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Padre Dam’s Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility decommissioned after more than a half-century of use
Printer-friendly versionRay Stoyer Water Recycling Facility at Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Santee Lakes Community event makes way for the

Lemon Grove Library hosting Sheriff’s reentry event
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 13, 2026 (Lemon Grove) — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Reentry Services Division
News Issues

Padre Dam’s Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility decommissioned after more than a half-century of use
Printer-friendly versionRay Stoyer Water Recycling Facility at Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Santee Lakes Community event makes way for the

Lemon Grove Library hosting Sheriff’s reentry event
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 13, 2026 (Lemon Grove) — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Reentry Services Division
Politics

Padre Dam’s Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility decommissioned after more than a half-century of use
Printer-friendly versionRay Stoyer Water Recycling Facility at Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Santee Lakes Community event makes way for the

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
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

Lionel’s Legacy hosting sleepover party and more in Lakeside April 18-19
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Lakeside) — East County-based senior dog rescue group Lionel’s Legacy is holding

Mountain Empire Art Show Debuts April 15 in Boulevard
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Boulevard) — The Backcountry Resource Center in Boulevard will be busy this Wednesday,
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

Lionel’s Legacy hosting sleepover party and more in Lakeside April 18-19
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Lakeside) — East County-based senior dog rescue group Lionel’s Legacy is holding

Mountain Empire Art Show Debuts April 15 in Boulevard
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Boulevard) — The Backcountry Resource Center in Boulevard will be busy this Wednesday,
Features

Lionel’s Legacy hosting sleepover party and more in Lakeside April 18-19
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Lakeside) — East County-based senior dog rescue group Lionel’s Legacy is holding

