East County News Service

January 8, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon City Council is now accepting applications for Commissions as listed below. The filing period ends January 14, 2016, at 5:30 p.m.  Applicants will be interviewed and appointed on January 26, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon, CA 92020.

East County News Service

January 7, 2016 (El Cajon) –  Montgomery Middle School in El Cajon is among six California schools chosen as Exemplars of 21^st Century Learning, a prestigious designation given out by the national coalition Partnership for 21^st Century Learning (p21.org/exemplar-program).  Montgomery Middle School is an International Baccalaureate school that provides an environment of collaboration, innovative technology use, and inquiry based problem solving, all set in real world situations for a diverse population of students.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

January 5, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- The naked, partially decomposed body of a man was swept downstream in a storm drainage channel from El Cajon to Santee. 

“His death was definitely not related to today’s rains,” Lee Swanson, public information officer at San Diego Fire and Rescue told East County Magazine.  Swanson said it was evident that the man had died days or more before to the current storm. His identity is unknown.

By Miriam Raftery

January 4, 2016 (El Cajon) - A Go Fund Me site has been established to help the children of Mary Newbold Fa’anunu, a 34-year-old mother of six who was killed by a gunshot wound to her head on New Year’s Day at the family’s home in the unincorporated area of El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

December 25, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police negotiators have successfully ended a stand-off with a man who was holding a woman hostage and fired at police through the door.  10 News reports that after a breakup with his girlfriend, he brought flowers and a gun, pleading with his ex-girlfriend's mother to allow him to see his son. 

After negotiations lasting nearly three hours, the suspect surrendered to police. No one was injured during the incident.

East County News Service

December 24, 2015 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on December 28th in the 300 block of W. Chase between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. 

East County News Service

December 18, 2015 (El Cajon) – A motorcyclist suffered fatal injuries in a collision with a silver Hyundai shortly before noon today in the 1600 block of Pepper Drive in El Cajon.

By Janis Russell

Photo: ECPD Chief Jeff Davis is sworn in.

December 13, 2015 (El Cajon)-El Cajon’s City Council had a busy agenda last Tuesday, including the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC), SDG&E’s  plan for vehicle grid integration, a beekeeping buzz, and issues faced by residents ranging from a home overrun by rabbits to a residence where residents were displaced due to flooding and a collapsed roof.  The City also swore in a new Police Chief and appointed a new Interim Mayor.

By Kathy Carpenter

Associate/Youth Reviewer www.sdtheatrereviews.com

December 8, 2015 (El Cajon) - The students at El Cajon Valley High School took on two Christmas plays this winter. Both with fairly large casts, with only a couple students taking on roles in both shows. A huge undertaking for teacher and director Shannon Turner. These students work hard, come out for the evening and support the local arts. The two shows the students performed were A Charlie Brown Christmas and Scrooge Makes UP!. The Christmas message in both ...the holiday season is one of love, kindness, giving, and being out best selves. Is seven dollars and an hour and a half to much too give?

Next up: Star Wars Day Dec. 12

Photo, left: “Snow Queen” from Parties Unique company greets a miniature, costumed Elsa from “Frozen” during Winterfest at the San Diego County Library Rancho San Diego Branch on Dec. 5, 2015

Story and photos by Megan Just

December 8, 2015 (Rancho San Diego) − Though it’s been two years since the release of Disney’s “Frozen,” Elsa and Anna still have the power to draw a crowd.  In this case, the princesses, played by performers from the Parties Unique company, were the headliners of Winterfest at the San Diego County Library, Rancho San Diego Branch, on Saturday afternoon.

The festival, which included cookie decorating, holiday crafts, an ugly sweater contest, an instant-print photo booth, and two princess-led sing-along performances, drew a crowd of more than 200 children and accompanying adults.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: ECPAC lobby

December 6, 2015 (El Cajon ) – El Cajon’s Council has a number of important topics on its agenda for the Council meeting Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Several are on the consent calendar – including a proposal to reject the only bid received for construction renovations on the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC).  Although 30 prospective bidders obtained bid packages, only one bid was received.  That bid, from Kinsman Construction Inc. in San Diego, was for over $3.7 million – far above the $2.7 to $2.9 million that an engineer estimated the work should cost.

East County News Service

December 3, 2015 (El Cajon)--Join city leaders in El Cajon to learn about potential impacts from a severe El Nino winter and how to create a plan to be prepared.  The El Nino community preparedness forum will be held December 9 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Police Department’s community room, 100 Civic Center Way in El Cajon.

Learn what the city is doing to prepare and respond, as well as what you can do before, during and after a flood.

Choral members also needed

November 30, 2015 (Rancho San Diego) – The San Diego Festival Chorus performs "Joyous Music for the Season" on December 6 at 3 p.m. in the College Avenue Baptist Church.   The program features an 80-voice chorus and 48-piece symphony orchest in its 15th season, perfoming Mendelssohn's "Hymn of Praise" and a unique arrangement of  holiday music.

Cost: Adults $17, Seniors and students $15, Children under 12 yrs $5, Military free

East County News Service

November 24, 2015 (El Cajon)--A fire at an El Cajon home could have been far more tragic – if not for the courage of a neighbor.