Our deserts section covers the Anza Borrego Desert State Park and the communities of Borrego Springs, Ocotillo, Ocotillo Wells and Jacumba.
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October 3, 2025 (Borrego Springs, CA) -- Borrego Springs hosts its annual Borrego Days Desert Festival on October 18 and 19. Saturday features a morning flyover and parade, as well as the "Shine and Show" vehicle show.
There's also a beer garden, kids' zone, food stations, and booths featuring everything from art to information. Plus you can enjoy live music and other activities all weekend long.
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September 29, 2025 (Borrego Springs) – The Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center 2025-2026 season is underway. In October, the center will host the Miss Borrego Springs Pageant on Saturday, Oct. 11, followed by legendary blues musician Doug McLeod in concert on Friday, Oct. 17.
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Sept. 27, 2025 (San Diego County) -- The latest National Weather Service forecast for the San Diego area shows below-seasonal temperatures and a chance of thunderstorms, especially over the mountains and deserts, with a Beach Hazard Statement for coastal areas due to elevated surf.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for the San Diego County mountain and desert areas until 7 p.m. Saturday.
The NWS reports that an unanticipated weather pattern continues to affect the county, particularly the East County's mountains and deserts, bringing chances of showers and thunderstorms and unseasonably cool temperatures.
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Sept. 26, 2025 (Jacumba) -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information on the individual or individuals who shot at and robbed four hikers, injuring one, earlier this year in Jacumba.
The FBI's San Diego Field Office, Imperial County Resident Agency, in coordination with federal law enforcement partners, is offering the reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the individual(s) who in January committed assault and armed robbery on four hikers near the United States/Mexico International Border.
On Wednesday, Jan. 22, at about 10:37 a.m., four hikers were shot at and robbed at gunpoint by two unknown Hispanic male subjects approximately 1,000 feet from the U.S./Mexico international border.
At that time, the unknown subjects began shooting in the direction of the hikers, hitting one of the hikers. The unknown subjects then approached the hikers and stole their valuables while holding them at gunpoint. The injured hiker suffered non-lethal injuries.
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By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office
Photo: Zach Pope, Youtube screenshot
September 24, 2025 (San Diego) - It doesn’t arrive in theaters until Friday, but a new blockbuster movie generating Oscar buzz has already been a big financial hit for San Diego County.
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Sept. 15, 2025 (San Diego County) -- September is recognized as National Suicide Prevention Month.
While mental health is a year-round concern and there are specific mental health awareness events that happen in other months (such as May being Mental Health Awareness Month), September is specifically dedicated to raising awareness about suicide prevention.
During this month, various organizations and individuals work to:
Promote awareness of suicide as a public health issue;
Share resources and information to help people who may be struggling;
Encourage open conversations about suicide and mental health;
Remember those who have been lost to suicide;
And highlight the importance of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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Kumeyaay native plant presentation by Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretative Center. Photo by Laurie Brindle
East County News Service
Sept. 10, 2025 (Borrego Springs) -- Get ready for some adventures in artifacts.
California State Parks and the Colorado Desert Archaeology Society are getting set for "Archaeology Day" in November.
Archaeology Day is a family-friendly event that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the vast Anza-Borrego Desert — and the people who have lived there for thousands of years.
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Photo of people checking out the Anza Borrego Desert courtesy Anza Borrego Foundation
East County News Service
Sept. 10, 2025 (Borrego Springs) -- It's September -- and that means the heat is on in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
With average daily high temperatures in the mid-90s°F and above, Borrego Springs will likely be too hot for comfortable outdoor activities, but the Anza-Borrego Foundation has two education events in the second part of the month.
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September 2, 2025 (Borrego Springs) - On July 31, Borrego Community Builders, in partnership with Skyline Construction, hosted a Subcontractor Meet-and-Greet in Borrego Springs to connect local tradespeople with a landmark hospitality project. The gathering brought together electricians, plumbers, painters, construction crews, and other skilled trades from Borrego Springs and neighboring desert communities, providing a direct link to upcoming bid opportunities for the Rams Hill Golf Cottages project.
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Aug. 28, 2025 (Jacumba) -- The next first Saturday will once again be an evening for visitors and locals to shop, eat, drink and soak in the high desert.
The Jacumba Bathhouse is holding its next First Saturday bazaar from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 6 at 44450 Old Highway 80 at Jacumba Street.
