Station is still streaming online, but restoring broadcast signal requires urgent funding for engineering, equipment, and a possible new site

East County News Service

February 28, 2026 (Descanso) – “The tower where KNSJ rented space since beginning broadcasting on July 4th, 2013, is now a crumpled pile of steel and cabling,” states a press release from KNSJ 89.1 FM radio, which airs the East County Magazine radio show.  “Our volunteers have confirmed that the American Tower Company's tower on Monument Peak at 6,200 ft. elevation collapsed in the February winter storm due to severe ice accumulation and wind.”

By Alexander J. Schorr

Screenshot: President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol during his State of the Union Speech

“It is indeed a turnround for the ages,” President Donald Trump, 2026

February 27, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) — President Donald Trump gave his 2026 State of the Union address on Wednesday, touting the first year of his second term as “a turnaround for the ages.” However, his nearly two-hour speech contained many false and exaggerated depictions, including misleading claims of an economy that has many Americans struggling amid an affordability crisis, a soaring deficit, and tariffs that have sent costs of many goods skyrocketing. The speech also omitted mention of many key issues and glossed over a dubious record on some others.

A memorial of bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals, notes and religious candles for the children who were hit by a car, with one killed, at the site of an October accident on Jackson Drive. The city of San Diego continues to make changes for safety. Photo by Karen Pearlman

By Karen Pearlman

Feb. 27, 2026 (San Carlos) -- The San Diego City Council is paving the way for safer streets in the city, including along heavily traveled Jackson Drive in San Carlos, where speeding vehicles, line of sight issues and pedestrian safety have been a growing concern.

The City Council in mid-March will consider passing a plan that will reduce vehicle traffic speeds along Jackson and in other high-priority areas where safety concerns are the most pressing.

By Alex Welling

February 26, 2026 (El Cajon) -- Last week, the Cajon Valley Union School District Board of Trustees voted to increase its monthly compensation from $630 to $2,000 — the maximum amount permitted under state law for a district of its size. That figure does not include their taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits.

Padilla and Schiff secure $26 million in federal funding for San Luis Rey Flood Control Project to support Oceanside’s flood mitigation efforts and to protect residents, businesses, and infrastructure

East County News Service

February 26, 2026 (San Diego) -- U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured over $32 million in federal funding for seven projects across San Diego through Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills, including the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College district in East County.

East County News Service

Feb. 26, 2026 (La Mesa) -- The La Mesa Police Department is sounding the alarm to the community about rising thefts of recent models of Jeeps.

The police department shares that residents in La Mesa as well as surrounding East County neighborhoods need to be informed of a sophisticated spike in vehicle thefts targeting high-end, newer-model Jeeps.

They say that thieves are pivoting from traditional "smash-and-grab" tactics to high-tech electronic hacking that allows them to drive away in a stolen vehicle in under three minutes.

The primary targets are 2020 and newer Jeep Wranglers and Jeep Rubicons.

Unlike older theft methods that involved hotwiring or physical damage, tech-savvy criminals are using portable electronic devices often marketed as locksmith tools to bypass security. By accessing the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic port, thieves can communicate directly with the car's computer.

Once connected, the device "tricks" the vehicle into thinking a new key is being programmed. Within moments, the thief has a fully functional electronic key fob, allowing them to start the push-to-start engine and drive away without ever having the original key.

By Paul Levikow

Photo via San Diego Fire Protection District

February 25, 2026 (Crest) – The Crest Dehesa Granite Hills Harbison Canyon Planning Group is seeking public input on the safety of La Cresta Road, following a recent fatal head-on collision in Crest.

Josefina Sanchez, 72, was killed by an alleged drunk driver in the crash Feb. 11, 2026 while visiting her son in Crest. She was in town to mourn the death of her husband who passed away 12 days earlier in Mexico.

By Alexander J. Schorr

February 25, 2026 (San Diego) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has increased in surrounding school areas, which includes the occupying of parking lots,  monitoring of bus routes, and arrests occurring blocks away from schools.

At least 3,800 children have been booked into ICE detention between January 2025 and early 2026. Families have expressed anxiety over “haunting and taunting” by federal agents who patrol or park near schools near school zones during drop-off and pick up times for their children.

As of February 9, 2026, ICE has arrested roughly 393,000 individuals since January 21, 2025. Locally, being the San Diego and Imperial counties, immigration arrests surged by 1,500% between late 2025 and early 2026.

East County News Service

Photo by Miriam Raftery: Bishop Shaleta in May 2024 at opening of incubator business center for refugees and immigrants in El Cajon

February 25, 2026 (El Cajon) – Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta, the top official at St. Peter the Apostle of San Diego Chaldean church in El Cajon, is under investigation by the Sheriff’s fraud unit for alleged “financial mishandling” of funds. NBC 7, an ECM news partner, reports that the Sheriff’s office confirmed an investigation has been launched after an article in The Pillar, a Catholic media outlet, raised allegations of possible embezzlement as well as personal improprieties including visits to a brothel in Tijuana.

Source: Lemon Grove Lions

February 24, 2026 (Lemon Grove) -- Lemon Grove Lions Club and Lemon Grove Forward Club, organizations devoted to volunteering and supporting the local community, will be hosting a Chili Cookoff on March 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at VFW Post 2082, 2885 Lemon Grove Ave, Lemon Grove, 91945. Admission to the event is $30 and proceeds will go toward the Lions Club’s local service projects. 

By Miriam Raftery

February 23, 2026 (San Pasqual Valley) – Who knew that giraffes sleep only 5 to 30 minutes a day, while standing up? Or that some flamingos are white, not pink, to stay cool during extreme heat?  Those are just some of the fun facts my husband and I learned while visiting the San Diego Safari Park on Saturday, taking advantage of free admission for seniors age 60 and up (with ID proof of age) throughout February.

East County News Service

February 23, 2026 (Spring Valley) – Andres Sandoval, 47, has been arrested for reportedly sexually assaulting two women Saturday morning near the 3100 block of Bancroft Drive in Spring Valley. 

“A passerby observed Sandoval sexually battering the two women and intervened to stop him,” says Sergeant Timothy Clark with the Sheriff’s Rancho San Diego station.