April Fools Day

LEMON GROVE RESIDENTS REVEAL PLANS FOR CITRUS FEST

By Sunny Day

April 1, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Today, a group of Lemon Grove citizens held a press conference in front of the city’s landmark lemon to reveal preliminary plans for a Citrus Festival to fund reopening the community’s recreation center.  Here are the juicy details.

“We anticipate sweet success from our Citrus Festival,” said festival organizer Flora Bloom, crowned by a citrus-studded cap. She then listed ideas harvested from community suggestions in meetings and on social media.


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NEW RIDE SHARING SERVICE FOR EAST COUNTY ANNOUNCED

By E.Z. Ryder

April 1, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – First came Uber and Lyft,  Now, Hump, a new ride sharing option featuring camels, has been introduced as an option for East County commuters.

“With gas prices soaring and much of East County lacking access to mass transit, this provides an economical alternative to carry rural commuters from their homes to transit stations, colleges, and other major destinations,” says Supervisor Joel Anderson, who took an inaugural ride this morning along with Nathan Fletcher, Chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

“Camels provide a sustainable form of transportation,” Supervisor Fletcher says. “Each camel can travel up to 30 miles per day, and can traverse up to 100 miles without needing any fossil fuels or even water, since their humps store around 80 pounds of fat.”


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STRANGE VISITORS

By Matthew Manosh

April 1, 2022 (Borrego Springs) -- Early this morning, at about 1:15 a.m. residents in the sleepy town of Borrego Springs were awakened when a strange sound emitted from the sky. The sound was hard in a five-mile radius from the town. Some of the townsfolks stepped outside hoping for an answer to their disturbed sleep.

Witnesses describe the source of the sound as a strange metal disc with an indent in the center, almost looking like a CD. Others describe it as something out of a science fiction film from the ‘80s. It hovered above the town before zooming out further into the desert. It was gone in an instant, leaving no trace.

During this encounter the residents found that their cellphones, cameras, and other electronic devices around their houses did not work. When the UFO darted out into the desert, the devices started working once again.


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SPECIAL EDITION: BREAKING NEWS APRIL 1, 2021

East County Magazine has the exclusive scoop on some surprising major stories breaking today.

Is truth stranger than fiction? You decide. Click any title  to view a description of each, then click "read more" to view the full story. Or click here to view our complete April 1, 2021 edition.

Trust us, you won't want to miss this news!


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

SAN DIEGO SKY GONDOLA TO SOAR INTO EAST COUNTY

 

 

By Skye Ryder

Image:  Artist's rendering of a reimagined Chase Bank in La Mesa, topped by a Sky tram station.

April 1, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Sky rides at the San Diego Zoo and Sea World are among the most popular attractions for visitors. Now an aerial gondola adventure is coming to East County.

The idea is a joint proposal by East County’s newly elected Supervisor Joel Anderson and La Mesa City Councilman Colin Parent, also a spokesman for Circulate San Diego, which promotes advancing mobility choices for communities across our region.

Back in 2017, then-County Supervisor Ron Roberts suggested expanding the ride to downtown San Diego.  Roberts said,  “I was looking at the zoo ride, and I was thinking, ‘You know what, if we just kept going across the freeway to Sixth Avenue and went downtown.’ That would be fun.”

The current board of Supervisors is now embracing that concept – and carrying it a step further. (Read more)


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LAKESIDE RODEO APPROVED TO BE HELD WITH ANIMALS AND RIDERS WEARING MASKS

By Yi Ha

April 1, 2021 (Lakeside) – The rodeo clown won’t be the only one wearing a mask at the 2021 Lakeside Rodeo.

To protect valuable livestock and participants, from COVID-19 the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has sanctioned the event under condition that all participants – humans and animals – must wear masks.

“This hankers back to the days of the old West, when cowboys tied on bandanas over their faces to keep the dust out when herding cattle,” says Champ Roper, public relations spokesman for the Lakeside Rodeo Arena.  ()


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

SPECIAL EDITION: BREAKING NEWS APRIL 1, 2020

April 1, 2020—East County Magazine has the exclusive scoop on astounding major stories breaking today.

Is truth stranger than fiction? You decide. Click any title  to view a description of each, then click "read more" to view the full story. Or click here to view our complete special April 1st edition.

Trust us, you won't want to miss this news!


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

SEEDS OF CHANGE: ENTREPRENEURSHIP BRINGS REVENUES TO LEMON GROVE

By Seymour Lemmons

April 1, 2020 (Lemon Grove) – After a ballot measure to raise sales tax failed, Lemon Grove community members today announced plans for new revenue streams centered around the city’s core staple: lemons.

“With shortages of hand sanitizers amid COVID-19 concerns, the first product we’re rolling out is a lemon-scented hand sanitizer manufactured by the City of Lemon Grove,” said Mayor Racquel Vasquez, who added that she drew inspiration from New York State, which recently started producing its own brand of hand sanitizers.

 Unlike New York, which is relying on prison labor, Lemon Grove is teaming up with a spirited  local distillery and hiring local residents, creating “good jobs with livable wages” to also put more disposable income into workers’ pockets, the Mayor added, spritizing sanitizer spray into her palms and rubbing them vigorously as the aroma of lemon wafted over the press corps assembled for the announcement.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

CASA DE ORO UNVEILS VISION FOR THE FUTURE

By Angel Amongus

April 1, 2020 (Spring Valley) – The County of San Diego and Casa de Oro Alliance today announced agreement on a long-awaited revitalization design plan for Casa De Oro, along with revelation of funding provided through a county grant approved by Supervisor Dianne Jacob and a major angel donor: Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs.

“In honor of Supervisor Dianne Jacob, and angel donor Irwin Jacobs, whose support and vision have made this all possible, we have chosen a Jacobian architectural style for the reimagined new heart of our community,” announced Bob Yarris, chair of the alliance. "And if Sara Jacobs wins her run for Congress, we may soon have a trifecta of Jacobs serving East County to honor."

Yarris elaborated, “We believe the richness of the English Jacobean era, which brought us the literary triumphs of Shakespeare and the discoveries of Galileo, are fitting for our vision for Casa de Oro’s future as a community rich in arts, culture, and creativity."


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

POLITICIANS DONATE PIT BULL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT THERAPY DOG TO ECM CONTRIBUTING EDITOR PAUL KRUZE

 

By I.M. Skerd, ECM Special Correspondent

April 1, 2020 (El Cajon) -- A generous group of El Cajon politicians and school board members have come together with donations to the East County animal rescue group RescuingCujo.com to give a pit bull emotional support dog to East County Magazine Contributing Editor Paul Kruze. In addition, a fundraiser for the good cause was held by members of the former Julian Cuyamaca Fire Protection District (JCFPD).

Kruze, has covered many high-stress stories including the rise and fall of former El Cajon City Councilman Ben Kalasho, controversies in the Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD), and a firestorm over takeover of the JCFPD by the County of San Diego Fire Authority, along with other hot local issues.


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