By Patrick Cameron, El Cajon

February 13, 2025 (El Cajon) -- In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care, and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into targets for ICE raids.

This is unconscionable. As the world’s largest historical climate polluter, the United States has a responsibility to immigrants. Our pollution is causing the climate chaos — droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising waters — that is forcing people in Latin America, Asia, Africa and elsewhere to leave their homes. Others are fleeing violence, poverty, and hunger — all of which are caused or made worse by the climate crisis.

People have the right to be able to leave their homes and migrate with dignity to find safe haven. But right now, immigrant families are facing the unimaginable: the fear that seeking education or health care could mean deportation, or that a peaceful moment of prayer might be shattered by ICE agents barging in.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Tara McGrath. Courtesy Southern District of California

February 13, 2025 (San Diego) - After 16 months as the chief federal law enforcement official in San Diego, Tara McGrath has been given her walking papers by the White House.

By a school counselor, who asked to remain anonymous

Photo:CC by SA via Bing

February 13, 2025 (El Cajon, CA) -- The Grossmont Union High School District is set to eliminate 22 school counseling positions next year. This is not just a number—these are people who are on the frontlines, working day in and day out to support our students through mental health crises, academic struggles, and life challenges. Does the public understand what this means? Does anyone care that the care for our kids is about to drastically decrease?

School counselors do far more than manage schedules and guide college applications. We are the ones who step in when students are on the brink of despair, offering a safe space when they feel they have nowhere else to turn.

Today, I saved a life. I had a student walk into my office feeling like there was no hope left, contemplating ending their life. But I was there. I listened, I acted, and I made sure they got the help they needed before it was too late.

Developing story

By Donald H. Harrison, San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Roz Allina, second from left, at a Sisterhood luncheon at Sheldon’s Service Station in La Mesa hours before her death. (Photo: Sue Cherlin)

February 12, 2025 (La Mesa) -  Hours after attending a birthday gathering for Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Sisterhood members who were celebrating their February birthdays, Rosalyn Allina and her husband James — Roz, 77, and Jim, 79 — were killed in a chain-reaction freeway accident.

East County News Service

February 12, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- An atmospheric river is moving into our region, bringing rain today with heavier rain late Thursday and Friday. A flood watch has been issued starting Thursday afternoon through Friday.  

The Pacific storm could bring up to 7 inches on Mt. Palomar, up to 5 inchesin Julian, 2-3 inches in valleys, and up to an inch in some desert areas,  with snow  at higher elevations, up to two inches above 6,000 feet. Strong wind gusts in mountains up to  70 miles per hour and up to 50 mph in deserts are forecast.

California Highway Patrol is warning of winter storm conditions this morning on I-8 east of Willow Road in Alpine.

This story was originally published by ProPublica.

By Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

February 11, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - The Trump administration has terminated more than $900 million in Education Department contracts, taking away a key source of data on the quality and performance of the nation’s schools.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego on Facebook

February 11, 2025 (San Diego, CA) – Multiple faith leaders and a crowd of around 1,500 people overflowed the St. Joseph Cathedral and then held a procession to the federal building downtown and prayers in support of undocumented immigrants, chanting “our neighbors, our coworkers, our brothers and sisters,” the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego posted on Facebook.

Cardinal Robert McElroy, whom the Pope has appointed Archbishop of Washington D.C., spoke at the event, as did Episcopalian Bishop Susan Brown Snook and other faith leaders.

“Just as Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to flee oppression to another land when they were on this Earth," Cardinal McElroy said, “So too we must stand with those who are immigrants here in our midst now and make sure that their safety is secure, and that humanity is respected.”

East County News Service

Photo: Palisades Fire, courtesy of Lakeside Fire Dept. which helped battle the catastrophic wildfire in Los Angeles County in January

February 11, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- As Southern California recovers from devastating wildfires, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, has introduced a package of three bipartisan bills to bolster fire resilience and proactive mitigation efforts.

The package includes the Wildfire Emergency Act, to support forest restoration, wildfire mitigation, and energy resilience; the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act, to authorize the removal of trees or other vegetation within existing electrical utility corridors; and the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act, to further incentivize homeowners to proactively protect their homes from disasters.

By Alex Schorr

Photo,Left to Right: Dr. Gary Woods (President, Area 3 Trustee), Robert Shield (Vice President, Area 4 Trustee), Scott Eckert (Clerk, Area 2 Trustee), Jim Kelly (Member, Area 5 Trustee), and Chris Fite (Member, Area 1 Trustee).

February 9, 2025 (El Cajon) – Teachers, parents, and community members leveled sharp criticism of the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board of trustees during a special budget workshop meeting on February 6. Numerous speakers objected to the board’s creation of a costly new chief of staff position and waiving of board policies to do so, after the board majority earlier voted to lay off numerous employees, including many teachers.

By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 11, 2025 (San Diego) -- County public health officials are reminding everyone, particularly families with children and teenagers, that it is not too late to get the flu vaccine. 

East County News Service

February 11, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – A head-on collision in Rancho San Diego has left two people dead and three others injured. The deadly crash occurred on February 7 around 8:25 p.m.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 10, 2025 (San Diego) - With the National Weather Service predicting the first heavy rains across San Diego County this week, the County and CAL FIRE are offering advice and free sandbags to residents and businesses in the unincorporated areas.

Major funding for schools nationwide is at stake

By G.A. McNeeley

February 10, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The Trump administration has begun drafting an executive order that would begin the process of eliminating the Department of Education, CNN reports. This order would instruct the Secretary of Education to create a plan to diminish the department through executive action. Since Congressional approval is required to eliminate any agency created by Congressional action, Trump also plans to push Congress to pass legislation that would abolish the department.

In an Oval Office press briefing, Trump stated, “I believe strongly in school choice, but in addition to that, I want the states to run schools.” He added that he wants his Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon to “put herself out of a job.”

East County News Service

February 9, 2025 (Julian) – The proposed supervised placement of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely at a home on Wynola Road in Julian has been cancelled, CBS 8 reports, after the homeowner withdrew the property from consideration.