July 15, 2019 (La Mesa)—The city of La Mesa is exploring a community choice aggregation (CCA) energy option to provide 100 percent clean energy for the entire community.
Tonight at 6 p.m., the city’s Environmental Sustainability Commission will discuss findings of a feasibility study funded jointly by the cities of La Mesa, Santee and Chula Vista on the viability of a CCA that would let each city purchase electrical power for its residents as an option to SDG&E for competitively priced clean energy.
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Spa exterior, restaurant and running pictures courtesy Daniel Smeichowski. Spa water photo courtesy Miriam Raftery
July 14, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- As I drove east on Old Highway 80 about five miles to the I-8 east junction, I came upon a God-forsaken outpost of ramshackle homes, a trailer park, County library, elementary school, a few churches and a grocery store. What brought me here, however, was the iconic spa named after the town itself, the Jacumba Hot Springs Resort & Spa.
It seems like yesterday when my Mother and Father brought me here on a Greyhound bus from Milwaukee 54 years ago. In 1966, this spa served as a waystation for Greyhound bus lines. Interstate 8 did not exist in 1966 going through the El Centro corridor. But what was my real motivation in coming here? I came here for the sake of my beloved sport of triathlon. It was a match made in heaven. Mecca in the high desert. Blissfully sensual and healthier than 20 Spanish Pamplona bulls. Yes, I considered the extreme temperatures but common sense solved any dangers to the body and mind.
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Update July 15, 2019: The Border Fire has been 100% contained after burning 100 acres on the U.S. side of the border, Cal Fire reports.
East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service
July 13, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – The #BorderFire which charred over 650 acres in Mexico before jumping the international border yesterday in San Diego’s East County is now 85 percent contained, after burning 100 acres in the U.S.
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Photo: UCSD’s HP Wren camera on Mt. Laguna shows approaching storm
July 13, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – This afternoon’s storm dumped two inches of rain on Mt. Laguna in just a 48-minute period, the National Weather Service reports, with potential flash flooding through 6 p.m. in the mountain areas.
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Photos: Map of proposed project; wildlife photos by Debbie Ekhaml, including raccoons in adjacent Sweetwater National Wildlife Refuge and mule deer in Jamul ecological preserve are among wildlife species that could be negatively impacted
July 13, 2019 (Rancho San Diego) – Significant concerns raised by the community over the proposal for a 10-year sand mining operation at Cottonwood Golf Course have been confirmed with the release of the County of San Diego’s Scoping Letter on the project.
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July 13, 2019 (La Mesa) – You’re invited to join honorary guest Bill Walton, basketball Hall of Fame champion, to celebrate 20 years of successful parks projects and programs in La Mesa as the La Mesa Parks and Recreation Foundation kicks off fundraising to renovate McArthur Park.
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July 13, 2019 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa has an opportunity to apply for a Calif. Dept. of Parks and Recreation (Prop 68) grant. The grant will help the next phase of improvements at Collier Park.
The city is hosting a series of public meetings to get the community’s ideas and input.
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July 12, 2019 (Campo) – A train that Roy Athey ran for 20 years in Alpine, offering rides to delight children, will soon be part of a mine train ride at the Campo Railroad Park & Museum Athey donated his train to the facility. Now, three new cars for the train are being constructed at Greg Heyser’s shop in Alpine.
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July 12, 2019 (Escondido) – The city of Escondido wants to evict Bubba and Einstein, a pair of alpacas owned by Kelly Thor and Ryan Jimenez. The couple fulfilled their dream of buying a home where they could raise animals in 2017 and were surprised to learn that the city regulates alpacas as cattle for purposes of zoning.
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UPDATE AS OF 7:22 PM: Fire is now 100 acres on the U.S. side, 650 acres total with 10% containment. The combination of ground and air resources has allowed for significant progress, and containment is likely to increase overnight.