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August 6, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Dangerously high temperatures are forecast across much of East County through Friday, peaking on Thursday. Other East County communities could reach the high 90s.
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July 29, 2025 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Bad Vibes Good Friends and Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel will present Jacumbia Fest on August 30 starting at 5 p.m.— a one-night-only celebration of Afro-Colombian rhythms, traditional and psychedelic cumbia from Colombia, Mexico and USA.
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July 29, 2025 (Borrego Springs) – When a fire engulfed her home in Borrego Springs on July 24, Cherie Bianco, a hairdresser and yoga teacher, lost everything – her home, her car, clothing and other belongings, and even her beloved pet dog and cats.
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Photo: 5th Supervisorial district candidates Kyle Krahel, John Franklin and Rebeca Jones.
July 27, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego’s 5th Supervisorial district will soon have a new representative. Supervisor Jim Desmond, a conservative Republican, has announced plans to run for the 49th Congressional district . The 49th District, currently represented by Congressman Mike Levin, a Democrat, is a coastal enclave that includes Oceanside, Camp Pendleton and San Clemente.
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July 17, 2025 (San Diego County) – There won’t be any light rail coming to Alpine to zip people out to downtown San Diego, but the planners at the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) have unfurled some grand ideas in its Draft 2025 Regional Plan to improve transportation in both rural and urban areas in East County as well as countywide.
SANDAG leadership offered some insight into the plan at an hourlong Zoom meeting on Wednesday, July 16. The meeting was geared to those in the unincorporated parts of East County, and while it offered opportunities to ask questions, the SANDAG hosts mostly shared information about its long-term blueprint aimed at shaping the region’s transportation, housing, land use and climate goals over the next two decades.
The proposed Regional Plan shows six “neighborhood shuttles” being proposed for unincorporated areas: Alpine, Casa de Oro/Spring Valley, Borrego Springs, Lakeside, Ramona and Fallbook/Pala.
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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park photo (left) by Karen Pearlman
East County News Service
July 15, 2025 (San Diego County) -- California State Parks Foundation is inviting park visitors and photography enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels to capture the natural beauty, recreational activities and unique landscapes of California’s state parks.
The California State Parks Foundation Photo Contest is now open for submissions and runs through September 30, 2025.
San Diego County has more than a dozen state parks, including Anza Borrego Desert, Cuyamaca Rancho, Palomar Mountain and several state beaches — including Carlsbad State Beach, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in La Jolla, Border Field State Park Beach in Imperial Beach and Silver Strand State Beach in Coronado.
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Initiative would serve as a model for community-led energy resilience, delivering more reliable power and improved energy security for Borrego’s most vulnerable residents and businesses
File photo, left: Sunbeams over Anza-Borrego Desert near Borrego Springs
By Gabriela Dow
May 16, 2025 (Borrego Springs) -- The Borrego Springs Microgrid Collaborative (BSMC) has submitted a grant application for funding through San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) under the California Microgrid Incentive Program (MIP). California Senate Bill 1339, enacted 2018, directed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to develop microgrid policies, leading to the MIP.
This funding opportunity is a critical step in advancing a community microgrid that enhances energy reliability, resilience, and sustainability for Borrego Springs – a community of just over 3,000 residents in San Diego County, surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
The MIP was established to improve electricity reliability, increase resilience in high-risk communities, and promote clean energy technologies. This milestone marks an important step toward a more sustainable and reliable energy future for the Borrego Springs community.
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Three other state parks in San Diego County also recognized
East County News Service
Photos. left and right by Bob Kutschner: Wildflower fields at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
May 17, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has been named the best California state park for wildflower viewing in a new “Best of California State Parks” poll released by the California State Parks Foundation. Anza-Borrego also won an honorable mention for best camping location.
Three other state parks in San Diego County also made the list.
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Update May 2, 2025 -- The fire is 100% contained according to CalFire. One firefighter has suffered a minor injury, according to City News Service.
Update 4:30 p.m.--The fire has grown to around 50 acres and is burning at a slow rate. Per Cal Fire, crews are working in steep,rocky terrain but firefighters are making good progress. The fire is 5% contained.
May 1, 2025 (Julian, CA) – The #FelipeFire is burning along Highway 78 east of San Felipe Road and north o f Shelter Valley near Julian. The fire is 15-20 acres and has shut down all lanes of State Route 78 in both directions, per Cal Fire.
