By Miriam Raftery, East County News Service

May 9, 2016 (Allied Gardens) – Marie Ostwald, 91, issued a Mother’s Day plea on Facebook asking San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer to stop city workers from cutting down a tree that her husband planted back in 1957.  She included a photo of herself beneath the tree’s expansive shade and invited other mothers to come sit with her today, Monday, to help save her beloved tree.

Source: County News Service

See video of reunion on KNSD

Photo: As a result of the region's first Identify the Missing event, Randy Gatewood, missing for 10 years from his family, has been found by his brother Gene Gatewood, at right.

April 30, 2016 (Lemon Grove) -- He once was lost, but now is found.

East County News Service

April 23, 2016 (Spring Valley) -- Students and staff at Monte Vista High School know that Mondays are special.  They are faculty work days; classes begin two hours later than usual so students get the chance to sleep in.  But this coming Monday, April 25^th, won’t be a typical one for the Monarch student body.  Instead of sleeping in, more than 200 students and staff members will work with “Stop Hunger Now” to package 40,000 meals for needy children in developing countries.  The students and staff are excited to be a part of this community service event hosted by their school and nearby Foothills United Methodist Church.

East County News Service

April 7, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – We wanted to share with you that Edna Swink Kouns, Class of 1932, received the Congress of History Ben Dixon Award in February 2016 for her preservation efforts in her hometown of Lakeside.  Edna’s acceptance speech emphasized and encouraged the importance of volunteering in your community,” the Grossmont High School Museum reports. “Edna has a lifetime passion for history, shown by her founding role in 1972 in the Lakeside Historical Society and is a driving force in its efforts to preserve, display, and celebrate the community’s history.  Edna at the age of 101 continues to volunteer weekly!”

By Janis Russell

March 30, 2016 (Ramona) - Capability Ranch: Special Needs Activities and Events Center for Youth and Young Adults located in Ramona has been open for over a year. Nicola Bridges, founder of the ranch, and her husband, Tony Oxley, have been operating this ranch along with volunteers who teach activities. The ranch is geared towards young people who are 16-27 years of age, with the average being 21 years. ECM participated in an exclusive interview with Bridges.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Angel and Fred Kleinbub

March 17, 2016 (El Cajon) -- St. Madeleine Sophie's Center in El Cajon, which serves developmentally disabled adults, announces a $1 million gift pledged over five years Angel and Fred Kleinbub.  The gift will be used for a new Aquatics Complex at St. Madeleine’s as part of a $3.5 mlilion capital campaign for campus-wide facility improvements.

By Steve Lauria

March 10, 2016 (Lakeside) -- A great place to get a good workout is Lakeside’s Lindo Lake exercise path. There is a great assortment of stationary workout equipment for every part of the body. It is located right on the lake, next to the skateboard park.

By Sierra Billock, pageant director 

March 6, 2016 (La Mesa/Santee) - On Saturday, March 5, 2016 the city of La Mesa and the city of Santee held one of their most grand traditions, the Miss La Mesa and Miss Santee Pageants.  The programs have been a tradition in the cities since the late 1960’s and are an outstanding mentoring program for young women.  Mayor Voepel from Santee and Mayor Araposathis from La Mesa were in attendance to formally present Miss La Mesa 2016 Susanna Wiggins, Miss Teen La Mesa 2016 Jennifer Barillas, Miss Santee 2016 Marrissa Lawrence and Miss Teen Santee 2016 Kaylyn Rambo.

By Miriam Raftery

February 8, 2016 (Santee) – Carol Wahl died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease on March 1^st, 2010. To honor her memory and raise money to help other ALS patients have better lives, her son, Mark Solz, will embark from Petco Park in San Diego on March 1^st for a 3,200 mile walk across America. 

East County News Service

January 30, 2016 (La Mesa) – the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club invites you to a Spring Tea fundraiser honoring four distinguished San Diego women. The honorees are Kathi Anderson, director of Survivors of Torture International, Bobbi Brink, founder of Lions, Tigers and Bears, Mimi Pollack, a writer for East County Magazine, and Estela de los Rios, executive director of CSA of San Diego County.  The tea will be held on Saturday, March 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Noah Homes, 12526 Campo Road in Spring Valley.

By Miriam Raftery

January 20, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- According to the U.S. Humane Society, bad behavior is one of the top reasons people give up their pets. January is National Train Your Dog Month and to help promote responsible pet ownership to help pets stay in their fur-ever homes, Heidi Ganahl, CEO and Founder of Camp Bow Wow, the nation's largest pet care franchise offers tips for training your dog. Training not only helps to build a strong owner-dog relationship, but it gives you a reason to spend quality one-on-one time with your pet.

By Tasha Matthews

January 13, 2016 (San Diego) – On Monday I got the incredible opportunity to audition for a really popular show in San Diego called America’s Got Talent.  It was an amazing experience and I would like to share with you my journey through the process of auditioning.

By Mimi Pollack

January 9, 2016 (La Mesa) -- The motto for the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club seems to be “How can we help?” There are actually two La Mesa Rotary Clubs, but the Sunrise group is for early birds, since meetings are held once a week at 7:30 a.m.

By Janis Russell

Hear a podcast of our interview aired on KNSJ  radio:  click here

January 8, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - Camp Onward is designed for teens with Asperger’s Syndrome to help with social skills. East County Magazine recently sat down with founder Nancy Hagan, director Kathy Gerstenberg, and parent of a kid with Asperger’s Syndrome, Laura Preble. We asked them questions about how the camp got started, its impact on the kids and parents, and what the camp is like among other topics.

East County News Service

December 28, 2015 (Alpine) – Heart attack survivor Randy Truax of Alpine has been selected to appear in the 2016 Rose Parade in Pasadena on January 1^st. He will be riding on the “Union of Hearts” float for the American Heart Association and Union Bank.