Communities

WILD BAT FOUND INSIDE SAFARI PARK TESTS POSITIVE FOR RABIES 

 

batRabies is nearly always fatal without treatment

Image Credit: PhotoSpin

Source: San Diego County News Service

May 10, 2025 (Escondido) -- County public health officials are looking for people who may have come in contact with a wild bat found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondidio on Wednesday, May 7 at 10:45 a.m. that later tested positive for rabies.    

The bat was found at the base of the public elevator in the African Loop near the hot air ballon ride. There is only one public elevator in the park.


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SAN DIEGO MAN DIES IN FIERY LAKESIDE ROLLOVER ACCIDENT

East County News Service

May 7, 2025 (Lakeside) – A 24-year-old man from San Diego died in a solo-vehicle crash around 1:22 this morning.  He was driving west on I-8 near Old Highway 80 in Lakeside when for unknown reasons, he lost control and his vehicle plunged down an embankment.

“The BMW overturned down the embankment, crashed into a tree and came to rest on its roof, causing the driver to be trapped inside,” says Officer Jasmine Lopez with the California Highway Patrol. “The BMW caught fire, became fully engulfed, and the driver was unable to exit the vehicle.”

He was pronounced dead by medical personnel on scene.


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GROSSMONT INVESTIGATED HIM, HE RESIGNED AND NOW HE’S CHIEF OF STAFF

 

After resigning from the Grossmont Union High School District in 2018, Jerry Hobbs found his way back seven years later. All it took was a law firm, a new investigation, a settlement and an entirely new position. 

Updated May 8, 2025 with comments from Hobbs sent to ECM.

by Jakob McWhinney for  Voice of San Diego

Photo by Alexander J. Schorr: Crowd holds protest signs at the April 24, 2025 GUHSD board meeting.

May 7, 2025 (El Cajon)--Seven years ago, Jerry Hobbs, a Grossmont Union High School District teacher, resigned after officials launched an investigation into allegations he’d engaged in misconduct.  

Years later, Hobbs was hired as a paralegal for a law firm that ended up doing work for the district. That work included conducting an investigation into Hobbs’ former boss, the person who launched an investigation into him. Hobbs worked on that investigation, which concluded he’d been a victim of retaliation. 

A settlement agreement he helped draft then cleared the way for his rehiring at Grossmont – and district officials wasted no time. They hired him the month after the agreement to serve in a lofty administrative role, even as the district’s deteriorating financial position led to job cuts. 

Now, in a leaked memo, the law firm at which he worked suggests he deceptively altered that settlement without their knowledge, adding potentially “illegal,” language.


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THE RIVER AT SYCUAN CASINO RESORT RETURNS FOR SUMMER WITH PRESTIGIOUS COUNTRY MUSIC ARTISTS

 

East County News Service

May 6, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- Sycuan Casino Resort, in partnership with KSON, is bringing back The River from June through September.

The River at Sycuan is San Diego’s only country concert pool party that will feature “the hottest country artists in the nation,” according to a Sycuan news release.


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RECALL ORTIZ EFFORT PASSES FIRST VERIFICATION HURDLE; OPPONENTS CRITICIZE RECALL ORGANIZER FOR “DIE OFF” COMMENTS

By Miriam Raftery

May 5, 2025 (El Cajon) – The initial round of 60 signatures to recall El Cajon Councilmember Phil Ortiz have been validated, City Clerk Angela Cortez confirms. The organizers, Latinos en Accion, now must publish their intent in a local newspaper and have 120 days to gather signatures from 20% of the 11,320 registered voters in District 4 in order to put the recall measure on the ballot.

Increasing the controversy, recall opponent Amy Reichert is slamming recall leader Mairene Branham for comments Branham posted as mair3n3 on an Instagram reel showing video of a press conference held by conservatives who oppose “sanctuary cities” and/or oppose the recall effort.

Branham posted, “Still is and will be better when all of the people in this video die off.”


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THREE HIDDEN CAMERAS FOUND AT TWO HEARTLAND FIRE STATIONS IN EL CAJON

By Miriam Raftery

Photo,left: Heartland Fire Station 8 in  El Cajon, where two of the three hidden cameras were discovered.Heartland Fire & Rescue also provides fire services for La Mesa and Lemon Grove.

