By Miriam Raftery 

January 9, 2020 (Jamul)—A 6-year-old Jamul boy is in a medically-induced coma due to serious injuries suffered in a car accident on December 27^th with his father and two cousins. His aunt, Britney Judd, has organized a GoFundMe page to help raise money to pay for Eli Ontiveros' expensive medical care.  The family hopes to locate and thank bystanders who saved Eli from a burning vehicle. 

According to the GoFundMe page, Eli suffered fractures to his clavicle, sternum, and six ribs. He also has damage to his lungs and brain. “Right now the goal is to get him off of ventilation and to get his breathing on his own,” the GoFundMe page states.

By Miriam Raftery

August 9, 2019 (Jamul) -- Over 200 guests turned out at the Jamul Winetasting Festival July 27th at D&S Farms in Jamul, home to Granite Lion Cellars Winery.  A golf cart ferried guests to the festivities in a shady oak grove complete with waterfall, twinkle lights and a stage area carved into a rocky mountainside—all to benefit the St. Pius X Catholic Church building fund.

East County News Service

August 3, 2019 (Jamul) – A head-on collision on State Route 94 in Jamul today killed one driver and sparked a brush fire, which was swiftly doused by Cal Fire.

East County News Service

July 24, 2019 (Jamul) -- After 11 years, Jamul resident Debbie Case, President & CEO of Meals on Wheels San Diego County, has announced her retirement. December 31, 2019 will mark the end of Case leading one of the largest regional senior wellness programs for home-bound seniors in San Diego.

Updated with identies of the vicitms, provided by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office

By Miriam Raftery

June 3, 2019 (Jamul) – The driver and a passenger in a 1997 green GMC Sonoma pickup truck are dead following a head-on collision with a Jeep at 11:45 p.m. last night on Lyons Valley Road in Jamul.  The driver, Martin Lopez Soto, 19, from Lemon Grove and his passenger, Hope Najera, 18, from Jamul, died at the scene after the GMC crossed the center line into the path of the Jeep. According to their Facebook posts, the couple recently became engaged.

Witnesses called 9-1-1 but both victims were found inside the vehicle without a pulse by first responders who were unable to revive the teens despite aggressive life-saving efforts. The Medical Examiner concluded that both died of blunt-force injuries.

The driver of the Jeep, an 18-year-old El Cajon woman, had three teen passengers in the vehicle. All four sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were either treated on scene or transported to local hospitals for medical evaluations, according to the California Highway Patrol.

By Peter A. Andersen, PhD, and Daniel H. Silver, MD

Photos by Miriam Raftery:  State Route 94, the primary evacuation route for Proctor Valley and communities from Jamul south to Barrett Junction, has been previously shut down for hours or even days by the Harris Wildfire, flooding, and serious accidents.  A Border Patrol station, casino and high school along the highway (not shown) all add to traffic back-ups and congestion at peak times, drawing frequent complaints from residents in recent years.

May 23, 2019 (Jamul/Proctor Valley) -- Deadly fires scorched California in 2017 and 2018, destroying thousands of homes and killing 44 people in wine country and 86 in Paradise. Emergency warning and evacuation systems failed. People burned in their cars trying to escape the flames. Homes built to new fire-safe building codes burned anyway in the intense heat. Rapidly moving fires overwhelmed safety systems and careful planning.

The County Board of Supervisors will vote in June whether to approve a major housing development in Jamul, a community already ranked in the bottom 1% of hard-to-evacuate locations in the state. What will convince the Board to apply the lessons of the massive northern California fires to local land-use decisions? At what point does willful ignorance of the risks become negligence?

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Paul Jacob at YMCA Branding held at his ranch

September 30, 2018 (Jamul) – Paul Ernest Jacob, 80, a Jamul community leader, retired Naval aviator and husband of Supervisor Dianne Jacob, died September 23^rd of Parkinson’s disease. Dedicated to improving fire safety for his community, he provided his ranch for use as an emergency shelter and fire operations hub during wildfires.

He was also a founding member of the Jamul Dulzura Community Planning Group and was devoted to the East County YMCA. He helped organize “The Branding,” a fundraising gala held at the Jacob ranch for 14 years, raising over $1.5 million for local Y programs.

Deerhorn Valley Antler editor  Kim Hamilton says Paul Jacob was “beloved” by their neighbors, adding, “He and his wife, Dianne, were the backbone of the community we know and call home today.”

By Miriam Raftery

September 9, 2018 (Jamul) – Unveiling of a new logo, giveaways for guests, and a VIP dinner with Master Chef Ron DeSantis crowned a rebranding celebration last month at the Jamul Casino.

Jamul Indian Village and the Jamul Indian Village Developmemt Corporation hosted a block party after taking back management from Penn Gaming at the facility formerly known as Jamul Hollywood Casino.

By Miriam Raftery

July 5, 2018 (Jamul) – The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce and Alpine-Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce held a joint mixer beneath shady oaks at a new outdoor event venue at D&S Farms, home to Granite Lions Cellars in Jamul.

Our guide to unique lodging and adventures in San Diego’s beautiful backcountry

By Miriam Raftery

June 15, 2018 (Dulzura) – The pioneer-era Clark Ranch, home of the Dulzura Winery  in Dulzura, California dates back to 1885 and has remained in the Clark family to this day. Once known for its groves of olives and production of pickled figs, the land today is planted in vineyards and the former pickling house has been converted to a wine-tasting room, with a cozy guest cottage upstairs.

It’s an idyllic retreat for a peaceful stay in the country, miles away from city hustle and bustle, along historic Route 94. The name Dulzura means “sweet” in Spanish and may originally have referred to honey grown in the region.  Pioneering in Dulzura, a book written by Dorothy Clark Schmid, offered this picturesque description: “A rugged but sweet land, relaxed as its sun-based hills and deliberate as a prospector’s burro.”

By Gary Gorton, St. Pius X Wine Tasting Festival Committee

Photos, left and below right: Vineyards and tasting room at Granite Lion Cellars in Jamul

May 23, 2018 (Jamul) -- Jamul has always been identified as a wine rich region. Grapes and wine were introduced to California in San Diego at the site of the Mission de Alcala, the first of the California Missions by Father Junipero Sierra who established the first vineyard on the Mission Valley Property back in 1769. The first wine for sacramental use was made by the monks in 1774.

How appropriate, then, that it is St. Pius X in Jamul hosting the third-annual wine-tasting festival this year. The date is June 30, 2018 from 5:30pm to 9:00 pm. The festival will be sponsored by the Wineries on Highway 94 and is being hosted at Jamal’s own D&S Farms, home of Granite Lion Cellars.