September 26, 2015 (Valley Center) – Supervisors are poised to vote October 14 on whether to approve an amendment to the County’s General Plan to allow construction of Lilac Hills, a project that includes 1,746 homes plus commercial development on 608 acres in rural Valley Center. Current zoning allows only 110 homes on the site.
If approved, the project could set a precedent to waive General Plan requirements countywide.
Now the Cleveland National Forest Foundation has called on Supervisor Bill Horn to recuse himself due to apparent conflicts of interest involving potential increased property value of land he owns nearby. Horn has asked the state's Fair Political Practices Commission for a legal opinion on whether he must recuse himself, after another activist sent a letter of complaint to the FPPC.
September 26, 2015 (Palomar) – Palomar Mountain State Park invites the public to its 2015 Palomar Apple Festival on Sunday, October 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This free festival includes delicious apple goodies, spinning and weaving demonstration, arts and crafts, games and activities, a pie eating contest,plus live folk music and square dancers (join in – all are welcome!).
September 26, 2015 (San Diego)--September is Truck and Heavy Equipment Fire Prevention Month at Waste Management and Waste Management of Southern California is extending its prevention efforts by reminding residents to properly dispose of barbecue coals to help prevent heat related cart and collection truck fires.
Photo: Eagle statue in front of former Santa Ysabel casino
September 25, 2016 (Santa Ysabel)—The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel has contracted with a county-licensed medical marijuana dispensary to use the Tribe’s former casino facility to cultivate marijuana for San Diego medical marijuana patients.
The tribe announced the deal in an e-mail sent to tribal members on September 20th, adding that subsequent meetings have been held between Tribal government officials (including representatives from the Santa Ysabel Tribal Development Corporation and Santa Ysabel Tribal Cannabis Regulatory Agency) and representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s office, San Diego Sheriff’s office, and a site walk-through with a representative of the District Attorney’s office.
September 25, 2015 (La Mesa)—A Fair Trade gift faire in La Mesa on October 11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. will offer hand-crafted baskets, jewelry clothing accessories, chocolate, coffee, tea and more. Fair Trade certification means artisans and farmers in the poorest areas of the world receive fair, livable wages for their product or ingredients, offer the public “socially responsible” shopping.
September 25, 2015 (Spring Valley)—A San Diego Laurel and Hardy Group, Saps at Sea, will present a Howl-o-Ween Spooky Spectacular event on October 31 starting at 7 p.m. at Williams Hall at Trinity Church, 3902 Kenwood Drive in Spring Valley.
The event features Laurel and Hardy comedy films, a creepy cartoon, and guest comedians. The evening will also include a 3-D treat as well as a tribute to the late John Locke of Lyric Pines Theatre and more.
September 25, 2015 (La Mesa)--Responding to a request to install lights at a known drug dealing hangout, the La Mesa City Council directed its staff Sept. 22 to devise some solution at the site.
Larry LaHaye, the owner of several apartment buildings in La Mesa at Schoolridge Lane, told the council that the street’s 56 families residing in the apartments have a safe neighborhood but a small park at the end of the cul de sac remains a problem.
September 25, 2015 (San Diego)--Bob Estabrook walked into the back of his RV to clean up one afternoon last fall. He and his wife, Sally, were staying at a campground near Julian. Within 15 minutes, Sally, who was 75 years old and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, had disappeared.
Photo, left: Staff and mentors at Fostering Opportunities Scholarships
Part I in a series on foster youth programs
September 22, 2015 (San Diego)-- Half of all foster kids in the U.S. end up homeless as adults. Just 10% go to college, and of those, only 3% graduate. Although foster youths comprise less than 0.3% of the state’s population, 40% of the people in homeless shelters are former foster youths, as is a high percentage of the country's prison population. Over half (51% ) of foster youths are unemployed. Yet despite these staggering statistics, many foster youths are bright, talented individuals who have proven that they can thrive—with help from some local groups working to help them have a brighter future.
Photo: Maggie Espinosa in the Oxnard Strawberry Fields
September 25, 2015 (La Mesa)--In Spain, there is a famous pilgrimage/walk, called El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a 450 mile walk. Many people have that walk on their bucket list. La Mesa resident Maggie Espinosa has completed her own version of that peregrination by walking the 800 mile El Camino Real, up the California coast.
Beans ‘n’ Beers Seeking Chili Cooks, Vendors, Sponsors For October 17 Community Event
September 24, 2015 (Lakeside)--The Lakeside Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its 3rd annual Beans ‘n’ Beers event on Saturday, October 17 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds. The FREE event features an amateur chili cook-off, children’s activities and petting zoo, live musical and dance performances, beer tasting, local food vendors, and much more!
September 24, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.
September 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The Valley and Butte fires rank among the most destructive fires in California history, with nearly a thousand homes destroyed and tens of thousands of people evacuated. More than 70,000 acres in California have burned in total this year.
September 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Do-it-yourselfers in Fallbrook, Lakeside, Ramona and Spring Valley can score a free new oil filter for their car Saturday, Sept. 26 just by turning in a used one, thanks to the County of San Diego’s Department of Public Works and O’Reilly Auto Parts.
September 19, 2015 (Santee)—Santana High School’s cheerleaders have an event for golfers to “cheer” about: a charity golf tournament Friday, October 9 at the Carlton Oaks Golf Course in Santee.
September 23, 2015 (La Mesa)--The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will present “Health Fair Saturday,” the East County region’s largest annual free community-wide health fair, from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26, at Grossmont Center, 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa, near the movie theaters at the mall.
September 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) -- Were stepping right into Fall this week so make sure you don’t slip or slide into it! Recent rain and more in the forecast will make roads slippery. Go about it safely reminds Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.
