Free Republic

Imperial County, a sprawling desert region three hours southeast of Los Angeles that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, may not be what you would typically associate with Southern California. Home to ramshackle landmarks like Salvation Mountain, the Salton Sea and Bombay Beach, it’s the least populated county in the region with just 180,000 residents. But U.S. politicians are suddenly interested in this rural area for other reasons — namely, the wealth of lithium deep beneath its surface. The rare mineral used in batteries, now in particularly high demand with the rise of electric vehicles, could be enough to produce 375 million...

Newly released California Highway Patrol dashcam video shows an impaired California State Senator Ben Hueso undergoing sobriety tests and answering questions before his August arrest. In the footage, the San Diego senator is seen driving the wrong way onto a one-way street in Sacramento on Aug. 22. He quickly U-turns, but a CHP officer is quickly on his tail, pulling him over at a nearby gas station. Hueso gets out of his car and is asked to do field sobriety tests. At the officer’s request, he walks back and forth in a straight line. He is then asked to do...

SAN DIEGO — In a rare move, the federal government has put a stop to new highway projects in California's Imperial County as punishment for the county’s poor air quality. Effective Aug. 9, the Federal Highway Administration is withholding federal funding for new highways in the county. The county will also not be allowed to move forward on projects still being designed. Two years ago the Environmental Protection Agency told Imperial County it had 24 months to adopt new rules to improve air quality. Dust, pesticide use, the burning of agricultural fields and off-road vehicles make the air there among...

There's no politically correct fuzziness when it comes to how the folks in charge of this conservative, heavily agricultural county feel about same-sex marriage. Or about why they are taking a lonely stand in federal court to keep it illegal. The people of California voted Proposition 8 into law in 2008 to strip gays and lesbians of nuptial rights, and if nobody else is able or willing to defend that law, then by God - and they mean by God - they will pick up the banner. It's not like we're bigoted against gays and lesbians, they say. We feel...

SNIPPET - QUOTE: Human Swine Influenza Investigation April 24, 2009 22:00 EST Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the U.S. in San Diego County and Imperial County, California as well as in San Antonio, Texas. Internationally, human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in Mexico. U.S. Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection State # of laboratory confirmed cases California 6 cases Texas 2 cases International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection Country # of laboratory confirmed cases Mexico 7 cases Cases will be updated daily at 3 p.m....

OUTDOOR COLUMN -- matthews-ONS -- 05jul06 Deer in peril by aqueduct, fencing work By JIM MATTHEWS Outdoor News Service A portion of the burro deer herd in Imperial and Riverside counties is being denied water during the scorching summer heat because of work being conducted by the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) on the Coachella Canal, located on the east side of the Salton Sea and Imperial Valley. The canal, which has delivered Colorado River water to farm fields in the Imperial Valley for decades, is being replaced with a concrete lined canal to eliminate leakage. This will increase the...

A man charged with raping an Escondido teenager 10 years ago was among more than 9,000 fugitives arrested last week in a 27-state roundup of people wanted by law enforcement, authorities said yesterday. In addition, 193 San Diego and Imperial County fugitives, including five murder suspects, were also swept up in the local roundup. The effort, dubbed Operation Falcon II, focused on people wanted for sex crimes but also found men and women wanted on homicide, drug and other charges, including 194 in San Diego and Imperial counties. Some failed to appear after being granted bail, others failed to stay...

Duncan Hunter is doing the right thing. ANY FEARS that an expanded Republican majority on Capitol Hill would simply become a larger tool for the Bush administration have already been put to rest in the lame-duck session of the past week. Most notably, Reps. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and James Sensenbrenner, head of the Judiciary Committee, have exerted their independence in blocking the headlong rush to intelligence "reform" legislation that puts current military operation in Iraq and Afghanistan at risk. For their pains and their real political courage in calling conventional wisdom into question, the...

A federal judge in San Diego yesterday issued a preliminary injunction blocking Interior Secretary Gale Norton from cutting Colorado River supplies to Imperial County, adding a new complication in a plan to bring more water to San Diego and peace to Western water wars. During a four-hour hearing, the Imperial Irrigation District accused the federal government of conspiring with the huge Metropolitan Water District to take its water. Imperial attorney David Osias pointed to e-mails between Interior officials and Metropolitan that he said discussed strategies to take Imperial's water. He said efforts were made to keep the communications confidential by...

SAN DIEGO -- A vehicle carrying 23 illegal immigrants across the Mexico-U.S. border was shot at Friday, injuring eight men inside, authorities said. Three of the men were hospitalized in stable condition Friday with gunshot wounds. The sport utility vehicle was in a desert wash in northern Mexico when it was first attacked. It came under fire again after crossing into the United States, authorities said. Mexican and U.S. officials were investigating one man's claim that the shots may have come from a Mexican military unit, said Sgt. Manuel Garcia of the Imperial County Sheriff's Department. A spokesperson for the...