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

January 19, 2023 (Santee) - Speaker after speaker in front of the Santee YMCA invoked right and wrong, “what is true and what is good,” as they denounced policies that allowed “grown men to parade around naked in women’s showers and locker rooms.”

By Kathy Carpenter

January 19, 2023 (La Mesa) - After tragedy, life needs to be rebuilt. Lamplighters Theatre presents The Revlon Girl, written by Neil Anthony Docking. With so many tragic events hitting the news these days, it's hard to recall the details from month to month. Disasters need to be remembered and documented. The Revelon Girl humanizes Aberfan in England in 1966, delivering the stories and healing process of four women who lost their children and the woman who volunteers to help them.

YMCA closes early due to rallies today, apologizes to teen; Santee School district pledges review of YMCA policies before approving future field trips for students

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Shiloh Ireland

January 18, 2023 (Santee) The Santee YMCA branch announced it will close early today to protect staff members after an announced rally and counter-protest over a teen girl’s complaint of a transgender person she described as a “naked man.”

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department issued a statement indicated it is aware of the planned protest, adding, “We support the public's right to free speech and assembly. We encourage the peaceful gathering of people. We respect your right to be heard.”

The statement added, “The Sheriff's Department does not condone any acts of violence or intolerance in our communities. We are a county that is welcoming of people from all backgrounds. Our job is to enforce the law. As long as people express themselves in a peaceful and lawful manner, we do not have any lawful authority to intervene.”

East County News Service

January 17, 2023 (La Mesa) -- February 11 is the monthly meeting of the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women. Precious Jackson-Hubbard (left) and Mimi Test (below right) will be the featured speakers focusing on MS. Jackson-Hubbard’s upbringing and career and MS. Tests history of Title IX through a coach’s eyes.

East County News Service

January 17, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Due to the winter storm, the Julian Union Elementary School District, Julian Union High School District, Mountain Empire Unified School District, Spencer Valley School District and Warner Unified School District will all be closed today, according to the San Diego County Office of Education.

By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2023 (Santee) – A group called SanteeParents4Choice is planning a “rally for women’s and girls’ rights”  at the Santee YMCA (10123 Riverwalk Drive, Santee) on January 18 at 6 p.m.  Organizers have pledged to hold a non-violent rally to highlight parents' concerns over protecting privacy.

The action is in response to a teen girl who says she became frightened while showering at the YMCA, when she saw a naked trangender person in the women’s locker room. At last week’s Santee City Council meeting, a tearful Rebecca Phillips, 17, testified that two weeks earlier, “As I was showering after my workout, I saw a naked male in the women’s locker room. I immediately went back into the shower, terrified, and hid behind their flimsy excuse for a curtain until he was gone.”

East County News Service

Photo: Daniel Scott Jordan. Courtesy Washoe County Sheriff’s Office

January 12, 2023 (Mt. Helix) – A man who fled the state after his husband was found murdered at their Mt. Helix home was found in Nevada and this week pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  rendering of Campo Road with proposed changes in place

January 12, 2023 (Campo) - The County Board of Supervisors approved a plan today that will revitalize the main commercial strip and adjacent residential area along Campo Road in Casa de Oro.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Mysteri LeMay, courtesy of San Diego River Park Foundation

January 11, 2023 (Descanso) – To save a wildlife corridor and scenic vista from proposed housing construction, the San Diego River Park Foundation announced on December 30 that it has acquired the 80-acre Lillian Hill property. The site is located between Descanso and Pine Hills near Three Sisters Falls. It includes the only section of Sheep Camp Creek that until now was on private land. The site has sweeping 360-degree views overlooking Boulder Creek, headwaters of the San Diego River, as well as Eagle Peak and other scenic vistas.

By Miriam Raftery

January 11, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – A man has died of stab wounds received during a fight in Lemon Grove last night.

Sheriff’s deputies responded shortly before 10 p.m. to a report of people fighting in the 7700 block of North Avenue. Arriving on scene, deputies detained several individuals and found a man around 45 to 50 years old with an apparent stab wound in his lower torso.

By Miriam Raftery

January 10, 2023 (El Cajon) – The iconic rock and roll band Three Dog Night will perform March 19 at 8 p.m. at The Magnolia performing arts center in El Cajon, Live Nation announced today. Founded in 1969, the group scored 11 Top Ten hit songs and a dozen consecutive gold albums in its heyday from 1969 to 1975. Today, Three Dog Night still features founding member/vocalist Danny Hutton and other stellar musicians.

The band’s well-known hits include One, Mama Told Me (Not to Come), Joy to the World, Shambala, Black and White, and many more. 

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

January 10,  2023 (Lemon Grove) -- Since the passage of Proposition 64 legalizing cannabis for recreational use, cities and counties across California have been attempting to meet the desires of the electorate while also balancing public health and safety. Local Control, the ability for cities and counties to regulate whether or how cannabis operations exist in their jurisdictions, was included in the original proposition. It often brings the fight for or against cannabis to city hall steps.

East County News Service

January 9, 2023 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s Mayor Bill Wells has previously headlined concerts to help the homeless.

East County News Service

January 7, 2023 (Santee) – Scott Lagace started the New Year off right with a stroll around Santee Lakes on January 1, where he captured a Great Blue Heron in flight, shown in these beautiful images.