UPDATE AS OF 9:50 PM:  FIRE IS 10% CONTAINED

UPDATE AS OF 8:57 PM: ALL MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS HAVE BEEN LIFTED 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Jonathan Goetz

July 11, 2017 (Lakeside) -- The fast-moving #JenningsFire has charred over 300 acres in the past hour and forced shutdown of I-8 in both directions from Lake Jennings Road to Dunbar Lane. 

At least five structures remain threatened as of 3:30 p.m.. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered on Viewside, south of I-8,  Cal-Fire reports.

The fire, which began in brush at 1:40 p.m.,  is burning toward propane tanks at Kamps Propane, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  Airtankers and ground crews are battling the blaze.

Fire is burning southeast from the freeway toward Harbison Canyon Rd, the Santee Sheriff substation tweeted. Residents in Harbison Canyon and Crest should be on alert!

East County News Service

July 10, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - The Associated General Contractors hosting a construction industry-wide blood drive throughout the county this week, including several East County locations.  Over the last 6 years, AGC has collected over 1,700 units of blood products for local area hospitals.  Appointments are available at www.sandiegobloodbank.org .  Below are the East County locations:

East County News Service

July 6, 2017 (Lakeside) – Heritage turkeys are much more than a Thanksgiving staple, plus heritage-breed turkeys have an interesting place in San Diego's history. Come and hear all about it and even see the bird in person at Richard Edword’s talk on Saturday, July 15 at 11 a.m. at Lakeside River Park Conservancy, 12108 Industry Rd, Lakeside, CA 92040

By Miriam Raftery

Photos courtesy of Lakeside Fire

July 2, 2017 (Lakeside) – A mother and sons are homeless after a fire that began with a vehicle striking a commercial building next door spread into their residence yesterday.  A GoFundMe page has been started to assist the victims, For: LaVonne Kraus, Tory Rodriguez, Richard Rodriguez, Jesse Rodriguez.  The Solis Hair Salon has also been heavily damaged.

By Miriam Raftery

June 30, 2017 (Santee) – Our volunteer at East County Magazine, Kim Cooney,  needs a new home for her 9-year-old beagle, Angus.  She says Angus is good with children, cats and non-aggressive dogs.

Kim is moving out of state and is also slated for knee surgery. She is no longer able to care for and walk Angus, so she needs to find him a new home immediately.  

Updated with more special Independence Day events.

East County News Service

June19, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Julian’s Fourth of July Parade, El Cajon’ Independence Day picnic with fireworks and the  Santee Salutes patriot celebration are cherished annual traditions in East County.  Below are details. If you know of an East County Fourth of July activity we’ve missed, please email editor@eastcountymagazine.rog and post details in our comments section below.

By Patty Mooney

Photo:  Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze married on their mountain bikes in San Diego’s Cleveland National Forest in 1987; creative commons photo by Rolf Schulze via Wikipedia

June 20, 2017 (Santee) - There’s a new kid on the block (8774 Cuyamaca Street) in Santee. Heads up to bicyclists in the neighborhood, because the “new kid” happens to be the illustrious Zumwalt’s Bicycle Center.  The shop has served avid bicyclists in San Diego for over 85 years now and is the oldest family-run bicycle shop in our region.  The cyclery had its roots in North Park when Robert Zumwalt, weary of repairing lawnmowers, began repairing bicycles and opened Zumwalt’s Bicycle Hospital along with his father on University Avenue in 1931.  Father and son added bicycle sales, starting with Schwinn.  The small shop weathered WW2 during which steel was unavailable for consumer goods like bicycles.  So Zumwalt’s fell back on bicycle repairs and reconditioning used bicycles.  When the war ended, the popularity of bicycles skyrocketed and Zumwalt’s cyclery flourished.

East County News Service

June 17, 2017 (Lakeside) - Lakeside Fire and Rescue tweeted this image of an unusual animal rescue.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  File photo, Mission Gorge Road along San Diego River bed in vicinity of where the crash occurred.

June 16, 2017 (Santee) – A driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol has sustained serious injuries in a freak accident at 2:45 a.m.   The woman, 28, drove her Toyota Yaris sedan north on State Route 125 and went straight through a T-intersection at Mission Gorge Road, becoming airborne.

By Miriam Raftery

June 14, 2017 (Santee) – Just one day after the Sheriff’s Department sent a notice alerting Santee residents of sex offender Michael Bauer’s release into the community, he was arrested again today for violating his parole terms.  The Sheriff’s Department has not provided details on the nature of the parole violation.

East County News Service

June 13, 2017 (Santee) – The San Diego’s Sheriff’s office advises that Michael Bauer, a registered sex offender, has recently moved to Santee.  Bauer was convicted of molesting a 7-year-old boy, a stranger to him, inside a fast food restaurant restroom in 2009.

East County News Service

June 5, 2017 (Lakeside) – A 37-year-old woman has died after she and a second motorcyclist parked on the shoulder of Winter Gardens Boulevard south of Creekford Road in Lakeside were struck by a Ford Taurus Monday at 8:52 p.m.

CHP seeks a lifted F-250 or F-350 diesel pickup similar to one in photo that struck woman and sped off. A motor home that may have witnesses is also sought.

By Jordan Damond and Miriam Raftery

June 1, 2017 (Lakeside) – It’s a mystery how a San Diego woman wound up standing on westbound Interstate 8 just west of the Lake Jennings exit in Lakeside at 4:45 a.m. on Monday, where she was struck by two vehicles that both fled the scene.

East County News Service

May 31, 2017 (Santee) — The Santee Sheriff’s station will host a coffee with the community on Monday, June 12 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cameron Family YMCA pool deck, 10123 Riverwalk Drive in Santee.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: The project is bordered by existing sand projects to the north and east

May 23, 2017 (Lakeside) -- The Lakeside Community Planning Group  on May 17 approved by a 10-0 vote a major use permit for East County Sand LLC to extract sand from 19.23 of 27.39 acres in the heavy industrial portion of Hwy-67 and Vigilante Road. The project still needs to go before the County Planning Commission. Upon conclusion, it will host 8.8 acres of wetland in Slaughterhouse Creek and San Vicente Creekbed at the north end of Moreno Valley in Lakeside.