SDSU HOOPS: MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAMS SET FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT MATCHUPS

 

The San Diego State University women's team earns the 14 seed and will face third-seeded LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday. The men take on the Tar Heels in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday night's NCAA First Four match.

Source:  goaztecs.com

March 18, 2025 (San Diego) - The San Diego State University men’s and women’s basketball teams have both earned spots in the NCAA Tournament and will face tough opponents in their respective regions.

SAN DIEGO CONCERT BAND PRESENTS MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS APRIL 17 WITH VIOLIN SOLO BY NICK GRANT

East County News Service

March 17, 2025 (San Diego) - You’re invited to a concert by the San Diego Concert Band presenting music of John Williams on Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in the Joan B. Kroc Theatre, 6611 University Ave. in San Diego.  Nick Grant will be featured on the theme from “Schindler’s List,” a film based on Oskar Schindler, the German who saved 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust.

TOWNHALL IN ALPINE TO HOST WATER BOARD SPEAKERS MARCH 30

Fire safety and water purification among top issues to be discussed

East County News Service

March 15, 2024 (Alpine) - Alpine resident Anne Tillmond is hosting a Town Hall Q&A featuring Padre Dam Municipal Water District Board Members Kim Hales (Division 4) and Dr. Suzanne Till (Division 2) on March 30 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Alpine Club – 1830 Alpine Blvd. Alpine, CA 91901.

AMID LAY OFF TALKS, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SAYS LIBRARIANS ARE OVERPAID

By Jakob McWhinney, Voice of San Diego

File photos via ECM:  GUHSD trustees Robert Shields and Jim Kelly, who were caught on hot mikes. These images did not appear in the original Voice of San Diego article.

March 15, 2025 (El Cajon) -- For weeks now, Grossmont Union’s board meetings have been dominated by crowds of community members furious at the district’s plan to close its budget deficit by laying off more than 60 employees. Those layoffs, which the board approved by a four to one vote two weeks ago, include assistant principals, teachers and nearly every single one of the district’s librarians. 

The scene was the same at Tuesday’s board meeting, when hundreds of protesters packed into Grossmont High School’s gym to advocate the board rescind the layoffs. 

Gary Woods, who voted in favor of the layoffs, said the decision made them “heartsick.” But another trustee was more frank about what he thought about the librarians on the chopping block during a hot mic moment just prior to the meeting’s official start according to a screen recording of the meeting shared with Voice of San Diego. 

REPORT STORM DAMAGE IN UNINCORPORATED SAN DIEGO COUNTY WITH THE TELL US NOW APP

By Sir Milo Loftin, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 15, 2025 (San Diego) - Most people in the region likely noted this week’s rain and — in some parts of the county—snow. Residents of San Diego County’s unincorporated areas can report non-emergency storm damage through the “Tell Us Now!” app. 

SANTEE COUNCIL MAKES FIRE PROTECTION ITS TOP PRIORITY

By Mike Allen

Photo by Scott Lagace:  Santee firefighters saved the life of an unconscious woman during a July 2024 fire that engulfed her mobile home, also administering oxygen to save a cat.

March 14, 2025 (Santee) -- Santee knows it has to be better when it comes to providing fire protection to its residents, and after a sales tax-funded plan for new fire stations failed in November, its City Council made improving that essential service as its top priority.

In fairness, the Council was already focused on getting a couple of new stations to double the current number—two—to serve a population of more than 60,000.

It was building a temporary station off Olive Way where it formerly used to keep its maintenance operations, and was planning a new station in the north part of the city. Yet the Council was hoping the half-cent hike to local sales taxes would finance the improvements. Not so fast, said voters who rejected the plan.

At its March 12 meeting, the Council set building new fire stations—along with finding new ways to pay for them--as its No. 1 goal from a list of ten.

SUPERVISORS WEIGH OPTIONS TO ADDRESS UNSAFE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS TO REDUCE FIRE DANGER

By Karen Pearlman  

Photo via San Diego County Sheriff:  Homeless encampment fire in Santee,  February 2025

March 14, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- With an estimated one out of every five fires in San Diego County started in encampments where homeless individuals congregate, San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson has said enough is enough.  

“Nobody has a right to burn my constituents’ homes down, whether they intend to or not,” Anderson said, two days after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to update the county’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance. It would apply to property that the county owns or leases and specified areas such as parks, open space and certain public works facilities. 

At their meeting on Tuesday, March 11, the supervisors voted 4-0 to empower appropriate authorities “to ensure public safety and do more than just cite repeat offenders,” Anderson said.  A final draft ordinance is expected to be presented by county staff to the board in about two months, when a final vote will take place. 

TWO JUDGES ORDER FEDERAL AGENCIES TO REHIRE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS FIRED IN DOGE PURGE

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Anne Meador: Federal workers protest at Capitol (CC by NC-ND)

March 14, 2025 – Two federal judges have ruled that the Trump administration’s mass firing of federal workers was illegal.  Both judges ordered thousands of probationary fired workers rehired, at least temporarily, though the two rulings differed on the scope of agencies affected. Combined, the two rulings order that 18 agencies immediately rehire those fired, affecting a broad range of jobs from national park rangers to Veterans’ Administration workers and many more.

 The judges also issued scathing rebukes of the purge of agencies done by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and accused the administration of lying when it claimed the firings were based on performance issues, since many of the laid-off workers had extremely positive performance reviews.

U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup in San Francisco called the mass terminations a “sham.”  He stated in open court, “It is sad, a sad day, when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie.  That should not have been done in our country.”

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

LIVESTREAMING UPDATE:   For those unable to attend  in-person, here are platforms where organizers plan to livestream this event:  

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 Chair Town Hall” at the California Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, March 23 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The event, hosted by Dr. Allison Gill from the "Mueller, She Wrote" podcast, will provide constituents with the opportunity to voice questions and concerns they would typically address directly to their congressional representative, particularly regarding potential cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and Veterans Services.

Following recommendations outlined in the "Indivisible Guide" (indivisible.org/resource/guide), this Empty Chair Town Hall is part of a nationwide effort encouraged by Indivisible National during the congressional recess from March 13-23.

"When our elected officials refuse to engage with their constituents, democracy suffers," said  Pamela Albergo of Indivisible North County San Diego. "Rep. Issa hasn't held a town hall since 2017, but the concerns of his constituents haven't gone away."

SINGING HILLS GOLF CLUB UNVEILS ITS NEW MENU WITH A TWIST

East County News Service

Photos courtesy of Singing Hills Golf Club

March 14, 2025 (El Cajon) - As the season changes, so do cravings. Singing Hills Golf Club at Sycuan is thrilled to introduce three new menus, available now, featuring chef-inspired dishes that blend both traditional and modern Mexican-American flavors with locally sourced, fresh ingredients.