Update December 19, 2017:  The plane had taken off from Gillespie Field when the pilot reported engine trouble. He was trying to return to the airport when the crash occurred. Two of the three men aboard were officers with the Huntington Beach Police Department. The two officers have been released from the hospital, according to the Orange County Register, but the third man remains hospitalized.

East County WIldfire & Emergency Service

Photos by John Sulser

December 17, 2017 (El Cajon) -- A single engine plane has crashed near Gillespie Way and Weld in El Cajon, close to Gillespie Field, El Cajon Police report.

Witnesses report a pilot, copilot and passenger escaped before the plane caught fire and have been transported to a hospital.

East County News Service

December 13, 2017 (El Cajon) – A 20-year-old man is dead and a 17-year-old has been treated for stab wounds following an altercation in the 700 block of East Park Avenue in El Cajon around 7:30 last night.

By Paul Kruze

December 9, 2017 (El Cajon) --  ““Gloria! He is Born!” A Musical Celebration Of the Birth of Jesus Christ” will be presented by the El Cajon Stake Choir of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. at the El Cajon Stake Center located at 1270 So. Orange Avenue (off Chase Avenue) in El Cajon. There is no admission charge for the event.

 Under the direction of Marilyn White-Harris, the choir will perform a number of favorite Christmas carols along with several carols with audience participation.

East County News Service

December 2, 2017 (El Cajon) - You've kicked off the season with the Mother Goose Parade. Now it's time for another El Cajon tradition: the Salvation Army Fire Truck Toy Parade.  The Salvation Army partners with the Fire Department, KOGO 600 News Radio, Stoney's Kids Legacy and Target on Saturday, December 9.  The festivities start at 9 a.m. at the Target parking lot at 250 Broadway, where KOGO will start broadcasting live at 9 a.m. and will be interviewing groups and organizations participating in donations.  The parade rolls out at 11 a.m.  A few local celebrities will attend - Bonnie, daughter of Stoney Stone, founder of the East County Toy and Food Drive, is planning to be there and it's even rumored that Santa will make an appearance.  For more information, contact Cpt. Sean Kelsey at 619-440-4683 ext. 402.

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

December 1, 2017 (San Diego) - What better way to kick off December than with high school sports? Football is winding down and we’re moving on to basketball.  Tonight, the lady Eagles of Granite Hills traveled to Patrick Henry to take on the Patriots in their first matchup of the season.  The Patriots are already 1-0 on the season.

East County News Service

November 29, 2017 (El Cajon) – The Gaslamp Quarter Jazz Orchestra will present a free concert on Sunday, December 17 at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 500 Farragut Circle in El Cajon. The program includes a medley of Christmas music.  Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

ECM's editor goes undercover to compare illicit pot shop to legally licensed dispensary

By Miriam Raftery

November 27, 2017 (El Cajon) – As cities grapple with how to regulate marijuana-based businesses, Outliers Collective, the county’s only legally licensed medical cannabis dispensary, provides evidence of advantages to licensing and regulating facilities, including product safety testing for consumers, security for employees, and avoiding problems caused by illegal pot shops such as crime, fire hazards, and products contaminated with pesticides.

Source: City of El Cajon

November 27, 2017 (El Cajon) -- On November 29, Mercedes-Benz will hold a Grand Opening and begin welcoming customers to its brand new state-of-the-art dealership in El Cajon. The new dealership, located on a five-acre site at the corner of Marshall Avenue and Wagner Drive, will replace Mercedes-Benz’ existing location on El Cajon Boulevard.

By Steve Goble, Councilmember in the City of El Cajon



November 21, 2017(El Cajon) -- Some voices, especially from outside the City of El Cajon, have mischaracterized the City’s temporary prohibition on feeding the public in public spaces.  I thought I’d address here why I voted for the temporary ordinance and attempt to clear up any misunderstandings which have been distributed on social media and spoken in public forums.

  By Paul Kruze

November 20, 2017 (El Cajon) – Since the East County Perform Arts Center shut down  in 2010, many East County residents have been frustrated with the slow pace of completing repairs and finding new management.

Finally, at last Tuesday’s El Cajon City Council hearing, residents heard the news they’ve long been waiting for. Mayor Bill Wells and City Manager Doug Williford announced that a preliminary five year management agreement for the theater has been reached with Live Nation, a Beverly Hills-based live-events company focused on producing worldwide concert and entertainment-show promotions.

Details of the final agreement are expected to be shared at the next meeting and approved by the City Council. The vote will mark the culmination of some one-and-a-half years of negotiation by Williford.

Update: Hear our interview with Dash McTavish from Food Not Bombs, a group planning to feed the homeless Nov. 25 in defiance of  El Cajon's ban.  Click the audio link to hear the interviewed originally aired on KNSJ.

By Miriam Raftery

November 12, 2017 (El Cajon) – Protest rallies on November 19^th and 25^th are being organized to oppose the El Cajon City Council’s unanimous decision to outlaw feeding the homeless and other city-owned properties, after previously banning camping in parks, sleeping on sidewalks and panhandling.  An online petition also calls on Mayor Bill Wells and the City Council to overturn the ban.  

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: Iraqi Democratic Current

November 16, 2017 (El Cajon) - A proposal that would reduce a girl’s marriageable age to puberty, right to decline sex to a husband, eliminate inheritance rights and child custody decisions for women passed its first reading in the Iraqi Parliament on October 30. The bill still requires a second reading to become law.

After ISIS Genocide, Iraqi Christians are displaced again

By Noori Barka, PhD, President, Chaldean League of California

November 14, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Since ISIS defeat, and by the time the displaced Iraqi Christians have started to return to the towns and villages in the Nineveh Plains, they were forced to flee again as Iraqi and Kurdish forces clash. It's a shame that after our people started rebuilding their homes with the hope to start their life in peace after ISIS horror are now killed and displaced again by their own governments!

Our people have lost their faith in either Kurdistan or Iraqi governments to protect them. They see no future in their homeland and they are fleeing to neighboring countries looking for a safe refuge for their families.

Iraq is the land of the original Christians: the Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Syriacs. Iraqi Christians were the original architects of Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, before the Kurds and Arabs. Today, the Christian population of Iraq is down to about 200,000, a stunning 80 percent decline from the 1.5 million in 2003. Christianity is on the verge of being driven eliminated from its ancestral home.

By Robert Gehr and Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2017 (El Cajon) – Just in time for Veterans’ Day weekend, Golden Corral Buffet & Grill is open in downtown El Cajon. On Monday, November 13,  the restaurant will host Military Appreciation Day from 5 to 9 p.m. – serving up free meals for all active duty and retired military members as well as veterans.