View a presentation on the Gillespie Field Sports Village concept by clicking here.

Tune in Friday to our radio show at 5 p.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM to hear our interview with Robert Germann, proponent of the Gillespie Field Sports Village.

By Miriam Raftery

February 26, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Imagine a new Chargers stadium and sports entertainment complex next to Gillespie Field on vacant land formerly occupied by the El Cajon Speedway.  Sounds far-fetched? The 250-acre  site is surrounded by four major freeways and a trolley stop close by.  Approximately 180 acres are currently vacant—and none of this land has been used for aviation.

Chargers fans’ future is in limbo, with the team threatening to move to Los Angeles County and share a stadium with the Raiders.  The team wants a new stadium, but thus far San Diego county and city leaders have not come up with a solid plan for an alternative location and environmental contamination prevents rebuilding on the existing Qualcomm stadium site.

February 1, 2015 (San Diego)--Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau was elected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in his first year of eligibility. Seau died in 2012.

Seau headlines the 2015 Hall of Fame class, joining running back Jerome Bettis, wide receiver Tim Brown, defensive end Charles Haley, guard Will Shields, center Mick Tinglehoff and former NFL executives Ron Wolf and Bill Polian. The class of ’15 will be officially inducted this summer at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

East County News Service

January 27, 2015 (San Diego) --Here’s some news that’s just “ducky” for San Diego ice hockey fans.

It’s been years since San Diego lost its pro hockey team, the Gulls. But now San Diego is poised to once again have a professional hockey team for fans to cheer on.

Photo: San Diego Chargers running back Brendan Oliver runs for a touchdown in the teams loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Courtesy of San Diego Chargers Facebook.

By Ryan Posner

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association (SDONA)

December 28, 2014 (San Diego)--Needing a win to earn a playoff spot, the San Diego Chargers lost to the Kansas City Chief, 19-7, Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, in Kansas City, Missouri, effectively ending their season.

By Leon Thompson

December 24, 2014 (San Diego)--The San Diego Chargers’ scored a come-from-behind dramatic win over the vaunted San Francisco 49ers in the stadium Levi Straus built in Santa Clara on Saturday night.  Charger quarterback Phillip Rivers was able to mount a legendary comeback for the Charger history books, and garnered much respect from fans and peers.

East County News Service

December 22, 2014 (San Diego) - The Poinsettia Bowl kicks off on December 23^rd with San Diego State’s Aztecs versus the Navy at Qualcomm Stadium. The crowd will include student veterans and their families, thanks to the generosity of SDSU’s alumni community, which donated over 225 tickets so far.

By Miriam Raftery

November 20, 2014 (El Cajon)--Once again, six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has proven himself to be a hero for education in his hometown, El Cajon.

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Lowe’s Toolbox for Education has awarded $556,623 in grants for 2014—including grants to three schools in the Grossmont Union High School District.  The local grants include

• Chaparral High School - $29,482 to create a computer lab that will augment the program at Chaparral through the use of online learning and digital arts instruction.
• El Capitan High School - $23,000 to purchase new laptops for teachers so they can be better equipped to use digital/paperless resources and to teach students how to use the online resources and apps available to them.
• Grossmont High School - $80,458 to integrate technology and foster collaboration and making connections between the arts and core academic classes.

Other grants went to schools in North Carolina, Okalahoma, and to Loma Portal Elementary School in San Diego.

November 9, 2014 -- On Thursday, November 27 at 8:00 a.m. Pathways Community Church will host the 3rd Annual Waddle and Trot 5K and Fun Run. All proceeds will once again go to Santee Santas and the Santee Food Bank.

This fun family event is intended for runners and walkers of every fitness level.

By Dennis Moore

October 22, 2014 (Valencia, California) - Steve Springer, co-author of Laker Girl, with Jeanie Buss, the NBA Los Angeles Lakers President and Governor, will be one of 10 authors at the annual Barnes & Noble “Local Author Night” in Valencia, California on Friday, October 24^th, 2014 at 7:00PM. This writer had the distinct pleasure and honor of writing a review of Springer’s book for the East County Magazine in San Diego several months ago. Steve Springer is a former sportswriter who spent 25 years at the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of 11 books, including four on the Los Angeles Lakers, and the coauthor of the New York Time bestseller American Son with Oscar De La Hoya. Another memorable book by Springer, and a keepsake, is 50^th Anniversary: The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers. This is a must have for all Lakers fans, me included.

Fundraiser for East County nonprofit takes place Oct. 17 at Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa

East County News

August 21, 2014 (San Diego)—Gunn Yang, a sophomore at San Diego State University, became the second Aztec ever to win the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship in Georgia. Only Gene Littler back in 1953 has matched the feat, Go Aztecs reports.

Yang joins an elite list of professional golfers whose names are engraved on the Havemeyer Cup, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods.

Hear highlights of Bill Walton's inspirational speech, originally aired on East County Magazine's radio show on KNSJ 89.1 FM. 

By Miriam Raftery

July 26, 2014 (La Mesa)—NBA Hall of Famer and former Helix High School superstar Bill Walton is best known for his exceptional achievements on the basketball court.  But he’s also proud to be in the boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame, and knows first-hand the importance of positive role models. 

So now he’s leading efforts to raise funds to build a Bill Walton Gymnasium at the Boys & Girls Club in La Mesa, giving back to the children in this community, where mentors before him helped young Walton to achieve his dreams.  On Thursday, Walton delivered an inspiration speech at the Boys and Girls Club’s new Brady Family Clubhouse. 

“What great leaders do is inspire pride and loyalty,” said Walton.  “Loyalty is that human attribute that allows us as a community to come together and be part of a team—and to realize that what we have is so special, as a result of our caring about what goes on.  It’s not about us; it’s about these young children here who just have these fantastic smiles…who are just so full of dreams and full of hope.”

By Miriam Raftery

July 20, 2014 (La Mesa) - Basketball superstar Bill Walton, a Helix High School graduate in La Mesa, got his start playing basketball at neighborhood centers such as the Boys & Girls Club. He earned his way to the Boys & Girls Clubs Hall of Fame and went on to play with the UCLA Bruins. He later became a National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player and won two NBA championships.

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2014 (San Diego)--The death of baseball giant Tony Gwynn at only 54 years of age has drawn national attention to the dangers of chewing tobacco.  Gwynn had suffered through surgeries and paralysis of part of his face following cancer linked to his habit of chewing tobacco – a custom shared by many baseball players as well as 9% of all high school students nationwide.

By David Dickens

Photo, left by Randy Jordan: Mayor Bill Wells presents proclamation to Jimmie Johnson

June 17, 2014 (El Cajon)-- On this beautiful day in downtown El Cajon,  friends, family, fans, and promoters gathered to pay honor to NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.