By Jacob Pamus and Miriam Raftery

March 31, 2023 (San Diego) – A Manhattan grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump on criminal charges related to alleged pay-offs made to porn star Stormy Daniels, the  New York Times and other media outlets confirm.  The indictment remains sealed until the arraignment, though sources have told media outlet including CNBC that Trump could face around 30 criminal charges.

Trump is the first former president to be indicted. He is also a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, so his arrest casts unprecedented uncertainties into the campaign. 

He is expected to turn himself in for an arraignment on Tuesday,, PBS reports. His attorneys have indicated that he will plead not guilty. It is anticipated that he will be fingerprinted, have a mugshot and DNA sample taken,but as is customary with New York defendants in white collar crimes, he will likely be released until the trial. 

East County News Service

April 1, 2023 (Boulevard) – The Boulevard Community Planning Group will hold a public scoping hearing Wednesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. on the proposed 565-acre Starlight Solar project. County staff will present information and public comments will be accepted at the hearing at the Backcountry Resource Center,39919 Ribbonwood Rd., Boulevard (in the old fire station equipment bay).

It would be located south of I-8 and Old Highway 80 and east of Tierra Del Sol Road.  The project has proposed eight solar array areas with approximately 300,000 PV modules on support structures. It would connect to the Boulevard Substation.

The proposed 100 megawatt industrial-scale solar facility would include a battery energy storage system (BESS), collector substation, transformers, inverters, gen-tie line, and 24’ internal roads, water tanks for fire protection, security fencing, lighting, and signage.

East County News Service

March 31, 2023 (Alpine) – Lions, Tigers & Bears, a nonprofit exotic animal sanctuary in Alpine, invites you to their annual fundraising bash, Wild in the Country on May 20.  This year’s event features emcees Jagger and Kristi from Magic 92.5 radio, as well as Broadway stars Sandra Joseph and Ron Bohmer, lead actors in Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables.  Dinner will be prepared by world renowned chef Jeffrey Strauss, known as “Chef to the Stars” for pleasing the palates of dignitaries, presidents, royalty and entertainment icons.

The main event will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. on May 20. There is also a pre-event reception for platinum and gold level ticket holders at 1 p.m.

East County News Service

March 31, 2023 (El Cajon) -- Homelessness is the most significant issue impacting cities across the nation, includingEl Cajon.. The El Cajon City Council wants to hear your ideas, experiences, and frustrations about homelessness during a series of four Town Hall workshops hosted throughout the City.  In this high participation format of workshops, residents will break into groups and discuss pressing issues around homeless topics. The dates are April 4, 15 and 26 as well as May 4.

Feedback from the workshops will help the City generate additional programs and approaches to address the impacts of homelessness in the community.

March 31, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• San Diego County has seen 20 cases of fungal threat that CDC calls a growing concern  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Federal judge says insurers no longer have to provide some preventive care services, including cancer and heart screenings, at no cost (CNN)
• WHO: New Omicron Subvariant XBB.1.16 Is ‘One to Watch’ (US News)
• Why drugs like Adderall, antibiotics and flu medications are in short supply   (NPR)
• Oklahoma court OK's abortion to preserve mother's life (AP)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 

• Elon Musk and other tech leaders call for pause in ‘out of control’ AI race (CNN)
• It takes a few dollars and 8 minutes to create a deepfake. And that's only the start (NPR)
• NATO bans Tik-Tok on devices (CNN)
• Utah social media law means kids need approval from parents  (AP)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

March 30, 2023 (El Cajon) – Two days ago, El Cajon Police relocated homeless people found camped in drainage canals and warned of flood dangers. The National Weather Service reports that El Cajon received more than an inch of water during the past two-day period.

El Cajon Police posted this warning message and photos on Facebook:

By Miriam Raftery

March 30, 2023 (Borrego Springs) – Sexually violent predator Douglas Badger will be housed at a residence on Zuni Trail in Borrego Springs starting in May. The placement was approved by Superior Court Judge Theodore Weathers, over vocal objections from community residents and officials.

Badger has been convicted of kidnapping and raping young male hitchhikers and sexually assaulting a young girl.  He’s been diagnosed as a sexual sadist, served several terms in prison and the past 18 years in a state mental hospital, but he has been approved by the Dept. of State Hospitals for release.

By Miriam Raftery

March 29, 2023 (Santee) – East County Magazine has been honored by the Santee Chamber of Commerce for having the best business resources in the Chamber’s annual “Santee Favorites” competition. Winners are selected by votes as “favorites” by Santee residents, Chamber members, as well as businesses’ clients and friends.

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

March 28, 2023 (San Diego) -- Seven-year-old Leslie has a serious problem. Someone is trying to kill her-- and it’s her mother. Leslie and her little brother live chaotic, often frightening lives under the care of their paranoid schizophrenic mother.

This excerpt from local author Leslie Ferguson’s memoir, When I Was Her Daughter, exemplifies those chilling conditions:

By Helen Ofield, Historian to the Board, Lemon Grove Historical Society

Photo: Roberta Bulling, Education Chair, Lemon Grove Historical Society

March 27, 2023 (Lemon Grove) -- Lemon Grove's third graders have set a record: 142 entries in the 2023 Treganza History Essay Competition--the largest number in 33 years, or since Dr. Amorita Treganza launched and endowed the competition in 1990. She was also a founder of the Lemon Grove Historical Society (LGHS) in 1978, which annually sponsors two history competitions for third and eighth grades.

By Miriam Raftery

March 28, 2023 (Ramona) – A 56-year-old man from Ramona has died of injuries sustained in a collision with a school bus from Ramona Unified School District on March 24.

The victim was driving a 2003 Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck southbound on Mussey Grade Road just south of Foster Truck Trail in Ramona around 4:10 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle in a curve and crossed onto the northbound side of the road, “directly into the path of the oncoming school bus, resulting in a head-on crash,” according to Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol.