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Hearing May 15 on proposed release of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely in Borrego Springs: public comments sought
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 11, 2026 (Borrego Springs) – The San Diego Superior Court has ordered the conditional release
Supporters flee Swalwell’s governor campaign amid allegations of sexual assault
Printer-friendly versionBy Jeanne Kuang and Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Photo: U.S. Rep. Eric
News Issues
Hearing May 15 on proposed release of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely in Borrego Springs: public comments sought
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 11, 2026 (Borrego Springs) – The San Diego Superior Court has ordered the conditional release
Attacked by AI-cyberbots: Please help us fund critical security upgrades
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery April 10, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – Our East County Magazine website is being attacked
Politics
Supporters flee Swalwell’s governor campaign amid allegations of sexual assault
Printer-friendly versionBy Jeanne Kuang and Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Photo: U.S. Rep. Eric
Latest No Kings rallies draw 70,000 in San Diego County, 8 million nationwide
70,000 San Diego County residents join 8 million nationwide in No Kings demonstrations, the largest ever U.S. protest By Miriam Raftery March 31, 2026 (San…
Wildfires and Emergencies
Cal State University San Marcos and nearby homes evacuated due to brush fire
East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts April 5, 2026 (San Marcos) – The #MoreeFire in San Marcos has led to evacuations, including the California State…
Help shape fire priorities in San Diego County
East County News Service April 4, 2026 (San Diego County) — With “fire season” now a year-round threat, public input is growing in importance as…
Events & Arts
Cheers to the Valley Wine Festival April 18 in Ramona
East County News Service April 5, 2026 (Ramona) – The Ramona Chamber of Commerce is inviting the public to savor the 2026 Cheers to the…
Destination East County: Festive events in mid-April and May 2026
By Miriam Raftery April 5, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – As April continues, drifting into the merry month of May, there are many unique…
Visit East County
DESTINATIONS: Borrego and beyond — a beautiful backcountry day
Printer-friendly versionBy Karen Pearlman, with photos by Karen Pearlman and Miriam Raftery Feb. 22, 2026 (San Diego County) — With
We need your help! We have more news tips for East County issues than our budget can cover
Printer-friendly versionLast year tapped our resources at East County Magazine more than any on record, with so many major news
People
Donate to help pets in need at Alpine Pet Food and Supply Drive April 4
East County News Service March 14, 2026 (Alpine) – Dog and cat food, treats, grooming supplies, new pet toys, feeding
Descanso resident named American Honey Queen
By Miriam Raftery February 18, 2026 (Descanso) — You could call it sweet success. The American Beekeeping Federation has chosen
Communities
Hearing May 15 on proposed release of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely in Borrego Springs: public comments sought
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 11, 2026 (Borrego Springs) – The San Diego Superior Court has ordered the conditional release
San Diego County has free parking perks for seniors
Printer-friendly versionSan Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson holds up his senior parking pass at Mt. Woodson Gateway County Preserve in
Features
San Diego County has free parking perks for seniors
Printer-friendly versionSan Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson holds up his senior parking pass at Mt. Woodson Gateway County Preserve in
Don’t miss Santa Ysabel and Wynola on your way to visit Julian
Printer-friendly versionTiny mountain towns often overlooked by travelers in East County’s back country By Paul Levikow Photos by Miriam Raftery
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County urges residents to throw out cheese linked to E.coli outbreak
East County News Service April 4, 2026 (San Diego County) — San Diego County health officials are urging consumers to purge their refrigerators of specific…
Help shape fire priorities in San Diego County
East County News Service April 4, 2026 (San Diego County) — With “fire season” now a year-round threat, public input is growing in importance as…
Padres fall 5-2 at Boston, drop to 2-5 in 2026
Photo courtesy San Diego Padres Instagram East County News Service April 3, 2026 (Boston) — A change of scenery has not had much of a…
New Basic Life Support ambulance on the road in Santee
East County News Service April 2, 2026 (Santee) — The Santee Fire Department and the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Services Authority have expanded their emergency fleet…
Passages: Anne Christine “Chris” (Raines) Stevens, former Spring Valley resident
Obituary provided by Ron Stevens April 2, 2026 (Spring Valley) — Anne Christine “Chris” (Raines) Stevens, 80, of Gilbert, Arizona, passed away on September 24,…
Fallbrook artist loses 50 years of work in studio fire
“This is nothing compared to what is taking place in the world” — Jerome Gastaldi, who lost 50 years of work in a fire at…
Latest No Kings rallies draw 70,000 in San Diego County, 8 million nationwide
