East County News Service

May 6, 2015 (La Mesa)--Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) recently hosted a check-presentation ceremony to celebrate GHD’s ongoing support of Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), a nonprofit providing access to health care to uninsured residents by relying on volunteer medical professionals. From left to right: GHD board members Gloria Chadwick, Bob Ayres and Betty Stieringer, VIM CEO Maureen Hartin and GHD board members Michael Emerson and Randy Lenac. VIM’s clinic in El Cajon is staffed by more than 100 professional volunteers, including retired doctors, nurses and support staff, who donate thousands of hours in providing primary care services to more than 3,000 patients annually.

May 7, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD), a public agency that supports various health-related community programs and services in San Diego’s East County, recently hosted a check-presentation ceremony with Maureen Hartin, CEO, Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) San Diego, Inc. The ceremony celebrated GHD’s ongoing support of VIM, including a $150,000 grant awarded during GHD’s current fiscal year.

May 1, 2015 (El Cajon)--The El Cajon Valley Host Lions Club Foundation presented its annual donations  to the following organizations on April 28^th at the Ronald Reagan Community Center.

A total of $36,000 was presented by Foundation President Bob Moreau to Guide Dogs of Desert, San Diego Center for the Blind, Boys and Girls Club of East  County, Canine Companions for Independence and Lions District 4L6 Camp Jack.

East County News Service

May 1, 2015 (El Cajon)  Cajon Valley Union School District announces launch of a multilingual program at the CVUSD Language Academy.  The program will offer students who speak English or Spanish as their first language the opportunity to learn to read, write, and communicate in English and Spanish, learn computer programming, and a fourth language.

April 28, 2015 (El Cajon)--Need help finding a job – or a new career?

East County News Service

April 24, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Sheriff’s Deputy Manning was patrolling Harbison Canyon Road in the unincorporated area of El Cajon  on Wednesday when he spotted a long extension cord.  Following the cord, he found a large greenhouse filled with marijuana plants and more pot plants growing next to an RV.

April 23, 2015 (El Cajon) – Aces Foundation invites the public to its annual Barkitecture Bash on Sunday, April 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Downtown Café, 182 East Main Street in El Cajon.

April 21, 2015 (El Cajon)-- Something is brewing at Sycuan Casino. The entertainment and gaming destination has partnered with one of San Diego’s favorite beer makers, AleSmith Brewing Company, to create an exclusive four-course Brewer’s Dinner. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 28^th beginning at 6:30p.m. at the casino’s popular GameDay Sports Bar & Grill and will feature delicious craft beer and custom dishes made specially for the event.

By Robert Gehr (c)2015

April 19, 2015 (El Cajon) – America on Main Street, a fun-filled family event, is being held this year on Saturday - May 16^th, in the downtown El Cajon area, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and lasting until 8:00 p.m.

April 17, 2015 (Rancho San Diego)--Six homegrown bands playing an eclectic mix of folk, jazz, pop and rock will perform on two stages on the grand lawn of Cuyamaca College at the Coyote Music Festival noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 2. Now in its seventh year, the entirely student-run festival will provide the community a free afternoon of live music by local talent in a family-friendly venue, where picnic blankets and lawn chairs are the best seats in the house.

By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2015 (El Cajon) --  Recently, Citizens Oversight founder Ray Lutz challenged the city of El Cajon’s allocation of community development block grant funds to the East County Transitional Living Center for programs that benefit homeless people seeking to get off the streets. In a complaint sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Lutz argued that the program was illegal due to church-state separation requirements of the U.S. Constitution.

By Miriam Raftery

April 16, 2015 (El Cajon) – The City of El Cajon is cracking down on liquor stores and markets that sell alcohol to minors and serial inebriates. Following sting operations that found many stores selling to minors, some repeatedly, on Tuesday the City Council voted unanimously to ask staff to work on preparing a ballot initiative to make alcohol sale restrictions part of the city’s charter so that the limits will be “very difficult to take it out,” Mayor Wells said.

No one spoke publicly against the ballot initiative effort. But Mayor Bill Wells (photo, left)  said he and the council members have been threatened by the liquor industry with punishment if the measure is put on the ballot. The industry and its lobbyists “have said that they will spend tremendous amounts of money to make sure we are never elected again,” said the Mayor, who told citizens present, “We don’t want you to be in a position where your city council changes or your mayor changes and all of that hard work can just be wiped away with a single vote.”

East County News Service

April 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Two Army National Guard soldiers from East County were arrested Wednesday and charged with selling weaponry including assault rifles, ammunition and body armor to undercover agents who posed as Mexican drug cartel members.

April 12, 2015 (El Cajon)--The Water Conservation Garden invites the public to its second-annual Butterfly Festival for an exciting program of activities that will engage all ages with butterflies on Saturday, May 9^th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The event highlights the important role that these insects play in our ecosystem and how visitors can attract and support butterflies in their home gardens using drought-tolerant plants.  Activities include:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Phil Konstanin

April 10, 2015 (El Cajon ) – Rock and roll superstar Chubby Checker will perform a concert with a “Twist” on  April 23^rd at Sycuan’s Live & Up Close Theater.  Checker rocketed to fame in 1960, when his recording of “The Twist” was the number one song in the nation, sparking a new dance craze and countless variations such as the “Peppermint Twist”, “Let’s Twist Again” and “Twist and Shout.”

April 9, 2015 (El Cajon) – The 17th Annual Morning Glory Brunch will be held on April 11^th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (2199 East Madison Ave.) in El Cajon. The event benefits the center’s programs for adults with developmental disabilities.