
East County Magazine

LA MESA CHAMBER INVITES YOU TO MEET LOCAL BUSINESSES AT MARCH 5 SPRING FLING BUSINESS EXPO
Source: City of La Mesa February 20, 2025 (La Mesa) – On Wednesday, March 5th, the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce invites you to join them at the 10th Annual Spring Fling Business Expo. This special evening will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego El Cajon, 141 N. Magnolia Avenue in El Cajon between 5:30 p.m. and

ALPINE COUNTRY GIFTS AND CRAFTS HOSTS SPRING FESTIVAL MARCH 20-22
East County News Service February 20, 2025 (Alpine) – Alpine Country Crafts and Gifts (2156 Alpine Blvd. in Alpine) invites you to a Spring Festival and Easter Celebration. The event takes place on: Thursday, March 20 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, March 21 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 22 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Printer-friendly version

AROMAS OF INDIA BAR AND GRILL GRAND OPENING IN LA MESA DRAWS OVER 1,000 RESERVATIONS, SETS CHAMBER RECORD
By Mary England, La Mesa Chamber of Commerce Photos courtesy of Carrie Smedley Photography February 19, 2025 (La Mesa) — The owner of Aromas of India Bar and Grill, Dinesh Shah, made history in La Mesa at the February 5 grand opening of his newly renovated restaurant, located at 5270 Baltimore Drive. Dinesh and his staff offered complimentary dinners to

A GUIDE TO EVENTS HAPPENING DURING GROSSMONT COLLEGE’S SPRING 2025 SEMESTER
By G. A. McNeeley February 19, 2025 (El Cajon) – There’s a lot happening on Grossmont Campus, including a variety of free and paid events open to the general public as well as students, staff and faculty. These include concerts, movies, theatrical productions, blood drives, and more. Below are details. To see more details for these events and more,

DESTINATION EAST COUNTY: LATE FEBRUARY FESTIVITIES
By Miriam Raftery February 18, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Late February brings several unique activities to enjoy, including new moon fishing at Lake Jennings, Fido Fest in Santee, a black history celebration in Lemon Grove, a farm tour adventure at Fort Cross in Santa Ysabel, Romeo and Juliet onstage in Borrego Springs, Hawk Watch in Ramona and a

JAMUL’S HAPPY PLACE FOR ANIMAL LOVERS
Ranch offers petting zoo, summer camp and Airbnb experiences By Mimi Pollack Photo: baby goats named Daisy Duke and Billy the Kid February 18, 2025 (Jamul) — With his friendly smile and warm blue eyes, Farmer Pat [as he likes to be called] welcomes you to Jamul Trails Ranch, a little oasis in Jamul. Pat and Kim Dillon have built a nice life

FEDERAL FUNDING HALT PROMPTS JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE TO CLOSE REFUGEE SHELTER
By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association Photo: a child at Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s refugee shelter. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) February 17, 2025 (San Diego) – Faced with a halt in federal funding and and the closing of the border to refugees, Jewish Family

CASA DE ORO ALLIANCE HOSTS COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ON FLOOD ISSUES FEB. 25 IN SPRING VALLEY
East County News Service February 15, 2025 (Spring Valley) — The Casa de Oro Alliance invites members of the community who have been affected by flooding to a community dialogue to help bring the community together and build resilience. The event is Tuesday, February 25 at San Diego Youth Services’ auditorium, 3845 Spring Drive, Spring Valley, CA 91977, starting with

EL CAJON CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ALLOWING POLICE TO COOPERATE WITH ICE, REVERSING PREVIOUS ACTION
Issue prompts drive to recall Councilman Phil Ortiz By Alex Schorr and Miriam Raftery View video Photo, left: Resolution opponents hold up sign denouncing hate and likening ICE roundups to “Gestapo” tactics February 14, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council on Tuesday passed a controversial resolution allowing the city’s police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and

