East County News Service

June 23, 2018 (Santee) - Caltrans has announced closure of State Route 52 eastbound on Sunday and Monday night between Mast Blvd. and Mission Gorge Road from midnight to 4 a.m.

The closure is to enable crews to upgrade overhead signs. Detours will direct motorists onto the Mast Blvd. exit, turning left, then right onto Cuyamaca Street and back on State Route 52.

East County News Service

June 22, 2018 (El Cajon) – Keller Williams Realty San Diego East Foothills, based in El Cajon, will host a panel discussion with top Keller Williams sales agents from noon to 2 p.m., Thursday, June 28, at its El Cajon office, 1030 Fletcher Parkway. Real estate professionals throughout San Diego County are invited to attend. Admission is free. Free lunch will be served.

 By Miriam Raftery

Update June 28, 2018 -- The victim has been identified as Juan Martinez, 47, of Lemon Grove who suffered serious injuries to his upper body. The Medical Examiner's report determining cause of death has been sealed and the Sheriff's homicide investigation continues.

 June 22, 2018 (Lemon Grove) – An injured man who pounded on a door seeking help last night in Lemon Grove has died. A homicide investigation has been launched into the death of the man, who has not yet been identified.

 Startled residents called 9-1-1 shortly before 9 pm. after hearing banging on their door in the 7600 block of Lemon Avenue. When deputies arrived a short time later, they found a man who was lying on the ground, unresponsive, with visible injuries to his upper body.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: ECM news partner 10 News

Update: a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the mother and son with their medical bills.

June 21, 2018 (La Mesa) – A 2-year-old boy will require arm surgery following a vicious attack by two Rottweiler dogs that escaped from a backyard kennel.  The attack occurred in the 6900 block of Waite Drive, where the tot’s mother, 29, was pushing him in a stroller, her 8-year-old daughter beside her. 

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor, and Miriam Raftery, Editor

June 21, 2018 (El Cajon) — The seeds of El Cajon’s Herculean downtown redevelopment plans for the city's historic heart bore fruit at Thursday's grand opening of the Courtyard-by-Marriott El Cajon hotel, drawing an enthusiastic crowd.

The four-story, 88,000-square foot hotel is located on Magnolia Street just off Main Street near the city's “superblock”, which also includes the East County Performing Arts Center set to reopen in spring under management of international concert promoter and producer Live Nation.

Numerous restaurants, sidewalk cafes, shops, galleries, and civic festivals  are all within a couple of blocks of the hotel in the revitalized heart of El Cajon, a city that celebrated its centennial in 2013. Located just off Interstate 8 in San Diego's East County,  the hotel is 20 to 30 minutes from downtown San Diego and beach areas, also close to attractions in the region's backcountry. 

But there's plenty to do right here in downtown El Cajon, where major community events include Friday night outdoor concerts at Prescott Promenade Park and Wedneday night classic car shows (photo, below right)on Main Street all summer long. Visitors can also enjoy seasonal celebrations such as America on Main Street, Hauntfest on Main, and holiday festivities. The superblock also includes city hall, the courthouse, library, and police headquarters.

June 21, 2018 (Julian) -- These scarlet-hued Climbing Penstemon wildflowers, also known as Heart-leaf Keckiella, are in bloom this week at William Heise County Park in Julian. 

ECM editor Miriam Raftery shot this photo of the native plant species, is a favorite of hummingbirds, sitll in bloom at higher elevations in our region.

By Miriam Raftery

June 21, 2018 (Jamul) – James Stinson, 61, of Jamul has been identified as the window washer who fell at least five stories to his death on the morning of June 12^th in downtown San Diego.  He was washing windows at a condominium complex at 1150 J Street when he rappelled off the building and fell to the ground below.

East County News Service

June 20, 2018 (Julian) — The Julian Arts Guild Art Gallery invites you to meet backcountry artists at an open reception on Friday, June 22^nd from 5 to 7 p.m.  The gallery is located in the KO Corral at 2608 B Street, Julian.

