November 10, 2015 (Alpine)--Viejas Casino & Resort has officially opened its holiday ice rink for the winter season. Hundreds of guests arrived at Viejas Outlets for the opening night, October 30, to enjoy some holiday fun by spinning and gliding on Southern California’s largest outdoor ice skating rink.

East County News Service

November 5, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Shots fired from a dark SUV that pulled alongside a Lexus traveling east on I-8 at Los Coches Road in unincorporated El Cajon at 12:57 a.m., injuring the driver and passenger.   

The driver of the Lexus, a 43-year-old woman from Alpine, and her passenger, a 31-year-old man, were transported by ambulance to Sharp Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 

By Miriam Raftery

October 29, 2015 (Alpine) – For Alpine parents, it sounds like a Halloween horror story.  But it's an unexpected treat for the board majority at the Grossmont Union High School District.  Today, Superior Court Judge Joel Pressman (photo) issued a tentative ruling granting Grossmont 's motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Alpine parents and taxpayers. 

The suit sought to  force the district to turn over funds to build an Alpine high school, which voters twice voted to approve in Propositions H and U. The board's action drew scrutiny from the County Grand Jury, which issued a scathing report titled "Fool us once, fool us twice?"

The tentative ruling comes as a shock since Judge Pressman  previously denied an attempt by Grossmont to dismiss the case and set a trial date for early December, as ECM reported. In his earlier ruling, the judge rejected Grossmont’s arguments that it did not have a contract commitment with Alpine to build a high school and that the text of Prop U did not compel the district to build the long-promised school.

Get your team ready or just come to watch the pumpkins fly!

October 14, 2015 (Alpine)--The 2nd Annual Alpine Education Foundation Punkin Chunkin is set forSunday, Nov. 8th, at 10 a.m. at Joan MacQueen Middle School. This family friendly educational fundraiser to benefit Alpine schools requires teams to create a launching device to chunk their pumpkins for accuracy and distance while competing for nearly $2,000 in cash prizes for distance and accuracy. Entry fee is $100. Admission is free.

October 10, 2015 (Alpine)--Could you use a bit of inspiration for your upcoming Halloween jack o’ lantern carving projects? There’s no better opportunity than learning from one of the best in the business – Master Carver Gene Granata. Granata will be displaying some of his jack o’ lantern creations, as well as offering carving tips, at the Alpine Education Foundation’s inaugural Night of the Jack o’ Lanterns event to be held at the Alpine Creek Town Center on Thursday, October 15 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. The event is free for all ages.

President of East County realtor trade group is directing realtor talent show

East County  News Service; photo  by Carey Guthrie

View video from the 2014 Un-fashion and Variety Show: http://youtu.be/XtBkvN8ETOw

September 21, 2015 (Alpine)--Who said real estate agents can only sell houses?

Alpine resident Carey Guthrie is directing and producing a talent show that will feature dancing and singing abilities of realtors from throughout San Diego County. Guthrie manages two real estate sales offices in La Mesa Village for Windermere Real Estate SoCal. She also serves as the 2015 president of the Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR).

On Thursday, Sept. 24, PSAR will present a fun-filled evening of fashion, food and entertainment at its fourth annual Un-Fashion and Variety Show at the Scottish Rite Event Center, 1895 Camino del Rio South in Mission Valley. Proceeds will benefit the Military Warriors Support Foundation.

"This is fiscal irresponsibility...The bond oversight is a joke." -- Nick Marinovich, bond oversight committee member who recently resigned in protest (photo, left).

"I don't think the public is aware of the damage being done by a handful of special interests." -- Jim Kelly, board member, referring to Alpine parents and taxpayers who sued the district over its failure to build the Alpine high school

By Janis Russell; Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

September 15, 2015 (El Cajon)- At the September 10^th Grossmont Union High School District board meeting, president Robert Shield gave his report regarding a lawsuit the board is facing filed by citizens of Alpine. An update on Propositions H and U was presented to the board. The majority approved an agreement with CliffordMoss and John Hoy to study  the likelihood that voters would re-authorize Prop U bonds or issuance of new bonds.

That could be a tough sell to voters, since the district is being sued by Alpine taxpayers for failing to spend Prop H and U bonds on building an Alpine high school as spelled out in the bonds. The district has claimed enrollment triggers weren't met, though multiple knowledgeable insiders have repeatedly reported that triggers were met.

September 4, 2015 (Alpine)--Bobbi Brink, Founder/Director of San Diego's Lions Tigers & Bears (LTB) sanctuary announced that a 2.5 month old tiger cub found roaming the Southern California neighborhood of Hemet is being transferred to the accredited sanctuary in East San Diego County on Friday afternoon.

East County News Service

August 6, 2015 (Alpine) – For Childhood Cancer Awareness month, the Kylie Rowland Foundation is hosting “Wine and Bunco Under the Stars” on  Sept. 9 at 6 pm.. to raise funds for promising less-toxic cancer treatments for children. The foundation was started in memory of Kylie Rowland, who lost her battle to neuroblastoma at age two in February 2015.

By Miriam Raftery

June 11, 2015 (Alpine) – Alpine residents seeking to force the Grossmont Union High School District to turn over $70 million in bond funds and land acquired for construction of an Alpine High School will finally have their day in court.  Judge Joel Pressman ruled against Grossmont on Friday, refusing to dismiss the case and requiring that the money be set aside pending outcome of the trial.

The proceeding will be an administrative trial before Judge Pressman set for December 4^th with the Alpine Union School District and the Alpine Taxpayers for Bond Accountability squaring off against the GUHSD. A 3-judge appellate court panel previously denied Grossmont’s request for a stay to stop the proceedings, a move affirmed Friday by Pressman. The County Grand Jury also found that the district did not live up to its obligation to Alpine taxpayers and recommended that the district build the high school or turn over the money to the Alpine Union High School District to build the school.  The district's board majority defied the Grand Jury and did neither.

The plaintiffs contend that Grossmont misallocated millions of dollars from Propositions U and H,  spending much of the $700 million measures approved by voters for projects not listed in the bond while refusing to build the Alpine High School that was a priority project in the bond measures.

Cliff LaPlant is honored by peers and jurors for high-quality photography.



May 14, 2015 (Alpine) – A photograph created by Cliff LaPlant, www.sierralara.com ) of Alpine, California has recently been accepted into the Motif Collective Galleries of Artists Showcase for the 2015 Landscape Photographic Competition. LaPlant’s work is now on display in the Online Gallery at www.motifcollective.com.  This International Photographic Competition is held monthly supporting Fine Art Photographers from around the world.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated April 24, 2015 with response from Alpine Education Association and details on the fundraising event.

April 22, 2015 (Alpine) – Some Alpine parents were surprised to learn that children in the fifth grade at Alpine Elementary School were assigned to paint wine glasses and beer steins for an upcoming fundraising event organized by the Alpine Education Foundation.

Part V in a series

By the East County Eaters

Week 5: Mediterraneo Italian Bar & Bistro and The Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar

April 17, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--For this week’s series, our Eaters returned to savor happy hour specials at two local favorites: Mediterraneo Italian Bar & Bistro in Alpine and The Brigantine on Mt. Helix.  The first offers divine Italian food in a European-style ambience, the second specializes in seafood served up amid a nautical theme.  Both are delightful and unexpected “finds” for newcomers in East County—so it’s no wonder that each of these restaurants are popular gathering spots for locals in the know.

April 10, 2015 (Alpine) – The 18^th annual Sage & Songbirds Garden Tour on May 1-3 will feature five private home gardens plus a hummingbird haven and a raptor rehabilitation facility for close-up viewing of wildlife.