East County Magazine
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
Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

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.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: PALISIDES FIRE IN LOS ANGELES
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service January 8, 2025 (Los Angeles) – No, that’s not a tornado or mother ship descending. Henri Migala snapped this apocalyptic image of the Palisades Fire which is devastating Los Angeles. This photo was taken from the Westin Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. As of today, the fire has burned 15,832 acres, has destroyed many
Search by Specific Date
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: OPEN HOUSE AT THE LAKESIDE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Printer-friendly version Story and photos by Shiloh Ireland October 15, 2023 (Lakeside) — On Saturday, September 30, Lakeside Fire Protection District held its annual Open House featuring department trucks and an ambulance, a Sheriff department K9 demonstration, a REACH helicopter landing, face painting for kids, a dunk- a-firefighter booth and agencies with booths and demonstrations. The event brought a full

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: BOBCAT IN JAMUL
Printer-friendly version October 2, 2023 (Jamul) — Fabrice Borel of Jamul snapped a photo of this beautiful bobcat, which was so close he says he thought it might jump into his vehicle. California, where hunting bobcats has been illegal since Jan. 1, 2020, now has an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 bobcats, according to the California Fish and Wildlife Dept. You

THE MIGRANT CRISIS IN PHOTOS
Printer-friendly versionBy Rebecca Person Photos by Rebecca Person and photographers who asked to be anonymous October 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) — Waves of border crossers quietly filter into the high desert towns of Jacumba Hot Springs and Boulevard in the farthest eastern corner of San Diego County. Local residents and volunteers there respond with rounds of water and

WINNERS IN LAKE JENNINGS PHOTO CONTEST
Printer-friendly versionSeptember 28, 2023 (Lakeside)–Helix Water District announces the winners of the 2023 Lake Jennings Photo Contest, with this year’s first place in the adult category going to photographer Billy Ortiz of Lakeside for his image “Reflection.” (Photo, left) Now in its 12th year, the contest drew 60 photos from photographers throughout San Diego County. This year’s entries highlighted
VIDEO OF THE WEEK: TROPICAL STORM HILLARY HITS SAN DIEGO
Printer-friendly versionVideo by: Jessyka Heredia August 23, 2023 — Hurricane Hillary was downgraded to a tropical storm before hitting San Diego on Sunday. See what some residents experienced around the county from as far east as Sunshine Highway in Mount Laguna to as far north as La Jolla and as far south as Imperial Beach and several spots

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: ELECTRICAL STORM LIGHTS UP COWLES MOUNTAIN
Printer-friendly version August 20, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) –Michael Adam Cohen, award-winning entertainment reporter and photographer, shot these surreal images of a lightning storm over Cowles Mountain, as Tropical Storm Hilary drenched our region. The first image, viewed from Mt. Helix, makes Cowles Mountain appear to be an island floating in a foggy sea. In reality, those are clouds obscuring
VIDEO OF THE WEEK: HURRICANE FUELS LIGHTNING STORM IN JACUMBA
Printer-friendly versionAugust 19, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs) — Outer bands of Hurricane Hilary have sparked an estimated 1,000 cloud-to-cloud lighting strikes in San Diego County, the National Weather Service says. At the Desert View Tower in Jacumba Hot Springs, overlooking Imperial Valley, Gabrielle Schultz had a birds-eye view and shot this dramatic video of a lightning storm before dawn this

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: SPACEX ROCKET OVER EAST COUNTY
Printer-friendly version July 22, 2023 (Campo) – Mary Simmonds snapped this dramatic image from Campo of a SpaceX rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on July 19. The Falcon 9 rocket launched 15 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. You can also view video of the rocket taken by Henri Migala at these links: https://youtu.be/1TfQx16gpDs https://youtu.be/CszalLzs5uY Printer-friendly version

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: COUNCILMAN GETS A SCARE AT COMICON
Printer-friendly version July 21, 2023 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Councilman Gary Kendrick sent in this photo of his reaction to a monster he encountered at Comicon. A childhood fan of comic books, Councilman Kendrick credits reading Superman comics with teaching him the important of being respectful to everyone, a value he strives to follow in his civic duties as
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: SHOWING PATRIOTIC SPIRIT IN LAKESIDE
Printer-friendly version July 5, 2023 (Lakeside) – Shiloh Ireland sent in these photos of spectators and participants celebrating our nation’s birthday at the Lakeside Patriotic 4th of July Parade yesterday. The parade was sponsored by the Maine Avenue Revitalization Association (M.A.R.A.). Printer-friendly version
Search by Specific Date
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.