By Miriam Raftery

June 19, 2018 (Alpine) – Moka, a young rescued tiger, has arrived at the Lions, Tigers and Bears rescue facility in Alpine. The tiger was intercepted by Border Patrol agents when someone tired to smuggle him over the border and was temporarily cared for at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park before coming to the Alpine facility.

Source:  Saps at Sea

June 18, 2018 (Spring Valley) - Ahoy all Saps! Time to set Sail on the ocean of laughter!  The Saps at Sea, the San Diego section of the official Laurel & Hardy fan organization, the Sons of the Desert, presents their 40th Anniversary Spectacular on Saturday, July 28 starting at 7:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. at Williams Hall at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Spring Valley.

Protest planned Saturday downtown

Story and photos by Miriam Raftery

Photo: Congressman Juan Vargas, right, and Congresswoman Susan Davis, left, arrive at child detention facility in El Cajon.

June 18, 2018 (El Cajon, CA) – San Diego Congressional members Susan Davis and Juan Vargas joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic members of the Hispanic Caucus in touring three local facilities holding child immigrants, including a fenced facility in EL Cajon with 65 migrant boys, 10 percent of whom were forcibly separated from their parents by the Trump administration’s new “zero tolerance” policy of prosecuting all undocumented parents.  In the past six weeks, the federal government has acknowledged taking away over 2,000 children from parents at the border, including infants and toddlers.

“The United States should have a zero tolerance policy for the immoral treatment of children,” said Rep. Davis (CA-53), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee whose district includes part of El Cajon. “We are a nation of values and we ask our men and women in uniform to defend those values every day. This policy is in no way consistent with those values.”

Our guide to unique lodging and adventures in San Diego’s beautiful backcountry

By Miriam Raftery

June 15, 2018 (Dulzura) – The pioneer-era Clark Ranch, home of the Dulzura Winery  in Dulzura, California dates back to 1885 and has remained in the Clark family to this day. Once known for its groves of olives and production of pickled figs, the land today is planted in vineyards and the former pickling house has been converted to a wine-tasting room, with a cozy guest cottage upstairs.

It’s an idyllic retreat for a peaceful stay in the country, miles away from city hustle and bustle, along historic Route 94. The name Dulzura means “sweet” in Spanish and may originally have referred to honey grown in the region.  Pioneering in Dulzura, a book written by Dorothy Clark Schmid, offered this picturesque description: “A rugged but sweet land, relaxed as its sun-based hills and deliberate as a prospector’s burro.”

Law will speak today at the El Cajon Library on his Pacific Crest Trail adventure

By Miriam Raftery

June 16, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Dana Law is a magician, but he’s recently completed a feat that required no magic—just a lot of willpower and walking.  He hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mexican border to Canada. The trail runs 2,650 miles – the equivalent of climbing Mt.  Everest 16 and a half times.  He did it in 31 sections over 13 years.  In an interview with East County Magazine aired on KNSJ,  the intrepid local hiker discussed his adventures along the way, also offering advice to those who may wish to tackle the trail.

Click the audio link to listen to our interview, and scroll down for details on today's event, plus links to his blog and Facebook page, where you can find a journal he kept of each stretch along the route.

For Law, his motivation wasn't all about nature, though he has stated, "The trail symbolizes everytihng there is to love--and protect--in the Western States." To him, the real treasure of the trek are the bonds built with friends along the way, and the accomplishment of fulfilling a rigorous physical challenge.

By Miriam Raftery

June 16, 2018 (Ramona) -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) ask your help to identify a man believed responsible for robbing two banks in Ramona and a bank in Mira Mesa over the past week.

Dubbed the “Skinny Bandit”, he is described as a light-skinned black man in his mid 20s to 30s, between 6 ft. and 6 ft. 6 inches tall with a slender build, weighing 140 to 170 pounds.  He claimed to have a weapon and in one robbery, threatened to shoot the teller, but no weapon was seen.

Below are details on each of the three robberies:

East County News Service

June 15, 2016 (Lakeside) – The Shirthouse Band will perform summer bluegrass music this Saturday, June 16^th at 2 p.m.

This free concert will be held at the Lakeside Library, 9839 Vine Street.