Santee/Lakeside

“THE BRIDGE” MUSICAL MARCH 24 IN SANTEE TO BENEFIT HOMELESS KIDS AND TEENS

 

 

East County News Service

February 2, 2019 (Santee) – Off Broadway Live in Santee will donate all proceeds from its March 24th, 3 p.m. showing of “The Bridge” to benefit homeless kids at teens at Father Joe’s Villages.

The musical focuses on six people whose lives were forever changed by what happened one night on a bridge.  The bridge knows their secrets, and at a reunion of their high school football championship season, everyone will be there—and the bridge is waiting.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY SUSPECTS ARRESTED, ALSO CHARGED WITH DRUG CRIMES

 
 
By Miriam Raftery 
 
January 31, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) — Two suspects believed responsible for over 30 commercial burglaries countywide with losses totaling over $130,000 have been arrested in Lakeside and Spring Valley.
 
Detectives and crime suppression team deputies from Alpine, Rancho San Diego, Lakeside and Santee participated in serving search warrants that led to recovery of property stolen from a business in Rancho San Diego. The search also found a clandestine marijuana growing operation and a butane honey oil extraction laboratory. Detectives from the San Diego Regional Narcotics Task Force responded, along with HAZMAT personnel and other law enforcement personnel.

SDPD OFFICER ARRESTED IN SANTEE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ASSAULT CHARGES

 
 
East County News Service
 
January 30, 2019 (Santee) – San Diego Police Officer Timothy Allan Romberger was arrested Wednesday in Santee. He is charged with felony domestic violence and assaulting his girlfriend by putting a semi-automatic gun to her head and asked her why he should let her live. 

SAN DIEGO MAN FOUND DEAD AFTER KAYAK OVERTURNS IN SAN VICENTE RESERVOIR

 
 
By Miriam Raftery
 
January 28, 2019 (Lakeside) – The body of Nicolas Khaiaphone, 50, of San Diego was found yesterday by lifeguard divers in the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside.
 
A boater noticed an overturned kayak in the water around 10 a.m. and notified reservoir staff, who called San Diego City Park rangers. The rangers requested help from the San Diego Lifeguards. The lifeguards recovered the body shortly after noon and death was pronounced at the scene.
 
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

BODY FOUND OF HIKER MISSING ON EL CAJON MOUNTAIN IN LAKESIDE AREA

 

Update January 27, 2019:  The body of a man identified by family as Thomas Castiglia has been found at the base of a cliff on El Cajon Mountain, the Sheriff's department confirmed today. An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

East County News Service

January 26, 2019 (Lakeside) – The Sheriff seeks public help to locate a missing hiker on El Cajon Mountain, known to locals as El Capitan, near Lakeside.  Thomas Mark Castiglia set out at 8:30 a.m. with a hiking group on a trail toward Lunch Rock, but around 10:40 a.m. he told other hikers that he was short of breath and would be hiking at a slower pace and advised them not to wait up for him.  As of 2:45 p.m., he had not returned from the trail head.

Castiglia, 50, is an experienced hiker with no known medical conditions. He is 5 ft. 6 inches tall, bald with hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing wearing a black sweater, black shorts, and green hat. He was carrying a green backpack and blue hiking poles.

RACE WALK COMPETITIONS IN SANTEE DRAW COMPETITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

 

 

By Mike Allen

 

Photo:  Race-walk winners Claire Tallent, Australia, and David Velasquez, Ecuador

 

January 26, 2019 (Santee) – The U.S.A. Track and Field 50 kilometer (31 mile) Race Walk Championship was held today in Santee, which has hosted the national championships eight times in the past 11 years. This year’s race determined the make-up of the U.S. team that will compete at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru in July. The race was also a qualifier for the IAFF World Track & Field Championships in Quatar in September.

