By Miriam Raftery

February 9, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) ---Heavy snowfall has transformed our local mountains into winter wonderlands.  Mount Laguna received 10 inches of snowfall in the past 24 hours, followed by Palomar Mountain with 7 to 8 inches.  Cuyamaca also received significant snowfall, as this image sent in by reader Grace Schlesier shows. Frost and freezing temperatures are expected through Monday in inland valleys.

Other areas dusted in white include Julian (3-6 inches), Ranchita (5 inches), Santa  Ysabel (2 inches) and Pine Valley (2 inches) .  Snow even dipped down to Descanso and Campo, which received less than a half inch each.

January 26, 2013 (Campo) -- Underage drinkers, empty lots littered with empty beer bottles and irresponsible alcohol retailers have residents speaking out after a recent community meeting to voice their concerns about youth access to alcohol in Back Country areas.

Boulevard resident Tammy Daubach said she noticed teens drinking in the empty lot near her home in Boulevard. She explained kids frequent the empty lot to ride their BMX bikes on the dirt tracks. “When the kids need to fill their motor bikes at the gas station nearby, they gas up and get their stuff. You constantly see the trash back there. We’ll go out with bags to pick it all up and find chips and wine coolers and little liquor bottles, all of that.”

November 8, 2012 (Campo)—The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo  rolls out its 2012 Santa Train, the North Pole Limited, each Friday and Saturday starting November 23 through December 22. 

This popular attraction sells out early each year, so reservations are strongly recommended.  Santa’s elves will serve cookies and hot cocoa while leading a sing-along of traditional Christmas carols and reading a famous Christmas story. The train departs the Museum on Highway 94 at Forrest Gate Road in Campo and stops at Santa’s workshop , where Santa will board the train and visit with all children on the return trip.

October 4, 2012 (Campo) – As CAL FIRE neared containment on the 2,851 acre Shockey Fire burning near the community of Campo in San Diego County, firefighters credited new technology in the success of the incident. For the past year, firefighters have been aided by the development of a new project called Next Generation Incident Command System, or “NICS”.  The new technology is funded by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Lincoln Labs with major participation from CAL FIRE. Especially this year with the increased fire activity, CAL FIRE has been the perfect test bed for the new technology.

September 23, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- A Cal Fire vehicle traveling east on Highway 94 at Forrest Gate, in the vicinity of the Shockey Truck Trail fire, has been struck by shots fired.  The shots are believed to be from a pellet gun, a Cal Fire individual reported, scanner traffic indicates.  The driver's side window was broken, but no one was injured. 

September 13, 2012 (Campo)--The County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has issued a Boil Water Order and Public Notification for the Campo Alternative School and Campo Library drinking water system located on 31360 Highway 94, Campo, CA 91906 effective immediately. 

The drinking water system has tested present for total coliform bacteria and absent for E.coli. 

June 28, 2012 (Campo) – Golden Acorn Casino will be celebrating Independence Day with a free fireworks show on July 4, at 9:00 p.m. at the casino, 1800 Golden Acorn Way, Campo.  The fireworks will be preceded by a food and beer garden from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and live entertainment.

Visit http://www.goldenacorncasino.com/ for more information.

June 19, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--The Old Fire is now 75% contained at 907 acres, with full containment expected tonight, and full control expected tomorrow at 6 p.m., Cal Fire predicts.

Cost to battle the blaze is $1.5 million. The fire began Sunday in the Campo/Live Oak Springs area and has destroyed at least on structure.

June 4, 2012 (San Diego) The U.S. Health & Human Services Department has awarded $9,398,738 for healthcare in the communities of San Diego, Campo and Brawley.

By Miriam Raftery

February 1, 2012 (Buckman Springs) – An 80-year-old woman who was a passenger in a rollover accident on January 29 in Campo died yesterday of head and neck injuries sustained in the crash. The victim, Maria Espiritu, was a widow who live in Vista.

Her daugher, who was driving, lost control of the vehicle and it overturned on Buckman springs Road north of Lake Morena Drive.

December 4, 2011 (Campo)--The Campo Sheriff’s Station and County Animal Services are investigating reports of animal neglect at a ranch owned by Raymond and Nennette Wyatt in Campo. This morning, authorities seized 58 animals including horses, goats, sheep and cattle from the ranch, located in the 1900 block of Buckman Springs Road this morning.

“The County is now officially doing the bidding of a well organized industrial wind lobby…Together, the County and the industry/government cabal are also getting ready to gut the Boulevard Community Plan, and the few protections they allowed us to retain.”—Donna Tisdale, Chair, Boulevard Planning Group

By Miriam Raftery
 

November 9, 2011 (San Diego’s EastCounty) – San Diego County has issued a draft ordinance for publication review (http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/ceqa/POD1007.html. ) But critics say the plan decimates rural community planning authority and makes it easier for large wind farms to be built across broad swaths of East County.

Residents who already live near wind farms are speaking out—claiming they have suffered sleep deprivation and witnessed significant bird kills from existing turbines. They fear the impacts if multiple new wind farms are allowed to be erected across East County’s rural and scenic wilderness lands.

July 14, 2011, (El Cajon) -- Bryon Harrington, local Alpine author, will appear at s meeting of the El Cajon Historical Society on Thursday, July 28 at 11:30 a.m.  Mr. Harrington will share stories and sign copies of his self-published book,Campo, The Forgotton Gunfight. See the East County Magazine review here.

History buffs will enjoy this true local history of the gunfight which occurred in December, 1875, in Campo--a confrontation that surpassed the famed OK Corral shootout in duration and bloodshed.