at Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee on May 12 at 7:25 p.m. After emergency efforts by paramedics and Santee Fire Dept. personnel, she was pronounced dead at

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Passages: Randy “Duke” Cunningham, Congressman and Decorated Aviator

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Services   Aug. 29, 2025 (San Diego County) – Randall Harold (Randy) “Duke” Cunningham, a highly decorated naval aviator whose political career crashed after he was convicted of accepting more than $2 million in bribes during his tenure as a United States Congressman, has passed away.   Cunningham, who won a seat as a Republican in

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The rights of women are under assault: leadership that distrusts its people

Printer-friendly versionBy Alexander J. Schorr Image: suffragists rallied outside White House in 1917, calling for the right to vote. August 29, 2025 (Washington. D.C.) — Women’s rights in the United States are in danger of being eliminated or rolled back to pre-1960s, before women gained civil rights, equal pay rights, and reproductive rights. Even women’s right to vote has been

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International postal services suspend deliveries to U.S. after Trump ends tariffs exemption

Printer-friendly versionSuspensions are temporary and in some cases, indefinite By G. A. McNeeley  August 29, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan have joined a growing list ofcountries that are suspending certain parcel shipments to the United States, following the implementation of new rules under President Donald Trump’s Administration that will end tariff exemptions, according to CNN. Dozens of

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Rollback of “Roadless Rule” to allow logging and road construction in National Forests draws opposition from tribes and ecologists

Printer-friendly version  Trump administration opens 21-day public comment period Aug. 29-Sept. 19 By Miriam Raftery Photo: Cedar Creek Falls, one of the most scenic hiking destinations  in San Diego’s East County, is in a roadless portion of Cleveland National Forest.  August 29, 2025 (San Diego) — The Trump administration announced it is seeking public comment on its proposal to rescind the

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