East County News Service

March 15, 2022 (Spring Valley) – The Sheriff’s Rancho San Diego station will host a coffee with the community on Wednesday, March 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Spring Valley Community Center at 8735 Jamacha Blvd., Spring Valley.

Source: Rancho San Diego Sheriff substation

March 10, 2022 (Spring Valley) -- Take a good look at this sketch.  The man you see here is suspected of approaching a student and demanding she get in his car while she was walking to school in the Casa de Oro area of Spring Valley.

East County News Service

File photo: Cottonwood Golf Course, site of the proposed sand mine along the Sweetwater River

March 7, 2022 (Rancho San Diego) – Several community groups have sent letters to the county sharply criticizing the draft EIR on the proposal for a controversial 10-year open pit sand mining operation proposed on the site of the Cottonwood Golf Course.  Groups providing detailed comments on the inadequacy of the report include the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the Sierra Club, the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group and Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine, a coalition of concerned residents.

Tribe to benefit from low interest rate

Source:  Jamul Indian Village

Photo:  the Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation (JIVDC), owner and operator of Jamul Casino, recently closed on a refinance with a syndicate of commercial banks.  JIVDC was able to retire all of its high-interest pre-development debt and consolidate its financing in a single low-interest loan.

March 4, 2022 (Jamul) - On February 10, 2022, the Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation (JIVDC), owner and operator of Jamul Casino^®, closed on a refinance with a syndicate of commercial banks led by Western Alliance Bank.  The other lenders were U.S. Bank, Nevada State Bank, KeyBank, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. and Columbia State Bank.  JIVDC was able to retire all of its high interest pre-development debt and consolidate its financing in a single low interest loan.  With this refinance, the JIVDC was able to pay off the entirety of its high interest rate loan with funds from the refinance and significantly reduce the interest rate on its debt, dramatically improving the financial future of the Jamul Indian Village.

East County News Service

March 2, 2022 (Alpine) – Richard Edwords of Kamp's Propane sent in this photo from the Preferred MM SD Insurance Services wiinning team, which took home the first place trophy in the Alpine Kiwanis Club's recent guacamole contest.

The competition benefits Sports for Exceptional Athletes.

By Miriam Raftery

February 18, 2022 (Campo) – You’re invited to experience the history and heritage of San Diego’s East County during Campo Day. The event will take place on Saturday, April 30  at four separate locations encompassing the community’s colorful past which includes a historic railway, Wild West shootout, Native Americans, pioneers, cowboy skills, Buffalo soldiers, a cavalry camp and living military history. There’s also an evening dance.

Specifically, the Campo venues and events at the event organized by the Mountain Empire Historical Society include:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, right: Snow in In-Ko-Pah, by Greg Curran

February 23, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – A late winter storm brought much-needed rain across much of the county, also bringing heavy snowfall to Mt.Laguna and lesser amounts of snowfall to elevations as low as Campo, Descanso, Lake Morena and In-ko-pah. In addition, a freeze warning has been issued for valley areas tonight and a frost warning for coastal communities.

The snowstorm has caused traffic snarls on I-8, where at least 10 semi-trucks got stuck this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The road was cleared with snow ploughs by around 9 a.m. However, Sunrise Highway is closed due to snow between State Route 79 and mile marker 27.5 due to snow.

Chains are required to access the following roadways:

East County News Service

Photo: Joylin Gutierrez, 6, and her suspected captor, her non-custodial parent Wendy Guttierez

Update:  Authorities indicate the abductor may have taken Joylin Gutierrez into Mexico.

February 22, 2022 (Spring Valley) -- The Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station wants your help in locating a missing six-year-old girl from Spring Valley.

On Tuesday, February 22 around 1:15 p.m., Joylin Gutierrez was taken from Kempton Elementary School located in the 700 block of Kempton Street in Spring Valley. Joylin  is Hispanic, three feet tall with long brown hair and brown eyes.  She was last seen wearing a pink or purple sweater.

 Joylin is believed to be with her biological, non-custodial parent, 45-year-old Wendy Gutierrez.

They were last seen around 4:00 p.m. in the area near East Plaza Boulevard and South Harbison Avenue in National City.