East County News Service

May 15, 2023 (Santee) – Patricia Louise Adamson, 63,  died May 3 at the Las Colinas Detention Facility.  Homeless in San Diego, she was arrested Feb. 13 by San Diego Police Department on a vandalism charge.

East County News Service

May 15, 2023 (Santee) – A  Santee woman has been arrested on suspicion of mailing drug-laced letters to a county jail.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, on four separate occasions between December 2022 and April 2023, deputies assigned to the Sheriff's Mail Processing Center intercepted letters intended for an individual in a detention facility. They noticed the letters had the appearance of being soaked in an unknown liquid and dried.

Deputies tested the letters and determined they had been soaked in liquid methamphetamine. The letters were then seized as evidence.

By Mike Allen

May 13, 2023 (Santee) – Soon after East County Magazine posted news that the 65-year old Santee Drive In Theater was in escrow, this website began hearing from people that the story was “wrong” and to stop publishing “fake news.”

The seller of the property, which doubles as the Santee Swap Meet on weekends, Susan Forte Boyd, sent an emailed statement to ECM that drive-in was not sold.  However, ECM has reconfirmed that the property is in escrow.

"It is a statement of fact that the Santee Drive-In Theatre has not been sold," ForteBoyd said in an email. She also said the reporter (me) and his sources got the facts wrong, and never contacted the sellers.

That is not true.

UPDATE: The owner states that the property has not sold, however ECM has confirmed that it is in escrow. Read more:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/santee-drive-sale-sparks-outcry-property-escrow-city-confirms

 

By Mike Allen

May 6, 2023 (Santee) - The Santee Drive-In, which opened in 1958 and one of the last open-air drive-ins left in the county, is in escrow to a Los Angeles-based development firm, North Palisades Partners.

April 13, 2023 (Santee) -- Enjoy a Saturday full of fun and the opportunity to learn about how to start your very own coin collection or have the chance to add new coins to your collection. There will be plenty of U.S. and foreign coins, antique coins, AND currency too.

East County News Service

April 10, 2023 (Santee) – The City of Santee will host its Friday Nights Live entertainment series at the Santee Trolley Square, kicking off summer with free family fun an entertainment.

East County News Service

March 31, 2023 (Santee) – The City of Santee will host “Hop Down the Bunny Trail,” a free family-friendly event on Saturday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Santee Trolley Square, 9850 Mission Gorge Road, Santee.

The fun includes music, kids’ crafts, carnival rides, giveaways, Easter bunny photos, an egg hunt, and more.

By Shiloh Ireland

Photo: Kate Richardson, Miss Bulls Only Rodeo Queen and Talia Klotzkin, Junior Miss Bulls Only Rodeo Queen

March 26, 2023 (Lakeside) – The journey to be crowned a queen in Lakeside’s Bulls Only Rodeo begins with horsemanship trials and interviews with equestrian judges to the evening of the pageant held at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds. Ten young women vied for the title, include five contestants for Junior Miss Bulls and five competing for Miss Bulls Only Rodeo Queen.

ECM photographed the selection of Miss Bulls Only Rodeo Queen and Junior Miss Bulls Only Rodeo Queen and later interviewed these two 2023 Queens. The Bulls Only Rodeo event is sponsored by the Optimist Club of  Lakeside.

Story and photos by Shiloh Ireland

March 21, 2023 (Lakeside) -- Lakeside has a new state of the art library. ECM took a preview tour of the 16,000 square foot facility on March 1 during a soft opening, also interviewing librarian Mary Elder. The grand opening is scheduled for March 25^th.

ECM has conducted a photographic and drone history since ground-breaking of this new addition to Lakeside. As part of the San Diego County public library system, it is open to all residents of the county to utilize its services and check out materials.

The library offers a spacious environment with a teen room, children's section with a cave and large screen computer screens, large print section, DVD area, outdoor patio, state of the art computer check-out machine, attractive artwork, Lakeside Friends of the Library’s room that offers books for sale and much more.

East County News Service

March 19, 2023 (Lakeside) – Reflections Day Spa invites you to its 7^th annual Haircuts for the Homeless event on Sunday, April 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations of items to help the homeless are sought, including sleeping bags, blankets, tents, socks, jackets, beanies and toiletries.

Reflections Day Spa is located at 9909 Maine Ave., Lakeside, CA 92040.  Questions? Call (619) 334-2240.

By Daniela Torres

March 15, 2023 (Santee) -- The 7th annual Fido Fest was held Saturday, March 11 at the Town Center Community Park East. This event provided a great opportunity for dogs and dog lovers to enjoy themselves with giveaways, an agility course, contests, and much more for a tail-waggin’ good time.

Originally, Fido Fest was supposed to take place on February 25. However, it was rescheduled to March 11th due to weather concerns, according to the City of Santee.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Photos courtesy IPS

March 4, 2023 (Lakeside) -- For almost 20 years, the Lakeside Community Collaborative has worked to enhance the health and safety of Lakeside residents. The Collaborative is made up of representatives from schools, law enforcement, chamber of commerce, public health organizations, and everyday Lakeside residents. Through monthly meetings, the group shares information and coordinates activities to address important issues facing Lakeside. This includes assessments of community conditions that could lead to substance use and abuse.

A “Walking Woodside” community assessment was conducted by the Lakeside Community Collaborative on a Saturday morning in February 2023. IPS was joined by a representative from the San Diego County Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities and a member of recently formed Lakeside Amity Group. We walked both sides of Woodside Avenue, between Winter Gardens Boulevard and Maine Avenue. A distance of about 1.4 miles.

The goal of the Collaborative was to not only conduct the assessment, but also encourage community engagement. We hope that this endeavor will bring awareness to issues like alcohol retail density. By physically walking down this street and taking in the environment, we were able to better identify with our own eyes, potential areas of concern. What we found was more than concerning, it was outright scary.