May 3, 2025 (El Cajon)—The city of El Cajon will hold an emergency closed-door meeting Monday over an anticipated lawsuit against the city over three hidden cameras found in two fire stations, including two cameras in the private dressing and sleeping areas for women first-responders.

A complaint filed against the city of El Cajon and American Medical Response (AMR) on behalf of four female first responders on March 20 by attorney Dan Gilleon claims that “one or more of its employees had used concealed cameras to secretly videotape, film, photograph, and record by electronic means the complainants and other victims, in states of full and partial undress, while inside their bunk rooms....”


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PICKLEBALL COURTS COMING TO WELLS PARK IN EL CAJON

Source: City of El Cajon

May 1, 2025 (El Cajon) -- Calling all pickleball players! Five new pickle ball courts are coming to Wells Park this summer.

The pickleball complex will feature LED court lighting, seating for spectators, shade sails, a drinking fountain with water bottle filler, new landscaping and more.

A portion of the Wells Center will be renovated to create a welcome area and pro-shop for all your pickleball needs.


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FELIPE FIRE 100% CONTAINED

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service

 

Update May 2, 2025 -- The fire is 100% contained according to CalFire. One firefighter has suffered a minor injury, according to City News Service.

Update 4:30 p.m.--The fire has grown to around 50 acres and is burning at a slow rate. Per Cal Fire, crews are working in steep,rocky terrain but firefighters are making good progress. The fire is 5% contained.

May 1, 2025 (Julian, CA) – The #FelipeFire is burning along Highway 78 east of San Felipe Road and north o f Shelter Valley near Julian.  The fire is 15-20 acres and has shut down all lanes of State  Route 78 in both directions, per Cal Fire.

The fire has a moderate rate of spread with potential for extended attack, however no structures are threatened at this time, Watch Duty reports. Air attack has requested additional air tankers and incident command is asking for two more hand crews.


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AIR FORCE VETERAN RECEIVES UPGRADES TO EL CAJON RESIDENCE FROM HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION AND 365 CONNECT

East County News Service

Photos courtesy of Darren McClane, Team Depot Captain

April 30, 2025 (El Cajon) -- As a part of the National Volunteer Month campaign, The Home Depot Foundation and 365 Connect teamed up today to upgrade the home of local veteran Lawrason Springwell.  

 Lawrason, a retired Air Force pilot who served in the Vietnam War, lives with his wife on Carob Lane in El Cajon. Since 2023, he has faced significant health challenges, prompting his wife to leave her job and become his full-time caregiver. With Lawrason unable to tend to the property as he once did and his wife occupied with his care, the Springwells needed assistance to clean up their property and restore it to its previous condition.


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CUYAMACA COYOTES WIN 3C2A MEN’S SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

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By Alexander J. Schorr

Photo via Cuyamaca College: Dean of Athletics Anthony “Tonie” Campbell, Coach Brian Hiatt-Aleu, and County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe.

April 30, 2025 (El Cajon) -- On Friday, April 25, Cuyamaca College celebrated the men’s soccer team’s championship season with a ring celebration, banner reveal, and County of San Diego proclamation presented by Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe. Their victory marks a historic achievement, as it is the first title won by a soccer team from the San Diego-Imperial County Region, as well as the fourth in the region of Southern California.


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RECALL EFFORT LAUNCHED AGAINST 4 GUHSD TRUSTEES WHO REFUSE TO RESCIND MASS FIRINGS

By Alexander J Schorr and Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Students, teachers, librarians, and community members rally outside GUHSD meeting April 24 in latest protest over layoffs.

April 27, 2025 (El Cajon) -- A recall effort is underway seeking to oust four trustees on the Grossmont Union High School District Board:  Scott Eckert, Robert Shield, Gary Woods,PhD, and Jim Kelly. At the April 24 GUHSD board meeting at Grossmont High School, Andy Trimlett held up four notices of intent to recall the trustees, telling the four trustees,  “You  have refused to listen to your community, so we are launching a campaign to remove you from office.”   

The recall effort follows two months of protests over the board majority’s elimination of 61 positions, including 49 credentialed teachers, counselors, assistant principals, and 9 teacher librarians, as well as 12 support staffers. Despite the outcry, at the April 24 meeting, when trustee Chris Fite made a motion to rescind the controversial firings, none of the other four trustees would second the motion. The action intensifies growing mistrust between community members and the four conservative trustees, with each side accusing the other of disrespect.

