By Miriam Raftery

July 6, 2016 (Potrero) –“How do we move forward now?”  Robert Buerer(photo,left), leader of the Potrero  Community Emergency Response (CERT) Team asked at  a Potrero Foundation disaster preparedness meeting on Saturday, July 3 in the aftermath of the Border Fire.

He wants to expand a Neighbor to Neighbor program that’s arisen out of Neighborhood Watch.   Each neighborhood would have a team leader and phone tree to spread word about alerts and evacuation notices to  neighbors.  To prevent a recurrence of the tragic loss of a couple trapped during the Border Fire with a broken-down vehicle, the program would enable neighbors to learn if someone needs help to evacuate or find a haven for those who choose to shelter in place.

East County News Service

July 5, 2016 (Lemon Grove) — A carjacker wound up knocked to the ground by a boxer whose vehicle the assailant attempted to steal.

East County News Service

July 4, 2016 (El Cajon) — A female runner has reported being harassed twice in the past week along Westwind and Tyrone in El Cajon by two men (one white, one black) in their 20s.

East County News Service

July 3, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – You’re invited to bring your green waste, trash, waste and brush for disposal  at four community clean-up days  coming up in Potrero, Campo, Boulevard and Jacumba.  Free mulch and wood chips will also be available.  The clean-up days are all on Saturdays from 7 a.m.to 1 p.m.  Locations and dates are:

East County News Service

July 2, 2016 (Julian) - Anyone can enjoy the Julian StarFest by participating in the free public star party on Saturday, August 6, 2016.  Arrive between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and you can enter the StarFest grounds (1150 Julian Orchards Ln, Julian).  Take a star tour of the heavens using the many telescopes set up in the viewing area.  Experts will be on hand to answer questions.  Parking is available nearby and we suggest you bring a red light flashlight to guide yourself to the observing area, or red film will be provided to cover a white light flashlight.  Please, no white lights in the observing area.

Some fault Council for lack of transparency on selection process

East County News Service

July 2, 2016 (La Mesa) -- The La Mesa City Council has appointed Yvonne Garrett as the new City Manager, replacing Dave Witt, who is retiring on August 5 after 31 years with the Planning Department.  Garrett has served as Assistant City Manager Director of City Services for a decade. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 30, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Emotions ran high at a community meeting on Border Fire issues convened by Supervisor Dianne Jacob this morning at the Barrett Junction Café in Dulzura.

 Rural residents praised efforts of firefighters, but voiced frustrations and pointed criticisms over problems that arose including lack of adequate care for animals in the evacuated areas and at shelters. communications failures, and inadequate help to locate a missing couple found dead yesterday by volunteer searchers in Potrero.

Jacob  converted a  previously planned coffee with the community event into a forum for the public to air concerns and for officials to respond.  Representatives from Cal Fire and the Sheriff’s Department turned out, but Animal Services did not.  “Not being here is not a good thing,” Jacob said of Animal Services, adding that she has heard many complaints from rural residents about both Animal Services and the Sheriff’s Department.

June 29, 2016 (Barrett Junction)--Supervisor Dianne Jacob has pulled together an emergency meeting in response to all the concerns raised by Border Fire survivors. The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the BarrettCafe, 1020 Barrett Lake Road in Dulzura.

A note from her office states: "She will be there with Fire Officials, Sheriff's Department, Office of Emergency Services, Animal Services, BLM, Border Patrol to listen to residents' concerns andanswer questions. This meeting was scheduled already. Sup Jacob has quickly reformed it to include the very people who need to hear from residents there on the ground.  She is well aware of the concerns you've shared with her office."

By Miriam Raftery

June 29, 2016 (Potrero) -- The  Border Fire destroyed five homes, ravaging lives and memories.  In Potrero, one of the families whose home burned had already suffered a devastating loss. 

Their son, Army Sgt. Brud Cronkrite,  was killed in Karbala, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade was fired into a nearby building while he was on a security patrol during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004. He was born and raised in Potrero, before joining the Army and deploying first to Kuwait, then Iraq. He was 22 years old when he lost his life in service to his country.

