2024 Future Fest College and Career Fair taking place Oct. 19
In partnership with the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and Cal-SOAP, Grossmont Union High School District’s 2024 Future Fest College and Career Fair will open doors and opportunity for countless East County students this Saturday.The event will take place Oct. 19 at Cuyamaca College (900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon) from 9 a.m. to noon.Attending students will meet directly with admissions representatives from more than 70 public and private universities from around the country, local community colleges, trade schools, military/law enforcement, and employers.The free event offers a variety of workshops, including information on admission to four-year universities and two-year colleges, assistance with college applications, financial aid, scholarships, NCAA recruiting, and more.Free parking is available in any parking space that is not marked “Staff” on the Cuyamaca College campus.For more information, visit the Future Fest website.Courtesy photo
Owners of Christy’s Donuts in Point Loma robbed of their savings
Julie and Peng “Chris” Tou, owners of Christy’s Donuts in Point Loma, are recovering from having their home burglarized recently and their savings stolen from their safe while they were both away.The Tou’s eldest daughter, Kim Bott, started a GoFundMe after the tragedy to help her parents out. But she said that effort has been discontinued.“I closed it (GoFundMe) because they felt uncomfortable taking the money,” Bott said adding her parents instead told her, “We’ll work at the shop and want people to buy donuts instead. They’re hard-working and just want people to come and support them.”As the eldest child of Julie and Pheng Tou, known as Chris by his customers, Bott said: “I watched my parents work tirelessly my entire life. They separately immigrated to America from Cambodia in 1982. They had both lived through a nightmare during the Khmer Rouge civil war and Cambodian genocide as children and early teens.”Bott noted her parents met in high school and started dating in college. “My father had an uncle who was in the donut business and that’s where he started learning how to make donuts,” she said. “My parents married and opened their business, Christy’s Donuts, at 3710 Voltaire St. in 1989. It wasn’t an easy start. But now, 35 years later, they are still there with a dedicated customer base.”Bott said the police investigation into her parent’s burglary is ongoing. She said the home invasion occurred sometime between 4 and 6 p.m. on a Wednesday. She added the timing was odd for several reasons.“It was in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week when people are getting home from work and usually people are around,” she noted adding, “Somebody went in and took their safe, which was more for keeping documents and other valuables from fire, and was not something they ever really thought about.”Concerning what her parents might have done differently to protect themselves, Bott pointed out they “didn’t take photos” of valuables in their safe, which could have helped in recovering them. “It might also have helped if they had security cameras planted,” she said adding, “It’s important to make sure things are locked.”Noted Bott: “My parents are the hardest-working people I know. They stay open every day of the week and every holiday. Their business and their customers always come first. Having everything taken from them again and having to start all over with nothing is heartbreaking.”Peng and Julie and Tou, owners of Christy’s Donuts at 3710 Voltaire St. in Point Loma. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOThe outpouring of sympathy from the Peninsula community for the Tous has been heartwarming, noted their daughter. “A lot of people have reached out and said this has happened to them, someone’s either robbed their home or stolen their car,” said Bott.Summing up a tragic occurrence, Bott said: “The moral of the story here is that they’ve been a staple in the community for over 35 years. It’s a generational type of business. To have their security taken from them – that is not right after all they’ve been through.”Bott concluded her parents could “use their community more than ever right now. They planned on retiring, hoping to enjoy the fruits of their labor, within the next few years. Even going through an experience like this, they are still optimistic, knowing they must work harder to earn for their future. They are too proud to ask and wouldn’t want to burden anyone. As their child, knowing how much they have sacrificed for all of us, any help is incredibly appreciated.”
Assemblymember Weber announces 12 bills signed into law
Recently, Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D- La Mesa) announced 12 of her bills that she has authored or joint authored have been signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.AB 796 : Title Protection for Athletic TrainersThis bill would establish title protection for certified athletic trainers, prohibits an individual from holding themselves out to be an athletic trainer or certified athletic trainer without the required education and training requirements and would prevents a person that has been convicted in court or has had their license or registration in another state restricted from practice athletic training in California.AB 1815: Expansion of the CROWN ActThis bill would expand the CROWN ACT prohibiting hair discrimination to include amateur or youth sports organizations and any private entities open to members of the public, whether they are for-profit businesses or non-profit organization.AB 1841: Narcan in University HousingThis bill would require CSU and Community colleges to train students on the use of opioid reversal medication and requires university housing to be stocked with opioid reversal medication.AB 1891: Admissions for Community College Health ProgramsThis bill would allow California’s community colleges, to utilize multi-criteria screening, first-come-first serve, or a lottery system, or a combination of these practices in their admission process for Allied Health programs.AB 1900: Consumer NDAsProhibits companies from requiring a consumer to sign a non-disclosure agreement as a condition of receiving a refund or anything of value.AB 1984: Reporting on Student TransfersWould require the Department of Education to collect and publish on its website, the number of students transferred to alternative schools due to disciplinary reasons, in each school district.AB 2072: Biomedical Health PlansWould extend the sunset date to, Jan. 1, 2030, the ability for biomedical companies to offer affordable, high-quality health insurance to their employees through California’s small employer association health plan law.AB 2119: Destigmatizing Mental Health CodeWould remove outdated and stigmatizing language regarding mental and behavioral health conditions from current Welfare and Institutions Code, including words like “defect” or “burden.”AB 2166: Textured Hair TrainingWould require courses in hairstyling, barbering, or cosmetology to include instruction for providing services to persons with varying hair types, including different textures, thicknesses, and curl or wave patterns. Additionally, the bill would require examinations for licensure in barbering or cosmetology to include questions about textured hair.AB 2319 (Joint Author): Implicit Bias TrainingExpands the types of health care providers and health facility employees who must participate in implicit bias training pursuant to the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act.AB 3059: Donor Breast MilkWould require commercial health plans to cover medically necessary pasteurized donor human milk for tinfants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), and exempts hospitals from having to obtain a tissue bank license in order to distribute donor milk.SB 1394 (Joint Author): Vehicle Privacy for Domestic Violence SurvivorsWould require vehicle manufacturers to allow drivers to terminate remote access to a vehicle and remote access to the location of the vehicle, when they are survivors of domestic violence. Photo credit: Pixabay.com
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