East County News Service

October 31, 2023 (San Diego) -- On Sunday, November 12 from 9 a.m.to 3 p.m., the Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Visitor Center will be transformed into a seasonal marketplace featuring one-of-a-kind gifts from makers and artists with nature-themed offerings. The event supports the independent vendors participating and a percentage of all sales will benefit the park through the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation.

In addition to products including ceramics, jewelry, soaps, cards, home goods, woodworking pieces, and fine art, attendees can peruse the Visitor Center Gift Shop which will be fully stocked with brand new Mission Trails merchandise. Quantities of the new MTRP merchandise will be limited,with first sales at the holiday marketplace.

For the event, the MTRP Foundation will provide shuttle service that will transport patrons to and from an overflow parking lot at Patrick Henry High School.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Josh Stotler

October 31, 2023 (Aguanga) – Evacuation orders have been issued for an estimated 4,000 residents of 1,300 homes due to the Highland Fire in Aguanga, within a few miles of the San Diego County line in Riverside County.  At least three structures have been destroyed and six others damaged, according to Riverside Fire Department spokesperson Jeff La Russo.

ECM reporter Josh Stotler, at the scene this afternoon, says the wind-whipped fire is being battled by fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and ground crew forces that have doubled in recent hours.  Hundreds of firefighters are now battling the fire, which swelled to 2,200 acres overnight fueled by Santa Ana winds. Cal Fire has not updated the acreage since this morning.

“The winds are pushing it west,” he says, adding that there are no evacuations in San Diego County currently.  But he indicates the winds make this fire unpredictiable, and notes, ”Still no containment number yet, if any.”

A SIG alert is in effect for Highway 79, which is fully closed between the San Diego/Riverside County lines and Sage Road.  Highway 371is also closed  at 79 due to the wildfire, the CHP incident page reports.

Source: U.S. .Food and Drug Administration

Photo:  Public domain image via Bing

October 31,2023 (Washington D.C.)  --The U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) is warning consumers not to purchase and to immediately stop using 26 over-the-counter eye drop products sold at major retailers and online, due to the potential risk of eye infections that could result in partial vision loss or blindness. Patients who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection after using these products should talk to their health care provider or seek medical care immediately. These products are marketed under the following brands:

• CVS Health
• Leader (Cardinal Health)
• Rugby (Cardinal Health)
• Rite Aid
• Target Up & Up
• Velocity Pharma

See full list of product names at the bottom of this article.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

October 31, 2023 (Aguanga) -- The #HighlandFire  in Aguanga has swelled to over 2,200 acres overnight and is 0% contained in Riverside County just over the San Diego County line. Aguanga is just north of Warner Springs; smoke is impacting areas west of Aguanga including Escondido and Palomar.  Highway 79 is closed in both directions.

Road closures are in effect and evacuation orders have been issued north of the San Diego County line, south of State Route 79, east of Forest Route 8S07 and west of Crosley Truck Trail.  (See evacuation details at https://www.rvcfire.org/incidents/fact-sheets/HighliandFire-Oct2023.)

A reception and care center has opened at: Great Oak High School 32555 Deer Hollow Way, Temecula, Ca 92592. Large and small animals can be taken to: San Jacinto Animal Shelter 581 South Grand Avenue, San Jacinto, Ca 92582

Video posted by FirePhotoGirl on social media shows structures in flames. Cal Fire reports structures remain threatened threatened. 

East County News Service

October 29, 2023 (La Mesa) – A 38-year-old San Diego man was struck by a vehicle on Interstate 8 east., east of Baltimore Drive n La  Mesa on October 24. The victim  was walking in the #4 lane at 8:38 a.m. when he was hit by a white 2004 Chevrolet pickup truck.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Supervisor Jim Desmond at press conference calling for border closure

October 28,2023 (San Diego) – The Israel-Hamas war has inflamed anti-U.S. sentiments around the world, sparking protests outside U.S. embassies in several nations,. NBC news reports. That’s led some local conservative politicians including Supervisor Jim Desmond and Supervisorial candidate Amy Reichert to call for closure of the border to new immigrants, citing fears that militants allied with terrorist groups supporting Hamas could potentially cross the border into the U.S. with an aim to harm Americans.

