August 4, 2023 – Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s Board Vice President and former General Manager August A. Caires passed away on August 2.

Board President Bill Pommering shares, “Augie served this District and his community with outstanding distinction for nearly 30 years. He was a good friend and colleague to many of us. He will be missed greatly.”

Caires led the District as General Manager from 1993 to 2006 and served on Padre Dam’s Board of Directors from 2007 to 2023. He served as Board President in 2009 and 2017 and Vice President in 2008, 2011, 2015-2016 and 2023. Caires served on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program’s Joint Powers Authority Board of Directors from 2019 to 2023. He was also a Veteran of the United States Army.

East County News Service

File photo by Billy Ortiz: Hiking trail leading to El Cajon Mountain

August 1, 2023 (Lakeside) – An all-night search for a hiker reported missing yesterday afternoon has ended after a body was found at 8:45 this morning near a hiking trail in El Cajon Mountain (also known as  El Capitan).

The man, 34, left to go hiking around 9 a.m. yesterday and was expected home around 2 p.m.  When he didn’t return, his family contacted the San Diego County Sheriff’s department.

East County News Service

July 22, 2023 (Santee) – Catalytic converter thefts off vehicles have been on the rise regionally. To help protect motorists from losses and increase the chances of being able to return stolen parts to their owners, the San Diego County Sheriff is hosting a free catalytic converter engraving event on Saturday, July 29 from 9 a.m.to 1 p.m. at 8891 Railroad Ave. in Santee.Reservations are required.

East County News Service

July 18, 2023 (Lakeside) – A Yucca Valley man, 65, died of injuries sustained Sunday in a crash around 6:30 p.m. in Lakeside.

The man was riding a 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle northbound on State Route 67 at Slaughterhouse Canyon Road when his vehicle drifted off the highway and struck a concrete slab. He was ejected onto the roadway and died at the scene.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.   It is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor at this time, says Officer Matthew Baranowski  with the CHP. The name of the deceased will be released through the Medical Examiner’s office.

By Staff, San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

July 10, 2023 (San Diego) - In response to antisemitic and anti-LBGTQ flyers that were distributed this last weekend in the San Carlos and Del Cerro neighborhoods, in the vicinity respectively of Tifereth Israel Synagogue and Temple Emanu-El, the regional office of the Anti-Defamation League announced on Monday that it has “been working diligently with the San Diego Police Department , the San Diego Mayor’s Office and the District Attorney’s office to identify the perpetrators and support the targeted communities.”

July 5, 2023  (Lakeside) – Shiloh Ireland sent in these photos of spectators and participants celebrating our nation’s birthday at the Lakeside Patriotic 4^th of July Parade yesterday.

East County News  Service

July 3, 2023 (Santee) – A man armed with knives, a hatchet and dumbbell weights threatened to harm people including deputies inside the Walmart Store in Santee yesterday, prompting a seven-hour stand-ff with law enforcement.

The 22-year-old man entered the store on Town Center Parkway shortly after noon and climbed atop shelving in the sporting goods department.  “Store employees called the Sheriff's Department after the man armed himself with workout dumbbells and threatened to use them as weapons. The man also told employees he wanted deputies to shoot him,” says Lieutenant Christopher Galve with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

The Walmart store was evacuated and closed down for several hours.The Sheriff's Special Enforcement Detail (SED/SWAT team) and Crisis Negotiations Team were called to assist.

“During negotiations, deputies determined the man was experiencing a mental health crisis,” Lt. Galve says. “The man refused to drop his weapons and refused to come down off the shelving. He told deputies several times to shoot him and walked toward them with the hatchet raised.”

 East County News Service

June 28, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The Santee Fire Department and Lakeside Fire Protection District (FPD) assumed local control of ambulance services in their communities through formation of the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Authority (SLEMSA) back on January 1.  As a result, on May 12, an additional ambulance was placed in service in Lakeside. This 12-hour Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance operates daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to assist with peak call volumes. Starting June 30, a  A second 12-hour BLS ambulance will go into service in Santee.

