East County News Service 

December 5, 2022 (Lakeside) – The driver of a BMW 325i lost her life in a fiery solo-vehicle crash yesterday at 4:27 p.m., though a passenger escaped.

East County News Service

November 1, 2022 (Lakeside) – This morning shortly before 6 a.m., a 61-year-old man from Lakeside died at the scene of a solo motorcycle crash.

According to Officer Travis Garrow with the California Highway Patrol, the victim was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle north on Morena Avenue to westbound Vigilante Road in Lakeside, when he failed to negotiate a curve. He struck a raised curb, a street sign and a fence.

By Mike Allen

October 17, 2022 (Lakeside) -- Voters in the unincorporated town of Lakeside will get to vote on four seats of the five-member Lakeside Union School District this November.

The Lakeside district, which covers nearly 75 square miles and has about 5,000 students, consists of six elementary schools, two middle schools, a preschool program, a DREAM Academy, and world language programs.

Seven candidates are running for three seats with a full four-year term, and two candidates are running for a shortened term. 

For the three full term seats the candidates are Jim Bennet, Maureen Cruise, Holly Ferrante, Aaron Gordon, Andrew Hayes, Ron Kasper, and Bonnie LaChappa.  For the short-term seat, the two candidates are incumbent Don Whisman, and Autumn Ellenson.

East County Magazine sent questionnaires out to all nine candidates and received four responses, which are published in full below.

By Shiloh Ireland

Photo:  girl and her parents

October 9, 2022 (El Cajon) – On October 2^nd, another peaceful protest was held next to a sex offender’s home at 9107 Sesi Lane, where sex offenders have been placed. At this time, the six offenders housed have been reduced to four, as two moved to another part of East County.

East County News Service

Photo by Shiloh  Ireland: homeless man pores through rubble of burned encampment along San Diego River in Lakeside

September 23, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- In an internal memo to County Chief Administrative Office, Helen Robbins-Meyer sent on September 12, Supervisor Joel Anderson, who represents East County communities of District 2, asked if staff had looked into the possibility of establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County and jurisdictions along the San Diego River, such as the San Diego River Park Foundation, and the Cities of San Diego and Santee. The goal of this MOU would be to address homelessness along the San Diego River.

By Shiloh Ireland

September 21, 2022 (Lakeside) -- At 5:45 pm on September 17th, 50 neighbors gathered for a third protest against the placement of five sex offenders in a house in their close-knit family neighborhood.  Their first protest was September 11th... Mayor Wells of El Cajon attended and offered support, though has no jurisdiction over unincorporated El Cajon, but responded to residents’ invitation to come out.  

When asked if he would talk to the supervisors or anyone else, he replied, "I would be happy to meet with them. This an East County problem.” Wells says of the predators, “Why are they placed here and the County is doing nothing to stop it? There are kids all over the place here. East County is where people are sent when people don't want them in their neighborhood."

By Shiloh Ireland

September 16, 2022 (Lakeside) – On September 12, Hope for the Homeless Lakeside (www.hope4homelesslakeside.org) organized an outreach event held in the parking lot next to the Parks and Recreation Building in Lakeside. Also present was a mobile unit from the county, HHSA-Health and Human Service Agency and several deputies from the HART -Homeless Assistance Resource Team of the San Diego Sheriff Department.

Judy Scheuer (photo, right) is the executive director, spoke with East County Magazine about how she came to establish the organization to help homeless people in the community – help needed now more than ever, after the August 31 Willow Fire destroyed homeless encampments in the riverbed and one homeless man was found dead in a pond days earlier.

“Three years ago, it started as a grassroots effort; then I hired a homeless woman and then began taking water, food, blankets tents and also hauled out trash weekly in the riverbed,” she said.  “Showers were offered weekly and  Otay Mesa Detention Facility fixed broken bicycles for us.”  Now bicycles are going to be repaired by a resident she knows.

East County News Service

September 7, 2022 (Lakeside) –The Lakeside Fire Protection District invites you to an open house at Fire Station 2, located at 12216 Lakeside Avenue, on September 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be demonstrations, station tours, games, food, drinks and plenty of fire apparatus to check out.

By Shiloh Ireland

September 3, 2022 (Lakeside) – The new 13.88-acre Dianne Jacob Equestrian Center, long a dream for Lakeside residents, is finally becoming a reality after numerous delays. Located on Moreno Avenue at Willow Road, the covered arena and several outbuilding constructions are moving at a steady pace. The steel is prefabricated and as of mid-August when these shots were taken, the roof is in place as well as one wall of the arena.

By Shiloh Ireland

September 1, 2022 (Lakeside) – The Willow Fire burned 15 acres under and across the State Route 67 bridge at Lakeside Avenue yesterday. Cause of the fire is under investigation as crews mopped up hot spots today.

East County News Service

August 31, 2022 (Lakeside) – A suspected gang-related shooting in Spring Valley on August 18 led SWAT teams to search homes in Lakeside and Santee today. The search found a stash of weapons and resulted in arrests of four individuals.

East County News Service

August 15, 2022 (Lakeside) -- Shiloh Ireland Photography sent in this horseback-view image of the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside.

Good Samaritan asks why law enforcement took so long to rescue the woman

View video by Angel New of the rescue (warning, strong language and partial nudity)

Photo, left: Screenshot of  video by Angel New shows paramedics and deputies working to revive the victim, as Scot Wolfe (right), the heroic citizen who first went into the water to save the woman, looks on.

By Miriam Raftery

Shiloh Ireland  contributed to this report

August 3, 2022 (Lakeside) – A woman was saved from drowning at Lindo Lake yesterday after Scot Wolfe, a bystander, entered the water to save her.  Sheriff’s deputies followed and pulled the woman out of the water and began lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived.

But some Lakeside residents are criticizing deputies and a park ranger for not taking action until a citizen went in first.  A video by Angel New on Facebook shows that at least a minute and forty seconds elapsed before the first deputy went into the water. Several deputies, appearing in no rush, can be seen standing beside the lake, one stating that they must take their equipment off before they can enter the water.

Update August 14, 2022:  The Medical Examiner's office has identified the 50-year-old man as Thomas Moreno. Moreno's family have been notified of his death. The cause and manner of his death remain under investigation, the Sheriff's office reports.

Updated August 1 at 5 p.m. with additional information from the Sheriff's department.

East County News Service

Photos by Shiloh Ireland Photography

August 1, 2022 (Lakeside) -- The body of a man around 50 years old was found this morning in a pond south of Willow Road near Moreno, east of State Route 67 in Lakeside. The Sheriff's Search and Rescue Dive Team responded to a call and recovered the body.

The man was wearing shorts with no shirt. Authorities indicated there were no obvious signs of trauma. The vicitm may have gone swimming and drowned, though the County Medical Examiner is slated to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

At this point the death is suspicious in nature however, there is no indication of foul play. The circumstances of this incident are still under investigation," says Lieutenant Chris Steffan.

East County News Service

July 21, 2022 (Lakeside) – You’re invited to meet artist Jackie Hanson at an opening reception of her art show at Trevi Hills Winery in Lakeside. The opening will be held Saturday, August 6 at 2 p.m. through 7 p.m. The show will run from Aug. 5-31.

Hanson, an East County artist, likes to enhance the natural landscape with scenes and characters from her imagination. 

“I like to paint not only what is, but what could be, and hope perhaps to inspire the future,” she says.