Update June 19, 2021:  The Sheriff's department provided ths update:

Unfortunately, Raymond Bermudez Jr. was pronounced deceased last night. Bermudez's next of kin has been notified of his death. The Medical Examiner's Office has scheduled an autopsy has been scheduled for June 20, 2021. The suspect, Ronald Francis Valdez, has since posted bail on the lesser charge and has been released. Homicide detectives will amend the criminal charges as they continue their investigation. Detectives determined Bermudez was not in Shooter's Cocktails before the incident. Valdez did enter Shooter's Cocktails. However, he was denied service and left. The assault occurred in the parking lot and not in the business.   

By Miriam Raftery

June 16, 2021 (Spring Valley) – Ronald Francis Valdez, 31, is under arrest for the battery of his uncle, who is not expected to survive a serious head injury, says Lt. Thomas Seiver with the Sheriff’s homicide unit.

Deputies responded to a call at 9:30 last night of a fight at Shooter’s Cocktails at 10761 Jamacha Blvd. They found the victim, Raymond Bermudez, Jr. in front of the bar suffering from a head wound.

“Fire personnel responded and transported Bermudez to a local area hospital,” says Lt. Seiver. “Unfortunately, he is not expected to live. Due to the likelihood Bermudez may die, the Sheriff's Homicide Unit responded and assumed responsibility of the investigation.”

Photos and story by Rebeca Jefferis Williamson

(Photo at left - piglets racing for a prize - an Oreo)

June 13, 2021 (Del Mar) The 2021 San Diego County Fair, titled “Home*Grown*Fun,” reopened with a modified event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after cancellation last summer.

Opening day, June 11, drew approximately 8,000 attendees, according to the fair’s marketing representative Ashley Colburn. 

Swine racing and the Extreme Dog show were the shows to watch on opening day but more entertainment, contests, kiddie rides, and other events are to come after June 15, when the state abolishes the COVID-19 tier system. Any changes in mask/facial covering mandates remains to be determined.

By Briana Gomez

View City Council meeting: https://elcajonca.new.swagit.com/videos/122576

Photo:  Vice Mayor Gary Kendrick, screenshot from Council video

June 11, 2021 (El Cajon) – At its June 8 meeting held in person at 50 percent capacity, El Cajon’s City Council addressed several major agenda items including encouraging transparency in elections by assuring that mayoral and council candidates live in the districts where they run.  In addition, Council members present voiced unanimous support for using $100,000 from the city’s reserves to fund de-escalation training for police and a half million dollars of federal funds to launch a pilot program to outsource responses to non-violent emergencies to social workers. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 11, 2021 (Casa De Oro, CA)  - “We are looking for the public’s help in locating this vehicle and driver,” Officer Travis Garrow with the California Highway Patrol says of a white, two-door Honda Accord that ran over and seriously injured a woman in the early morning hours of June 10 in Casa de Oro. The victim’s identity is also unknown.

The accident occurred around 12:38 a.m., when an unidentified driver heading east on Kenora Drive drove directly over an unidentified woman who for unknown reasons was laying on the roadway on Kenora Drive east of Kenwood Drive.

Source: City of La Mesa

Photo: Creative Commons image CC by NC via Bing

June 10, 2021 (La Mesa) – You’re invited to come to enjoy a line-up of local bands at La Mesa’s “Sundays at Six” free summer concert series. Grab a picnic and lawn chair and relax in the outdoor amphitheater at Harry Griffen Park located at 9550 Milden Street from 6-7 p.m. Sundays starting June 20 through July 25. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2021 (Ramona) – The Ramona Valley Vineyards Association invites you to experience the beautiful Ramona wine country and visit up to 16 wineries on Saturdays and Sundays in June during the “Summer of Wine Trail.”  

By Miriam Raftery

June 6, 2021 (San Diego) – More than three dozen earthquakes struck Imperial County yesterday before 12 noon, centered near Calipatria and the Salton Sea. The strongest tremor measured 5.3 on the Richter scale, with a depth of 5.8 kilometers.

The temblors were felt across Southern California including the San Diego region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website’s shake map.

June 5, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Edward Gene Burr, the co-founder of EDCO Disposal Corporation and one of East County’s most generous philanthropists, passed away on May 31, 2021 at age 89 in Sharp Grossmont Hospital. 

The hospital named its Burr Heart and Vascular Center after Ed Burr and his wife, Sandy, whose $5 million donation was the largest in the facility’s history.

“We believe in giving back to the community where we have been fortunate to grow our business for many years,” Ed Burr said during a dedication ceremony in 2018. He added, “Sharp Grossmont has been there for us when we needed it, so it is our honor to support a cause that has such an impact on so many of us in East County.”

The hospital foundation was one of many charitable endeavors supported by the Burrs through their many years of service to East County and the San Diego region.

By Miriam Raftery

June 4, 2021 (Alpine) – A 63-year-old San Diego woman is dead and several others injured following a collision in Alpine last night.

A GMC Sierra pickup truck and a 2000 Toyota Solara collided on westbound Interstate 8, west of Tavern Road in Alpine at 6 p.m. The impact caused both vehicles to veer toward the center divide, plunge down an embankment and overturn. The GMC came to rest blocking an eastbound lane on I-8, while the Toyota came to rest in the center median.