By Megan Burks<\/span><\/p>\n

Countywide Blackout Brings the Block Out<\/strong>
\nAn operator error<\/a> at a power line switching station in Arizona caused a blackout late Thursday afternoon that affected all of San Diego County and parts of Riverside, Orange County and Arizona.<\/p>\n

Residents in City Heights lined up for ice and batteries at corner markets<\/a> and poured out from homes to escape the heat. Neighbors chatted, shared food and used their cars to listen to the radio. One resident even connected a television to her car battery to keep up on her telenovelas.<\/p>\n

City Heights residents shared these observations last night and this morning on Twitter.<\/p>\n

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Cheers\u00a0erupted when power returned to City Heights around 10:45 p.m. By morning, service had been restored to all affected.<\/p>\n

Schools in the San Diego Unified School District remain closed today.<\/p>\n

San Diego Gas & Electric is warning residents to limit electricity use until the grid is more stable. Officials said they don\u2019t expect blackouts tonight.<\/p>\n

Follow resident and San Diego Reader writer Elizabeth Salaam @ElizabethSalaam<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Muslims Speak Out Leading Up to 9\/11 Anniversary<\/strong>
\nAs the nation anticipates the 10-year anniversary of 9\/11, local and national media spent the week talking with those most affected by the attack. Many are zeroing in on the Muslim community.<\/p>\n

KPBS revisited the Clairemont apartment complex<\/a> where two of the hijackers lived to talk with Muslim and non-Muslim neighbors.<\/p>\n

One neighbor said she is still suspicious of women in the neighborhood who wear headscarves and speak a different language. Rawya Emalt, a Muslim neighbor who wears a headscarf, said she felt that suspicion following the attacks.<\/p>\n

“Wearing a scarf doesn\u2019t mean anything,\u201d she told KPBS. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re oppressed. It\u2019s a choice I did for myself. It doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m against humanity. It doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m a terrorist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite such suspicion, the consensus found in many of these articles is that the Muslim community has come a long way in building bridges with non-Muslims.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the message in a San Diego Union-Tribune piece<\/a> written by Encanto resident and Muslim leader Edgar Hopida. In it, he recounts the moment he learned of the attack on the World Trade Center and how he has coped in the years after.<\/p>\n

Follow KPBS @KPBSNews<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Some Latinos Converting to Islam<\/strong>
\nOne such bridge is now connecting Muslims with Latinos.<\/p>\n

Latinos now make up 4 percent of those practicing Islam in the United States. This week, KPBS and the Huffington Post talked with new converts to the country\u2019s fastest growing religion.<\/p>\n

KPBS met a local Chilean family<\/a> learning to accept a son\u2019s decision to convert to Islam. That acceptance became tricky in the days following 9\/11.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially there was this kind of ‘what\u2019s going on, should I leave my house?\u2019\u201d recalled Diego. “And having to apologize for something I had nothing to do with.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the family\u2019s bond was too strong to crumble under competing religious beliefs.<\/p>\n

According to the Huffington Post, it\u2019s that focus on that family that leads many Latinos to convert to Islam. The website talks with several Latino converts<\/a> about their decision.<\/p>\n

Follow the Huffington Post @HuffingtonPost<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Immigrants Ground Zero Workers Sick, Afraid to Seek Help<\/strong>
\nIn the lead-up to the Sunday anniversary, The Washington Post took a look at the immigrant men and women who cleared dust and rubble<\/a> from office buildings following the 9\/11 attack. Many are sick with the same illnesses that Ground Zero cleanup crews experience.<\/p>\n

Though the same medical help is available to immigrant workers, many are afraid accessing it could land them in deportation proceedings. Now, a group is meeting with immigrants to clear up misconceptions.<\/p>\n

Follow The Washington Post @washingtonpost<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

City Heights Family Says Police \u201cTerrorized\u201d Birthday Party Guests<\/strong>
\nA City Heights family filed a complaint<\/a> with the San Diego Police Department following a search of a child\u2019s birthday party, according to 10 News San Diego.<\/p>\n

The family said officers entered the home with guns drawn to look for two armed men. Women and children were reportedly taken to the ground and handcuffed during the search.<\/p>\n

According to 10 News, the officers did not have a warrant and did not file a report because no arrests were made.<\/p>\n

This lack of documentation is similar to what happened to Christian Brise\u00f1o and Ricardo Gonzales<\/a>, two City Heights men who were pulled over for a broken taillight and turned over to immigration authorities. Officers searched their car only because the men were driving through a gang surveillance area. Detailed information about the incident isn\u2019t available because the men were never arrested, despite being cuffed.<\/p>\n

Both incidents call into question whether search and seizure procedures followed by the gang surveillance unit afford officers too much freedom. The department said its procedure has been upheld in court and is necessary for the safety of residents and gang informants.<\/p>\n

Follow 10 News San Diego @10News<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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