East County News Service

February 13, 2015 (La Mesa) – Robert Mixon, 25, of San Diego is under arrest after allegedly trying to steal a purse from a woman at the trolley station at 70^th Street and Alvarado Road in  La Mesa.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, right: Adam Beardsley and his wife, Megan

Update February 19, 2015 -- Adam Beardsley received a new heart two days ago and is doing very well, a Heartland Fire official announced at last night's La Mesa Chamber of Commerce Salute to Heroes event.

Update February 15, 2015--Rust Accounting has sent us a final tally for the event, which raised over $18,000 from an estimated 1,000 guests who attended.

February 11, 2015 (La Mesa) –Hundreds of community members turned out Sunday at the Bolt Brewery in La Mesa at a fundraiser to help cover expenses for Adam Beardsley, a 33-year-old Heartland Deputy Fire Marshal in need of a heart transplant. 

“He has such as big heart,” Monica Zech, public information officer for the City of El Cajon, said of Beardsley. She added that he remains in good spirits at UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital, where he has been a patient since January 6^th, awaiting a heart donor.  “But he didn’t want this to be just about him,” she said, adding that Beardsley hopes publicity on the shortage of organ donors will ultimately help others, too.

A single organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people. Currently over 110,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for an organ transplant. Nearly 1,600 people are on the waiting list for a organ transplant in San Diego and Imperial Counties. For information about organ donation, click here.

February 5, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Love is in the air at Bo-Beau's Restaurant in La Mesa, East County's only member of the esteemed Cohn Restaurants.  Chef Neil has put together a three-course menu with a shared dessert to showcase his cuisine on Valentine’s Day for $49.95 per person. 

Start with a teaser of escargot, heart beet bisque or red scarlett gem salad to whet your appetite. Then savor an entree, choosing from roasted chicken, steak, scallops, quinoa cakes or gnocchi alfredo. As a finale, share a mini ved velte torte complete with white chocolate mousse, raspberry sorbet and strawberry pearls.

East County News Service

February 2, 2015 (La Mesa) – San Diego Police have arrested John David Weissinger, 53, of La Mesa for making a criminal threat against the Council on American-Islamic Relations.  He is also charged with illegally owning, buying or selling an illegal large-capacity ammunition magazine.

January 18, 2015 (La Mesa)--Sharp Grossmont Hospital has announced that Scott Evans, Pharm.D, MHA, has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the 540-bed acute care hospital in East San Diego County.

Chef Aida Elbers

January 13, 2015 (La Mesa) – Chef Aida Elbers at Casa de Pico has generously agreed to share a recipe for the restaurant’s turkey tamales, a favorite during the holidays and year-round.  To Chef Elbers, we say, “Gracias!”

January 10, 2015 (La Mesa)--Spencer McCall, a senior at Helix Charter High School and son of Drs. Michael and Madhavi McCall of La Mesa, earned a top composite score of 36 on a recent ACT test. Nationally, while the actual number of students earning a composite score of 36 varies from year to year, on average, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earns the top score. Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2014, only 1,407 of nearly 1.85 million students earned a composite score of 36.

December 26, 2014 (La Mesa)—A bomb threat scrawled on a bathroom stall today at Toys R Us in La Mesa claimed a bomb would detonate at 2:20 p.m.

Police responded shortly after 1 p.m. along with a bomb-sniffing dog from Harbor Police. The store was shut down and the area nearby was cleared out as well, but no bomb was found during the search.

December 25, 2014 (La Mesa)--The Senior Resource Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit our web site at www.sharp.com.

East County News Service

December 20, 2014 (La Mesa) – A 90-year-old pipe organ has been restored at La Mesa’s Central Congregational Church, which will host a concert at 3 p.m.on January 25^th to celebrate completion of the restoration.  The church is located at 8360 Lemon Avenue.

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview with Marissa Grace (originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM)  here:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

December 7, 2014 (La Mesa) – East County Magazine sat down recently with Marissa Grace McRoberts, a 12-year-old singing sensation from East County who made her debut on the KYXY Jeff and Jer show. You can also hear an excerpt of her song, "In My Dreams."

She has performed at Oktoberfest in La Mesa, at Grossmont Center concerts, at La Mesa's Craft Brew & Wine Festival earlier this month, and will sing solo later this month at Petco Park. 

By Randy Zuniga

December 6, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) - A mountain of a mere 1,594 ft. high borders three cities -- San Diego, Santee, and La Mesa. For some, it's an epic hike accompanied by packs filled with snacks and water. For others, it's a quick jog up and a small water bottle waiting for them back at their car. No matter who you are -- everyone seems to love this mountain.

By Miriam Raftery

December 3, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--This week’s Destination East County is packed with holiday festivities, from Christmas on Maine Street in Lakeside to Santa at Santee Lakes and the "Light up the Grove" bonfire in Lemon Grove! Plus we’ll have previews of coming attractions, including La Mesa’s Christmas in the Village, a Winter Wonder Jam concert, and our very own East County Magazine holiday party.

So stay tuned for all of these events and much, much more, from East County Magazine.