 

Held concurrent with the national championship was the Waterbridge Capital International 50K Challenge,  on the same Santee course that started and finished at Santee Trolley Square. Winners were David Velasquez, 24 of Ecuador and Claire Tallent, 37 of Australia.  The international competition included race walkers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico. Among the top US walkers was Nick Christie from El Cajon. 

CHICK-FIL-A IN LA MESA, SANTEE HOSTING `DADDY-DAUGHTER DATE NIGHT’ ON TUESDAY, FEB. 5TH

 

 

East County News Service

January 25, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the 14 Chick-fil-A restaurants in San Diego County will host a “Daddy-Daughter Date Night” for fathers and daughters from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5.  Local Chick-fil-A restaurants in the East County are located at 9418 Mission Grove Road in Santee and 8200 Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa.

HIGHER DENSITY CONDO PROJECT PRODUCES HAND WRINGING IN SANTEE

Santee Drive-In Theatre is one possible site for low-income housing

Council also approves feasibility study on community choice energy option, with two other cities

View Powerpoint presentation

By Mike Allen

January 24, 2019 (Santee) --Believe it not, Santee needs new housing, particularly affordable type, and more rental stock to handle demand from folks who cannot afford to buy houses.

But where to put housing geared to low income earners, and how that construction will impact other properties are not easy subjects, as was revealed at the latest City Council meeting Jan. 23.

The agenda item that prompted much frustration and hand wringing was a proposed residential condo development on a parcel owned by the county. City Ventures, a large Irvine-based developer, recently obtained the 22-acre parcel which is now in escrow. The company wants to build 365 new units at the site, which is just east of Town Center Community Park, behind the YMCA.

MISSING LAKESIDE SENIOR FOUND SAFE IN OCOTLLO WELLS

By Miriam Raftery

January 18, 2019 (Lakeside) – Kathryn Anne Kennedy, 70, was found in Ocotillo Wells shortly after 11 a.m. this morning, Lt. David Perkins with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department has confirmed to ECM.

“A concerned citizen saw her sitting on the steps of the market at a campground in Ocotillo Wells and called for a welfare check because she seemed disoriented,” Lt. Perkins told ECM. Law enforcement officers identified her as the missing woman and transported her back to Lakeside to be reunited with friends, after making sure she did not appear to have any physical injuries.

“She was shaken, hungry and tired,” says Jill Barto, who helped organize a search for the missing woman and received word via a phone call with the good news.

MISSING WOMAN, 70, IN LAKESIDE: MAY BE DRIVING CHEVY TRAILBLAZER

East County News Service

Update January 17, 2019 11 p.m. Kennedy's vehicle was last seen Monday near Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa and a doctor's office in Lakeside. The search has now been extended beyond San Diego County for the missing woman and her black Chevy Trailblazer SUV, license #6RQP193.

January 17, 2019 (Lakeside) -- The Lakeside Sheriff's Substation wants your help in locating a missing woman. According to the Sheriff, 70-year-old Kathryn Anne Kennedy was last seen at her home on Harritt Road in Lakeside near Lakee Jennings. Her family reported her missing on Wednesday, January 16th.

"She has medical concerns and some memory problems," Jill Barto, a Cajon Valley school board member who has joined in the search, told ECM.

RED CROSS ISSUES EMERGENCY CALL FOR BLOOD DONORS: FEB. 4 DRIVE IN SANTEE

 

 

East County News Service

January 15, 2019 (San Diego) – The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood and platelet donors across San Diego County.  Blood and platelet donations dropped by 27,000 over the holiday/flu season. These are perishable supplies that must be replaced to meet the needs of patients in need of life-saving medical treatment.

MAN WANTED FOR TRYING TO LURE BOY, 12, INTO PICKUP TRUCK IN SANTEE

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 11, 2019 (Santee) — The Sheriff’s department seeks public help to find a white male in a dirty, newer model white Ford F-150 pickup truck lifted rims. The driver reportedly  tried to trick a 12-year-old boy into accepting a ride. The suspect is described as in his 40s with short blond hair, stubble on his face, wearing a brown Hurley baseball cap and short-sleeved plaid shirt in white and blue.

