By Miriam Raftery

May 31, 2025 (Poway) – A 22-year-old motorcyclist died at the scene of a head-one crash with a Ford Truck hauling a boat along State Route 67 north of Poway Road today. 

Deputies from the Poway Sheriff’s station responded to a report of the collision at State Route 67 and Ellie Lane around 11:45 a.m. Poway Fire and paramedics arrived and performed life-saving measure, but the motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Sara Siebers posted on Facebook that the motorcyclist “hit the pylons and crossed over into oncoming traffic. Hit us head on.”

East County Wildfire & Alerts

May 31, 2025 (San Diego) – The #HendersonFire has burned 300 acres and is 15% contained, Cal Fire reports.  The fire began last night along Henderson Road in the Pala area, burning in both San Diego and Riverside Counties.

Visit AlertSanDiego.org for the latest updates. For an interactive map with updated emergency evacuation information visit: OES Emergency Map  The Red Cross is assisting displaced residents, who may go to a reception and care site at Temecula Valley High School,31555 Rancho Vista Rd., Temecula.

By Linda K. Baker, El Cajon

May 30, 2025 (El Cajon) -- It burns my wits to read about suspending burn permits with July 4 right around the corner and knowing all the illegal fireworks that will yet again threaten my Lexington Gardens neighborhood with no police responses when it happens. View video.

Want to see danger first hand? Bring your camera on July 4, 9 pm till midnight anywhere from Lexington to Washington to Jamacha to Dillman St. The fireworks debris will cover roofs, yards, cars, and observers. Street traffic is under threat because the fireworks are set off in the middle of the street that adds to the dangers and property damage unprotected.

Novel by M.L. Meurs

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

May 30, 2025 (San Diego)  -- San Diego resident, M.L. Meurs, has released her debut novel, Camp Salvador. Written in first-person, the book reads like a memoir. The main character, Ellis Robinson, shares her experiences in Baja, Mexico where roughly built homes have a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean.

Ellis and her family enjoy a second home in a small community full of eccentric characters. Most are from the States. Ellis describes the community as a “semi-isolated vintage surfer community.”

Ellis is a sharp, patient, kind soul who tolerates the many conflicts her neighbors experience and sometimes cause. Over time, the presence of the cartel is felt as bodies are found on the camp’s beach. Even so, Ellis returns each year to enjoy her second home with her huge dog that is seen on the book’s cover. Her time at the camp ends with an astonishing conclusion.

The book is as enjoyable as a vacation. And like life, it has its conflicts and surprising turns.

Story and photos by Karen Pearlman

April 24, 2025 (Mount Helix) – There are no rides or parades in its magical atmosphere, but a local garden in Mount Helix area has been influenced by a famous amusement park in Anaheim.

Bob Caparas and his childhood sweetheart, Carole, have channeled the magic of Disneyland to help them create a unique space along the 1 1/3 acres of hills and valleys adjacent to their home on Grandview Road.

Their garden allows visitors to meander along a main path of cobblestones, bamboo and dirt, with  side paths that branch out from it leading lead to several distinct “lands.” The different lands pay tribute to different areas around the globe, and honor different times and eras as well --- from Mayan/Aztec culture to the African plateaus to Greco-Roman to Polynesia and event prehistoric days of dinosaurs.

By Karen Pearlman

Photos, left by ECM photographers:  La Mesa protest, riot and arson May 30-31, 2020.

May 30, 2025 (La Mesa) – It’s been five years since the last Saturday in May 2020, when the city of La Mesa found itself smack in the epicenter of racial justice protests and civil unrest that mirrored a nationwide outcry against police brutality. The protest later exploded into violence, ending with buildings in flames and a small-town community often likened to Mayberry left shell-shocked.

Since then, the city has made strides to improve communications, public outreach and policing, as the city's Mayor, Police Chief and City Manager told ECM in exclusive interviews shortly before the five-year anniversary of those turbulent events.

By County News Center

County of San Diego Communications Office

May 28, 2025 (Santa Ysabel) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors recently approved the purchase of about 540 acres of property in North County for $5.1 million to expand its conservation efforts.