View video of recall announcement. Recall organizers have setup a website and an Instagram page. Since the GUHSD has district elections, signatures must be obtained in each of the four districts to qualify a recall election for the ballot.

Photo, right: Andy Trimlett announces recall effort against four GUHSD trustees


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TOUR DE TAPAS BRINGS TASTES OF EUROPE TO LA MESA VILLAGE

An East County Eater review

By Miriam Raftery

April 29, 2025 (La Mesa) – Now you don’t have to venture to a tapas bar in Spain or a sidewalk café in France to savor the flavors of Europe.  Tour de Tapas in La Mesa’s historic downtown village offers small plates featuring cuisine of Southern Europe including Spain, France and Italy.

“We’ve tried to be as traditional as we can,” owner Gerald Torres told ECM. “I know tapas is a Spanish concept, but we tried to expand that.’


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$65,000 REWARD FOR INFO LEADING TO ARREST AND CONVICTION IN 2021 MURDER OF CORNEILIUS DONTE BROWN IN LA MESA

April 30, 2025 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Police Department and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating the suspects responsible for the murder of 22-year-old Navy Sailor Corneilius Donte Brown, which happened four years ago.

Governor Gavin Newsom recently pledged an additional $50,000 reward from the State of California for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Brown’s murderer. In addition to $9,000 from  Brown’s family, $5,000 from NCIS, and $1,000 from San Diego Crime Stoppers, this brings the total reward to $65,000.

On April 24, 2021, at approximately 12:26 a.m., the La Mesa Police Department received several 9-1-1 calls of gunshots heard in the area of 4300 Echo Court, in La Mesa. Officers arrived within minutes and located a gunshot victim (later identified as Brown) inside his residence. He was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.


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APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST CHALDEANS OVER REDISTRICTING

View the appellate court ruling

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in El Cajon

April 30, 2025 (El Cajon) – The 4th district Court of Appeals has ruled against the Chaldean Coalition over supervisorial redistricting. The lawsuit, Chaldean Coalition v. The County of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission et al, filed in 2021 had argued that the Chaldean community was disenfranchised by the County’s supervisorial redistricting in East County.


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DEPUTIES AND DISPATCHER SAVE MISSING AUTISTIC BOY ON FREEWAY IN SANTEE

Source: San Diego County Sheriff’s Dept.
 
April 29, 2025 (Santee) -- The quick thinking actions of an off-duty Sheriff's Dispatcher and Sheriff's Deputies led to the rescue of a missing child who had wandered onto a freeway in Santee.
 
On Sunday, March 9, just before 4:30 p.m., the Sheriff's Communications Center received a report about an 11-year-old autistic boy who had gone missing from a supermarket located in the 9600 block of Mission Gorge Road.
 
According to the reporting party, the child, who is non-verbal, was with his family when he ran out of the store. His family called the Sheriff's Office when they were not able to find him.
 
Within minutes, deputies from the Santee Sheriff's Station began to look for the missing child.
 
A Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter also began making announcements to the public in the area about the child.

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JAMUL TRAILS RANCH HOSTS FARM DAYS FIRST TWO WEEKENDS IN MAY

East County News Service

April 29, 2025 (Jamul) – Jamul Trails Ranch invites you to experience Farm Days, which include a petting zoo, planting sunflowers, painting bird houses and feeding farm animals.

Farm Days will be held May 2-4 and May 8-10 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jamul Trails Ranch is located at 2865 Echo Valley Road in Jamul.

Cost is $50 per family.


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CALI MEX COCINA AND CATERING INVITES YOU TO THEIR GRAND OPENING IN LEMON GROVE MAY 2

East County News Service

April 28, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – You’re invited to celebrate the grand opening of Lemon Grove’s newest restaurant and catering company, Cali Mex Cocina and Catering located at 2605 Lemon Grove Ave.

At 3 p.m., Friday, May 2, the owners will be offering a 10% discount to all who attend their ribbon cutting celebration.

Husband-and-wife duo Neri and Sandra are excited to begin this journey in Lemon Grove. They have hopes in the future to add a second location.

The couple has a passion for cooking. Neri has been working in the industry for over 20 years and as an executive chef in three different restaurants for more than 10 years. His wife, Sandra specializes in aguas frescas and sauces.


