By Miriam Raftery

June 3, 2024 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police have arrested Tony Sims, 42, a homeless parolee with multiple prior arrests for violence and drugs.  According to a press release from ECPD, Sims is accused of terrorizing and injuring an elderly woman during  a” “drug-induced crime spree” the night of May 29,  later stealing a knife and threatening a second person in a grocery store.

The suspect allegedly knocked on the room of the elderly woman, who was staying in a motel near Oakdale and Second Street.  “When she opened the door, the stranger forcedly entered her motel room. He grabbed the woman's arm and pushed her down to the ground, causing significant but non-life-threatening injuries,” says Lieutenant Keith MacArthur.  “Before leaving, he destroyed the room and the television.”

The suspect reportedly ran from the motel to a fast-food restaurant, where he jumped through the drive-through window into the restaurant. Lt. MacArthur adds, ”He stole a knife from the kitchen and armed himself with it before fleeing again to a grocery store nearby. Witnesses told police the man threatened another person with the knife while he was inside the store,” but officers were unable to locate that victim.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Photo and map via CalFire

June 3, 2024 (Otay) – The #Border53Fire is burning on both sides of the international border.  The fire has charred 400 acres, including 250 acres in the U.S. and150 in Mexico. The wildfire is 60% contained, with no structures threatened and no evacuations, per Cal Fire.

The blaze began June 1 in Buttewig Canyon on the south slope of Otay Mountain.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: C-Span video screenshot of Trump speaking to reporters after the verdicts.

May 30, 2024 (New York, NY) -- A New York state jury has found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony criminal counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments to a porn star in order to influence the 2016 election. The former President and presumptive nominee will face sentencing at a July 11 hearing, where a judge could sentence him to prison. The hearing is just days before the Republican National Convention.

Trump, released pending the sentencing hearing, held a press conference after the unanimous verdict was read. He denounced the trial as "rigged" and a "disgrace," then said voters deliver the "real verdict" during the November 5 election.

May 28, 2024 (Santee) -- This week,  John Olsen interviews Miriam Raftery, editor of the East County Magazine. She shares the range of information that our online news source provides (both existing and upcoming), how you can subscribe, and how you can support our community journalism and wildfire alerts.

Listen to the podcast at these links:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1508560/15109333-miriam-raftery-and-how-the-east-county-magazine-serves-our-communities

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0cxFKYwg6b0b1eSwcPHelR

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/miriam-raftery-and-how-the-east-county-magazine/id1541783400?i=1000656693561

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Miriam Raftery:  Left, Bill Walton at La Mesa's centennial in 2012; right, Walton at La Mesa Boys & Girls Club in 2014

May 27, 2024 (La Mesa)—NBA Hall of Famer and former Helix High School superstar  Bill Walton, 71, died this morning surrounded by his family after a prolonged battle with cancer. One of the greatest basketball players of all time, Walton later became an award-winning sportscaster. But he also won hearts and minds in the La Mesa community through his philanthropic efforts, including raising millions of dollars to build the Bill Walton Gymnasium at the Boys & Girls Club in La Mesa, where he was mentored in his youth.

NBA Commission Adam Silver issued a statement recalling Walton as “truly one of a kind. As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position. His unique all-around skills made him a dominant force at UCLA and led to an NBA regular-season and Finals MVP, two NBA championships and a spot on the NBA’s 50^th and 75^th Anniversary Teams.”  As a broadcaster, Walton overcame lifelong stuttering to deliver “insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans,” said Silver.

He added,  “What I will remember most about him was his zest for life.  He was a regular presence at league events—always upbeat, smiling ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth.” Silver said that he envied Walton’s “boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered.”

Born November 5, 1952,  Walton developed an early love for sports.  As a boy, he watched the San Diego Chargers play at Sunset Park near Lake Murray.  “I saw all those guys and I dreamed,” he said in a speech at a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club gymnasium that now bears his name.

“The geographic shifts in populations of people experiencing homelessness to East and South County communities demonstrates the effect of the City of San Diego camping ban.”—Paul Downey, CEO, Serving Seniors

By Miriam Raftery

May 24, 2024 (San Diego’s East County)—The 2024 Point-in-Time Homeless Count reveals some significant changes for East County. East County’s total homeless population dropped by 28% overall from  January 2023 to January 2024, from 1,703 to 1,232.  That’s in sharp contrast to the county overall, which had  the number of homeless people increase by 3% to a total of 10,605,

However, some East County communities had sharp rises, notably in communities closest to San Diego, which recently enacted a ban on encampments:

• La Mesa’s total homelessness rose 86%, with a 47.2% rise in unsheltered;
• Lemon Grove’s unsheltered homeless numbers rose 85%

The sharp spikes in La Mesa and Lemon Grove may be due to  the city of San Diego’s ban on homeless encampments, suggests Paul Downey, Chief Executive Officer of Serving Seniors, a nonprofit helping low-income adults age 60 and up.

By Mike Allen

Photos courtesy of Santee Fire Department

May 23, 2024 (Santee)-- A fire that sent large plumes of smoke across East County yesterday was caused when workers at the Advanced Water Purification (AWP) project in Santee were joining together two large pieces of plastic pipe.

Santee Fire Chief Justin Matsushita said while workers were fusing two large pipes that are 42 inches in diameter, the plastic material, called HDPE, caught fire and quickly overwhelmed the workers, prompting their 911 call.

East County News Service

May 22, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – A Lemon Grove family’s trip for a family wedding in New Jersey ended in a double tragedy. 

Ben Canales has started a fundraiser for his friends, Alex and Amber Gasin of Lemon Grove. The couple went to a Mets baseball game and left their 6-month-old son, Micah, with his grandfather. But a storm passed through that night, causing unimaginable devastation to the family.

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By Miriam Raftery

May 20, 2024 (Alpine)—Sweetwater Authority has still not replaced or repaired the floating fishing dock that was partially destroyed at Loveland Reservoir in Alpine more than a year ago by heavy storms back in January 2023.  On Wednesday,  agenda item 9.1 asks the board to decide whether or not to authorize buying and installing a replacement fishing platform in the reservoir.

“This is the second time this has been on the agenda since Sweetwater recovered the insurance funds,”says Russell Walsh, a citizens’ advocate who has been calling on Sweetwater to replace the floating fishing dock. According to Walsh, a majority vote is not guaranteed; he urges concerned residents to contact Sweetwater’s general manager, Carlos Quintero, to urge support. Residents can also speak at the meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday in person or remotely.