By Miriam Raftery

July 16, 2024 (Lakeside) – The County is in the early stages of design for the proposed roundabouts, which proposes to construct two new roundabouts in Lakeside, one along Riverford Road, and the other between North Woodside Avenue.

San Diego County’s Public Works Department invites residents to a community open house on July 24 from 5-8 p.m. to ask questions and learn about the proposed Riverford Road Roundabouts capital improvement project. The meeting will be held at the Lakeside Library, 12428 Woodside Ave. in Lakeside.

According to the County, key benefits include:

By Susan Taylor

July 15,2004 (La Mesa) -- Neil Simon’s timeless comedy, The Odd Couple, is playing at Lamplighters Theatre in La Mesa through July 28, a play worth seeing.  Directed by Diane Jones and produced by Cydney King, it is billed as the “female version”, so the cast is all female, with the exception of two male roles introduced in the second act.

The show retains the game-playing friends in a 1980’s New York apartment, and the principal roles of the jilted spouse and the slob.  Yvonne Nguyen portrays Florence Unger, the insecure wife in need of a place to stay and a best friend’s compassion. Erin Grayce plays Olive Madison, a hard-working sports writer who cares nothing for a tidy home.  Olive invites Florence to temporarily share her apartment until they get laughingly on each other’s nerves. Viewers come away with the realization that this very odd couple teaches valuable lessons about friendship and differences among people here and abroad.

By Rachel Williams

July 11, 2024 (La Mesa) -- Here’s Why Your Voice Matters, La Mesa.

The La Mesa City Council voted unanimously on July 9 to let residents vote in November on whether to continue the ¾ cent sales tax extension used to fund public services.  Prop L, enacted in 2008, is set to expire in 2029.

According to a city press release sent by the city after the vote, the Prop L sales tax contributes approximately $12 million annually in local funding. Without Prop L funding, the City would need to make significant reductions to public safety services and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, parks, storm drains and other infrastructure, the release states.

By Miriam Raftery

July 10, 2024 (San Diego) – Akeel Robinson will turn 2-years-old in August. He’s made remarkable progress since January, when a wrong-way driver plunged off a freeway overpass in El Cajon, sending a chunk of a concrete guardrail crashing into Akeel’s skull. But his family needs help to fund his extensive rehab therapies, particularly since his mother lost her job caring for elderly patients due to putting Akeel’s needs first for his near-daily therapy appointments, and the bills are piling up. 

“He’s going to need help forever,” Akeel’s grandmother, Jennifer Blocker, told ECM. She is asking for donations at a GoFundMe site, now that the projected costs for Akeel’s care have skyrocketed.  “When the accident happened, my daughter was in the process of moving.  She’s finally gotten into a place, but everything seems to keep snowballing.”  She hopes that the public, who gave generously right after the accident, will help her daughter and grandson assure that his therapy sessions can continue, and help them afford other critical needs.

By Miriam Raftery

Image: Rendering of proposed Murray Project in La Mesa, via Enersmart's project website

July 8, 2024 (La Mesa) – A battery fire at the Gateway energy storage facility in Otay Mesa in May forced evacuation of nearby businesses for nearly two weeks.  

Enersmart has proposed building a battery energy storage facility at 8131 El  Paso Street in La Mesa.

After the Otay fire, La Mesa City Manager Greg Humora recently sent an e-mail to the mayor and city councilmembers highlighting key differences between the Otay and La Mesa projects in size, technology, and fire protection plans.

By Miriam Raftery

July 6, 2024 (La  Mesa) – Lamplighters Theatre in La Mesa presents Neil Simon’s classic comedy, The Odd Couple, July 5-28, with a twist. Instead of sloppy Oscar and neatnik Felix, the leads are female roommates​: Olive Madison and Florence Unger.

East County News Service

July 7, 2024 (Ramona) -- Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona invites you to open farm days on select Saturdays all summer long. The next open farm day is July 20^th.  Enjoy a camel and bird show, feeding treats to camels, a camel encounter with photos, petting mini-sheep, and more.

You can also take a camel ride and shop for camel milk products such as lotions, soaps and chocolates.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos, top left to bottom right:  Homeless people camped in Lemon Grove and their stories: Erika, a diabetic unable to drive; Christopher, a widower and carpenter seeking work; Elijah, who says his unemployment payments were stolen, Cardell, a nurse whose family died, and Kimberly, 78, who says she has lung cancer and a fractured skull; she has been sheltering in a rancid storm drain after her tent burned.

July 2, 2024 (Lemon Grove)-- Kimberly, 78, is frail, petite, and in desperate need. She  struggles to push a shopping cart laden with rumpled belongings on a scorching July afternoon. The elderly woman, her wrinkled skin tanned and leathery, coughs frequently. An edge of fear underlies her soft voice.

”I have lung cancer,” she says.  Kimberly tells us that she suffered a fall recently in a nearby parking lot. “I’ve got a fractured skull right now.”   “Nobody’s helping me,” she says sadly.

Kimberly is one of 293 homeless people in Lemon Grove who might be helped if the County approves funds to build 60-70 sleeping cabins in Lemon Grove at Troy and Sweetwater on land owned by Caltrans.  On July 18at 6 p.m. a public hearing on this issue at the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School  Lane, Lemon Grove, Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe has announced.

Update July 6, 2025 8 a.m.--The fire is 95% contained, per Cal Fire.

Update July 4, 4:30 p.m. -- All evacuation warnings are lifted and all roads are open. Cal Fire asks that people please drive carefully. Smoke is still visible, but there is no danger to the public at this point, per County Emergency Services.

Update July 3, 8:30 a.m.  The #McCainFire has burned 1,352 acres and is 50% contained. Evacuation warnings remain in place for portions of Boulevard as firefighters continue working in rugged terrain, though evacuation orders were lifted.The Red Cross has closed the evacuation center at Golden Acorn.

Update July 2, 3:30 p.m.-- De Anza evacuation order has been lifted. Residents can return home but some nearby areas remain under an evacuation warning; these residents are asked to remain vigilant since the fire is still burning. To see the zones for the evacuation warning, follow this link.

Update July 2, 8:00 a.m.-- I-8 West has reopened.  The fire has burned 1,000 acres and is 5% contained.