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LEMON GROVE MAYORAL RECALL FAILS TO GET ENOUGH VALIDATED SIGNATURES, BUT ORGANIZER SAYS HE’LL TRY AGAIN

By Miriam Raftery

April 26, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – On April 15, a notice of intent to recall Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow (photo,left) was served by resident Ken King. 

But the next day, the City Clerk’s office notified King that the notice was rejected because it did not have enough valid signatures, printed names and addresses.

In a letter to King, City Clerk Joel Pablo advised King that he can resubmit the notice once those defects are addressed, as well as adding Elections Code 11023 provisions which describe the Mayor’s right to file an answer.


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REP. ISSA HOLDS PUBLICITY APPEARANCE AT MCDONALD’S, AFTER PROTESTERS LEAVE

By Miriam Raftery

April 26, 2025 (San Diego)-- Congressman Darrell Issa announced plans to hand out “Freedom Fries” at a McDonald’s in San Marcos on Thursday, April 24th.

But after word got out that protesters planned to picket the event, 12 noon arrived—and Issa didn’t, until after protesters left.


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MISSING WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN VEHICLE

Update:  Michelle Moden's body was found  Sunday, April 27,with her vehicle on Sequan Truck Trail,  says Officer Jared Grieshaber with California Highway Patrol.  Foul play is not suspected, he indicated, but anyone with information is asked to contact  CHP's Border Division Major Crimes Unit at 858-944-6300.

East County News Service

April 25, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The Alpine Sheriff’s station seeks public help to find Michelle E. Moden, 53. She was last seen on Sunday, April 20 leaving her home in the 6100 block of Dehesa Rd. in unincorporated El Cajon near Alpine.  She has a medical condition that requires medication and does not have her cell phone with her.

She was in a blue 2005 Chevrolet Silverado with Calif. license HVMETAL, silver wheels and a San Francisco Giants tow hitch cover.


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OUR GUIDE TO SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S DESERT DESTINATIONS

 

By Karen Pearlman

April 25, 2025 (San Diego’s East County  – The Anza-Borrego Desert in inland San Diego County is captivating with its beauty and expansiveness, humbling and powerful in its quietness. A landscape of extremes -- sun-scorched earth and hidden blooms, rugged canyons carved by time, and sudden spring wildflowers when the rain gods have been kind -- the desert has a raw quality that strips everything down to the essentials of light, shadow, stone and sky.

Our desert region includes Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, famous for its spring wildflowers and rugged terrain; the city of Borrego Springs, the nation’s first “Dark Sky” community and ideal for stargazing; Agua Caliente State Park, known for its thermal pools; Ocotillo Wells, a wildly popular draw for off-road vehicles; and Jacumba Hot Springs, a town that has reinvented itself and become a destination on its own merits.


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BORDER PATROL AGENTS IN JAMUL FIND 51 POUNDS OF METH IN TIRE

East County News Service
Photo:  Methamphetamine stash hidden in tire
 
April 25, 2025 (Jamul) -- U.S. Border Patrol agents from the San Diego Sector stopped a narcotics smuggling attempt in its tracks, intercepting a large quantity of methamphetamine concealed in a vehicle’s spare tire.
 
According to the Border Patrol, on April 18 around 10:30 p.m., a K-9 dog alerted agents to the presence of concealed drugs or people in a red Toyota pickup truck at the State Route 94 checkpoint in Jamul. The driver was directed to secondary inspection.
 
Agents’ initial visual search of the vehicle yielded negative results. Agents then conducted a mobile x-ray scan of the vehicle, which revealed anomalies in the spare tire area, underneath the vehicle.

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SANTEE HIRES INTERIM CITY MANAGER

By Mike Allen

April 25, 2025 (Santee) -- Santee’s City Council hired Gary Halbert, a former city manager for Chula Vista, as its interim city manager on the same day, April 23, that the prior city manager, Marlene Best, officially ended her nine-year tenure in a mutually agreed separation.


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SHOOTING ON FIRST STREET PROMPTS SCHOOL LOCKDOWN IN EL CAJON

East County News Service

April 24, 2025 (El Cajon) – A suspect has been arrested for the fatal shooting of Jaquis Holiday, 26, this morning in the 300 block of North First Street in El Cajon.

El Cajon Valley High School was placed on temporary lockdown and two nearby elementary schools followed secure campus protocols as a precaution, although the shooting was not tied to any of the schools.

Multiple 9-1-1 callers reporter the shooting around 10:13 a.m.  Officers responded and found the victim suffering gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital where he died.


