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Story and photos by Liz Alper

Cover photo:  Valhalla junior Max Hageman drove in the game-winning walkoff single in the eighth inning.

April 17, 2018 (El Cajon) - Valhalla baseball, usually one of the best high school baseball teams in San Diego County, is off to a rare bad start to 2018.  The Norsemen were 6-11 overall coming into today’s game, but were so far, so good in league with a 2-1 record.  The Cougars of Steele Canyon are quite the opposite.  They’re undefeated in league (3-0) and a solid .500 (8-8) overall.  Both teams met on Norsemen turf today.  In football, this would be the battle for the Jamacha Trophy.  We’ll call it that in baseball too for fun.  Senior Trevor Back started for the Cougars against senior Tanner Smith for Valhalla.

Source: U-Haul

April 6, 2018 (Spring Valley) -- U-Haul Company of California announces that Kenwood Liquor in Spring Valley has signed on as a U-Haul® neighborhood dealer to serve the Spring Valley community. Kenwood Liquor at 9612 Dale Ave. Suite 1 will offer U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, moving supplies and in-store pick-up for boxes.

By Miriam Raftery

March 31, 2018 (Spring Valley) – Two young men robbed a Valero gas station at 2835 Sweetwater Road in Spring Valley shortly after noon today.  One of the suspects, described as a black male juvenile, pointed a silver .357 magnum at the store clerk and demanded cash. The other suspect was described as a Hispanic juvenile.

By Miriam Raftery

March 29, 2018 (Dulzura) -- Race Remington Uto, 27, of Dulzura has been arrested for the attempted murder and poisoning of his wife.

After she was hospitalized with an unknown illness, medical staff found extremely high levels of Thallium in her system, a heavy metal that has been used in the past as a rat poison and ant killer.

By Miriam Raftery

March 28, 2018 (Boulevard) – The Medical Examiner’s office has released the identity of a San Diego driver found dead last Sunday morning in a car that had plummeted into a ravine off Interstate 8 near McCain Valley Road in rural Boulevard.

Like our sports coverage?  Donate to help support ECM’s sports section!  Type in “Sports” as your donation!

Follow @ECMagSports on Twitter for live sports coverage and stories!

Does your son or daughter play a sport at a level other than varsity?  Comment on this story or tweet @ECMagSports to request coverage!

Check out our sports section for more sports stories!

Story and photos by Liz Alper

March 27, 2018 (La Mesa) - Ramona readers, rejoice.  ECM Sports was finally able to cover Ramona sports for the second time ever tonight as Bulldogs girls lacrosse traveled to La Mesa to face the Highlanders of Helix.  The Bulldogs sport a decent 4-3 overall record and are 1-0 in league play. Compare that to the Highlanders, who sport a 5-1 overall (1-1 in league) record and these two are pretty evenly matched.

By Miriam Raftery

March 25, 2018 (Jamul) – At the Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group meeting this Tuesday, March 27, county officials will make a presentation on a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a major housing and mixed used development in the  Proctor Valley area about a mile south of Jamul and east of Chula Vista.

Future community forums planned March 23 in Valley Center, March 30 in Ramona and April 6 in Warner Springs. View schedule here.

By Miriam Raftery

March 22, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – At the Descanso Town Hall on March 16^th,  SDG&E representatives met with residents to discuss efforts to improve fire safety and hear community concerns, including ideas for reducing impacts of power shut-offs during high fire-risk weather conditions. Representatives from 211 San Diego , the local Red Cross, the Descanso Fire Safe Council and the area’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) were also on hand.

Portions of Descanso had a dozen or more outages late last year, much to the frustration of many residents.  But the outskirts of Descanso have also had among the most extreme conditions. 

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 20, 2018 (San Diego) - The National Weather Service is predicting rain around San Diego County this week, potentially heavy rain on Thursday.

People in unincorporated areas can get free sandbags at numerous locations to help them protect their homes, properties and communities.

By Miriam Raftery

March 17, 2018 (Boulevard) – A driver, 67, from the Salton Sea was killed last night shortly before 7 p.m.  He was driving a 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 truck and towing a three-axle flatbed trailer loaded with concrete blocks on I-8 eastbound near Ribbonwood Road when he lost control and plunged down an embankment.

By Miriam Raftery

March 13, 2018 (Alpine) – From vegetable gardening to parenting, great movies to feminism, you’ll find plenty to learn from five authors who have collectively authored 12 books. All will be signing copies of their books at the Alpine branch of the County Library on Saturday, March 17 at 2 p.m. 

See flyer below for details:

Like our sports coverage?  Donate to help support ECM’s sports section!  Type in “Sports” as your donation!

Follow @ECMagSports on Twitter for live sports coverage and stories!

Does your son or daughter play a sport at a level other than varsity?  Comment on this story or tweet @ECMagSports to request coverage!

Check out our sports section for more sports stories!

Story and photos by Liz Alper

March 10, 2018 (Spring Valley) - While college March Madness is fun, high school March Madness is proving to be just as exciting as tonight, the Knights of Foothills Christian traveled to Spring Valley to face the Matadors of Mount Miguel in a 12 vs. 13-seed Division IV matchup in the CIF Southern Sectional state playoff quarterfinals. A tough but fun contest awaited; the Patriots were an almost spotless 11-1 in league play coming into tonight’s game and 22-9 overall.  Compare that to Mount Miguel’s perfect 8-0 record in the Grossmont League and 31-4 record and this was going to be a fun game.

By Miriam Raftery

March 6, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Four patients were transported via air and ground ambulances following a crash near I-8 and Japatul Valley Road this morning, according to Cal Fire. 

The collision occurred shortly before 11 a.m. after Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a Ford Expedition traveling west on I-8 near Buckman Springs Road. The driver sped off at a high rate of speed and lost control as he encountered slowed traffic, becoming airborne, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

East County News Service

March 5, 2018 (Spring Valley) -- As part of its ongoing efforts to improve pedestrian safety in Spring Valley, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), will be conducting a pedestrian safety enforcement operation that will focus on motorists and pedestrians who fail to yield the right-of-way or who take unsafe and illegal actions.  The enforcement operation will take place on March 8 at Troy Street west of Central Avenue in Spring Valley.

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: Students testified to GUHSD board on behalf of an Alpine High School, before board reversed its decision to build the school.

March 2, 2018 (Alpine) – In a joint press release, the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD), Alpine Union High School District (AUSD) and Alpine Taxpayers for Bound Accountability (ATBA) announced a resolution to end the prolonged legal battle over the never-built Alpine High School.

The AUSD and ATBA have agreed not to appeal to the state Supreme Court, after an appeals court ruled on behalf of Grossmont that an enrollment requirement to build the school had not been met and that therefore, Grossmont is not obligated to build the school.  In exchange, the GUHSD has agreed not to seek recovery of its court costs from the Alpine district or the Alpine taxpayers group.