Story and photos by Shiloh Ireland

June 27, 2023  (Lakeside) – A vacant home went up in flames on Saturday 9727 Petite Lane in Lakeside.

Officials said the home was unoccupied, but being renovated.

By Miriam Raftery

June 21, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Two drownings, one fatal, two days apart in Lakeside prompted East County Magazine to dive into the circumstances and the victims’ lives. Our coverage has resulted in two awards from the Society of  Professional Journalists presented at last night’s awards ceremony.

Shiloh Ireland’s article, Who was Thomas Moreno? received first place in the daily reporting profile category. The piece profiled a man whose body was found in a Lakeside pond, his hope to reunite with his adult children after prison, and suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

A shocking video provided by a community member, Angel New, led to our article, Heroic bystander and deputies save drowning woman in Lindo Lake. Miriam Raftery and Shiloh Ireland shared SPJ’s third place award for breaking news in the daily reporting category.  The article documented a shocking delay by deputies to take action while a homeless woman was drowning in Lindo Lake. A bystander ultimately entered the water, and only then did law enforcement officials help to save her life. ECM grilled multiple officials in an effort to seek answers and accountability.

Our coverage depends on your support.  Will you please donate to help us report on more important stories in our region? Give now.

Story and photos by Josh Stotler

Photo, left:SDG&E Helitanker 729 makes a water drop on the Wildcat fire as crews cut brush below.

Photo, right:Flames overtake vegetation and paintball barricades on the Barona reservation.

June 20, 2023 (Ramona) -- On a day that saw four vegetation fires in San Diego County, residents can rest assured that firefighters are ready and able to aggressively attack wildfires. 

At 4:06 p.m., calls came in to 911 dispatch reporting smoke in the area off Wildcat Canyon Road on the Barona reservation. Crews, most of which were coming off other fires, were sent to the area and confirmed a fire was making its way through the brush of a paintball park.

Crews set up quickly and were familiar with this exact area. Only two short months ago, this place was filled with firetrucks, hand crews and firefighting aircraft, not for a fire, but for the 2023 Multi-Agency Wildland  Preparedness Exercise—a three day real world simulation that played out nearly exact to the scenario fire crews faced today.

East County News Service

Photo via County News Service

June 14, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The State of California has awarded a grant of nearly $17 million to help put people experiencing homelessness along the San Diego Riverbed into permanent housing and to connect them with services.

The grant is the result of a county-led partnership in collaboration with the city of Santee, the city of San Diego, and the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans).  It’s funded as part of $240 million in Encampment Resolution Funds that California announced last year to help local jurisdictions resolve encampments and get people into housing, as well as provide services.

According to the Point in Time homeless count conducted countywide on a January morning in 2023, homelessness countywide has risen by 25% over last year’s count.  Here in East County, communities along the San Diego River, where there are numerous homeless camps, have seen homeless numbers rise significantly including a 58% increase in Lakeside, 23% increase in Lakeside, and an 18% increase in Spring Valley.  In Lakeside and Valley, 100% of homeless people are unsheltered, highlighting the need for these funds. The count found 78 homeless people in Lakeside and 71 in SpringValley.  Santee had76 homeless individuals, of whom only 18 were in any type of shelter.

By Mike Allen

June 9, 2023 (Santee) -- Padre Dam Water District’s board is fed up with having to pay higher rates for the water it purchases from the San Diego County Water Authority, and voted unanimously not to go along with any rate hike unless the CWA gets serious about its long-range planning.

East County News Service

June 6, 2023 (Santee) -- Santee officials say it’s music to their ears – with the start of the city’s Summer Concerts taking stage on June 15th and running through August 17^th. 

The concerts are held at  Town Center Community Park East on Thursday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (except for July 6^th).