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PERMIT NO. 30 JULIAN, CA
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ESTABLISHED
An Independent Weekly Newspaper Serving the Backcountry Communities of Julian, Cuyamaca, Santa Ysabel, Shelter Valley, Mt. Laguna, Ranchita, Canebreak, Sunshine Summit, Warner Springs and Wynola.
Julian News
PO Box 639 Julian, CA 92036
1985
Change Service requested
DATED MATERIAL
The Newspaper of Record.
For the Community, by the Community.
Wednesday
Volume 36 — Issue 21
Julian, CA.
ISSN 1937-8416
www.JulianNews.com
Dr. Fauci Vaccinates Santa
December 23, 2020
Christmas Memories
By Ed Glass
Back Country Covid Cases as of December 19
Julian = 43 (+1) Ramona = 1,107 (+140) Ranchita = 8 (+0) Warner Springs = 30 (+2) Santa Ysabel = 23 (+2) Borrego Springs = 69 (+35) Descanso = 43 (+3) Alpine = 590 (+110) Poway = 889 (+185) Lakeside = 1,190 (+153) Total Confirmed cases in Unincorporated San Diego County = 16,363 a total rise of 2,363. TESTING AVAILABLE If you believe you have symptoms please get tested. Most testing locations do not require an appointment. To find information on a testing location near you or call 2-11 (toll free) or on the web 211sandiego.org. The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is reporting yet another record number of COVID-19 cases. A total of 6,002 new lab-confirmed cases have been added in the region since Thursday, bringing the total to 126,465. Thurs = 120,463 Cases of the novel coronavirus have sharply increased since Thanksgiving and with the Christmas and New Year holidays around the corner, County health officials are concerned that no immediate end to the rise in cases is in sight. “The best gift you can give your loved ones and our frontline healthcare workers this holiday season is the gift of health,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “I urge San Diegans to follow the public health orders, avoid gatherings and wear a facial covering whenever they leave their residence so we can get this virus under control.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci personally traveled to the North Pole to vaccinate Santa Claus from the coronavirus, he said on CNN Saturday morning, in a claim that The Julian News cannot verify but certainly believes. In a very cute segment on CNN geared towards teaching children about COVID-19, Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, addressed questions from kids about whether Santa got the vaccine and if it was safe for him to visit them on Christmas and deliver presents. "Well, I have to say I took care of that for you because I was worried that you all would be upset," he said. "So what I did a little while ago, I took a trip up there to the North Pole. I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself. I measured his level of immunity, and he is good to go. He can come down the chimney, he can leave the presents, he can leave and you have nothing to worry about. Santa Claus is good to go." Fauci also answered questions about the vaccine, how the virus affects people, and the importance of following safety measures like wearing a mask even after getting vaccinated. With only a few days until Christmas, Fauci and other public health experts have urged people to be cautious while celebrating to prevent another massive spike in COVID-19 numbers. The country is now sitting at a critical juncture, with vaccines signaling what may be the beginning of the end of the pandemic, as deaths and hospitalizations hit record highs. More than 17 million coronavirus cases and 314,000 deaths have been recorded since public health officials began collecting data at the start of the pandemic.
Residential Knoxboxes Allow Firefighters To Get To Residents In Distress
by Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...just like the ones I used to know…" My very first white Christmas was long before our 1999 move to Julian. It was when I was 11 years old in the early 1960's. We were returning back to our home in the bay area; my mother, my two older siblings, and me. One year earlier, Mom's mother in Illinois had died prior to the holiday season. I believe Mom had a strong case of "Italian guilt," as the youngest daughter of parents who had immigrated from Italy during World War 1. She made plans to lease our home in Redwood City for nearly one year, so we could be with her widowed father. Since she was a single parent, she quit her job in the bay area and off we went on the train from San Francisco to Chicago in April during Easter break. Five of her siblings lived in the suburbs of Chicago. Grandpa was suffering from Alzheimer's and could no long remember how to speak English. During the ride in the station wagon to our new home in Oak
The KnoxBoxes can either be installed on a door or on a wall next to the front door. If someone in a home suffers a medical emergency, they may be able to push a medical alert button or call 911, but unable to get to the door when help arrives. San Diego County Fire is now offering qualifying residents a secure key safe called a KnoxBox that will allow first responders to gain access to a home within seconds in a life-threatening or critical situation. “When someone is having a medical emergency and becomes pulseless and apneic, it’s really important for us to get in there and provide medical attention within 4-6 minutes and it’s costing us minutes to get in when we are having to break a door down,” said County Fire Deputy Chief Dave Nissen, who has worked in the rural East County communities for 30 years. “Looking at it from an evacuee position, we can get in there as well if a house is imminently