The fire has a moderate rate of spread with potential for extended attack, however no structures are threatened at this time, Watch Duty reports. Air attack has requested additional air tankers and incident command is asking for two more hand crews.
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April 25, 2025 (San Diego’s East County – The Anza-Borrego Desert in inland San Diego County is captivating with its beauty and expansiveness, humbling and powerful in its quietness. A landscape of extremes -- sun-scorched earth and hidden blooms, rugged canyons carved by time, and sudden spring wildflowers when the rain gods have been kind -- the desert has a raw quality that strips everything down to the essentials of light, shadow, stone and sky.
Our desert region includes Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, famous for its spring wildflowers and rugged terrain; the city of Borrego Springs, the nation’s first “Dark Sky” community and ideal for stargazing; Agua Caliente State Park, known for its thermal pools; Ocotillo Wells, a wildly popular draw for off-road vehicles; and Jacumba Hot Springs, a town that has reinvented itself and become a destination on its own merits.
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April 24, 2025 (Borrego Springs) -- Just over a year ago, on March 16, 2024 amid a superbloom season, Tom Eichacher and Olivia Natt visited the flower fields along Henderson Road in the Anza-Borrego Desert, where they became engaged to be married.
“Someone with a professional photo set-up took our pictures, and I'm trying desperately to find them!” Natt told East County Magazine. At left is the photo of the couple.
She says the photographer is a woman, who said she is Korean. “My partner actually took a photograph of me with the photographer, looking at her monitor,” adds Natt, who provided the image below right.
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April 23, 2025 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Miguel Sua, 31, has been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing multiple homes in Jacumba Hot Springs.
After obtaining a warrant, deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Rural Command station searched Sua’s home Monday morning, where they found stolen property, guns, over a quarter pound of fentanyl, and burglary tools.
He is charged with multiple counts of burglary.
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April 19, 2025 (San Diego County) -- San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson (photo, left) the county's District 2 representative and voice, is asking for the public's help to weigh in on extending public notice review time for the Board of Supervisors agenda.
Anderson sent an email to constituents noting that "public engagement is essential to making sure that County government works for you."
Anderson said that the County currently posts Board of Supervisors meeting agendas here six days before meetings, with changes or edits posted just two days before.
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Photos by Karen, left and right: Protest in Borrego Springs Saturday drew about 300 residents
April 6, 2025 (San Diego) – An estimated 12,000 protesters in downtown San Diego turned out yesterday, according to San Diego Police, with other estimates far higher. The peaceful demonstration was part of the nationwide “Hands Off” rallies which drew millions of demonstrators against the dismantling of federal programs, mass firings, and erosion of rights under the Trump administration.
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March 21, 2025 (Borrego Springs) – An international aerobatics competition will be held at the Borrego Springs airport Thursday through Saturday, April 10-12, organized by the International Aerobatic Club’s Chapter 36. A highlight for viewers is Saturday’s four-minute freestyle flights set to music, usually involving smoke, flown by top pilots, IAC36 president Bryan Jones advises.
Thursday is practice and registration, while Friday features contest flights all day long.
You can also stop by the Propeller Bar and Grill, where you can enjoy food and drinks plus a rooftop deck to view the flying.
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March 4, 2025 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- A man is facing assault with a deadly weapon and other serious charges after a search of his property in Jacumba uncovered firearms, explosives and booby traps, says Lieutenant Jeff Ford with the San Diego County Sheriff’s department.
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March 2, 2025 (Borrego Springs) – The Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association invites you to the 2025 Borrego Home and Garden Tour on Saturday, March 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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March 2, 2025 (Borrego Springs) – The Ram, a grassroots, nonprofit community radio station serving Borrego Springs is now online and can be heard here.
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Photo: Merle Wakefield and Alvin Quarles have been conditionally released into Campo and Borrego Springs.
February 16, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The Sheriff’s department has sent warning notices to residents in Borrego Springs and Campo, announcing that two sexually violent predators have been conditionally released into these communities. The court has ordered Liberty Healthcare, which runs the state’s conditional release program, to continue seeking permanent placement for the two men.
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East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
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Kumeyaay native plant presentation by Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretative Center. Photo by Laurie Brindle
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
Photos and story By Karen Pearlman
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park photo (left) by Karen Pearlman
File photo, left: Sunbeams over Anza-Borrego Desert near Borrego Springs
East County News Service
Photos. left and right by Bob Kutschner: Wildflower fields at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
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