How credible are those concerns?

By Cecilie Shamanow 

WATCH FULL VIDEO HERE https://youtu.be/6cpLhfRzn1E?si=sHaKaOP2VCIITChb

October 28, 2023 (El Cajon) --- In a forum held Oct. 18 at Cuyamaca College, District 4 supervisorial candidates Monica Montgomery Steppe, a Democrat, and Republican Amy Reichert answered questions from the public ranging on health care, homelessness, housing, highway improvements, and diversity.

East County News Service

October 27, 2023 (Santee) – The Santee Fire Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s department invite the public to a pancake breakfast on November 11 from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The event will be held at 8950 Cottonwood Ave, Santee.  Tickets are $5.

For information, call 619-258-3038.

By Shiloh Ireland

October 12, 2023 (Poway) -- On September 23-24; Poway held its annual rodeo and celebrated the 50^th Anniversary of this action- packed event. Rodeo Chairman Murray Bankhead, the rodeo’s board and many volunteers made this event a success with a large turnout, talented performers, and a family-friendly environment. ECM found smiling faces, helpful volunteers and vendors with a variety of merchandise. But, the action was in the arena, where a variety of disciplines were witnessed by a positive and cheering crowd.

Performers and athletes from across the US. and Canada engaged the audience with roping, trick riders, bulls, bucking broncos, mutton busting, barrels and more. Rodeo queens from Poway, Lakeside and Ramona were present, supporting the rodeo.

By Jessyka Heredia

Photo, left:  The late Ed and Sandy Burr

October 27, 2023 (La Mesa)— San Diego’s East County has lost one of its most beloved philanthropists and local business owners, Sandy Burr. Burr passed away at Sharp Grossmont Hospital on October 11, 2023, at 84. Sandra Burr and her late husband, Edward “Ed” Gene Burr, founded EDCO, creating a legacy of giving back and engaging with East County that shaped the way EDCO is viewed today as a company for the customers they serve.

By Miriam Raftery

October 27, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – East County Magazine journalists Rebecca Person and Miriam Raftery picked up awards in San Diego Press Club’s  Excellence in Journalism Competition earlier this month. ECM has won 146 major journalism awards since its inception 15 years ago.

Rebecca Person received third place in the breaking news category for her article, “Jacumba Hot Springs community stunned by arrival of hundreds of migrants.” Person described efforts by local residents to aid migrants left without food, water, shade or shelter in sweltering desert heat.  Her coverage prompted an investigation by a human rights organization and filing of a federal complaint accusing Border Patrol agents of violating U.S. and international laws.

ECM editor Miriam Raftery received third place in the Radio interviews category for her interview on KNSJ Radio with Kathi Torres, a sex trafficking survivor who now works with Freedom from Exploitation, an organization that helps survivors of human trafficking.

To report suspicious activity in the San Diego area, contact FBI San Diego at 858-320-1800, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL FBI.

East County News Service

October 27, 2023 (San Diego) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in San Diego has asked media outlets to  alert the public to threats associated with the Israel-HAMAS conflict. The FBI and the Dept. Of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a joint public service announcement on Oct. 25. The agencies are also asking the public to report any suspicious activity.

“The FBI is continuing to monitor threats associated with the Israel-HAMAS conflict, both in the United States and overseas. As the conflict continues, the FBI has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions, raising our concern that violent extremists and lone offenders motivated by or reacting to ongoing events could target these communities,” the FBI announcement states. “We take all potential threats seriously and are working closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action.”

By Shauni Lyles, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photos by Bing AI (prompt: Jonathan Goetz with East County Magazine)

October 25, 2023 (San Diego) -- San Diego’s new Crop Report covering the County’s 2022 growing season shows production was higher than last year at $1.78 billion in value, making it the seventh year in the past 10 years in which the region has seen an increase.

By Anita Lightfoot, County of San Diego Communications Office

October 24, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County doctors share the top 6 tips to help you fight winter viruses and stay healthy.