Photo: Winter solstice sunrise on Cowles Mountain

December 18, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--This week’s Destination East County has some wonderful events, from winter solstice walks to  performances of holiday classics including the Nutcracker Ballet and Handel’s Messiah. Plus we’ll have a preview of coming attractions…from the Aztecs playing in the Poinsettia Bowl to the Trout Reopener at Santee Lakes.

So stay tuned for all of these events and much more, from East County Magazine.

October 9, 2014 (Campo)--It’s “All aboard” the Pumpkin Express at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo. The 10^th annual Halloween seasonal rides take place Saturday and Sunday from October 11 through October 26, with trains departing three times daily.

East County News Service

September 2, 2014 (Campo) – Over the objections of Campo residents and Supervisor Dianne Jacob, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Margie Woods has ruled that a convicted child molester can be released to live in Campo starting in late October.

August 25, 2014 (Campo)--Campo resident Tee Waidler sent in this photo of her 4 ½ year old daughter, Estrella posing in a red dress and heels back on the 4^th of July.  Estrella means “star”, and she certainly shines as she shows off her patriotic spirit!

August 21, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A Superior Court judge may rule Friday on a state proposal to place convicted child molester Allen Fields in Campo. If the housing plan is approved, he would be the sixth sexually violent predator placed in rural East County in recent years.

A quarter of all rural stations were closed –at the same time—during April

An East County Magazine special investigative report

By Miriam Raftery

July 31, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – The County Fire Authority has touted its successes in preventing the May wildfires in North County from destroying thousands of homes despite a county-wide disaster declaration.  Granted, a lot has improved since the devastating 2003 and 2007 firestorms in our region--the worst in California's history. But if fires were to start in East County today, the outcome could be tragic. An East County Magazine investigation raises serious doubts over  inadequate volunteer firefighter staffing and the ability to respond even to routine house fires and medical calls in some rural communities.

Last October,  our investigative report,"Closed for Fire Season" revealed that Boulevard’s fire station was closed for two months during fire season and Jacumba’s station also had some dark days- -including one when a resident died of a medical emergency after a delay in emergency services arriving. The County responded by funding emergency staffing and according to Supervisor Jacob’s staff, these two stations remained open every day  for at least several months thereafter, an ECM records check in late April revealed.   

But on July 9, Craig Williams, an information technology provider for the Campo Fire Department, advised ECM that “without any notification to the community leaders."  two days ago Cal Fire “moved the overtime, off-budget, paid Cal Fire firefighters out of Boulevard to Jacumba Hot Springs. Now  Boulevard is stuck with Fire Authority `volunteers’ only, just like Campo.’”

Worse,  a new investigation by ECM reveals that this is the tip of an iceberg--with many stations understaffed and some closed for months. 

June 17, 2014 (Campo)—The public can submit public comment now through June 23 on a proposal by the state to release sexually violent predator Allen Fields, 48, in Campo.  A hearing will be held on July 23 at 9 a.m. in Department 35 at the downtown courthouse.

Hear the Destination East County segment on the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ 89.1 FM each Wed. and Fri. at 5:00 p.m. or listen online at www.EastCountyMagazine.org!

By Ariele Johannson

June 10, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--East County has plenty of activities to enjoy this weekend, including some designated for Father’s Day. However, many of the events this weekend might be interesting for Dad and the family to enjoy. Plus, we have a major festival in El Cajon that is number one on our list.

FIRE IN CAMPO BURNS A STRUCTURE

By Nadin Abbott

May 13, 2014 (Campo)--Santa Ana winds fanned  a structure fire in Campo into a brush fire that fueled a full wildland fire response. Wind drove the fire to jump across State Route 94,  from the south side of the freeway to the north side.

Reports on whether the burned structure was a trailer or shed were conflicting, nor was information provided on whether the structure had been occupied. In this poverty-stricken area, it is not unusual for people to be living in shacks, sheds and trailers.

Randy Surla, an area resident, defied the mandatory evacuation order. “I am staying put,” he explained. “This is the only house I have and I am going to protect it as best as I can.”

April 16, 2014 (Campo) – The Mountain Empire Campo Kiwanis invites you to savor an afternoon of leisure in the beautiful backcountry, riding the historic Pacific Southwest rails.  The journey departs from the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, where a $45 ticket includes wine tasting by the East County Vintners Association, live presentations by local wineries, heavy hors d’oeuvres, presentations by historians and wineries, as well as a scenic train ride.

March 24, 2014 (Campo) – The Chefs de Cuisine and The Campo RR Museum are celebrating over fifty years of service to the San Diego California Vintners Alliance on April 5, from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Campo Museum, Hwy 94 & Forrest Gate Road, Campo.  Dine amidst the Museum’s historic railroad trains and artifacts.

By Miriam Raftery

February 24, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) -- It’s official:  The Bureau of Indian Affairs has formally terminated the final Environmental Impact Statement for Shu’luuk Wind on the Campo Indian reservation in East County. The move comes after the Campo tribe’s General Council down the project and cancelled the tribe’s contract with Invenergy.

The BIA alo approved the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indian’s plan to lease Cuyapaipe Reservation lands  for a portion of Iberdrola’s massive Tule Wind project.  The Bureau of Land Management and County of San Diego previously approved portions of the project on federal and county lands.

Decision puts families and eagles at risk, Protect Our Communities warns

Wind-turbine fire on Campo Reservation December 16, 2013 near site of wind farm lease approved by BIA in the same week that this blaze threatened nearby homes.

December 31, 2013  –On December 26, local residents learned that the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has signed a Record of Decision approving a lease for Phase II of Iberdrola’s controversial Tule Wind Project (also known as the Reduced Ridgeline Project) in San Diego County. The Record of Decision has not been published in the Federal Register so is not available for the public to review even though the BIA has already issued a press release.

“The BIA’s decision is reckless and shows outrageous disregard for the high fire risk we all face in San Diego County,” said Donna Tisdale, POC’s Secretary. “The fire district that Iberdrola contracted has no air tankers or helicopters of its own, but must hope and pray that mutual aid fire agencies can spare them. And Iberdrola’s Tule Wind Fire Protection Plan shows that it plans to use the people of San Diego County as guinea pigs by relying on an experimental fire suppression technology instead of something already proven to work.”

Part II in our "Wind Fire" series

By Miriam Raftery

December 17, 2013 (Campo) – Yesterday’s explosion and brush fire sparked by a Gamesa wind turbine owned by Infigen at the Kumeyaay Wind facility in Campo, California has ignited new questions about the safety of wind turbines in this fire-prone region, where several of the worst wildfires in California history have previously scorched hundreds of thousands of acres.

In June, Infigen settled a lawsuit with Gamesa stemming from an earlier catastrophe at the same wind facility in 2009, when an explosive blast resulted in replacement of all 75 wind turbines, as ECM reported in an exclusive report.  But now Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale reveals, “The 75 turbine blades from the 2009 catastrophic failure that you covered are still laying on the ground at the wind farm and are highly flammable.”

By Miriam Raftery

December 4, 2013 (Campo) – Despite protests from Campo residents, the state has proposed a new location in this rural community to house a sexually violent predator, Douglas Badger, 70. The home is located at 1138 Custer Rd. It is about 200 yards from the nearest neighbor and 2.2 miles from the nearest elementary school.

Public comment regarding the proposed location can be submitted until Dec. 20. Email submissions should be sent to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org. Comments can be submitted by phone by calling (858) 495-3619. State officials have scheduled a Jan. 3 hearing on the matter.