May 19, 2015 (San Diego)--Four local non-profits along with the San Diego History Center have joined forces to benefit over 500 San Diego Title 1 elementary school students as “Ingenious! The World of Dr. Seuss” goes from field trip to in-class experience.   Students from among El Cajon are among those included in the adventure.

May 19, 2015 (Santee) – The Santee Street Fair and Beer Festival organized by Santee’s Chamber of Commerce will be held on Saturday, May 23^rd from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. This large festival features local breweries from around San Diego County, live music and entertainment, a crafter row and artist alley, over 300 food and vendor booths, carnival rides and games for the family.

May 19, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - Marine Corporal Carlos Torres lost both of his legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device, or IED, while serving in Afghanistan in 2011.  He also seriously injured his elbow.

East County News Service

May 19, 2015 (Otay Mesa) --U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa ports of entry seized a total of $8.1 million worth of narcotics over the weekend, including an interception of more than six tons of marijuana that was stashed in a commercial shipment of furniture and over a half million dollars of heroin.

Plus 3 peachy-keen recipes!

By Greg Dunne

May 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and Plums are all coming into season again! Time for fruit salads, fruit salads with yogurt, ambrosia fruit salads, as well as pies and cobblers and just good ‘ol out of hand healthy snacking!

Peach Cobbler? My wife Dianne is starting to use “stone fruit” in her meals at home and her Peach Cobbler is incredible. She picks up her peaches and nectarines at Barons Market in Alpine. Her recipes for Peach, Cherry & Chicken Salad, Peach Cobbler and Grilled Stone Fruit Dessert Pouches are at bottom of this article.

East County News Service

May 17, 2015 (El Cajon ) –A man is under arrest for the beating death of his mother in the 1900 block of Hidden Crest Drive in unincorporated El Cajon.

Photos and story by Susan A Mahalick

May 17, 2015 (Baja, Mexico)--Established June 13^th, 2009 and owned by the Santos family, this is the place to hang out, be seen and meet new people all wrapped up with excellent food, service and views of the volcanic rocks being shaped by the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

East County News Service

May 17, 2015 (El Cajon) – The 16h annual Royal Tea Party will benefit the Mother Goose Parade and scholarships.  The tea will be held on Saturday, May 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Foothills Christian Church, 365 W. Bradley Avenue in El Cajon.

East County News Service

May 17, 2015 (Lemon Grove) -- San Diego Legends is an annual recognition of San Diego elders who lead by example. The Legends exhibit is comprised of paintings by local artist Mona Mills (famous for her realist style blending painting and photography to produce riveting, almost 3-D portraits), photography by San Diego County Library Director José Aponte, and an impact statement about each legend by Deputy Director Susan Moore.

East County News Service

May 17, 2015 (Spring Valley) – Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of a stabbing near the IHOP restaurant on Broadway in Spring Valley around 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 14^th.  According to Sergeant Jeremy Sheppard, two males were fighting in the parking lot when one began stabbing the other.

East County News Service

May 17, 2015 (San Diego County) – Yesterday the Sheriff’s Department conducted 71 compliance checks as part of “Operation Surge” countywide, resulting in 63 arrests on charges that included possession of controlled substances for sale, probation violations, auto theft and outstanding warrants.

East County News Service

May 17, 2015 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police responded to a call reporting a man had been shot inside a home in the 8200 block of El Paso Street on Saturday, May 16^th  at 5:24 a.m.

Hear our interview with Ashley Mazanec, membership  manager, San Diego Energy District. 

Listen now:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

May 17, 2015 (San Diego) – If you’re looking for an alternative to SDG&E for buying your electric power, you can now become a member in the San Diego Energy District.  In an interview on KNSJ in April, Ashley Mazanec told us a dozen businesses have signed up so far.  Ratepayers can enjoy lower rates and know their energy is coming from clean energy sources, according to Mazanec.  Locally produced energy can also reduce the need for new power lines, improving wildfire safety.

San Diego has a feasibility study underway and Solana Beach has moved forward to become a community  choice city.  The San Diego Energy District is reaching out to additional communities and hopes to build support in other local cities such as La Mesa, El Cajon , Santee and Lemon Grove as well as with County Supervisors. Individual property owners can sell surplus power back into the grid. Entities such as nonprofit orgnaizations, school districts, Native American tribes and businesses can also join the grid.

Iraq: The War That Shouldn’t Be – You Decide, by M.M. Chantiloupe (Xlibris Corporation, 2010, 305 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

May 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - Although the Iraq war is over, we are still feeling the residual effects of that controversial campaign, and it is put into perspective by San Diego resident M.M. Chantiloupe in her book; Iraq: The War That Shouldn’t Be – You Decide. Chantiloupe writes a scathing analysis and rebuke of the Bush Administration in this well-written and incisive book. She asks rhetorical questions that gets us all to think about why we actually went into that war and the harm that it has done to America and Iraq, as well as the world itself. Central in her discussion is the false pretenses of weapons of mass destruction. Chantiloupe writes in a scholarly fashion her analysis of this war and its residual effects, such as the current threat of ISIS, or the Islamic terrorist threat.

May 16, 2015 (El Cajon )--Upstart Theatre Company is proud to present its inaugural production, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, hosted by the Valhalla Theatre Arts Department on June 4 and 5. Upstart, founded in 2015, is comprised of and run entirely by students from schools throughout the Grossmont Union High School District, dedicated to keeping classical works of theatre alive on the modern educational stage.