August 28, 2015 (Lakeside) -- The Heartland Foundation, publisher of East County Magazine, an award-winning community publication, has been named a media partner of the 2015 Kids Care Fest, a free, family-oriented event open to the public. Kids Care Fest, featuring free health care screenings, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds,12584 Mapleview St., Lakeside. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

August 28, 2015 (Alpine) – Baron’s Market is celebrating its first birthday in Alpine on Saturday, <August 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m . The festivities will include ice cream floats, hot dogs, trivia contests and a chance to win a bag full of gourmet groceries.

East County News Service

August 27, 2015 (La Mesa)—La Mesa Police seek public help to locate Hispanic male suspect who robbed the WalMart store’s garden center in Grossmont Center at gunpoint on August 24 at 4:10 p.m.

East County News Service

August 27, 2015 (Jamul) – A 75-year-old man driving a Chevy Blazer is dead of injuries sustained in a crash that occurred at 12:50 p.m. on State Route 94 west of Steele Canyon Road in unincorporated San Diego County near Jamul.

According to Officer Kevin Pearlstein from the California Highway Patrol, the  elderly driver’s vehicle drifted across a turn lane and into oncoming traffic, striking a Toyota Sienna taxi head-on.

By Miriam Raftery

August 26, 2015 (Lakeside) - - Residents, environmentalists and medical experts presented strong evidence for why a proposed sand mining project in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley should not be approved.  Opponents of Enviornmine’s proposed 167-acre project spoke out at tonight’s scoping meeting conducted by the county.’s Planning department.  Public comment remains open until September 14^th, after which an Environmental Impact Report will be drafted.

Dr. Christy Walker, an emergency room physician, testified about the confirmed presence of Valley Fever (coccidioides immitis) in El Monte Valley; evidenced in the treatment of both people and pets who contracted the potentially lethal illness in the Valley. She indicated that Valley fever does not just affect the lungs but can affect multiple organs. Her concern is that mining that lift layers of sand to dig the 100' deep, 182 acre wide mining pit would release fungal coccidioides spores d into the air, greatly increasing exposure and infection.

August 26, 2015 (La Mesa)--Hart Optical Co., 8685 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa, is noting August as “Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month” with back-to-school tips about children’s vision. “Approximately one in four school age children have some type of vision problem which can affect their success in school,” said Michael Emerson, a Registered Ophthalmic Dispenser who has owned and operated Hart Optical Co. since 1987.

East County News Service

Photo: El Cajon Police

August 25, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police officers have collared an unusual “suspect” spotting rambling through backyards along Helix View Drive. Though a caller reporting a “possible alligator,” the roving reptile turned out to be a large iguana native to the tropics but commonly kept as pets.

August 25, 2015 (La Mesa)—On Thursday, August 27th at 8 a.m., officers from the La Mesa Police Department and community members will come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee. All community members are invited to attend. The event  is at Starbucks, 5020 Baltimore Drive La Mesa. Please contact Sergeant Brian Stoney with any questions at (619) 667-7555 bstoney@ci.la-mesa.ca.us

By Miriam Raftery

August 25, 2015 (Alpine) –Two men in a white minivan tried to lure a 10-year-old girl into the vehicle on Monday, August 24^th at noon, Sergeant L. Whalen with the Alpine Sheriff’s station reports.  The girl was playing in an apartment complex in the 2000 block of Arnold Way in Alpine when one of the suspects approached and  offered her a ride, saying had candy in the van. The girl ran away and hid in some bushes.

The  white van has had tinted side windows, a pink breast cancer sticker on the back door and two lumber boards on top. One suspect are described as a white man with a freckled face, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with drawstring pulled tight around his face and black sweatpants. Ther is no description of the second suspect.

Photo by Ion Moe/Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

Brandon Kover was accompanied at Cuyamaca College’s commencement ceremony by his favorite instructor, Lindy Brazil, who helped her former student through the processional.

August 21, 2015 (El Cajon ) --A doctor told Brandon Kover’s parents soon after his birth that as the extremely rare individual born without a cerebellum – the region of the brain critical to motor movement and balance – he would be a human vegetable, unable to move or communicate.

East County  News Service

August 23, 2015 (Lakeside) – Yesterday at 5:30 a.m., 16 detectives and deputies from the Lakeside Sheriff's Substation conducted a probation compliance/directed patrol operation in the Lakeside area.  Thirteen people were arrested, including five on warrants and seven on misdemeanor crimes. Stolen property was also recovered, including a $1,500 sound system control console.

August 18, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- Subscribers and donors to East County Magazine are cordially invited to celebrate summer's end (and our 7tht anniversary!) at our Barbecue Bash at our editor's home on Mt. Helix on August 30th from 4 to 7 p.m.

Not yet a subscriber?  Sign up for our weekly newsletter and/or wildfire alerts here FREE,  or donate here.  Then join us as we show our appreciation for our wonderful subscribers and donors! You can also sign up at the door at 4438 Hideaway Place, La Mesa.  Suggested donation: $20.

This festive celebration will include live reggae music with Ed Barrena, wine tasting by Ramona Valley Vineyards, bourbon grilled chicken from Pick Up Stix, BBQ pulled pork (slow-roasted), juicy watermelons from Baron's Market and scrumptious deserts from Grove Pastry Shop. We'll have drawings and a silent auction with lots of prizes including a large barbecue grill with all the fixings, Visionary Dance Theater "Hairspray" show tickets, wine baskets, pottery from Get Centered Clay studio, Julian Wolf Preserve passes, Santee Lakes passes, wine tasting coupons, Water Conservation Garden memberships, Kwai Sun karate lessons, a hand-painted treasure chest, and much, much more!

August 22, 2015 (El Cajon)--Learn how to avoid getting reeled in by financial scammers and other crooks at East County’s first-ever “Don’t Get Hooked” event set for Wednesday, Sept. 23, in El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

August 21, 2015 (Borrego Springs)—A mother and her infant son are dead of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle collision that occurred yesterday shortly before 4 p.m. in Borrego Springs. Three other people were injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.