Update 12/30/2022 12 p.m. – Richard Arnold, 38, has been arrested for murder and booked into the San Diego County Jail. The victim has been identified as Kevin Stewart, 35. Stewart and Arnold were acquaintances that lived in separate motor homes on the same property.
East County News Service
December 30, 2022 (Potrero) – The San Diego County Sheriff’s Homicide Unit is investigating the shooting death of a 35-year-old man in Potrero. A possible suspect has been detained.
December 28, 2022 (San Diego) -- The California Highway Patrol has provided a summary of new laws rolling out in 2023 that will impact drivers, vehicle owners and roadway safety. The new laws include measures aimed at increasing bicycle safety, cracking down on sideshow and high-speed contests, and establishing alerts for missing indigenous persons and for fatal hit and runs. Other new laws aim to address the shortage of peace officers, limit jaywalking tickets, cut down on catalytic converter thefts and make it easier to report stolen items offered for sale online.
Photo: San Diego International Airport website shows departing flights status at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
December 28, 2022 (San Diego) - The departure board for San Diego International Airport makes it clear than almost all of the air travel problems now are due to Southwest Airlines‘ operational meltdown.
December 27, 2022 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police Dept. is investigating an attempted homicide at the El Cajon Inn & Suites Motel, where a 16-year-old girl was found with a traumatic head injury on December 12. Hospital staff believes the head wound was likely caused by a gunshot, says ECPD Sergeant Tenaya Webb.
December 27, 2022 (El Cajon) – Two people were injured when a motorcycle rear-ended a Volkswagen on Christmas Eve in El Cajon.
The motorcyclist, a 62-year-old El Cajon man, was riding a 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle eastbound on Broadley Avenue over State Route 67 when he struck a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan that was stopped at a red light, directly in front of the motorcycle, according to Officer Matthew Baranowski with the California Highway Patrol.
With shelter locations over capacity, community is asked to assist in caring for animals
December 27, 2022 (San Diego -- This holiday season, San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) is facing unprecedented challenges in housing animals who need help and is turning to the community to assist in creating much-needed space in their shelters.
December 27, 2022 (El Cajon) - Beginning January 1, 2023, the City of El Cajon will debut a new program designed to encourage clean neighborhoods and community pride.
Sweetwater Water Authority has drained Loveland Reservoir to dead pool status despite community objections loss of recreational resources, wildlife habitat and firefighting impacts, as ECM reported. Activist and fisherman Russell Walsh sent in photos and this message in response.
Photos: left, Loveland Reservoir after being drained to dead pool level; right, before the draining, maintained at 75 year minimum pool level.
By Russell Walsh
December 27, 2022 (San Diego's East County) - Happy Holidays. This will be for my Grinch of 2022 Christmas Card. "Caring For The Land And Serving People 2022."
December 27, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- In early 2021, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors directed staff to develop a "socially equitable" cannabis program as the first step towards implementing commercial cannabis at the County level. The County contracted Womxn’s Work Consulting to create a report called the "Social Equity Assessment for Commercial Cannabis."
December 26, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Leslie Nunez Rosas, 25, died Friday morning in a multi-vehicle collision on State Route 94 near the College Avenue exit in Lemon Grove.
December 26, 2022 (Alpine) – Robin Parks, field representative with the Mountain Lion Foundation, will give a “Mountain Lions 101” presentation on January 20 at 1 p.m. in the Alpine branch of the San Diego County Library (1752 Alpine Blvd., Alpine).
“Some of this interest has been prompted by the whole P-22 matter,” says Parks, referencing the mountain lion that gained fame for surviving in the Hollywood Hills before being euthanized at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park earlier this month due to injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle and other health conditions including a skullyfracture and kidney failure.
December 26, 2022 (Borrego Springs) - The 10th Annual Borrego Springs Film Festival will take place on January 12 – 16, 2023, in Borrego Springs, California - a small town in the northern end of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, in San Diego County. The five-day festival presents screenings of selected short films, features, documentaries, animated shorts and Hispanic/Latin films, shown in Blocks at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center.
December 26, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Lemon Grove resident Nancy Annette Lisa Benson, 32, died Dec. 18 in a collision on Interstate 8 East in El Cajon.
December 26, 2022 (La Mesa) – A blaze that may have begun in a Christmas tree yesterday damaged four units at a La Mesa apartment complex, displacing six people and killing a dog.
December 26, 2022 (Lakeside) – Scott Lagace snapped these photographs of a Bald Eagle, our national bird, over the holiday weekend at Lake Jennings in Lakeside. Though no longer federally endangered, Bald Eagles are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act as well as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. They remain rare in San Diego County, however, where there are only a handful of nesting pairs, making such a sighting a special thrill.