READER’S EDITORIAL: WE OWE IT TO IMMIGRANT FAMILIES TO DO BETTER
By Patrick Cameron, El Cajon February 13, 2025 (El Cajon) — In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care, and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into targets for ICE raids.
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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.
TV M*A*S*H DOCTOR OFFERS HEALING WORDS FOR HUMANITY IN NEW BOOK; VISIT TO BONITA LIBRARY DRAWS FULL HOUSE
By Miriam Raftery Mike Farrell with officers of Eastlake-Bonita Democratic Club. February 17, 2009 (Bonita) — Mike Farrell and his co-stars on the popular M*A*S*H TV show raised public awareness about the human costs of war. But what many fans don’t realize is that in his private life, Farrell has much in common with the character he portrayed, Dr. B.J.
SANTEE SPORT CLIPS GIVES $1,340 TO BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF EAST COUNTY
February 18, 2009 (Santee)–Today, the Santee Sport Clips presented a $1,340 check to the Boys & Girls Club of East County for a recent cut-a-thon fundraiser in which customers donated $5 to the organization and received a free “MVP” haircut. Because previous grand opening customer traffic records were shattered by nearly 75 percent, Sport Clips President, Clete Brewer, was in
EAST OF THE LINE: LOCAL ECONOMY GETS SHOT IN THE ARM FROM BORDER OPERATIONS
By Billie Jo Jannen Victor Leon of Potrero and Rudolfo Reyes of Campo put a raked finish on the drying concrete at the base of the border fence in the far western portion of Campo. They are working on the south side of the fence, which is constructed a short distance north of the border inside the border “buffer zone.”
BREAKFAST WITH BAKARI THE LION: FEB. 21 AT LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS
February 16, 2009 (Descanso)–Here’s something to roar about–Lions, Tigers & Bears is hosting “Breakfast with Bakari”, an African lion at big cat sanctuary in Descanso, just east of Alpine. Guests are invited to enjoy breakfast, visit with 13 rescued cats, other farm animals and their caretakers. You can also watch lions and tigers frolicking in the new Tiger Trails exercise
WHAT’S HOT THIS WEEK? PLENTY!
February 18, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)–Concerts, circus performers, art shows, the AMGEN tour and wheelchair ballroom dance lessons are among the many exciting activities coming to San Diego’s eastern region this week. Printer-friendly version
WILL POWER REPORT: LAY-OFF NOTICES ARE EXTORTION!
The Will Power Report: Nothing but the Truth LAY-OFF NOTICES ARE EXTORTION! February 17, 2009 (San Diego) — The use of layoff warning letters as an excuse to terrify workers has an old history. For decades, school boards would send out letters to teachers on March 15, designed to terrify teachers and force them to accept substandard contracts and working
I HAVE A NEW RING: SILVER ART CLAY IN SANTEE CLASS FORGES CREATIVE ENDEAVORS
By Jackie Hanson I’m admiring my new ring. Its flowers and curliques catch the light as I type. Amazingly, t I made it myself! That’s because I had the great good fortune to discover Tes Shea and the jewelry classes she teaches for the City of Santee. Last Friday, Tes was teaching how to make “Easy Rings” out of silver
EL CAJON MOURNS PASSING OF WAYNE STALKER, LONG-TIME EMPLOYEE AND ARTIST
The El Cajon Police Department and the City are saddened by the death of retired Animal Control Officer Wayne Stalker. Wayne passed away on Wednesday, February 4 after a long courageous battle against cancer. Wayne joined the El Cajon Police Department as a Volunteer Police Reserve Officer on September 9, 1981, and then held various positions at the police department,
FROM KEYBOARD TO ALTAR:
A Woman’s Perspective By Laura Walsh February 10, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) — When people ask how my husband and I met, they are generally surprised to learn that we met on the Internet. Some people are even shocked. I am not sure why. When my marriage of 22 years ended in divorce and I was in my early
LA MESA SAVES FLAG DAY PARADE: DONATIONS ROLL IN FROM RESIDENTS, BUSIENSSES AND CIVIC LEADERS
February 9, 2009 (Mesa) “ Thanks to the generosity of La Mesa citizens, business leaders and elected officials who donated out of their own pockets, La Mesa’s annual flag day parade has been saved from the budget chopping block. The 14th annual event will take place on Saturday, “We met the goal and then some,” an e-mail signed by Council
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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.