By Miriam Raftery

January 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 10 p.m. tonight due to a winter storm bringing rain across the county, with snow forecast above 5,500 feet. Ice, snow and fog could make travel difficult at higher elevations. Gusty winds are also forecast.

Stormy weather will continue for most of the week. The National Weather Service predicts a chance of showers each day, with rain likely on Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night.  Be careful on rain-slicked roads and if traveling at higher mountain elevations, carry chains.

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh 

January 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Red Chaos details events across that sound very much like events that have happened across the globe. All the crimes have but one perpetrator but it’s not a person, it’s a nation.

“Hello, Mr. Reilly. Please hold for Mr. Shaw.”

The call was from Chicago—Nancy Barney, the assistant to E.J. Shaw, President and CEO of the Kensington Hotel chain, one of the world’s largest hotel corporations. Shaw was Dan Reilly’s boss.

“Dan, we have a program,” Shaw said.

We. Reilly immediately knew the we was about to become he, his problem.

“Where: What?”

“A murder in our Mayfair property. In a London suite.”

“Oh God!” Reilly’s mind raced. The hotel was hosting a regional oil conference. He stated to ask for detail, but Shaw interrupted.

“A visiting oil minister….”

East County News Service

January 1, 2023 (Poway) – Bring the kids for a day of snow-filled fun at a Winter Festival complete with sledding down a snow hill, building a snowman, roasting marshmallows by a campfire, making silly faces in a photo booth, and taking a spin around a synthetic ice skating rink.

The Winter Festival will be held at the Poway Community Park and Auditorium, 13094 Civic Center Drive in Poway on Friday, January 23 from 5 p.m.to 9 p.m. and Saturday, January 14 from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.

There will also be food vendors and shuttles available.

East County News Service

January 1, 2023 (Borrego Springs) – The Borrego Arts Institute gallery will host a show of contemporary Latin American art featuring selected works by artists of Latino heritage or art that has been strongly influenced by the Latino Culture January 7-29.

The exhibit includes a special showing by Barbara Rivera titled Viva La Vida and an opening reception January 7 from 3-5 p.m. featuring music by Mariachi Mixteco.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

December 30, 2022 (San Diego) - The County and CAL FIRE are offering sandbags to residents and businesses in the unincorporated areas as another round of storms prepares to hit the region on New Year’s Eve. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and high winds.

Update 12/30/2022 12 p.m. – Richard Arnold, 38, has been arrested for murder and booked into the San Diego County Jail. The victim has been identified as Kevin Stewart, 35.  Stewart and Arnold were acquaintances that lived in separate motor homes on the same property.

East County News Service

December 30, 2022 (Potrero) – The San Diego County Sheriff’s Homicide Unit is investigating the shooting death of a 35-year-old man in Potrero. A possible suspect has been detained.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  San Diego International Airport website shows departing flights status at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

December 28, 2022 (San Diego) - The departure board for San Diego International Airport makes it clear than almost all of the air travel problems now are due to Southwest Airlines‘ operational meltdown.

East County News Service

December 27, 2022 (El Cajon) – Two people were injured when a motorcycle rear-ended a Volkswagen on Christmas Eve in El Cajon.

The motorcyclist, a 62-year-old El Cajon man, was riding a 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle eastbound on Broadley Avenue over State Route 67 when he struck a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan that was stopped at a red light, directly in front of the motorcycle, according to Officer Matthew Baranowski with the California Highway Patrol.

Source:  City of El Cajon

December 27, 2022 (El Cajon) - Beginning January 1, 2023, the City of El Cajon will debut a new program designed to encourage clean neighborhoods and community pride.

East County News Service

December 27, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- In early 2021, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors directed staff to develop a "socially equitable" cannabis program as the first step towards implementing commercial cannabis at the County level. The County contracted Womxn’s Work Consulting to create a report called the "Social Equity Assessment for Commercial Cannabis."

By Miriam Raftery

December 26, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Leslie Nunez Rosas, 25, died Friday morning in a multi-vehicle collision on State Route 94 near the College Avenue exit in Lemon Grove.

East County News Service

December 26, 2022 (Borrego Springs) - The 10th Annual Borrego Springs Film Festival will take place on January 12 – 16, 2023, in Borrego Springs, California - a small town in the northern end of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, in San Diego County.  The five-day festival presents screenings of selected short films, features, documentaries, animated shorts and Hispanic/Latin films, shown in Blocks at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center.  

East County News Service

Photo via San Miguel Fire Dept. on Facebook

December 26, 2022 (La Mesa) – A blaze that may have begun in a Christmas tree yesterday damaged four units at a La Mesa apartment complex, displacing six people and killing a dog. 

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

December 24, 2022 (Honolulu) -  Zeke Rankin kicked four field goals, including a 37-yarder for the go-ahead score with 2:05 left, and Middle Tennessee State beat San Diego State 25-23 in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night.

By Miriam Raftery

December 24, 2022 (El Cajon) – A small plane experienced an emergency over Gillespie Field in El Cajon last night, when its landing gear failed to lock into place.  Heartland Fire Department responded in preparation for a potential emergency landing while the plane, which had an hour and a half of fuel, circled repeatedly over the area for nearly an hour looping left to right, struggling to manually lower the landing gear.