This week in The Alpine Sun

Lead Stories

Residents take action against illegal traffic
Back Country residents attended a meeting on Saturday, June 11 to show support for the new Border Watch, a citizen’s group formed to keep surveillance on the border and report illegal traffic. Border Watch will begin operations in September.

Alpine fire district names new chief
Douglass Matter, retired from his position as La Mesa’s fire chief and a resident of Alpine, has been named the AFD’s first fire chief in five years.

Palm Springs quake rattles local San Diego County residents
Alpine and Back Country residents awoke to a magnitude-5.6 earthquake Sunday morning. There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

Browning convicted of second-degree murder
A Flinn Springs man has been convicted of second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting resulting in the death of another man.

Man gets 46 months for roll-over causing death
Cesar Gomez-Taboada has been sentenced to 46 months in a federal prison for a March 25 accident in which the sports utility vehicle he was driving rolled over on Interstate 8, resulting in the death of one passenger and injuring 10 undocumented people he was transporting.

Rynearson moves on to family business
Mary Rynearson, an eight-year presence at the Alpine Chamber of Commerce, had decided to leave the Chamber and help out at her family’s restaurant in National City.

New faces at an old Alpine establishment
Local eatery the Bread Basket welcomes its new owners, Eric Enciso and Erik Dolamakian, who promise to keep the restaurant true to its old-fashioned ambiance while implementing positive changes.

Columns

My Turn with Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth: Humans come second to endangered species
Hollingsworth, the thirty-sixth District’s Republican Caucus Whip, replies to a column from a previous paper that confronted fire preparation in the area.

Class Action with Chuck Taylor: School’s out and we’re on the road
Taylor explores the joys of trip preparation with his family before a 35-day road trip.

Spiritual Sunrise with Merry Murray: God can teach us about fatherly love
Murray has some words of advice for future fathers this Father’s day.

Low Flow Pro with Mike Uhrhammer: Stop over watering by using online calculator
Lawns are over watered, on average, by 40 percent. An online calculator will tell you how to stop the problem while maintaining an adequately watered lawn.

Sports

Medals go to four East County athletes at state track finals
Four students from Granite Hills, Helix and Monte Vista earned elite medals at last weekend’s state championship meet in Sacramento.