Smoke visible in Ramona and the backcountry is from a brush fire near the Pacific Crest Trail between Campo and Potrero. It was reported at 1:13 p.m. today and by 2:50 p.m. had grown to 75 acres, CalFire reported.
     Because of the location of the blaze, firefighters were having a problem reaching it by ground. Four airtankers, three helicopters and one helitanker initially responded from the air and two addition airtankers have been ordered. The fire is burning on the west slope with a southwest wind, reports CalFire.
     CalFire is calling this the Cowboy fire, and CalFire crews are being assisted by the U.S. Forest Service and San Diego Sheriff’s Department. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Author invites community to contribute photographs.

Ramona resident, university instructor and noted historian Richard L. Carrico is working closely with the Ramona Pioneer Historical Society to produce a photographic history of the area. The book, one of a series in the Arcadia Press “Images of America Series,” will contain more than 170 photographs of Ramona.

Ken Woodward, historical society director, is enthusiastic about the project and has worked closely with Carrico on the book.

Assemblyman Anderson invites business owners to come to his office on Monday, Sept. 13, and record their testimony about how a state tax or regulation has brought their business to the brink.

Each business owner will have time to share his or her story on camera. The testimony will be featured on Anderson’s website, and the District 77 assemblyman Anderson will deliver the videos to the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate President Pro-Tempore in Sacramento.

“It is time to get the message out that California’s businesses — the fuel of our state’s economic engine — will not survive this endless barrage of taxation and regulation,” said Anderson (R-El Cajon).

Working with a different solar company, the Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) estimates it will save more money than originally thought on solar installations.

RMWD directors approved a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) on June 1 with Ramona Solar, LLC, which was formed by Alternative Energy Capital, LLC (AEC). Ramona Solar acts as a third party financing entity for this project. AEC Finance is the managing member, explained RMWD General Counsel Sophie Akins.

At the time of the agreement, Sequoia Solar was chosen to construct the projects. However, since then Sequoia has filed for bankruptcy, said RMWD General Manager Ralph McIntosh, and REC Solar will be installing the solar photovoltaic panels.

“Budget smudget. We are not backing away from doing what is best for our students,” Dr. Bob Graeff, Ramona Unified School District superintendent, told district employees in his opening presentation for the school year.

Amidst the turmoil surrounding education in today‘s world, RUSD is on a steady course, said Graeff.

“We know that we remain focused on people, we know budget challenges will continue, and we know student achievement improves steadily,” Graeff said during district convocation last Thursday, the first day of the school year for teachers and support staff.

     Music festivals, wine tasting rooms and the Ramona Grasslands could all bring tourists to Ramona. Now, another idea has been proposed: Art murals.
   & nbsp;  Elaine Lyttleton, a member of the Ramona Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee, has been working on the idea and brought her proposal to the Ramona Design Review Board’s Aug. 26 meeting.
    ;   Lyttleton said she is originally from the town of Chemainus on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, which was a booming lumber town. When the lumber mills closed, a group of citizens, looking for ways to bring money into town, started an outdoor art gallery of murals.
    & nbsp; The murals are painted on the outside walls of buildings in town, with scenes depicting history of the area. Chemainus now has about 40 murals, as well as a large performing arts center, Lyttleton said. The town honors its history, the art and the artists, she added.
   & nbsp;  “It took them 10 years to actually create a multi-million dollar tourism agency,” said Lyttleton. “I thought, well why couldn’t Ramona try to do the same thing.”
       With Ramona considered the geographic center, or “heart,” of San Diego County, Lyttleton is calling the idea “Heart Mural Project.”
    & nbsp; “We need a reason for people who drive through Ramona to Julian and the desert to stop,” she said. “If they can do it, we can do it.”
   &nb sp;  Noting that there are plenty of blank wall “canvases” in town, Lyttleton said a theme would be chosen for the murals, such as the history of Ramona. Lyttleton plans to serve on a committee with Judy Nachazel, Stephanie Norvell, Donna Zick and Rob Lewallen, all from Ramona.
       Subcommittees would also need to be formed, as some of the work will involve getting commitments from building owners, looking into funding sources, budgeting and finding muralists, said Lyttleton. She plans to visit and talk to other communities that have similar projects.

Two-day-a-week service to start in early October.
Transportation service for senior citizens is coming to Ramona.

The kickoff for the service will be on Oct. 7 at Ramona Senior Center at 434 Aqua Lane, said Ramona resident LaVonna Connelly, who played a key role in raising awareness for this community need.

The service will pick up seniors and transport them to two zones. Zone 1 will be the main part of town and zone 2 will be San Diego Country Estates, said Connelly.

The service will require a 24-hour notice and will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The cost will be $3 one way for a ride within a zone and $5 one way to ride from one zone to the other zone, Connelly said. Discounts will be provided if people ride together. For example, if one senior calls for a ride, he or she may bring one or two other seniors and they can split the $3 charge, said Connelly.

Transportation will be provided in an SUV-type of vehicle.

Funding is for just one year, and is through a senior mini grant from Full Access and Coordinated Transportation (FACT), said Connelly. Mini grants are administered by San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), and the money comes from the TransNet half-cent sales tax, she explained.

The mini grant will allow 20 percent of the service to be available to non-seniors who are physically- or economically-challenged, Connelly said.

Connelly serves as vice chair of Ramona Transportation Action Committee (RTAC), a small informal committee of community leaders, including Kristi Mansolf of the Ramona Community Planning Group. Mansolf worked closely with Connelly to bring senior transportation to town.

Connelly said she began her mission by trying to form relationships with community groups “to get the word out” about the need for senior transportation and to yield a solution. She attended meetings of the Ramona Community Planning Group, the group’s Transportation and Trails Subcommittee, the Ramona Community Revitalization Steering Committee and other groups. Connelly also became involved with FACT and attended SANDAG meetings.

After a survey on transportation, Connelly said, “We got calls from people saying there was a need.” Connelly said she heard stories of seniors who were unable to get to medical appointments.

Peter Zindler fears for the younger generations.

“Drugs, alcohol, witchcraft, sex — there’s a lot of things that kids are getting involved in,” he said. “The rate of kids going to church is down. It’s in my heart that we are going to lose a generation if we don’t begin praying for them.”

“Coach Pete,” as many in Ramona know him, is calling for the community to come together for an “Evening of Prayer,” to pray for the nation and for Ramona’s youth.

“If we come together and pray as a community, it will be far more powerful,” Zindler said. “The community, to my knowledge, hasn’t, other than a day at the polls, really come together. I am hoping to bridge that gap.”

Parents get involved in Ramona schools in a big way through the parent-teacher associations at each of the schools. Annual membership dues vary from school to school, and membership drives will be held at the start of the school year.

Sun Valley Council PTA is an umbrella organization that includes the eight PTAs in the district.
Anyone wishing to support all of the school PTAs may join them all for $84.