By Paul Kruze 

Photo: Shawn “Lone Wolf” Christman in mid-1980s

August 19, 2017  (Santa Ysabel) -- Things were not supposed to end this way.

Santa Ysabel resident Angela June (Sortore) Christman  has traveled a long road of frustration that ended in heartbreak on August 10th, when Detective George Chrysler of the San Diego Sheriff Department gave her the bad news that her long lost son, Shawn “Lone Wolf” Christman (known to his friends as “Coyote”), had drowned in Lake Michigan in 1993.  His body was laid to rest as an unidentified John Doe in a pauper’s grave outside of Chicago, Illinois in 1994. 

Photo: Iesha Booker and Mayor Bill Wells (Credit: Mary Ann Prall)

East County News Service

August 10, 2017 (El Cajon) -- On Tuesday, Iesha Booker, an MTS worker who aided a fallen police officer, was given a commendation at the El Cajon City Council meeting in front of a packed Council chamber and half a dozen news crews.   After a suspect beat the officer unconscious at a KFC restaurant, Booker used the officer’s radio to summon help, as ECM reported.

Funds raised will support an orphanage in Tecate, college scholarships for high school seniors, help for homeless teens in San Diego find safe housing, and assist Home of Guiding Hands plus other worthy causes

East County News Service

July 25, 2017 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa Rotary (http://www.lamesarotary.org) is conducting a shoe drive fundraiser on August 1st to October1st to raise funds for our numerous charitable projects. The collected shoes will go to those most desperate in Haiti and Africa. La Mesa Rotary will earn funds based on the total weight of the pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes collected, as Funds2Orgs will issue a check for the collected shoes. Those dollars will benefit local and international charities, one of which is the total eradication of polio. Anyone can help by donating gently worn, used and new shoes at 6804 Murray Park Dr. San Diego, CA 92119

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

July 15, 2017 (La Mesa) -- In a joyous, humor infused ground-breaking ceremony, NBA basketball star Bill Walton, Supervisor Dianne Jacob, La Mesa Mayor Dr. Mark Arapostanthis, guests of honor Ronald and Mary Alice Brady and more dug the ceremonial shovels into the dirt.  The ceremony, held on the future Boys & Girls Club site on the La Mesa Arts Academy campus on July 12, was a welcome event culminating from great organizational skills, huge and small money donations, and hard work.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left:  Sergeant Parker with his daughter, Sarah, sons Jonathan and Daniel, and wife, Missy.

July 5, 2017 (San Diego) – Countless families have been reunited with missing loved ones, or learned their fate, thanks to the tireless efforts of  Sheriff Search and Rescue Coordinator Don Parker.  Sergeant Parker, who retired in 2015, made a career out of helping others – and now the community is pulling together to bring financial help to Sergeant Parker, who was diagnosed in May with brain cancer.

Hunting down the wildest jobs in San Diego’s East County

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

June 26, 2017 (La Mesa) -- “I saw Jurassic Park, I know how this ends!” said MAX 105.7 FM DJ Rob Zilla of his fellow DJ, Karen “ChaCha” Harlow.  ChaCha was sitting in a self-styled snake pit with a red-tailed boa, among other reptiles, at La Mesa’s Grossmont Center’s courtyard on Saturday, June 24^th.  It was all part of the job—for a good cause of bringing in food donations for The Jacob & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.  Thankfully, Jurassic Park’s grisly endings went unrealized.

By Robert Gehr

June 22, 2017 (El Cajon) -- This morning, volunteers were out and about all over San Diego County excitedly shouting out and collecting monetary donations for Ronald McDonald House, which helps families in need with housing, meals and so much more at no cost when their children are hospitalized due to illness or injury.

East County News Service

June 21, 2017 (San Diego) - Out of the Boat Swim, a nonprofit, provides free water-safety and beach programs to refugee and underprivileged children living in San Diego. Out of the Boat Swim offers free beach and water-safety programs to help refugee and inner city kids integrate during a challenging time of transition. Some of the children will go on to become Junior Guards in the San Diego Junior Lifeguard program by design of the partnership between Out of the Boat Swim and San Diego Junior Lifeguards.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

June 14, 2017 (La Mesa) – Zentangle ®, or as some call it “doodle art,” a fluffy seal named PARO-a therapeutic robot, and a guitar teacher who also sings in Uto-Aztecan Luiseño--- these are all part of the offerings at San Diego Oasis -Lifelong Adventure.  Oasis held its grand opening at its new location in La Mesa’s Grossmont Center, where these adventures and more are now available to local residents ages 50 and up.

By Miriam Raftery

June 13, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) — Family members of Santana High School teacher Janelle Pasquale Garrison are asking help to cover medical bills as she battles an acute form of leukemia that rarely occurs in adults.

By Miriam Raftery

June 10, 2017 (Mt. Helix) – “This is a little field of dreams,” Cajon de Oro Little League President Josh Bailey declared at a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at the new facility on Russell Road in the Mount Helix community.

The new  field  at 10400 Russell Road, L a Mesa serves the League’s youngest  athletes:  T-ball players ages 4-6 and Rookies ages 6-7. The new T-ball and Rookies field is adjacent to the existing Mosher field for older Little League players—a field where several major and minor league baseball players got their start.

East County News Service

May 31, 2017 (San Diego) – Amie Brenner knew she needed to do more to help animals in need.  After volunteering at the Helen Woodward Animal Center for over a year, and having two rescue animals of her own, she decided to start a company designing and selling rescue themed phone cases.  Her company, PhoneCasesToTheRescue, donates 15% back to the rescues and shelters and has already seen the positive impact the proceeds have made, which is her entire goal. 

Popular event could fly off into sunset without more sponsors and donors

By Mike Allen

Photo credit John Ford Photography and Air Group One

May 22, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Organizers of the biggest annual air show in East County say they cannot afford to put it on because of rising costs and an inability to raise sufficient funds.

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.