Order ignores science, which shows pregnant women and newborns have high risk for serious COVID complications

By Miriam Raftery

May 27, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Health leaders are reacting with alarm to Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s  announcement that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have removed the COVID vaccine from its list of vaccines recommended for pregnant women and healthy children.

“That is a dangerous and irresponsible statement,” says Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist who heads up the pediatric and adolescent gynecology division at Rady Children’s Hospital. “Pregnant women and children have faced real, documented risks fromCOVID-19. Dismissing science only puts lives at risk and undermines public trust.”

Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, shares that concern.  “The science has not changed. It is very clear that COVID infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability...The COVID vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and infants,” CNN reports. “In fact, growing evidence shows just how much vaccination during pregnancy protects the infant after birth, with the vast majority of hospitalized infants less than six months of age—those who are not yet eligible for vaccination—born to unvaccinated mothers,” Fleischman added.

East County News Service

May 25, 2025 (Lakeside) – It's starting to warm up in Lakeside, so it's about time for another Ice Cream Social.

The Lakeside Historical Society invites you to savor the third annual Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., Saturday May 31.

The event will be held in the courtyard of the Olde Community Church at the Lakeside Historical Society at 9906 Maine Ave. in Lakeside.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Robert Gehr:  A homeless person's tent on grassy area along Main Street in downtown El Cajon

May 24, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The 2025 Point-in-Time count of homeless people conducted in January found large drops in homelessness countywide in nearly every community, with a 72% drop in families living on the streets-indicators that efforts to help the homeless are likely having positive results.

In East County, only El Cajon showed an increase. But the city argues that the count is inaccurate, including several census tracts that are not in the city limits or only partially in the city, as well as inflating the count in other areas within its city limits.

May 24, 2025 (San Diego) -- Pulitzer  Prize winning author Chris Hedges will speak at a fundraiser for KNSJ radio on Friday, May 30 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 2728 6^th Avenue in in San Diego.

Hedges, is a journalist, author, commentator and Presbyterian minister who has worked as a war correspondent and New York Times Middle Eastern Bureau Chief, winning the 2002  Pulitzer Prize for coverage of global terrorism.

 He has written numerous books on war, fascism, and the rise of the Christian right in American politics. He currently hosts  The Chris Hedges Report podcast.

East County News Service

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

May 22, 2025 (San Diego) –Supervisor Joel Anderson today offered a statement on the deadly plane crash that occurred in a Tierrasanta neighborhood near Murphy Canyon, along with advice on organizations helping collect donations and items to assist residents displaced by the crash.

"My office is closely monitoring the situation in our district where a small plane crashed into a Murphy Canyon neighborhood,” Sup. Anderson says.”Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been killed and we wish those who have been injured a full recovery. Thank you to our incredible first responders who helped evacuate more than 100 people to safety in the early hours this morning."

The following organizations are currently collecting donations for the families impacted by this devastating crash. For more information, residents can contact:

Zero8Hundred - 858-944-0800

Support The Enlisted Project (STEP) - 858-695-6810

Get ready for a whirlwind of mistaken identity, tangled romance, and laugh-out-loud confusion in this timeless Shakespeare comedy. 

By G. A. McNeeley 

Photography By Kristin Campbell 

May 22, 2025 (El Cajon) — Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy that was created by William Shakespeare, and directed by Linda Libby. This is one show at the Grossmont College Stagehouse Theatre that you’ll definitely want to check out. 

If you’re not familiar with the story, it follows shipwrecked twins, Viola and Sebastian, as they find themselves lost in the strange land of Illyria. Violet, disguised as the young Cesario, falls in love with the noble Orsino, who is in love with the beautiful Olivia. But, Olivia falls in love with Cesario, who’s idolized by the pompous Malvolio. Meanwhile, Sebastian’s unexpected arrival only adds to the confusion, as he embarks on a quest to find his sister. 

If you enjoy period pieces or comedies, then this show is definitely for you. This bold and stylish reimagining of the beloved comedy will transport you into a 1920s speakeasy, where mistaken identities, unrequited love, and mischievous revelry take center stage.