East County Magazine
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: MONSTERS IN THE EAST COUNTY?
Printer-friendly version April 5, 2014 (Jacumba) – Tom Lemon sent this surreal looking shot of a buffalo sculpture and man-made caves at the Desert View Tower, long a favorite roadside stop of travelers in Jacumba. Visit it while you still can – word is its long-time proprietor may be set to retire in the near future. Printer-friendly version
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: WHO’S TOP BANANA ON LET’S MAKE A DEAL?
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery March 31, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) — Kathleen Hedberg is best known locally as an outspoken advocate for ratepayers on the Helix Water Board. But in February, Hedberg’s outgoing ways–along with a bright yellow banana costume–caught the eye of Let’s Make a Deal’s host. Hedberg was chosen as a contestant on the popular
MISSION TRAILS PHOTO CONTEST ANNOUNCED
Printer-friendly version March 28, 2014 (San Diego)–Attention, shutterbugs! Mission Trails Regional Park invites you to enter its 22nd annual Amateur Photo Contest. The deadline for entries is September 6th. All entries will be on display form September 13 to October 10, and an awards presentation will be held for winners. All photos must be taken from inside Mission Trails
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: “STREAMING” PHOTOS FROM CIBBETS FLAT
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery; photos by Tom Lemon March 16, 2014 (Cibbets Flat) – Tom Lemon sent in these these idyllic photos with a subject line, “East County has a stream!” These images were taken at Cibbets Flat in the Kitchen Creek area. Lemon writes, “I drove to a favorite place this morning hoping the two or three
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: KUMEYAAY WIND REPAIR
Printer-friendly version March 1, 2014 (Campo) – Donna Tisdale forwarded these photos taken on February 25th with the following description. “Today, Infigen was taking down their fried Kumeyaay Wind turbine from the Dec 16th turbine fire that sparked a small brush fire on the land they lease from the Campo tribe. The 25 Gamesa 1.5 MW turbines were first
VIDEO: THE OCOTILLO SUITE
Printer-friendly versionFebruary 28, 2014 (Ocotillo) — An Ocotillo resident has prepared a poignant video dramatically illustrating the scope of destruction done by Pattern Energy to build its Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility. The video details the beauty of the desert with closeup images of birds and other wildlife amid the ocotillo forest mowed down on 12,500 acres of public lands, then
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: FIRE IN RANCHO SAN DIEGO
Printer-friendly version February 23, 2014 (Rancho San Diego) – Jennifer Hanna snapped these images of a brush fire behind her home on Sunday, February 16. The blaze, near Fury and Wieghorst in the Rancho San Diego area of El Cajon, was swiftly dowsed by firefighters. Printer-friendly version
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: DRY TIMES AT LAKE CUYAMACA AND MOUNT LAGUNA
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery; photos by Tom Lemon February 23, 2014 (Cuyamaca) – “The meadows should be green, Cuyamaca Lake full. Not so,” Tom Lemon writes after a trip to the mountain area. “The area is tinder dry and the lake down six or eight feet.” Still, he found some interesting sights,
SOMETIMES NEWS HAPPENS OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW
Printer-friendly version By Nadin Abbott Photos by Tom and Nadin Abbott February 21, 2014 (San Diego) There is nothing like a romantic evening outside by the porch with a fire. Well, it was not quite that. Over the last two months we have had a good dozen fires in the Fashion Valley area in
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: WALLS RISE TO PROTECT MOTORISTS
Printer-friendly version Photos by Eldonna Lay and Meghan M. Lay February 15, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Motorists along Fuerte Drive at Mt. Helix drive and on Chase Avenue near Fuerte in the unincorporated areas of the County will soon be safer, thanks to two new retaining walls under construction. The walls are being built to halt erosion
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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.

Photos of the Week: Crest Celebrates Independence Day
Printer-friendly version July 6, 2026 (Crest, CA) – Paul Levikow sent in these photos from the 79th Crest Fourth of July Parade near Nancy Jane County Park. Parade watchers lined La Cresta Blvd. and Suncrest Blvd., to watch motorcycles, offroad vehicles, bicycles, classic cars, floats, and equestrians. The community event also included a live band, crafts, venders, food,
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: RACCOONS IN SAN CARLOS
Printer-friendly version June 30, 2025 (San Diego) – Diana Rozenshteyn snapped this photos of masked intruders– a raccoon family– in the backyard of her San Carlos home near Cowles Mountain. You can view more of her work at her website, San Diego in Bloom | Nature Photography by Diana Rozenshteyn. Printer-friendly version

INTERVIEW WITH CAL FIRE CAPTAIN ON MONTE FIRE
Printer-friendly versionJune 22, 2025 (Lakeside) — Cal Fire Captain Robert Johnson discusses firefighting efforts in the Monte Fire in Lakeside, during an interview yesterday with Shiloh Ireland. View video. At the time of the interview, the fire had burned 1,051 acres of rugged terrain on El Capitan Mountain. El Monte County Park in Lakeside became the staging and command center for

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: LAKESIDE RESIDENTS THANK FIREFIGHTERS
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service June 23, 2025 — Photographer Shiloh Ireland provided this video of Lakeside residents Sarah Ann WIlson and BIlly Ortiz unfurling a banner to thank firefighters who worked tirelessly to protect homes and halt the Monte Fire in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley. View video: Monte Fire Appreciation to Firefighters- 06/21/2025 Also see Ireland’s drone video showing the
VIDEO OF THE WEEK: ELEPHANTS’ POOL PARTY!
Printer-friendly version East County News Service May 11, 2025 (Escondido) — Elephants at the the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park in Escondido found a cool way to beat the heat during this week’s heat wave–holidng their own pool party. In this video, you’ll see the herd’s matriarch, Swazi, playing in the water with the youngsters. When one elephant goes in,
ENGAGED COUPLE SEEKS PHOTOGRAPHER WHO SHOT THIS PHOTO IN BORREGO ON MARCH 16, 2024
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK: PLAYING POSSUM
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 4, 2025 (La Mesa) – Cailin Acosta spotted these playful opossums on the fence in her La Mesa yard. “I was super excited, but my 12 year old twins were not impressed, ha,” she writes. “I did reach out and touch its fur. It was crispy, like a Bristol scrub, so interesting!”

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: MARY’S DONUTS CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photos by Karen Pearlman March 29, 2025 (Santee) – Mary Hennessy, the 90-something owner of Mary’s Donuts, grabs a sweet treat during her business’s 40th anniversary bash Saturday morning, March 29. Hennessy, who plied the donut trade at a Winchell’s Donuts, bought the former Zona’s Donut Shop with her husband, and opened the original Mary’s Donuts

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: TREED!
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service March 28, 2025 (San Carlos) – San Carlos resident and ECM reporter Karen Pearlman snapped this photo of a pair of raccoons chased up a tree by her dog,Charlie. Printer-friendly version

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: BORDER 2 FIRE
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service January 28, 2025 (Jamul) — Robert Hobbs sent in these images of the Border 2 Fire, which burned over 6,500 acres after starting on Otay Mountain in San Diego County on Jan. 23. These photos were taken Jan. 23 and 24 from Jamul.
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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.