By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Dennis Richardson

Updated October 27, 2011 (Lakeside) -- Andrew Richard Welch has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife.

According to Lieutenant Larry Nesbit with the San Diego Sheriff's Homicide Detail, Welch "contacted staff at the front counter of the Santee Sheriff's Station and stated he believed he had killed his wife in the home they shared."  

Community meetings planned in Boulevard, Lakeside and Alpine

By Miriam Raftery

October 22, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) –After receiving 23 complaints about Sunday helicopter operations on Sunrise Powerlink construction, the County has amended its variance. The original variance allowed work Sundays through November, as well as on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The amendment covers portions of two areas: Lakeside/El Monte and the Bell Bluff/Japatul area of Alpine.

ECM Special Report
 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Pam Wilmers, Video by Billy Ortiz

Updated October 21, 2011

 October 20, 2011 (Lakeside) – Construction of an access road needed for completion of the Sunrise Powerlink in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley has been halted due to discovery of a “possible Indian site” found during road-grading activities, a property owner informed ECM yesterday.

October 20, 2011 (Lakeside) – The body of a male found dead October 18 inside a home in the 11400 block of Rocky Lane, Lakeside has been ruled a homicide.

“It was violent,” Lt. Larry Nesbit with the San Diego Sheriff’s office confirmed. Identity has not yet been released pending identification by the Medical Examiner and notification of family.

October 19, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Residents along the construction route for SDG&E’s Sunrise Powerlink Project have lodged noise complaints with the County. Now Supervisor Dianne Jacob has asked that the County revoke a waiver given that authorized SDG&E to fly on Sundays and a holiday weekend. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also granted permission for the extended hours on federal BLM lands.

“It sounds like the Vietnam War zone out here,” bemoaned Lakeside resident Milt Cyphert, a veteran.

October 19, 2011 (Lakeside) – A male body was found in a home in the 11400 block of Rocky Lane in Lakeside yesterday morning. Deputies responded to a call at 10:38 a.m. and requested that the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail respond due to suspicious circumstances at the scene.

Editor's Note:  ECM received many complaints from readers in  Alpine and Lakeside who are irate over Sunday helicopter flights for Sunrise Powerlink construction and say they were not informed. SDG&E says flights were authorized by the County for Sundays through November as well as on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Alpine Planning  Group member Lou Russo and others have asked the County to revoke permission.

By Tom and Judy Myers

October 17, 2011 (Alpine)--Sunday should be a day of relaxation, a chance to regenerate our spirit and our psyche. Now more than ever, Alpiners need this. We have had our nerves jangled since the beginning of the year with all the construction banging and clanging in our once quiet and peaceful mountain town.

September 29, 2011 (Lakeside) -- A 1-acre brush fire with potential to reach 10 acres is burning at the Barona Golf Course, 1932 Barona Road in Lakeside, Incident Page Network reported at 3 p.m.  Watch for updates.

September 30, 2011 (Lakeside) – Supervisor Dianne Jacob will be at Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 12440 Woodside Avenue in Lakeside this morning at 8:30 to meet with constituents regarding community problems. Local residents are invited to stop by, voice concerns, and hear what Supervisor Jacob and other citizens have to say.

By Miriam Raftery

September 18, 2011 (Lakeside) – A dramatic rescue occurred this evening in El Monte Valley, where a paraglider crash landed partway down El Cajon (El Capitan) Mountain.

Incident Page Network alerted ECM to the incident.  Soon after, at 5:30 p.m., El Monte Valley resident Laura Cyphert e-mailed ECM with an eyewitenss report.  “Looks like he is sitting up next to his glider.  He has not been rescued yet."

Update September 10:  Boil water orders will remain in effect until Sunday, health officials report.  The order applies to all water consumed including water for brushing teeth, ice cubes or cleaning vegetables.  Adults may shower, but infants or toddlers should be sponge-bathed with clean water. You do not need to boil water used for washing clothes in a washing machine. For more information, see this guide in the San Diego Union-Tribune:  www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/08/san-diego-residents-urged-conserve-water/

September 9, 2011 (San Diego's East County)--The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has issued Boil Water Orders effective immediately for the following areas:  Affected communities include portions of Descanso, Alpine, Julian, Boulevard, Lakeside, Campo, and Pauma Valley.

September 7, 2011 (La Mesa) –Today the Helix Water District Board of Directors voted 5-0 to suspend the El Monte Valley Mining, Reclamation, and Groundwater Recharge Project in Lakeside.

“The El Monte Valley Project halt is primarily due to a delay in the availability of advanced treated recycled water and increased project cost,” said Helix General Manager Mark Weston in a statement issued to media.

September 5, 2011 (Lakeside) - A major accident has occurred at 12820 Wildcat Canyon Road, near Old Barona Road south of the Barona Casino in Lakeside.  According to Incident Page Network, a vehicle struck a tree and there are major injuries, with a person trapped inside.

Two ambulances have ordered and a rescue is required.  Firefighters are currently setting up flares in the roadway, so use caution if driving in this area.

September 2, 2011 (Lakeside)--Tribal dancers from across the United States will compete for $60,000 in prize money at the Barona Poway. The pow-wow will be held Friday, September 2 through Sunday, September 4 at the Barona Baseball Field on the Barona Indian Reservation in Lakeside. 

This event, which also features Native American crafts, jewelry and food vendors, is free and open to the public.

September 2, 2011 (Lakeside)-- Lakeside's River Park Conservancy will unveil a new trail as it celebrates its 10th anniversary at the Once in a Blue Moon Gala, including dinner plus live and silent auctions at twilight along the banks of the San Diego River on Saturday, September 10th.

Update September 9, 2011: The suspect has been identified as Steven Ritter, 21. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall with a shaved head, and remains at large.