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SPRING GARDEN AND BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL RETURNS MAY 3

East County News Service

April 24, 2025 (El Cajon)—On May 3, the Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival returns at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College.  The event features plant sales nurtured by Cuyamaca College Nursery students as well as butterflies, live music, specialty garden-related vendors, food trucks, and family-friendly activities.

The festival coincides with the college’s Coyote Music Festival, with live bands in the amphitheater at the Garden.  In addition, Heritage of the Americas Museum next door will be hosting an arts and crafts fair.


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ENGAGED COUPLE SEEKS PHOTOGRAPHER WHO SHOT THIS PHOTO IN BORREGO ON MARCH 16, 2024

A person and person standing in a field of flowersAI-generated content may be incorrect.

By Miriam Raftery

 

April 24, 2025 (Borrego Springs) -- Just over a year ago, on March 16, 2024 amid a superbloom season, Tom Eichacher and Olivia Natt visited the flower fields along Henderson Road in the Anza-Borrego Desert, where they became engaged to be married.

“Someone with a professional photo set-up took our pictures, and I'm trying desperately to find them!” Natt told East County Magazine. At left is the photo of the couple.

She says the photographer is a woman, who said she is Korean. “My partner actually took a photograph of me with the photographer, looking at her monitor,” adds Natt, who provided the image below right.


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SUSPECT ARRESTED IN JACUMBA BURGLARY SERIES; STOLEN PROPERTY RECOVERED

East County News Service

April 23, 2025 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Miguel Sua, 31, has been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing multiple homes in Jacumba Hot Springs. 

After obtaining a warrant, deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Rural Command station searched Sua’s home Monday morning, where they found stolen property, guns, over a quarter pound of fentanyl, and burglary tools.

He is charged with multiple counts of burglary.


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KALASHOS IN COURT OVER CODE VIOLATIONS, ALLEGED ILLEGAL ADDITIONS AT THEIR EL CAJON HOME

File photo of Bessmon (Ben) Kalasho in his Fletcher Hills home
 
By Karen Pearlman
 
April 23, 2025 (San Diego) – Former El Cajon City Council member Bessmon (Ben) Kalasho and his wife, Jessica Deddeh Kalasho, were in San Diego Superior Court this week facing a slew of municipal code compliance violations and civil penalties related to the couple’s Fletcher Hills home.
 
Myriad code compliance violations for unpermitted and illegal additions to the Kalashos’ home on Cliffdale Road were part of the discussion at the trial that came in response to a lawsuit filed in 2023 by the city of El Cajon.

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IN TOWNHALL MEETING, CONGESSWOMAN SARA JACOBS WARNS THAT NATION IS IN A “CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS”

By Alexander J. Schorr

Photo: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs speaks before a crowd of parents, teachers, community and union members about “stateof the union.”

April 23, 2025 (El Cajon) – In a live town hall meeting last night at Grossmont College’s Performing and Visual Arts Center, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-51) presented her own “State of the Union” address in which she warned that our nation is experiencing a “constitutional crisis.”  She spoke of numerous bills she has introduced seeking to push back against actions of the Trump administration.

 In addition, she fielded written questions from constituents over issues including budget cuts, mass firings, human rights violations, the looming constitutional crisis, and a potential recession on the horizon.


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EL CAJON MAY REZONE LAND AS RESIDENTIAL THAT WAS LONG SLATED FOR NEW KAISER HOSPITAL

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Kaiser attorney Jennifer Lynch

April 23, 2025 (El Cajon) – For 23 years, ever since an old medical facility was torn down, Kaiser Permanente has been promising to build a new hospital at its property on Main Street near Greenfield Ave.in El Cajon.  Frustrated by the lack of action, the City Council yesterday considered changing the zoning to residential—a proposal that surprised Kaiser representatives.

“We received no notice,” Kaiser representative Skyler Denniston told the Council.  “We would like the site developed as a hospital,” he said, adding that Kaiser representatives had just spoken with the City Manager and felt they were making “good progress.”  He asked for a 30-day extension of any proposed rezoning.

Mayor Bill Wells indicated that while he was open to an extension of 30 days or more, he wants to see a development agreement to assure that construction will commence soon. “I have no confidence that a hospital will be built within five years,” he said, adding that the vacant property attracts homeless camps and is an eyesore.  “Our constituents are screaming at us to do something,” he said.


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