SANTEE CONSIDERS SHIFT TO COMMUNITY CHOICE ENERGY

 By Mike Allen

 January 10, 2019 (Santee) -- It’s become the latest trend sweeping across California by cities and counties: establishing alternative energy- providing entities that allow customers to choose a greener source for their power needs.

 So far, 19 agencies, mostly in Northern California but including Los Angeles County, are operating as community choice aggregators, or CCAs. The concept gives local agencies more control of their energy purchases, allowing them to buy more power generated by natural sources such as solar and wind.

 Now Santee is taking a look at joining the trend.

BOYS SOCCER: FOOTHILLERS GET FIRST WIN OF SEASON AND LEAGUE OVER SANTANA

 

Story and photos by Liz Alper

January 9, 2019 (El Cajon) - Grossmont boys soccer is...well...let’s just say they could be doing better this season.  They’re currently sitting at 0-8-2 so far.  Tonight, the Hillers hosted Santana in the first Grossmont League game for both teams.  The Sultans are faring much better at 11-4-1.

SAN DIEGO TROLLEYS: PRESENTATION AND BOOK SIGNING JAN. 19 IN SANTEE

 

East County News Service

January 8, 2019 (Santee) -- The Santee Historical Society announces San Diego Trolleys, a presentation and book signing by Douglas W. Mengers on Saturday, January 19 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Santee Historical Society and Museum, 9200 Magnolia Avenue in Santee.

Starting with the first horse-drawn trolleys introduced by the San Diego Streetcar Company in 1886, San Diego’s history includes the growth and decline of several transportation systems. After electricity arrived, San Diego was the site of early experimentation for electric trolleys on the West Coast.

SANTEE WOMAN, 40, DIES IN CRASH

 

East County News Service

January 6, 2019 (Santee) – Ashleigh Hanson, 40, of Santee died in a solo-vehicle collision this morning in the 11400 block of Woodside Avenue in Santee.

Sheriff’s deputies and fire personnel responded to the scene and found that Hanson had died of her injuries.

“At this time, it is not known if drugs or alcohol were a factor, however weather and driving too fast for conditions may have contributed to the collision,” says Joe Passalacqua with the Santee Sheriff’s department.

SANTEE COUNCIL JANUARY 9 AGENDA INCLUDES CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, COMMUNITYCHOICE ENERGY AND FANITA RANCH-RELATED ISSUES

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 6, 2019 (Santee) – Santee City Council has several important items on its agenda for the next meeting on Wednesday, January 9 in Council Chamber (10601 Magnolia Ave., Santee).  These include the city’s climate action plan, a proposal for more developer funding of the city’s subarea plan, and a presentation on a community choice option for Santee residents to purchase power from the city instead of SDG&E.

PARDEE HOMES’ WESTON COMMUNITY IN SANTEE WELCOMES FIRST RESIDENTS

 

Luxury, energy-efficient homes still available in four neighborhoods

 

East County News Service

 

Photo: Lake Ridge, courtesy of Pardee Homes San Diego

 

January 4, 2019 (Santee) -- Move-in excitement is in the air as families and homebuyers are receiving keys and unpacking boxes in all four of Pardee Homes’ upscale Weston communities in Santee: Lake Ridge, Sandstone, Talus and Prism.  The new, state-of-the-art homes also have access to natural open spaces and outdoor activities.

SANTEE-BASED GUN OWNERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN HAWAII CONCEALED WEAPONS CASE

 

East County News Service

January 2, 2019 (Santee) – San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO), a Santee-based political action committee promoting Second Amendment rights, has announced it recently filed an amicus curaie brief, a Latin phrase meaning “friend of the court,” in a Hawaii case that ruled in favor of the right to openly carry firearms in public.

