(L-R) Lady Molly (Christine Robbins), Councilman (Gary Kendrick), Boo (Crystal Clark), Assassins Creed (Gary Wachtler)

By Jonathan Goetz

October 22, 2016 (El Cajon) -- Hauntfest was a big success again this year with carnival rides, costume contests, games, live music and dancing along Main Street in El Cajon on Friday. Police concerned about marauding bands of Vikings were out in force.

East County New Service

September 20, 2016 (La Mesa) - The La Mesa Historical Society, in association with MODERN SAN DIEGO and San Diego Home and Garden, invites you to a showcase of seven hidden jewels, nestled in the hillside of Mt. Helix. The La Mesa Historic Home Tour is set for Saturday, November 5^th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

By Janis Russell

October 20, 2016 (La Mesa) - Topics ranging from crime rates to homelessness to business issues were discussed Tuesday, when La Mesa City Council incumbents Kristine Alessio and Ruth Sterling along with challenger Colin Parent participated in a forum held at the La Mesa Police Department community room.   The forum was hosted by the League of Women Voters of San Diego and the American Association of University Women.

Programming November 2016 through April 2017 Showcases 50 Years of Conservation at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Beyond

East County News Service

October 19, 2016 (Borrego Springs) – How do arthropods create micro-communities in cacti? What is the state of the puma population in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park? How did places in the Park like “Alcoholic Pass” and “Hellhole Canyon” get their names?

By Gig Connaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

October 19, 2016 (Jacumba) - The County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a permit Wednesday to build a solar farm in Jacumba that could generate enough electricity to power 5,000 homes.

Proponents and County staff said the plant fit the guidelines of the County’s general plan, would help the region meet state goals of producing one-half of all electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

By Jonathan Goetz

October 19, 2016 (Lemon Grove) -- At prior meetings citizens have voiced concerns over marijuana. But at last night’s Lemon Grove City Council meeting, instead of pot they were talking about potholes.  Council also heard arguments that the city lacked priorities when it passed a Welcoming Cities Resolution.  The resolution was modeled after a White House initiative to help newcomers by assisting refugees and immigrants integrate into communities.

Update 2 p.m.: Police this afternoon are blocking access to the site that has been the focus of protests where  Alfred Olango was shot on Sept. 27.

East County News Service

October 18, 2016 (El Cajon) — El Cajon Police declared an unlawful assembly and arrested eight protesters last night at 800 Broadway near Mollison, the site where Alfred Olango was shot by police over two weeks ago.

According to a press release, the trouble started last night around 5 p.m. when two people arrived and became angry that a makeshift memorial had been removed. Police say the strip mall’s owner hired a security company to help return to business as usual. Earlier in the day, the release states, ”participants in the memorial, who had been asked to leave the property returned and asked to collect their items. They removed the tents, grills and other memorial and personal items. Neither the property owners nor the police department removed memorial items.

By Miriam Raftery

October 17, 2016 (La Mesa) — Recently, La Mesa’s Planning Commission and Environmental Sustainability Commission held a public meeting on the potential for La Mesa to form its own community choice aggregation (CCA) energy program. The plan would enable the city to purchase power from renewable energy sources and sell it directly to residents, offering an alternative to SDG&E, which would continue to maintain power lines.

But where do the three candidates running for La Mesa’s City Council stand?  ECM contacted each candidate; their replies are below.

October 18, 2016 1 p.m. --Update:  Paul David Carr, 61, has been arrested for this crime.  The victim has been identified as Rev. Craig Hodson, 55,  from Grace Baptist  Church in Jacumba, father of 11 children. Cause of death was a penetrating gunshot wound to the torso.  The death has been ruled a homicide.  NBC 7 reports Rev. Hodson was serving an eviction notice on Carr when he was shot.

East County News Service

October 17, 2016 (Boulevard) – Sheriff’s deputies responding to a call of a shooting last night at 7:22 p.m. in rural Boulevard.  They found a 55-year-old white man with multiple bullet wounds to his torso, lying on the ground in front of a garage at 36536 Old Highway 80.  The man succumbed to his injuries at the scene despite medical aid rendered by deputies and later, paramedics who arrived.

Source: Lions, Tigers and Bears

October 16, 2016 (Alpine) -- Lions Tigers & Bears (LTB), a San Diego Big Cat and Exotic Animal Rescue, has sent its rescue team to a sanctuary in South Dakota, which has closed after a recent USDA inspection and tiger mauling last week.  

East County News Service

October 15, 2016 (La Mesa)—Three candidates vying for two seats on the  La Mesa City Council are slated to appear in a forum  on Tuesday, October 18 at 6 p.m.in the La Mesa Police Department’s community room.

This forum will be sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the  American Association of University Women.

Candidates are incumbents Ruth Sterling and Kristine Alessio,  as well as challenger Colin Parent.

Story and photos by Byron Croft

Shooting sparks broader conversation on police-citizen relations in East County and San Diego,  facilitated by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

October 14, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The recent shooting of Alfred Olango in El Cajon has sparked a surge of conversation on the topic of how police handle people in some sort of mental distress, and how that handling may sometimes be different when the people police encounter happens to be with someone with skin darker than “white.” What for many, until recently, was viewed as a concern for those in larger cities, such as Chicago and New York, has now become a topic of discussion in East County, and surrounding San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

October 13, 2016 (La Mesa) – By a 3-1 vote, with Councilwoman Ruth Sterling opposed and Councilman Guy McWhirter absent, La Mesa’s City Council on Tuesday voted to approve a measure that requires signatures of two council members to place any measure on the ballot. 

Councilmember Ruth Sterling blasted the action in an e-mail to ECM. “They diminished the people’s right to know, the government’s transparency, “ she said of the Council majority.”This is the people’s government. That fact was ignored.”

Sterling said City Attorney Glenn Sabine  indicated there are conflicting writings on whether such action might violate the Brown Act,  making it a “gray area.”

October 13, 2016 (El Cajon )-- Mega Network has created a video montage with highlights from the recent El Cajon candidate forum at Grossmont College.  Seven candidates fielded questions from moderators and the audience on a wide range of issues, from the recent police shooting to reopeningthe East County Performing Arts Center to ideas for strengthening the community

Candidates participating were Stephanie Harper, Ben Kalasho,  Humbert Cabrera,  Steve Goble, George Glover,Joseph Fountain and Vickie Knight Butcher, all challengers. (Photos below) Incumbents Bob McClellan and Star Bales did not attend,nor did challenge Paul Circo.