Update 7:30 p.m.  The fire has charred 150 acres and burned two homes.  Residents are now being allowed to return home, with ID.  The Julian 4th of July Parade has been cancelled, CHP advises,  though other activities including the American Legion BBQ will go on.

Update 12:35 p.m.:  This fire is now 75-100 acres in the Julian area, Air Attack estimates, with potential for extended attack. Two structures are reportedly damaged. Evacuations now include Kenwood and Whispering Pines. Temperature is 90 with 14% humidity and possibility of thundershowers tomorrow. 

Photo by Daren Sefcik, shot from Ranchita

July 3, 2014 (Julian) -- A brush fire burning along Banner Grade west of Julian has charred an estimated 30-40 acres or more. The Whispering Pines area is being evacuated with 200 homes there threatened, Cal Fire confirms shortly after noon today. 

The Julian High School has been set up as an evacuation area.

If you have photos or details on this fire or others, please send to editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

Plus previews of coming attractions

by Ariele Johannson

July 2, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--This week’s Destination East County has a run-down on 4th of July festivities throughout our inland region. No need to fight traffic to watch fireworks at the beach when you can choose from an array of venues right here in East County—where our cities and historic small towns show their patriotic spirit with parades, picnics, festivals and fireworks.  You’ll hear about KNSJ radio’s anniversary celebration at Mission Trails.

Plus we’ll have a preview of some unique events coming up next week—from a firefighters’ fishing derby to outdoor musical theater, twilight walks, a star party, and a super full moon jazz concert amid fragrant fields of lavender!

By Miriam Raftery

July 2, 2014 (Mt. Helix) – It was a very important date for guests at the Mad Hatter wine tasting party hosted by vintner Stephanie Young and Laurie Delaney at the Manor Vineyard on Mt. Helix.

Prizes were awarded for best costumes as guests mixed, mingled, munched appetizers and savored vintages brought by guests.  Vineyard consultant Greg Maness poured wines and spoke about our region’s fast-growing wine industry at the May 18 event.

July 1, 2014 (San Diego's East County)--This week, the extremist group ISIS declared an Islamic caliphate stretching from Syria across Iraq following weeks of mounting violence. On June 25, prior to the declaration, we aired a second interview with San Diego Chaldean-American leader Mark Arabo following his meetings with the State Department, members of Congress and high-level U.S. officials. We discussed international efforts to bring peace to the region, form a more inclusive government and protect Iraqi Christians.

Hear our interview here, originally aired June 18, 2014:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

July 2, 2014 (Alpine) --Team Alpiners  will celebrate our nation's birth while hosting a  fundraising barbecue and bake sale from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the Alpine View Lodge, 973 Arnold Way in Alpine.

East County News Service

July 1, 2014 (Spring Valley) – Sheriff’s homicide investigators seek information on the death of Spring Valley resident Darius Jerel Reeves, 24.  Deputies found his body in an apartment complex at 9121 Kenwood Drive after receiving reports of gunfire this morning at 2:35 a.m., said Lieutenant Jeffrey Duckworth.

An autopsy is pending to determine the cause and manner of death.

June 29, 2014 (Julian) – In the historic gold rush town of Julian, the 4^th of July starts with a parade and American Legion barbecue.  Guests are invited to finish up a day in the mountains at Jeremy’s on the Hill, where a Backcountry wine pairing dinner will be held featuring organic, local produce from Sage Mountain Farms and wines from Shadow Mountain Vineyards and Sierra Roble Winery and Vineyard, both in Warner Springs. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are $44 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

By Miriam Raftery

Looking for some affordable family entertainment?  On Tuesday and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. all summer long, 350 Regal Entertainment group cinemas (including theaters in East County) are offering $1 movie showings. 

East County theaters include Edwards Rancho San Diego Stadium 15 and Regal Parkway Plaza Stadium 18 & IMAX, both in El Cajon. Click here to find the schedule for a theater near you.

Dollar days at the movies were a bargain back when I was in college a few decades ago, and an even bigger savings today, with inflation, especially for families with kids off for summer vacation in need of some entertaining options on a limited budget.

Films to be shown are listed below.

July 1, 2014 (San Diego) – The San Diego Area Middle Eastern Dance Association will present Sameda Faire 2014, a day long festival of dance on Sunday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Event Center. 

July 1, 2014 (La Mesa)--The Mission Times Courier, Mission Valley News and La Mesa Courier are joining the San Diego Community News Network (SDCNN) and its group of award-winning community newspapers, strengthening SDCNN’s community news voice in San Diego.

SDCNN’s purchase of the trio of newspapers from Jim Madaffer’s Mission Publishing Group takes effect July 1. The acquisition also includes Mission Publishing Group’s online news site, ScoopSanDiego.com, a press release issued yesterday by Mission Publishing announced.

By Mimi Pollack

June 28, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - How can one have a healthier and more meaningful lifestyle? The psychologist Dr. Michael Mantell likes to use acronyms when conveying his healing messages as he believes they are a helpful way for people to remember them. 

For him, the acronym PERMA is an important message as it stands for positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Although coined by Marty Seligman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, it is a way of life for Dr. Michael Mantell and his wife Paula, who live in El Cajon and share an office in La Mesa near Grossmont Center. 

As Mantell says, “It is important in life to create positive emotion in every situation and be engaged or in the flow of whatever you are doing. Relationships are also valuable as is finding meaning in every moment and doing the best you can to accomplish and reach your goals.”

June 30, 2014 (Washington D.C.)--Honey bees are vital for our food supply, since a quarter of all foods that Americans eat depend on pollination by bees.  But bee populations fell by 23% over the winter.

East County News Service

June 29, 2014 (San Diego)--The San Diego ACLU has filed suit against top immigration officials for unconstitutionally preventing a born-and-raised U.S. citizen from returning to the United States from Mexico. Like Joseph K. in Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial, Oscar  Olivas, a 45-year-old natural-born U.S. citizen, has been detained but does not know why. He is unable to access the court before which he stands accused, and has not been allowed to view any evidence used against him.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Diego, naming the port director of Calexico, the San Diego field director of  U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and  Secretary of State John Kerry. The suit asks the court to allow Olivas to return to the United States, declare that he is a United States citizen, and affirm that the order exiling him violated the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.

June 29, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) -- The San Diego region ends the first six months of this year with just over 5 inches of rain – less than half of normal.

If you’re planning some outdoor activities over the Fourth of July holiday, the weather forecast is warm and sunny, with temperatures about 5 degrees above normal through the end of this week.

By Miriam Raftery

June 29, 2014 (San Diego) – The Border Patrol has announced that starting this week, it will bring undocumented Central American immigrants from Texas to California.  The first groups will include families, not unaccompanied minors, to ease overcrowding of facilities due to an influx of children fleeing violence in Central America.

The families will be brought to San Diego and El Centro to ease what President Barack Obama has called a humanitarian crisis. 

ABC News this week interviewed a 17 year old girl who was among those immigrants apprehended attempting to cross into the U.S.   In a tearful voice, she told them that she fled her home in Central America after her brother was murdered and a gang threatened her with harm if she would not join.  On her journey here, she was gang-raped by several men before reaching the U.S. She was  detained after reaching the U.S. but eventually released into custody of a relative in Florida, where she awaits an asylum hearing to determine if she can stay in the U.S. or not.