MAN WHO DIED IN SHERIFF’S PATROL CAR IN SANTEE IS IDENTIFIED AS WARREN MORRIS

 

East County News Service

December 29, 2018 (Santee) – Warren Morris, 51, has been identified by the County Medical Examiner’s office as the man found by Sheriff’s deputies lying on a sidewalk near Walmart in Santee on the afternoon of December 23rd. 

PADRE DAM’S WATER RECLAMATION PROJECT DEEMED AFFORDABLE

 

By Mike Allen

December 23, 2018 (Santee) -- Based on future cost projections that involve multiple agencies and variable prices such as power and labor, the Advanced Water Purification Program still makes sense and is worth pursuing, staffers from Padre Dam Municipal Water District told its board this week.

LONG-PLANNED MAST PARK MAKEOVER GETS UNDERWAY IN SANTEE

 

By Mike Allen

Photo from left to right: Councilman Ronn Hall, Councilwoman Laura Koval, Vice
Mayor Rob McNelis, Mayor John Minto, Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Councilman Stephen Houlahan and son Stephen Dakota Houlahan.

December 5, 2018 (Santee) -- Santee’s Mast Park, the city’s oldest and most used park, is getting a facelift that will retain current features but create some new amenities intended to make it even more family-friendly.

The nearly 50-year old park, where city leaders and other government officials gathered Dec. 4 for a ceremonial groundbreaking, was due for an upgrade; plans to do so have been on the books since 2011.

C.W. DRIVER COMPANIES BREAKS GROUND ON NEW COUNTY ASSESSOR/RECORDER/CLERK OFFICE IN SANTEE, NATION’S FIRST ZERO NET ENERGY ARCHIVE FACILITY

 

 

East County News Service 

December 4, 2018 (Santee) -- C.W. Driver Companies, a prominent builder serving California since 1919, recently broke ground on County of San Diego’s new Assessor, Recorder, County Clerk (ARCC) office in Santee. The building will be the nation’s first zero net energy archive facility and will maintain strict temperature and humidity conditions to preserve delicate archive materials properly. The single-story, 25,000-square-foot structure will be home to the East County Branch Office and Archives.

CHICK-FIL-A IN SANTEE WILL HOST `STUFF THE TRUCK’ EVENT ON SATURDAY, DEC. 1ST TO BENEFIT SANTEE SANTAS

 

 

East County News Service

November 28, 2018 (Santee) – The Chick-fil-A® Santee restaurant is hosting a “Stuff the Truck” event from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 to support Santee Santas, a local nonprofit that assists families in need during the holidays.

AN OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE DEC. 1ST IN SANTEE

 

 

East County News Service

November 25, 2018 (Santee) – The Santee Historical Society invites you to an old-fashioned Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 1st from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Santee Barn (9200 Magnolia, between Mast and Mission Gorge Rd.)

WOMAN STABBED IN FACE BY BROTHER IN SANTEE

 

 

East County News Service

November 21, 2018 (Santee) — Sheriff’s deputies have arrested Joseph Bodenstadt, 50, for allegedly stabbing his sister in the face.  He has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem and delaying a peace officer.

His sister is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

RESIDENTS BATTLED FLAMES IN EL MONTE, CITING FEARS THAT A SAND MINE MAY BLOCK EVACUATION IN FUTURE FIRES

 

An East County Magazine exclusive report

View video with exclusive interviews:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=984eIPcneAo or click the image above.

 

By Ana Nita

 

November 19, 2018 (Lakeside) – “I don’t know what started it,”  says El Monte Valley resident Dianna Alotta, who works and lives at a horse ranch close to where the #ElMonteFire began on Sunday afternoon. After her husband told her that a fire was burning, she recalls, “I looked over and there’s smoke, so I came running back here.” She adds, “Thank God a bunch of other people, neighbors and stuff pulled together, got the horses out of the danger range.”

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