By Miriam Raftery

April 13, 2017 (Fletcher Hills) - Steve and Deborah Loeffler of El Cajon have built and donated an intricate dollhouse to auction at the upcoming silent auction at USO San Diego’s 76^th Annual Stars and Stripes Gala on May 20^th.  The dollhouse was a true labor of love, built and furnished with over 1,000 hours of work by the Fletcher Hills couple.

East County News Service

East County News Service

April 12, 2017 (El Cajon) – A 22-year-old driver died last night after his vehicle rolled down an embankment and struck a steel pole supporting a billboard.  The fatal crash occurred shortly before 10 p.m. along westbound I-8 west of Los Coches Road in unincorporated El Cajon.

East County News Service

April 11, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont Union High School District is seeking applications to fill a vacancy for a “community member at large” on the 11-member Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC).

By Joseph Glidden

How the City Games the System to Keep Its Residents Uninformed, Unengaged, and Uninspired.

April 11, 2017 (La Mesa)--The Strategic Planning Workshop is arguably the city council’s most important public meeting of the year. Police, Fire and city employees are always well represented, but few residents are in attendance. The city does little to promote civic engagement. If anything, it actively discourages community involvement in the following ways:

By Judy Moore

April 8, 2017 (El Cajon) --  Friends of East County Arts, Inc., supporting the arts in East County since 1984, will present “Blooming Fashions” show at the El Cajon Elks Club #1812 on  Saturday, May 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Panel of experts and neighborhood organizing to follow showing of “Indoctrinated, the Grooming of Child Prostitutes” by Lemon Grove filmmaker Jim Ellis

By Helen Ofield, Lemon Grove Historical Society

April 8, 2017 (Lemon Grove) -- Right here, right now, in our town...tough though it is to think of Lemon Grove as a haven for human sex traffickers, it is. This heinous crime is alive in our town. Predators are after our girls and boys. This, in a town where every neighborhood is anchored by a public school and volunteerism has been a tradition since 1890.

La Mesa to vote April 11 on resolution to oppose AB 805

By Miriam Raftery

April 8, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Elected leaders in numerous local cities are gearing up to oppose a state bill that critics warn weaken the voices and voting power of smaller cities on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), as well as the Metropolitan Transit System and North County Transit District.  The bill gives more power to the city of San Diego, which critics contend will mean not enough clout by representatives from the county or other cities in the region to pass, block, or even place items on the agenda.

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2017 (Ramona) –Joanne Bennett and her daughter, Paige Duffy, have a passion for baking authentic English pastries, from classics with a modern twist to a lemon curd recipe dating back over 100 years from the family’s roots on London’s east side.  Together, the mother-daughter duo opened their London Bakery in Ramona (632 Main St.) with the slogan “food fit for a Queen.” 

Both have been stricken with major medical conditions and are facing healthcare staggering bills as they struggle to keep their business open.  So an employee has organized a fundraiser tomorrow at the bakery from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The public is urged to stop in, buy some goodies, and if possible, make a donation.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Flinn Springs) - The Alpine Kiwanis Club invites the public to attend the 27th Annual Vintage Alpine fundraiser held from 1 - 4 p.m. on May 7, hosted by the nonprofit Kiwanis Club of Alpine Foundation, Inc. This "Wine Experience in the Country" will take place within the lovely gardens of Summers Past Farms at 15602 Old Highway 80 in Flinn Springs.

Company’s farm manager sexually bullied female farmworkers and fired workers who complained of widespread abuse, federal agency charges

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) – Bornt & Sons, Inc., its former farm labor contractor Barraza Farm Service, LLC and Barraza Farm Service, Inc. violated federal laws by allowing ongoing sexual harassment of female farmworkers, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed this week. Bornt & Sons and Barraza also unlawfully retaliated against workers who opposed the harassment and against family members of victims, the EEOC alleged.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Lakeside) -- The 53rd Annual Lakeside Rodeo brings the exciting action of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association to the Lakeside Arena April 28th, 29th & 30th, with four full rodeo performances featuring the seven events of rodeo: bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, barrel racing (WPRA), tie down roping, and team roping.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (Lakeside) - Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for the betterment of our community? A friend, family member, or associate who loves Lakeside and is actively involved in doing their part to volunteer and lend a helping hand? If you do, then the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce wants to hear from you.

East County News Service

April 5, 2017 (Lemon Grove) – Shortly before 1 p.m. this afternoon, deputies from the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s patrol station responded to reports of shots fired at an occupied vehicle in the 3900 block of Kempf Avenue.

By Miriam Raftery

April 5, 2017 (El Cajon) - Habitat for Humanity San Diego has applied for a planning permit, general plan amendment and zone reclassification to build five affordable, single-family detached homes in El Cajon.