September 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Another GOP Republican candidate has dropped out dropped out of the running to become the next president.
Former Wisconsin Governor and Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker has confirmed he has indeed removed his name from the field to become president.
Driver, Don Godfrey of Lakeside, seriously injured
East County News Service
September 24, 2015 (El Cajon) – A red Ford F-250 pickup truck was struck by a trolley at 12:40 p.m. today in El Cajon and has sustained life-threatening injuries, Lt. Randy Soulard with the El Cajon Police Department reports.
Police officers and Heartland Fire Department paramedics responded to the collision at Marshall Avenye and Billy Mitchell. The pickup was traveling east on Billy Mitchell and the trolley was traveling north, paralleling Marshall. Preliminary evidence and witness statements at the scene indicate the driver of the pick-up truck may have traversed the railroad crossing arms and entered the path of the trolley. 10 News reports the truck was dragged about 50 feet.
September 23, 2015 (Lakeside)—For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay/Digueño people have lived in harmony with nature and utilized natural resources to create homes, tools, and more. Their knowledge of earth pigments allowed them to create natural paints for rock art, body painting and decoration.
September 23, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:
September 23, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Balls to fetch, toys to chase, oils to bless and anoint for healing, ribbon bows to tie to collars, and photos to cherish.Celebrating the importance of animals in our lives, The Table: United Church of Christ of La Mesa and Animal Blessings, which provides support services for caretakers and animals, invite you to participate in a Community Blessing of Animals on Saturday, October 10, 2015, between 10:00 am and noon.
September 23, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
Pope Francis met with President Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday, then delivered an address on the White House lawn to a crowd of over 11,000 people, CNN reports.
The Pope called on Christians to be responsible stewards of the earth. "Climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation," he said. "When it comes to the care of our common home, we are living at a critical moment of history. We still have time to make the changes needed to bring about a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change."
Listen to Destination East County, originally aired on KNSJ, by clicking the audio link.
East County News Service
September 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) --This week’s Destination East County features an alpaca farm tour in Descanso, a hike along the Sky Island Trail in Julian, music from an Afro-Cuban ensemble to a dual concert band performance, and Julian’s Apple Days festival.
Plus we’ll have a preview of coming attractions including Oktoberfests in El Cajon and La Mesa, Fall Fest at Grossmont Center, and a Fair Trade Faire.
So click "read more" and scroll down for all of these events and much, much more!
September 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--After a successful career as a board-certified internist and pulmonologist, Dr. Larry Emdur decided to become a hospitalist at Alvarado Hospital. A hospitalist is a fast-growing profession in which a physician’s primary focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients.
The hospitalist profession has grown rapidly over the last decade because it allows hospital patients to be seen and treated by an in-house physician, rather than waiting for their regular doctor to come by after work or between patients. Not only is this more convenient and cost-effective for the patient, but it can improve patient safety.
September 22, 2015 (San Francisco)—The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a victory to Stephanie Lenz, a mom who posted a 29-second video of her toddler dancing to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” music.
Prince’s publisher, Universal Music, demanded that she take down the video, claiming copyright infringement. She sued, and on Monday, the appellate court ruled her case can go to trial. The judges also ruled that copyright holders must consider fair use before asking services such as YouTube to remove videos.
September 21, 2015 (El Cajon)--Michael Wayne Morse was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter and elder abuse in connection with the killing of his mother in 2013.
Morse, 51, was charged in 2014 with murdering his mother, Louise. She was an invalid and living with her son at her home on Arly Court in Santee at the time of her death.
September 22, 2015 (La Mesa)—Cosmos Coffee, a popular gathering spot in La Mesa’s downtown village, has closed its doors—for now. But the owner is hopeful that employees may want to takeover ownership and reopen.
The shop posted on its Facebook page on August 31, “It has been a pleasure to serve and be part of the community of LA Mesa for the last six years. Cosmos is closed temporarily. We will be updating the website and Facebook as soon as we know what is happening. We want to thank all of our loyal customers and we hope we will be back to make you all feel special and caffeinated as soon as possible. The Cosmos Crew.”
“What if the next touch and go crash takes out a school in session?" – a resident’s letter to Supervisor Dianne Jacob
East County News Service
September 21, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) --After a plane crashed into a Santee home on September 3rd, killing the pilot and a flight student near Gillespie Field, Advocates for Safe Airport Policies or “ASAP” is calling for action to protect community members. ASAP has made many complaints to officials before this crash, which is the latest in a string of crashes and serious mishaps involving planes at Gillespie. But recently residents have warned of frequent and low flights over homes due to an increase in flight school training of students at Gillespie Field.
Now ASAP is holding a meeting for concerned airport neighbors. The event will be held September 30th at a private home in Fletcher Hills. To RSVP and get the addresss contact suestrom1@cox.net.
September 25, 2015 (La Mesa)—A Fair Trade gift faire in La Mesa on October 11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. will offer hand-crafted baskets, jewelry clothing accessories, chocolate, coffee, tea and more. Fair Trade certification means artisans and farmers in the poorest areas of the world receive fair, livable wages for their product or ingredients, offer the public “socially responsible” shopping.
September 25, 2015 (Spring Valley)—A San Diego Laurel and Hardy Group, Saps at Sea, will present a Howl-o-Ween Spooky Spectacular event on October 31 starting at 7 p.m. at Williams Hall at Trinity Church, 3902 Kenwood Drive in Spring Valley. 
September 24, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.
September 23, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:
September 23, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Balls to fetch, toys to chase, oils to bless and anoint for healing, ribbon bows to tie to collars, and photos to cherish.
By Miriam Raftery
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