threatened by fire or other types of emergencies and move people out who may not be able to move themselves,” said Nissen. County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents communities protected by San Diego County Fire, said this program will truly benefit people in need in the backcountry. “For older folks with chronic health conditions or in need of help with basic activities, KnoxBoxes can be a lifesaver,” said Jacob. “These devices can also provide some peace of mind in a region where wildfire is a year-round threat.” The program aligns with the County’s commitment to living safely, one of four strategic plan initiatives, and is offered at no cost to qualifying residents. County Fire installs the box just on or near the front door and can only be opened by local firefighters responding to life-threatening emergencies. The concern about firefighters being able to gain access to their home was on Nancy Weir’s mind when she called her local fire station on Palomar Mountain. Initially, she just wanted to make sure they could get past a complicated gate system used by several homes including her own. In talking to the captain, she mentioned that she is recovering from a concussion that can cause various degrees of dizziness and fainting. “I just wanted to be sure if I was home alone with the doors locked, the fire department could easily get in without busting my door down,” continued on page 8
Park, Mom mentioned to her brother Carmie "I don't know how soon I will remember my Italian!". Uncle Carmie says “you worry too much Mary.” Well, she was fluent in less than a week, as we got our furniture from California delivered and boxes unpacked, and Grandpa moved into the house with us. For us kids, there were cousins everywhere!!! Always somebody to play sports with, waterskiing and fishing, camping. We learned bits of Italian to be able to converse with our happy grandpa. He was so thrilled to have his daughter back, as she had moved to San Francisco at age 21 in 1939, married my father in 1942, and served in WW2 as did my Dad. They began building a family after the war, and sadly, my parents divorced in the early 1950's. Our schedule to return to the Bay Area was set for late December during Christmas break. The movers packed our furniture and belongings into their truck and departed on Christmas Eve. Uncle Tony drove us to
photos by The Julian News
the bus station and we climbed onto the Greyhound for the 3 day journey back home to California. Merry Christmas! Somewhere in western Missouri, it began snowing at midday! What a thrill for us kids, our first experience ever with “the white stuff”… even though we were stuck in a Greyhound bus traveling on Route 66. It was a White Christmas and it was not a dream! Of course, living in Julian all these years, we have seen lots of snow, and shoveled regularly to keep our bed and breakfast property clear and safe for our guests. Snowfall is such a joy for San Diego county residents. We’ve seen snow in 10 of the 12 calendar months since moving here nearly 22 years ago. In late November 2008, Julian was preparing for Country Christmas and the tree-lighting ceremony in Pioneer Park. We woke up that day to heavy rain. I called our party rental supplier, Seidl’s, and requested a pavilion covering for the large stage they provide each year. They got it installed late morning just as the rain subsided. Later that afternoon, after several hours of performers with hundreds of people in the park and no rain, clouds appeared again in Julian. “Oh no!”, I thought. The crowd joined in the traditional countdown “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!”…and the Merchant of the Year lighted the tree. Santa Claus appears in his fire truck sleigh, as the snow begins to gently fall and the crowd cheers. Perfect scripting! Smiles everywhere.
To Protect Mental, Physical Wellness, Stay Close from Afar
by José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office
The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced us into isolation and kept us away from family and friends. That can make for a difficult holiday season, which is usually spent gathering with others and is often the only time some family members see each other. Mental health experts say it’s important to stay connected and reinforcing those relationships can make it easier to get through this challenging time. “Reach out to your loved ones and do it often,” said Luke Bergmann, director of Behavioral Health Services for the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. “It can help you, and them, feel less lonely and isolated while the stay-athome order is in place.” Bergmann emphasized that it is particularly important that we not pit our mental health against our public health. “The most important thing we can do for the community’s long-term mental wellness is to
observe public health orders and get this pandemic under control,” Bergmann said. But in the shorter-term, the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be stressful for people and communities. Bergmann said it’s important for people to monitor their physical and mental health and to stay as connected as possible while staying physically distant. “We are encouraging everyone
to be in contact with their friends and loved ones, but to please do it from afar,” he said. Behavioral Health Services offers the following tips for managing mental wellness while being isolated: Pause, take deep breaths and notice how you feel. Talk or video chat with people you trust about your feelings and concerns. continued on page 5
Wishing You All a Beautiful Holiday.
ESTABLISHED
1870
YEARS