East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service
July 12, 2019 (Dulzura) – A brush fire that has charred over 100 acres in Mexico has crossed the international border and near Cottonwood Creek and Barrett Truck Trail south of Dulzura. The blaze has charred around 10 acres on the U.S. side of thee border in rural San Diego County, according to Cal Fire.
Patch.com reports 60 firefighters on scene including two air tankers, two helicopters, six engines, two dozers, two hand crews and a water tender.
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July 11, 2019 (El Cajon) - A missing person at risk in the East County has been found safe.
79-year-old Eufemia Danaher was found around 10:00 a.m. in the 600 block of El Cajon Boulevard in El Cajon. Sheriff's ASTREA (helicopter) Deputy Gary Kneeshaw spotted a woman who matched Danaher's description and made contact with her. She has been reunited with her family.
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July 11, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) - The East County backcountry lost one of its biggest cheerleaders on June 29, when Howard W. Cook passed away peacefully after a short illness. He gave selflessly to the community, serving as Chair and later Secretary for the Jacumba Sponsor Group and as Board Member of the Jacumba-Boulevard Revitalization Committee.
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July 11, 2019 (Campo) – The San Diego & Arizona Railway, known as the “Impossible Railway” for the many challenges faced during its construction, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with two major centennial events on September 7 and November 16.
On Saturday, September 7, a Groundbreaking Festival will commemorate the 1907 groundbreaking of the railway, which took a dozen years to complete.
Then on Saturday, November 16, a Centennial Celebration Day will include a reenactment of the 1919 golden spike ceremony, when John D. Spreckels drove in the final spike to complete the rail line in Carriso Gorge.
Both events will be held at the Campo Railroad Park & Museum operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, a nonprofit organization.
At the events, the public is invited to come and enjoy train rides, view vintage railway cars and unique railroad equipment including a 1902 steam pump engine, an operating scale steam train exhibit, plus food, drinks, souvenirs, commemorative program and fun for the whole family.
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July 10, 2019 (Spring Valley) - The San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District invites residents to attend a ceremonial “roll-in” to start the service life of two new fire engines. The ceremony will take place at San Miguel Station 16 on Friday, July 12, 2019 at 9:00 am.
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July 10, 2019 (Lakeside) -- Helix Water District has announced the winners of its 2019 Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest.
Now in its eighth year, the contest drew 60 entries from throughout the county. This year’s theme was Life at the Lake, and each of the entries highlighted the unique beauty of camping, fishing, hiking, spotting wildlife and enjoying the view at Lake Jennings in Lakeside.
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July 10, 2019 (El Cajon) - Waste Management in El Cajon will be hosting a hiring event on Thursday, July 11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. to welcome interested and qualified commercial driver candidates to join the Waste Management family. Candidates will be considered for current and future driver positions. The event will be held at Waste Management’s office at 1001 W. Bradley Ave., El Cajon.
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July 9, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – The weather is heating up, with extreme heat forecast Friday and Saturday. Lower desert highs of 112-117 degrees are forecast, with upper deserts reaching 100 to 107 degrees. Mountains and valleys could reach 95 degrees.
Thunderstorms have been added to the forecast for Friday afternoon and Saturday.
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July 9, 2019 (La Mesa) – Ratepayers in the Helix Water District may want to be aware of several newsworthy matters including a new report on water quality, a July 25 Helix Water Chat on water supply, and upcoming votes on water rates.
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July 9, 2019 (Lakeside) – CBS 8 reports that numerous goats have been killed in the past month in Lakeside's Morena Valley and Eucalyptus Hills communities. The CBS story quoted Billy Ortiz, a wildlife photographer, who said he identified tracks of a female mountain lion and a cub near the most recent kill.
But wildlife biologist Renee Owens says, "By the nature of the kills they were most if not all coyotes and possibly dogs. Yes, there is a mountain lion in the area, as has always been the case–as in all areas of our backcountry, but the track Billy has posted is not definitive of a lion." Her nonprofit organization, Wildlife Zone, is working on a mountain lion study. She has been featured on National Geographic, the BBC, Discovery Channel and Dateline for her wildlife expertise.