Mountain Empire Art Show Debuts April 15 in Boulevard
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Boulevard) — The Backcountry Resource Center in Boulevard will be busy this Wednesday,
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EL CAJON POLICE SEEK SUSPECT WHO SHOT MAN AT LOCAL INN
Printer-friendly version February 6, 2010 (El Cajon) – Police are seeking a suspect who is believed to have shot and wounded a man at the Ha’Penny Inn, 1529 East Main Street in El Cajon, early this morning. The suspect is described as a black male adult, clean shaven with neck-length braided hair. The shooter is in his early 20s,
BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: GROSSMONT NOT SATISFIED WITH 47-36 WIN AT STEELE CANYON
Printer-friendly version by Christopher Mohr February 7, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) – Whoever coined the phrase, ‘a win is a win’, never met the Grossmont Foothillers’ basketball team. If you knew nothing about the outcome of Friday night’s game and observed the Grossmont players’ demeanor afterwards, you would have been surprised to find out that they won. Although it’s a
SINGING VALENTINES! LOCAL WOMEN’S BARBERSHOP CHORUS BRINGS ROMANCE TO EAST COUNTY
Printer-friendly version GROUP WILL SERENADE YOUR SWEETHEART FEB 12-14: LIVE OR ON THE PHONE! By Miriam Raftery February 6, 2010 (La Mesa) – Looking for an inspired way to say “I love you” to that special someone? California Note Catchers is offering singing valentines February 12, 13 and 14. For $40, the women’s a capella singing group will deliver two love songs, a
LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS SEEKS NEW BOARD MEMBERS FROM EAST COUNTY
Printer-friendly version February 6, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The League of Conservation Voters’ San Diego chapter seeks new board members from the East County area. “Our goal is electing and monitoring public officials relative to their positions on environmental issues,” says Nikki Symington, board member of the nonpartisan organization. “We need more representation from the East
CRASH IN LAKESIDE BLOCKS CENTER LANES ON I-8
Printer-friendly versionFebruary 6, 2010 (Lakeside) 9:25 a.m. — Center lanes remain blocked on I-8 westbound at Lake Jennings Road in Lakeside due to a vehicle accident. Emergency workers have now freed all people trapped in a vehicle and transported three patients to a hospital, according to Heartland Fire dispatch. Incident Page Network reports that one of those trapped was a baby.
TOYOTA ORDERS FIX FOR 2.3 MILLION RECALLED VEHICLES
Printer-friendly version February 6, 2010 (San Diego) – Toyota announced it has identified the cause of a sticking accelerator problem believed to have caused the death of CHP officer Mark Saylor and three of his family members in a fiery Santee crash. The manufacturer has ordered recall of 2.3 million Toyotas. This weekend, Toyota began sending letters to owners
CHICKENPOX OUTBREAK AT LAKESIDE SCHOOL
Printer-friendly version February 5, 2010 (Lakeside) — The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) reports that six students at Xara Garden School, a K-2 charter school sponsored by the Lakeside Union School District, have been diagnosed with chickenpox (varicella). None of the six students were vaccinated against chickenpox. “Chickenpox is a preventable disease. We encourage parents
FIRE DESTROYS RAMONA BUILDING
Printer-friendly version February 5, 2010 (Ramona)–Cal Fire and the Ramona Fire Department received a report of a structure fire in the 15000 block of Rosemont Lane in Ramona shortly after 7:30 this evening. When firefighters arrived, the 1500 square foot home was fully engulfed in flames. It took approximately 45 minutes to extinguish the fire. Firefighters will remain at
CUYAMACA COLLEGE FETES “INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING” OF NEW BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY BUILDING
Printer-friendly version February 5, 2010 (El Cajon) — Cuyamaca College’s $28 million business and technology building has opened, just as students returned to campus for the start of the spring 2010 semester. Once relegated to temporary trailers, shared with a nest of skunks, the various disciplines in the business department are delighted to finally have a building to call their
FIRE IS THEME IN 2ND ANNUAL GOLDEN ARTISTRY JEWELRY DESIGN COMPETITION
Printer-friendly version Open to all GUHSD students – if you can draw, you can win! February 5, 2010 (La Mesa) – Golden Artistry Jewelry Design invites Grossmont Union High School district students to participate in its 2nd annual jewelry design competition. “We are doing this in order to find students that have creative skills, and help them find their calling,”
Register to Vote!
Printer-friendly versionVoter registration drives are being held at several East County locations listed below. You must be registered by October 20th to vote in the November 4th presidential election. Registering in person means you don’t have to worry about forms getting lost in the mail or arriving too late. If you’re not yet registered, you can sign up at any
WATER SHORTAGE REVIVES RECYCLED WATER PROPOSALS
Printer-friendly versionBy E.A. Barrera Photos by Daisy Sharrock October 1, 2008 (SAN DIEGO) – Water is the single biggest issue facing the future of San Diego County. Even the process for updating San Diego County’s land use general plan – the so-called General Plan 2020 process – depends on the availability and amount of water the area will sustain. "Water
Health Tips
Printer-friendly version HUMAN WEST NILE VIRUS CASES REACH FIVE TOTAL SAN DIEGO August 18, 2008 — Another confirmed locally-acquired human case of West Nile virus (WNV) brings the year-to-date total to five—including one patient in East County, according to the County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA). FDA DECISION ON BPA OUTRAGES HEALTH ADVOCATES FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug 20, 2008
A Firestorm of Controversy – Still No County Fire Department Five Years After Cedar Blaze
Printer-friendly versionBallot measure will ask voters to approve tax for fire services By E.A. Barrera Photos courtesy of La Mesa Fire Department “Given the existing high-risk conditions that are projected to continue into the future, destructive firestorms will certainly occur again. Yet, even armed with this knowledge and after the Cedar Fire wake-up call, the San Diego region is woefully
DYING TO COME TO AMERICA – Immigrant Death Toll Soars; Water Stations Sabotaged
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery September 1, 2008 (Holtville)–“These people came here looking for opportunity. Not one of them expected to die,” said Enrique Morones, erecting a hand-made wooden cross at a gravesite marked only by a brick engraved with the name Jane Doe. A few years ago, there were twenty bricks in this pauper’s graveyard at Holtville in Imperial County,
Tough Medicine, Part I
Printer-friendly versionGrossmont Hospital Investigations Raise Oversight Concernts, Criticisms By Sara McInerney, staff writer, and editor Miriam Raftery September 14, 2008 (La Mesa)–Revelations of preventable patient deaths and alleged neglect at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have led some community leaders to demand increased oversight even as new complaints of patient care at Grossmont surface. Grossmont is one of four hospitals in San Diego
Tough Medicine, Part II
Printer-friendly versionCommunity Leaders Call for New Hospital in East County: Long Waits in Grossmont ER, Patient Deaths Heighten Urgent Need By Sara McInerney, Staff Writer September 18, 2008 (La Mesa)–Government investigations into at least three preventable patient deaths at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have raised serious questions about the facility’s capacity to service the needs of East County’s growing population. Closure of
Democratic Candidates Urge Voters to Unite for Change at East County Rally
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery "I’ve been a Republican for 35 years and I became a Democrat in January," La Mesa Councilmember David Allan told a crowd of approximately 350 people at the East County Uniting for Change picnic on Sunday at Harry Griffith Park in La Mesa. Sponsored by the La Mesa-Foothills, East County and Santee Democratic Clubs, the event
Budget Crisis Hits Home
Printer-friendly versionState workers in East County struggle to cope with prospect of huge pay cuts, lay-offs; Judge orders Sept. 12 hearing on Governor’s wage-slashing orders By Miriam RafteryPhotos by Aida Canonizado Mildred Scarber, a state employee who works at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in El Cajon, was shocked to learn that Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered all state employees’
Taxing Issues
Printer-friendly versionLa Mesa Council candidates address budget gap, public safety and future growth By Miriam Raftery State budget cuts have left La Mesa facing a potential budget shortfall of several million dollars. In exclusive interviews with East County Magazine, challenger Shannon O’Dunn as well as incumbents David Allan and Ruth Sterling shared their views on bridging the budget gap as
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