Fruitful wine industry restores farmers’ dreams in rural East County
 

Story by Miriam Raftery

Photos by Mark and Miriam Raftery

July 22, 2011 (Spring Valley) – Friends and neighbors turned out to help plant 600 grapevine rootstocks from Napa Valley last weekend at the Vineyard Mansion in Spring Valley. Afterwards, guests savored a poolside tri-tip barbecue and sampled estate-bottled vintages in a stone-lined wine cellar. 

Their efforts are all part of a vision by East County vintners to establish a wine-making region along Highway 94—revitalizing the local economy with a new agricultural market to reward the fruits of their labors.

Story, photos and video by Elena Peña

June 29, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)--Nestled in between slopes in the Cleveland National Forest lies a gem known as Cedar Creek Falls, often referred to as The Devil’s Punch Bowl. A wondrous waterfall is the picturesque background to the swimming hole at the end of this approximately four-mile hike.  The location used to be accessed mainly from Julian.  But due to a newly revamped trail out of Ramona, it’s now more accessible than ever before--and more populated, especially on weekends and holidays. 

June 12, 2011 (Ramona) – Yesterday morning, a warrant sweep in East County was conducted by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department Court Services Field Unit to apprehend suspects with outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants. A total of 12 adults and one juvenile were arrested and 14 warrants were cleared.

June 5, 2011 (Ramona) – A two-year-old child has died at a local hospital after rescuers pulled the toddler from a murky pond in the 1800 block of Cedar Street in Ramona.

May 8, 2011 (Ramona) – A man who swerved to avoid hitting an animal has suffered injuries in a roll-over crash that killed his own dog inside the vehicle.  The accident occurred yesterday around 4:30 p.m. on Ramona Oaks Road in an unincorporated area near Ramona.

April 12, 2011 (Ramona) – A 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted between 11 p.m. and midnight Friday night while walking in an alley in Ramona, behind businesses located between Main and B Streets, the San Diego Sheriff’s office reports today. The male assailant wore a dark, hooded sweatshirt; no other description is available at this time.

According to Lt. James Bolwerk, the teen is a Ramona resident. “The Sheriff’s Department reminds the public to always travel in pairs, stay in well lit areas, and be aware of their surroundings,” a release from the Sheriff’s office states.

April 10, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Two separate accidents in Ramona and Valley Center resulted in damage to aircraft and injury to one pilot.

April 4, 2011 (Ramona) -- A stolen bronze moose statue from Ramona was recovered in a vacant field on March 30, about a mile from the 2800 block of Willow Oak Drive where it was stolen sometime between February 15 and 23. The area is located at the intersection of Dye Road and Southern Oak Road and is frequently used by people who ride and train horses.

A watchful citizen made the discovery and contacted the Sheriff’s Department after reading  media articles about the theft of several statues in our region.

By Joy Ryder

April 1, 2011 (Julian) – Highway 67 is notorious for the many head-on collisions and fatality crashes which have occurred on the winding stretch from Lakeside to Julian. Today, Cal-Trans and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) announced a solution.

In a joint press conference outside Julian Apple Pie Company, a major project sponsor, officials from both agencies revealed plans to replace old 67 with a new double-decker freeway from Santee to Julian.
 

"Celebration of life" service set for April 1
 

March 26, 2011 (Ramona) –The San Diego Medical Examiner has identified Kevin Montgomery Birse, 22, of Ramona as the driver who perished in a vehicle accident on March 23rd on San Vicente Road, just east of Wildcat Canyon Road in Ramona.

County announcement describes new facility as "a town treasure"

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Dave Patterson
February 12, 2011 (Ramona) –State and County officials will join Friends of the Ramona Library to celebrate the grand opening of a new, state-of-the-art library on Tuesday, February 15 at 11 a.m.  After the ceremony, the library will welcome the public with a day of programs including live music, face painting and read-alouds for children, plus tours of the new building.

Located at 1275 Main Street in Ramona, the 21,000-square-foot Tuscan and Southwestern-style library is four times the size of the old building and boasts rooftop solar panels that will produce about 20 percent of the energy needed to run the library.

February 12, 2011 (Ramona) – Carl Jones, 43, of Ramona has been arrested following an all-night stand-off with the San Diego Sheriff’s SWAT team. Jones had barricaded himself inside his residence at 23610 Galeria Circle following a domestic violence dispute. Jones also threatened suicide, Lt. Jim Duffy said.

Although several shots were fired, no one was harmed and Jones was arrested on weapons and domestic violence charges.
 

"Don't wait for your town to be devastated. Take action Now! Here's an example of what you can do.  Pass this on." -- Dave Patterson

By Dave Patterson
 

January 17, 2010 (Poway) – Ramona resident Cynthia Clay, founder of Clay’s Canine Sidekicks and Leashes for Leaving, died Christmas night, December 25th, one day before her 58th birthday.

“Cyndy, while seriously disabled herself, created and managed over the years two service dog training groups,” said Hope Goodwin, a client who owns a service dog obtained through Clay. “I believe that Cyndy's training group is the only one in the U.S. that teaches the disabled how to train their own Service Dogs,” she said of the two-year program.

December 30, 2010 (San Diego) – Across the County, emergency crews are busy repairing roads and assessing other damage from the most recent storm.

Following on the heels of last week’s heavy storms which saturated soils and overflowed numerous waterways, the most recent downpour caused additional rock and mudslides, undermined roads and caused potholes and sinkholes.