By Miriam Raftery

February 9, 2021 (Julian) – Johnny Hake, best known for his leadership to protect Julian during wildfires, passed away on February 1, 2021.  He was 71 years old.

Born Sept. 13, 1949, Hake told the Julian Journal that he met his wife, Diane, in a berry patch. They got married three weeks later, on August 8, 1969.  They raised their family which included adopted children as well as their own.

“I feel so blessed to have been married to Johnny for almost 52 years making amazing memories,” Diane posted on Facebook when she announced his death.  “I could have enjoyed his company for another half a century.”

By Miriam Raftery

February 7, 2021 (Descanso) – Looking for something special for your valentine?  Descanso Junction invites you to savor a private five-course meal by Master Chef Michael Wray – served up to you and your sweetheart in an intimate lighted bubble beneath oak trees.

East County News Service

Photo: Creative Commons via Bing

February 4, 2021 (Julian) – A free virtual night sky photography course will be offered March 11 from 6 p.m to 7:30 p.m. with Kevin Wixom, who has been shooting the night skies for years in San Diego, Hawaii and other places.

By Miriam Raftery

January 28, 2021 (San Diego’s East County)—A flash flood watch has been issued for San Diego County’s mountains, valleys and coatstal areas from 7p.m. Thursday to 4 p.m. Friday due to an atmospheric river moving across Southern California . The storm is forecast to bring widespread moderate to heavy rain and snow, with flash flooding possible.  If you encounter a flooded roadway, the Sheriff advises to "turn around, don't drown" since only a few inches of swiftly flowing water can quickly carry a vehicle into deeper water and submerge it.

Deep snow accumulations in the mountains will lead to difficult travel and chain restrictions for vehicles.  The storm is forecast to drop two to five inches of snow in local mountains. Snow levels are expected above 5,000 feet Thursday, dropping to as low as 4,500 feet by Friday. There is also a chance of thunderstorms, according to meteorologist Samantha Connolly with the National Weather Service.

East County News Service

File photo by Billy Ortiz

January 22, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) -- With heavy snow forecast in our local mountains over the next several days, the California Highway Patrol asks the public to practice good “snow etiquette” when visiting the Mount Laguna/Julian area.

The advisory aims to protect public safety, assure that travelers have chains or snow tires, respect private property, and help keep our mountain areas clean for residents. Law enforcement will be present enforcing these guidelines and laws.

East County News Service

January 19, 2021 (Ramona) – Ramona resident Elias Ruiz, 32, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of murder.  The identity of the victim, a man found shot in the 700 block of Main Street around 12:30 a.m. yesterday, has not been released pending family notification.

Sheriff's deputies and officers with the California Highway Patrol responded to a report of the shooting. They attempted lifesaving measures until relieved by fire personnel. Unfortunately, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Friends of East County’s Diane Mattingly are circulating these photos of her taken earlier this month, via Times of San Diego

December 29, 2020 (San Diego) - Friends and neighbors of Diane Mae Mattingly of the high desert near Anza-Borrego say she’s been missing more than two weeks but haven’t had much help from the Sheriff’s Department.

By Miriam Raftery

December 22, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – SDG&E has notified around 30,000 customers that their power could be shut off due to high fire danger.  The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Southern California due to possible strong winds from 8 a.m. Wednesday through 12 p.m. Thursday, Christmas Eve. The communities at risk range from El Cajon east to Campo, north to Escondido and mountain areas such as Julian, and as far south as Potrero near the border.

The threat of losing electricity in mid-winter during Christmas week is disheartening for backcountry residents, many of whom have stocked up refrigerators and freezers for holiday feasts. ECM has received complaints from residents who report SDG&E refused to reimburse them for food spoiled during other recent outages. Coming at a time when many are without jobs or have businesses with little income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prospect of financial losses due to power outages or worse, a wildfire are particularly troubling.

East County News Service

December 20, 2020 (Alpine) – Alpine real estate broker Jeff Campbell of San Diego Estates is celebrating his 22nd annual Gift Bag Drive, a holiday collection drive benefiting several local charities.

More than 25 businesses in Alpine, including banks, retail stores, insurance offices and coffee shops, have hosted collection bins where residents have donated nonperishable canned food items, personal hygiene items and unwrapped children’s toys beginning in mid-November, said Campbell. New this year has been a donation of several hundred jackets, shirts and hoodies from an El Centro-based embroidery company that closed its doors.

Campbell said the deadline for donations is Tuesday, Dec. 22.

By Miriam Raftery

December 14, 2020 (Julian) – A GoFundMe page has been set up by Julian community members to help the Lares family members, who lost everything in a fire at their home yesterday. 

“Perla Lares, a Senior at Julian High School served as Teen Miss Julian Princess in 2018 and 2019, dedicating many hours to community service for Julian and San Diego County.  Her brother, Gabe, is a Freshman at Julian High School,” says Jill Fleming, who started the fundraising page.

Update November 9, 2020:  The Ramona Water District Board voted last night to fill this vacancy by appointment.  Click here to learn more.

By Miriam Raftery

December 7, 2020 (Ramona) – Thomas Ace, 73, an incumbent on the Ramona Municipal Water District Board and former Lakeside Fire Protection District Chief, died October 24.  He still received the most votes in the November election for the water district’s Division 3 seat, with 1,766 votes to defeat Rex Schildhouse, who got 1,654 votes – a margin of just 112 votes, according to the election results certified Dec. 3 by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.

The water district’s board of directors has the option to fill the vacancy by appointment, or call a special election. Options will be discussed at the next board meeting Dec.8 at 2 p.m., which will be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the board agenda indicates.

By Miriam Raftery

December 3, 2020 (San Diego's East County) -- SDG&E announced this morning that is has cut power to over 73,000 customers due to high winds and fire danger. The utility also announced,  that at 8 a.m. it will open 10 Community Resource Centers  at local libraries or community centers to provide support to those affected by Public Safety Power Shutoffs. The ceners will have water, snacks, charging stations for mobile phones and other devices, and in some areas, water trucks for livestock. (Bring your own vessel to transport water).

For locations of Community Resource Centers and updates on outages in your community, visit http://sdge.com/ready For safety, CDC guidelines will be enforced.

SDG&E reports record wind speeds recorded at its weather stations including gusts up to 94 miles per hour.