70,000 San Diego County residents join 8 million nationwide in No Kings demonstrations, the largest ever U.S. protest By Miriam Raftery March 31, 2026 (San…
Lemon Grove celebrates 95th anniversary of desegregation case
“…What we have learned from the Lemon Grove incident is that when we unite together and we fight against those forces, we are stronger than…
Rally against city of San Diego Measure A on April 1
East County News Service March 31, 2026 (San Diego) — Leaders from across San Diego County will gather at San Diego City Hall tomorrow (April…
HelloFresh pizza meal kits recalled in California and nationwide
East County News Service March 31, 2026 (San Diego County) — A quiet supplier notification in January about tainted pizzas has turned into a federal…
BIRD FLU SUSPECTED IN DEATH OF EAST COUNTY CAT THAT ATE RAW PET FOOD
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Image: generic cat photo, cc via Bing February 26, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego County Public Health officials are investigating a suspected case of bird flu (H5N1) in a house cat from East County. Preliminary test results show the cat, which got sick and died in mid-January 2025, was positive for bird flu. The indoor cat ate a raw pet food that is suspected to
CONSERVATION GROUPS SUE FEDS TO PROTECT COAST FROM OFFSHORE DRILLING
Printer-friendly versionBy Suzanne Potter, Public News Service February 25, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Trump administration to reinstate protections against new offshore drilling. President Donald Trump revoked a Biden-era order to withdraw from future drilling 625 million acres of ocean off the Pacific, Eastern Gulf, Atlantic and Alaska coasts. Devorah Ancel, Environmental Law
MASS FIRINGS NEGATIVELY IMPACT NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS, OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Photo via Alt National Park Service: upside down flag hung by employees at Yosemite National Park signals dire distress February 25, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – In what’s been dubbed a Valentine’s Day massacre, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has fired 1,000 National Park Service employees from the nation’s 63 national parks, plus another 2,000
TRUMP BUDGET PASSES SENATE, HEADS TO HOUSE
Printer-friendly versionRepublicans also seek to increase national debt to fund tax breaks for wealthy By Alexander J Schorr Image: Cc by NC-ND via Bing February 24, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Republican senators pushed a $340 billion budget framework to passage early Friday that would give massive new tax cuts to wealthy people and corporations, while slashing Medicaid and
LAKESIDE WOMAN KILLED IN DULZURA COLLISION
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service February 24, 2025 (Dulzura) – A Lakeside woman, 60, was killed in a collision that occurred yesterday on State Route 94 west of Marron Valley Road in Dulzura. The victim was riding a 2019 Can Am 3-wheel motorcycle westbound on the highway when a 2024 Subaru Crosstek entered the westbound lane from a dirty driveway
THE SAVE ACT WOULD DISENFRANCHISE OVER 146 MILLION U.S. CITIZENS, INCLUDING MANY MARRIED WOMEN
Printer-friendly versionThe Center for American Progress has set up a link for concerned citizens to contact their members of Congress and urge opposition to the SAVE Act. By Alexander J Schorr Photo: Suffragists outside White House in 1917 urged that women be granted right to vote, which was approved with passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920
HOMICIDE AT PARK IN LEMON GROVE
Printer-friendly version Updates: The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Anthony Trujillo. On Feb. 27, Andrew Gomez Cardona, 26, was arrested at a home on S. Magnolia in El Cajon. He has been booked on charges related to the murder of Trujillo, who died of a bullet wound in the neck. Cardona told deputies that he resided in Lemon Grove.
EL CAJON POLICE ARREST THREE TEENS AFTER PURSUIT IN STOLEN VEHICLE
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service February 23, 2025 (El Cajon) — El Cajon Police received an automatic license plate reader (ALPR) notification of a stolen vehicle at 1:37 a.m. Officers quickly located the car, but when they tried to stop the vehicle, the driver fled and a pursuit began. Due to the high speed, police ended the ground pursuit and
GOODWILL OPENS MOBILE COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT CENTER IN EL CAJON
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service February 22, 2025 (El Cajon) — Goodwill San Diego announces the Grand Opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new mobile Community Employment Center in El Cajon on February 26 at 9 a.m. This mobile center is designed to meet job seekers where they are, particularly assisting residents in rural areas and those facing transportation and
CA ATTORNEY GENERAL BONTA SECURES PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION BLOCKING DOGE’S ACCESS TO PRIVATE DATA
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service February 22, 2025 (New York) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York’s issuance of a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Americans’ personal and private information maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department. “We are pleased the court granted our request
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