By Miriam Raftery

May 17, 2018 (El Cajon) – A 16-year-old student walking on the trolley tracks near the Roadway Inn in El Cajon was struck and killed by the trolley  around 8 p.m.Tuesday night.

According to a GoFundMe website set up by a teacher to help the family pay for medical expenses, the victim was a sophomore and captain of the basketball team at Chaparral High School.

El Cajon Police and paramedics responded, but the victim, Harley Groleau, was declared dead at the scene.

Source: Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

May 15, 2018 (El Cajon) -- Two guided bike rides are being held at Grossmont College May 20 to honor the memory of Grossmont College political science professor Brian Jennings, an avid bicyclist who was killed April 17 while riding his bike in Flinn Springs.

Source: Steele Canyon High School Drama Department

Photos: Leanna Neely, Jackson Shaffer (cover photo), Mary Rose Vadeboncoeur

May 10, 2018 (Spring Valley) -- The Steele Canyon High School Drama Department is proud to announce that three of their students have received nominations for the 2018 Broadway San Diego Awards for their roles in the SCHS spring production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. 

Source: Helix Water District

May 9, 2018 (Rancho San Diego) -- The award-winning Water Conservation Garden will host Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday,    May 19, for customers of Helix Water District, the City of San Diego, Otay Water District and Sweetwater Authority.

By Miriam Raftery

May 7, 2018 (El Cajon) – East County Art Association in El Cajon seeks entries for its “Masters of the Moment” juried art show, which will run June 1-July 13 at the Olaf Wieghorst Gallery in El Cajon. Entries will be accepted in these media: oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, gouache, collage, ink, pencil, mixed media, and photography.

By Jake Robison

May 4, 2018 (El Cajon) -- St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC) will hold its inaugural Our Secret Garden Party on Saturday, June 2 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 2119 East Madison Avenue, El Cajon. This event will give SMSC’s supporters and the San Diego community the chance to experience SMSC’s magical garden and new aquatics center.

Nonprofit plans fundraiser May 19-20

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

May 2, 2018 (El Cajon) -- The Princess Project, an organization that matches up the right high school prom dress with the right high school student for free, came to the County of San Diego-El Cajon Library branch on April 30th.  The nonprofit provides free dresses and accessories to high school students who cannot otherwise afford them.

April 30, 2018 (El Cajon) -- Bill Wells, El Cajon Mayor and a Republican challenger to Rep. Duncan Hunter in the 50th  Congressional district,  has appeared on the FOX Business program "Risk and Reward" and FOX News Channel's "FOX and Friends" openly endorsing a growing revolt by Southern California cities against Senate Bill 54.  The mmeasure signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) last October declared the State of California as a "sanctuary state" for undocumented immigrants. It was passed in response to the Trump administration’s broad crackdown on undocumented immigrants including increased deportations.

By Miriam Raftery

April 26, 2018 (El Cajon) – Flyers posted and distributed anonymously at a career expo at Cuyamaca College this week took aim at Cajon Valley Union School District trustee Jim Miller.  

The expo was co-sponsored by America's Job Center of Cailfornia and the East County Career Center. Over 50 employees were there to recruit employees for a wide variety of jobs including in healthcare, childcare, education, municipalities, county agencies, public utilities, nursing homes, nonprofits, law enforcement, gaming, landscaping, local legislators, San Diego's radio stations and more.

“As you know, the school district that you choose to work in will have an enormous impact on your classroom, your income, your career, your future, and the pride that comes with being associated with a good school district,” the flyer advises attendees, adding, “Due to the recent antics of one of the members of the Cajon Valley Union School Board, I feel obligated to give you a little background on the actions of this particular ‘loose cannon,’ named Jim Miller. We are also including a listing of other, nearby school districts, that you may consider while you make important decision.

Source: Sheriff’s Department

April 24, 2018 (Rancho San Diego) -- Investigators from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff’s Station want your help locating a man wanted in connection with theft, burglary, and fraud in the East County.

On April 1st between 12:00 p.m. and 1:45 p.m., someone stole a checkbook from the glove box of a vehicle that was parked in the 2100 block of Merlyn Place in unincorporated El Cajon.

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

April 23, 2018 (El Cajon) - Grossmont boys lacrosse, like most other Grossmont sports, is undefeated in league, sporting a perfect 9-0 while remaining almost flawless overall, going 11-2.  Tonight, they faced a school that ECM Sports doesn’t get to cover as much when league play comes around due to league differences, the Patriots of Patrick Henry, who are just as good, sitting at 3-1 in the Eastern League and 9-6 overall.

By Miriam Raftery

April 24, 2018 (El Cajon) – A motorcyclist who rear-ended a Toyota Tacoma last night on I-8 east, just west of El Cajon Boulevard, succumbed to his injuries later in the evening.

The victim, 55, from Oceanside was riding a 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle at a reportedly high rate of speed, along with a passenger, when he struck the rear of a Toyota Tacoma around 6:06 p.m. Both the motorcyclist and his passenger, a 30-year-old woman from South Carolina, were ejected onto the freeway lanes with major injuries.

Article and photos by Robert Gehr © 2018

April 23, 2018 (El Cajon) -- The Letitia Coxe Shelby Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapter in La Mesa held a dedication ceremony for a Knox House Museum historic marker on Saturday at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum and Art Gallery in the heart of downtown El Cajon.

By Jonathan Goetz and Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Standing room only crowd included dozens of gun control supporters as well as gun rights advocates

April 17, 2018 (El Cajon) – Actions of the Cajon Valley Union School District have become targets for both sides in the gun violence debate. At the April 10^th board meeting, members came under fire over:

• Hillsdale Middle School students put on lunch detention for participating in an on-campus walk out during the nationwide March for Our Lives, an event aiming to to prevent gun violence on campuses;
•  Termination of a contract for counseling intern Margaret Katchur Morghen, who sat with students during detention as a “learning exercise on the First Amendment” and also spoke with media about the walk-out;
• School board member Jim Miller firing off a derisive letter to a retired teacher who had written to the Superintendent asking for actions to reduce gun violence at schools. Miller responded on behalf of the San Diego Gun Owners Political Action Committee, and wore a National Rifle Association (NRA) hat during the school board’s April 10, 2018 public meeting.

Those actions got the public up in arms, figuratively speaking. Gun rights advocates and people concerned about gun violence packed the hearing room at the April 10^th school board meeting.  Eight people testified during public comments, split evenly with four rounds on each side.

East County News Service

April 16, 2018 (La Mesa) – Foothills Christian Church, 365 West Bradley Ave., El Cajon, will host “Blessed with a Dress,” a free event for young women needing high-quality, fashionable formal wear for school dances and other special occasions. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, girls can visit the church campus and select a free dress, pair of shoes and jewelry for upcoming formal events.