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July 8, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – The 14 Chick-fil-A restaurants in San Diego County are offering a free entrée to guests who create or log-in to their Chick-fil-A One app on either Monday, July 8, or Tuesday, July 9. After connecting to the app, guests will receive a free entrée from Wednesday, July 10 through Wednesday, July 31, not including Sundays when Chick-fil-A is closed.
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July 6, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Three nonprofit charter schools operating within the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) have been ordered shut down by a judge, but now a stay issued has been ordered for one year until an appeal can be heard.
The schools at risk of closure are Diego Valley East charter in El Cajon and San Diego Workforce Innovation High charter schools in Lakeside and Lemon Grove.
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July 6, 2019 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa’s classic car show is back! Whether you’re a hot-rodder or a lowrider, there’s something for everyone at this show.
The show and music event complete with bandsis now being held every Thursday night from 5 to 8 p.m. through August 29th. Classic cars line La Mesa Boulevard in the downtown village for the summer show season, sponsored by Johnny B’s Burgers,Brew, and Spirits.
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July 6, 2019 (Alpine) – The San Diego County Library in Alpine is offering a fresh crop of free “modern homesteading” classes where you can learn how to raise and grow your own foods. The offerings include cheesemaking, beekeeping, vermicomposting, tilapia farming, backyard chickens, home farming and edible landscaping.
Below are full details:
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July 5, 2019 (La Mesa) – Should La Mesa form a citizens’ police oversight or advisory commission? Jack Shu, a former Superintendent of California State Parks and Janet Castaños, a former dean in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College district and past president of Helix Charter High School’s board, have a proposal that will soon be considered by the La Mesa City Council.
We interviewed them on our East County Magazine Show on KNSJ. You can hear the entire interview by clicking the audio link, or scroll down for highlights.
Audio:
Jack Shu & Janet Castanos on police oversight in La Mesa
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 5, 2019 (Santee) – San Jose musician Joe Ferrara will perform a concert on Sunday, July 21 from 2-4 p.m. at the Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (8778 Cottonwood Ave.) in Santee.
Ferrara has been entertaining Northern California audiences for the last 51 years. Joe's rich baritone voice and comfort with his audience have attracted fans of all ages. His repertoire of over 1,300 songs includes a variety of standards, folk songs, country, show tunes, Disney, classic rock, contemporary and original compositions. He even sings some favorites in Spanish, French and Italian.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 5, 2019 (Julian) – A Sheriff’s deputy investigating a burglary that occurred overnight in the 3300 block of Pine Hills Road spotted a Baja Bug (a Volkswagon beetle car altered for off-road use) drive onto the victim’s property this morning. Realizing this could be the burglar returning to steal more items, the deputy tried to contact the driver, who sped away.
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July 5, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- “San Diego County needs your input on how best to invest federal funds in our low- to moderate-income communities,” says Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
The County is holding a series of public forums at county libraries, each one hour, including these East County locations, to hear your ideas:
Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
July 3, 2019 (Rancho San Diego) – Last night around midnight, three boys ran into the Regal Edwards Cinema in Rancho San Diego to report a shooter outside, NBC 7 reports.
Several people in the theater called 911 and Sheriff’s deputies responded. The boys told Sheriff’s officials that a man had pulled out a handgun and fired shots in the air after an argument with the boys. The shooter was reportedly a passenger in a four-door, silver or gray car.
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July 3, 2019 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa City Council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, July 9 to discuss whether to consider leasing the former police station site at the southeast corner of Allison and Date avenues to USA Properties Fund.
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By Daniel Smiechowski
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery 
Source: San Diego County Sheriff's Department
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
By Criss Brainard, Fire Chief
Source: Helix Water District
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
Story and photos by Emily Alessio
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery 
East County News Service 
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
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