East County News Service

June 1, 2017 (Mt. Helix) – Mt. Helix Park is partnering with the San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) to host “Astronomy Night” atop Mt. Helix on Saturday, July 15th from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Bring your own telescope or witness the cosmos through one provided by members of the SDAA, who will be on site to help you interpret the night sky.

By  Laura Ball

January 1, 2017 (La Mesa/Mt. Helix) -- I have very active hummingbird feeders and have noticed a few birds with tumors on their beaks (see photo). I have been in contact with a specialist at the University of California-Davis Vet Med Center about this, and she had some suggestions on how to help them. The hummingbirds probably have avian pox, which is contagious - to birds only, not humans - and can spread through the feeders we all have in our yards.

December 16, 2016 (La Mesa) -- Join us for East County Magazine's annual "Feasting and Merrymaking"  holiday party this Sunday, December 18 from 3-7 p.m. at our editor's home on Mt. Helix!  Our elves have been busy preparing a fabulous feast,  plus we'll have live music provided by singer/guitarist Paul Nichols and pianist Andrea Ladmer,  wines from San Pasqual Winery and a wealth of prizes,  holiday games and surprises!

Our party is open to our subscribers, donors and friends by invitation. Subscriptions are free!  Subscribe here to our newsletter and/or wildfire alerts or donate here. 

RSVP is required.  Call 619-698-7617 or e-mail editor@eastcountymagazine.org to reserve space and get the address to join the fun at our fabulous event--and support award-winning community journalism!

October 21, 2016 (La Mesa) -- East County Magazine invites you to our Halloween Eve Masquerade Party! 

On Sunday, October 30, 4-8 p.m. our party at a private home in La Mesa will be the “happening haunt” complete with Halloween Eve feast,  costume contest, live music with the "Bad Randies" string band & Paul Nichols' variety music (Monster Mash and more!) local ghost stories, a trove of prizes, spooky surprises, & a frightfully good time!

This party is open to our weekly newsletter subscribers, our wildfire alert subscribers, and invited guests age 21 and up.  Subscriptions are free!  Click here to subscribe. 

Cost: $12 and bring a dish to share  ($10 for Editor’s Club members/sustaining donors)

By Miriam Raftery

July 8, 2016 (Mt. Helix) – Two mountain lions have been reported Monday by a homeowner on Mt. Helix.  La Mesa Today sent an alert warning the lions were seen  off Lemon Avenue in the Lake Helix area.  A CBS 8 news story ran two photos taken by the homeowner in unincorporated  La Mesa and footage of the location outside the home. 

The homeowner, who asked to stay anonymous, said the lions were on a hillside above a pool where her children were playing and two large dogs were present.

A long-time La Mesa resident  posted on a residents’ online forum that through the years he has previously seen mountain lions in the Boulder Hills area of La Mesa near Chevy Chase, above the La Mesa Village. 

Update:  San Miguel Fire Protection District board member Theresa McKenna has responded to Robert Perry's editorial to detail how much notice and discussion has been held on this issue. Read her remarks here.

By Robert Perry, community resident

Photo:  Protest at station closed due to budget gaps back when San Miguel was a stand-alone station, before contracting with Cal Fire. Opinions ran hot on both sides of the partnership deal at that time.

July 2, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) --With zero public input and zero community discussion (thus far) the San Miguel Fire Protection District has an action item on the agenda for the board meeting of July 6, 2016 to "discuss and may approve returning to a stand alone District".  View agenda.

The district has contracted with CAL FIRE the past four years after facing a structural deficit of their own making.  There is one more year of the contract.

East County News Service

Photo Mt. Helix courtesy Allan Ferguson on Flickr

June 7, 2016 (Mt. Helix) – This summer, several fun events will be held atop Mt. Helix, including an astrononmy night, the annual heART of Mt. Helix festivities, and an Art in the Park children’s art camp.  Scroll down for details.

East County News Service

October 14, 2015 (La Mesa) –The bodies of Marshelle Newby, 56, and a second female were found inside a home on Avoyer Place in Casa de Oro near Mt. Helix Wednesday morning.  Newby worked as a legal secretary at the District Attorney’s criminal division for the past 23 years.

10 News reports that family and a neighbor identified the second body as Newby’s 16-year-old special needs granddaughter, Emily, whom she has raised as her own.

Tanya Sierra, public information officer for DA Bonnie Dumanis, stated, “Marshelle Newby was an outstanding DA employee for 23 years. Our office is grieving and our hearts go out to her family and friends,” KUSI reports.

July 19, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Kristin Kjaero shot this sequence of photos during the mid day storms on Saturday, July 18, 2015.

The photos show Mt. Helix disappearing in the clouds, then reappearing in the sunshine.

By Miriam Raftery

July 14, 2015 (Mt. Helix) – Recently, Mt. Helix residents on the “Next Door” community forum website posted concerns after a distraught resident reported seeing a coyote kill her small Yorkie dog.  Fortunately, another  East County resident has offered a solution for residents who want to provide a safe outdoor area for small dogs or cats to exercise safely, without harming  coyotes, which are native to our region and help control rodent populations.

May 24, 2015 (Mt. Helix) – Can you say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?”  Christian Community Theatre San Diego celebrates its 35th anniversary at the beautiful Mt. Helix Park amphitheater with this summer's production of Mary Poppins.

Church also hosts Requiem concert April 2

Photo by Steve Odland

March 7, 2015 (Mt. Helix) – An annual tradition held for nearly a century, Sunrise Easter services are held atop Mt. Helix in an east-facing amphitheater crowned by a large cross. This year, Foothills United Methodist Church in La Mesa will host the free service.

December 2,2014 (Mt. Helix) – Leon Thompson caught the moon amid a golden glow in the sky, looking east across El Cajon and the mountains beyond from atop Mt. Helix.

December 1, 2014 (Mt. Helix) – The annual Mt. Helix Park Sing-Along Caroling event will be held Sunday, December 14 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the ampitheater atop Mt. Helix.  Gina Seashore, and her talented group of musicians, will be leading the caroling at this free and festive event for the whole family.

East County News Service

October 23, 2014 (Mt. Helix) – A Mt. Helix resident who died October 10^th at Grossmont Hospital is believed to have died of West Nile Virus, 10 News reports. He may have been bitten by a mosquito in Eucalyptus Park in La Mesa, at the base of Mt. Helix, his daughter has said.