Update June 29, 2016  -- Volunteer searchers have found two bodies between rocks on a hill behind the home where Jim and Kylie Keef lived.  A positive identification is pending the County Medical Examiner's exam. For details,view our article: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/two-bodies-found-potrero-property-burn...

A memorial fund to also help care for their dogs has been established here:  https://www.gofundme.com/2c2et997

By Miriam Raftery

June 28,2016 (Potrero)—“Barefoot Jim” Keefe and his wife, Kyrie, have not been seen since the Border Fire scorched their property on June 19^th. 

Several dogs were rescued days ago from the blaze  including a dog with burned paws dubbed “Little Joe” after 10 News reporter Joe Little, who helped in the rescue.  According to neighbors, other dogs have died and additional dogs are still running loose.  Friends say the couple would not have abandoned their dogs and voiced concerns that their aqua van with painted flames –the couple’s only known vehicle--was also still at the site, just eight inches from the fire’s scorch marks, along with their trailer.

They fear the couple may have set off on foot or perhaps tried to take shelter in caves on or her their property, and that they may have perished from the fire.

By Jan Hedlun

Potrero Resident and Wildfire Survivor

June 28, 2016 (Potrero) --I have heard that local and government agencies involved in the Border Fire are already patting themselves on the back, saying they handled everything perfectly without having sat down with community members for input.  I notice they are holding meetings to tell each other what a good job they’ve done; meetings that most of us recovering from the wildfire did not hear about and could not get to.

I just saw on a Facebook post that today the San Diego County Board of Supervisors are going to “chat about how to provide assistance to victims of the fire at their meeting today." * Chat? Didn’t they have a multitude of meetings after the Cedar (2003), Harris and Witch Fires (2007) that dealt will these topics?  Didn’t they come out with resolutions back then?

I’ve not heard from anyone that Supervisor Jacobs or other authorities have been out here to ask people face-to-face what happened and what could be improved upon. Don’t you think they would want to know all the facts from the people that were involved before holding all these self-congratulatory meetings?

East County News Service

Video credit:  Fremantle Media North America

June 27, 2016 (La Mesa) – Ellen "Gigi" Draper from La Mesa won a car on the Price is Right earlier this month. She and her husband, Robert “Bob” Draper went to Los Angeles the night before in order to be first in line in hopes of being picked by host Drew Carey.

“I had on an orange shirt and it says, `HI Drew, I need help. Married 58 years to Pop Pop, Mother of four boys and 1 girl, grandmother of 18 and great-grandmother of 15. I need a vacation – Gigi.”

By Jose A. Alvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

June 27, 2016 (Potrero/Campo) - The Border Fire started Sunday, June 19. Since then, it has burned more than 7,000 acres, destroyed five homes and 11 structures. These images, taken on June 23 in the Potrero and Campo communities, show the aftermath and the efforts taking place to help residents get back to their lives.

View the full gallery at http://www.countynewscenter.com/the-aftermath-of-the-border-fire/ and scroll down for highlights.

East County News Service

June 27, 2016 (Spring Valley) – A fire that damaged mobile home in the Lamplighter Village mobile home park at 10767 Jamacha Boulevard in Spring Valley early yesterday morning was intentionally set, says John Debus with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. (Note corrected address issued by Sheriff.)

Update: Not wild cats, County Animal Services Deputy Director concludes

By Miriam Raftery

June 2016 (Eastlake)—In 2014 and 2015, East County Magazine has documented dozens of local sightings by people who claim to have seen large black wild cats prowling the region, some as large as mountain lions or jaguars, others smaller but still much larger than a housecat.  But thus far, no photos had been provided of the elusive animals.

Then on June 6, 2016,we received cell phone images taken at night by a resident in the Eastlake community of Otay Mesa in Chula Vista, due east of where some earlier sightings were reported in Jamul/Deerhorn Valley and South Spring Valley.  It’s hard to judge the size or species, but looking at items such as a vehicle, hydrant , house and a three-feet-high wall in the photos raises  a question: what was prowling yards in this suburban neighborhood?