September 7, 2011 (Lakeside) – The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is searching for a suspect who shot a man in the face/neck at a Lakeside apartment near El Capitan High School this morning. The suspect is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall with blond hair, blue eyes, and tattoos on both arms. He was wearing a black T-shirt with “Deny Everything” written on it and black Dickie-type shorts.

“There are still a number of units out there,” Lt. Andrea Arreola informed ECM at 10:10 a.m. No roads are closed, she added.

By Billy Ortiz

View video of eagle chick shot April 21, 2011 in Lakeside's El Monte Valley:  http://youtu.be/G__OAP57RW4

I am sending this in hope of raising awareness of our Golden eagles here in San Diego County. Recently these magnificent eagles have come under attack by the construction of the Sunrise Powerlink. This could be the last time we see footage like this video of an eagle chick here in Lakeside, California and in many other parts of the San Diego's East County.

August 18, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Elizabeth Rodriguez, 16, of Spring Valley has been missing since August 11. The San Diego Sheriff’s office is treating the case as a runaway, according to Detective Ward at the Lemon Grove Sheriff substation. However her parents have posted flyers asking the public to help locate their daughter, who was last seen Friday, August 11 in Lakeside at 12:45 a.m.
 

When last seen, she was wearing “a black blouse with a big red heart on it, blue skiny jeans and red Converse tennis shoes,” said Detective Ward. Elizabeth has brown eyes and black hair with highlights. “There is no indication of foul play,” he added.

Owner attributes deaths to helicopter flyovers for SDG&E Sunrise Powerlink Construction

“The mitigation will be handled by the courts. Well by then, they will all be dead.” – Catherine Gorka, Pampered Parrots owner

“SDG&E should do the right thing TODAY to protect these endangered birds, up to and including relocating the birds to a safe location...It is unconscionable that they would knowingly allow the deaths to occur instead of proactively doing the right thing.” – Laura Cyphert, East County Community Action Coalition

August 11, 2011 (Lakeside) – “The house was shaking. It terrified me,” Catherine Gorka, owner of Pampered Parrots in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley, recalls the first flyover above her home and aviaries by an SDG&E helicopter working on Sunrise Powerlink on February 25, 2011. “I was waiving my arms, calling out for them to stop.”

"What about the complete loss of our lifestyle?" - Linda Hayes, Lakeside rancher

August 5, 2011 (Lakeside) – Mark Weston, General Manager, and Carlos Lugo, chief engineer for Helix Water District fielded heated questions at a Lakeside Planning Group meeting Wednesday night over the District's proposed El Monte Valley Mining, Reclamation, and Groundwater Recharge project.

Update August 5, 2011:  John Williams was found safely last night and has been reunited with his family, Jan Caldwell with the Sheriff reports.

August 4, 2011 (Lakeside) – San Diego Sheriff seeks public help to locate John Hollis Williams, 96. He was last seen at 2 p.m. yesterday when he left his home in Lakeside and was believed to be heading to one of several restaurants that he frequents daily in Lakeside, Santee, or El Cajon. A check with those restaurants indicates he never arrived. He also visits the beach areas on occasion and always wears a white cowboy hat.

July 29, 2011 (Lakeside) –Thanks to Mike and Cathy Sears for sending in this photo of a surprising visitor in the birdbath outside their home on Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside.

“It’s one of two red shouldered hawks in the area,” Mike said. “The hawks will even in get in and splash around in the bird bath.”

"Seeing is believing!" Lynne McTurk, Funbelievable

By Miriam Raftery

July 20, 2011 (Lakeside) – Now there’s a place where you can let kids climb the walls—plus run, jump, and bounce to their heart’s delight. It's a great place to beat the summer heat and let the kids run wild. 

June 21, 2011 (Lakeside) Updated 2:25 p.m. – A man has suffered second and third degree burns over 70% of his body in an apparent suicide attempt, according to Sgt. Everard Dayrit with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

Emergency personnel were called to a report of an explosion at a modular home in the 12000 block of Lakeside Court at 7:20 this morning, where firefighters found the man suffering burns to his face and upper body after the blaze was doused.

June 15, 2011 (Blossom Valley) – A paraglider called for help after crashing into a mountainside and suffering a back injury in Blossom Valley on the evening of June 13th.

He was hoisted out via helicopter and taken to El Monte Park in Lakeside. Mercy Air then transported the injured man to a local hospital.

Update June 14:  Timothy Ralph Danielson has been arrested and charged with murder. He remains hospitalized for treatment.

June 13, 2011 (Lakeside)—A woman was found dead early this morning at 10328 New Bedford Court in Lakeside, according to Sheriff’s Homicide Lieutenant Larry Nesbit. Deputies entered the home after receiving a call from a concerned relative and found the woman’s body in an upstairs bedroom.

According to ECM news partner 10 News, the woman’s husband had emailed his sister-in-law stating that he had shot his wife and was going to kill himself. Responding deputies found him alive following an attempt to kill himself with carbon monoxide from a portable generator; neighbors identified the man as Tim Danielson, 10 News reports.

Local elementary school names wild owlets and wins their own owl nesting box with spycam!

June 14, 2011 (Lakeside) –The four owlets of Hoot and Holla, a mated pair of wild barn owls at The Water Conservation Garden, have fledged the nest (or taken their final flight into the wild) as of June 7, 2011.   Unbeknownst to them, the owlets have been observed by a loyal group of fans 24-hours a day via a live infrared Owlcam at www.thegarden.org, since they were eggs laid by Holla in mid-February of this year. 

June 9, 2011 (Lakeside) – A driver is unconscious but breathing following a 100-mph crash into a tree on I-8 eastbound just east of Los Coches Road. The vehicle reportedly had a blow-out and lost control , according to the CHP webpage.