December 24, 2022 (Honolulu) - Zeke Rankin kicked four field goals, including a 37-yarder for the go-ahead score with 2:05 left, and Middle Tennessee State beat San Diego State 25-23 in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night.
December 24, 2022 (Washington, D.C.) - The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on Friday passed a $1.66 trillion government funding bill that provides record military spending and sends emergency aid to Ukraine, hours before a midnight shutdown deadline.
December 24, 2022 (El Cajon) – A small plane experienced an emergency over Gillespie Field in El Cajon last night, when its landing gear failed to lock into place. Heartland Fire Department responded in preparation for a potential emergency landing while the plane, which had an hour and a half of fuel, circled repeatedly over the area for nearly an hour looping left to right, struggling to manually lower the landing gear.
December 24, 2022 (Sacramento) - Holiday celebrations began in the State Capitol in1869. Though the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington DC is well-known, many may not be aware that a similar ceremony continues to take place each December in Sacramento at our State Capitol.
Past Governors decorated the Capitol with wreaths and their offices with trees, but in 1931 the tree was moved from the Governor’s office to the Rotunda and later to a spot near the Lt. Governor’s office, where it remained until 1984. Concerns about fire safety resulted in the tree being moved outside, where it has remained ever since. Despite a brief hiatus as a `Holiday Tree’ under former Governor Gray Davis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who succeeded Davis, decided the tree was indeed a `Christmas Tree,’ and so it remains.
On December 1st, Governor Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel Newsom hosted the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the State Capitol’s West Steps. This year’s tree is a 65-foot white fir donated by the U.S. Forest Service from Camino California, which is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in El Dorado County.
December 23, 2022 (Lakeside) -- On Wednesday, December 15, Grocery Outlet held its grand opening in Lakeside. ECM has been in contact with corporate and the new owner-operator Cristobal Sanchez as he prepared for the occasion.
December 23, 2022 (San Diego) -- An incarcerated person has used a lifesaving medication available in the common housing areas of all county jails to assist another incarcerated person in medical distress. This is the eighth time an incarcerated individual has administered Naloxone since the San Diego County Sheriff's Department made the nasal spray accessible to the incarcerated population at county jails in June 2022.
December 23, 2022 (Lakeside) - Wesley Maddocks of San Diego County Parks and Recreation featured Snow Day at Lindo Park in Lakeside.
"It has been a dream of our directors to bring snow to our parks," says Maddocks.
Twenty tons of ice were donated for this event and the crowd grew to approximately 150 as kids arrived from school. Santa sat patiently for the children to hear their Christmas wishes. It looked like all the participants had a fun afternoon.
December 21, 2022 (San Diego) - The San Diego County K-12 Youth Services Community Grant Program awarded $6.4 Million in grants to more than 40 local organizations to offer services like tutoring, after-school programs, business development and anti-bullying campaigns. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office recovered millions of dollars as part of a public corruption case to be used to care for children by reducing inequities and improve opportunities for local students. The interactive play, Safa’s Story, is one project benefitting from the grant.
For more information on the K-12 Youth Services Community Grant Program and a list of organizations awarded grants, see our website.
Sophia Ramos and Abby Prohaska led the Aztecs with 11 points
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
December 21, 2022 (West Palm Beach, Fla.) - Behind a strong first quarter, Georgia beat San Diego State 63-44 on Tuesday morning, in the Aztecs final game of the West Palm Beach Invitational. Sophia Ramos and Abby Prohaska led the Aztecs in the scoring column with 11 points, Ramos also dished out four assists and had four steals on the day.
December 22, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
December 21, 2022 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media. This week's round-up stories include:
December 21, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.
Photo: two young men seeking asylum rest on cots while waiting to begin their journey to their sponsors. Photo by Chris Stone
December 21, 2022 (San Diego) - San Diego’s nationally influential migrant shelter crossed a milestone in November when its staff aided the 100,000th person seeking asylum locally.
By Miriam Raftery
By Chris Jennewein, 
East County News Service
East County News Service
With shelter locations over capacity, community is asked to assist in caring for animals
Source: City of El Cajon
Sweetwater Water Authority has drained Loveland Reservoir to dead pool status despite community objections loss of recreational resources, wildlife habitat and firefighting impacts, as ECM 
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
Source: goaztecs.com
B
By Miriam Raftery
By Assemblymember Marie Waldron
By Shiloh Ireland
East County News Service
Story and photos by Shiloh Ireland
Twenty tons of ice were donated for this event and the crowd grew to approximately 150 as kids arrived from school. Santa sat patiently for the children to hear their Christmas wishes. It looked like all the participants had a fun afternoon.
East County News Service
Sophia Ramos and Abby Prohaska led the Aztecs with 11 points
December 21, 2022 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media. This week's round-up stories include:
December 21, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.
By Chris Jennewein, 
Recent comments