Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

July 14, 2022 (El Cajon) - The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and campus security officials have determined that Grossmont Campus is safe, following a bomb threat phoned into the Sheriff’s Department at about 11:30 a.m. today. 

East County News Service

July 3, 2022 (El Cajon) - Robert Gehr took this photo of the half moon in the early morning eastern sky over El Cajon this week, exposing the many craters from interstellar objects impacting its surface over eons of time.

By Miriam Raftery

June 18, 2022 (El Cajon) – Bidding is now open online for a special auction of two signed, limited edition, framed and matted prints by Olaf Wieghorst, an internationally recognized artist considered one of the top painters of Western art.  Some of his works sold for over a million dollars during his lifetime.  Proceeds will benefit both the East County Art Association and East County Magazine. Now you can own one of Wieghorst’s  exceptional works, Spring Rain and Beef Herd. View video for a close-up look at these impressive artworks:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7V496dpqHSw.

About the auction:

The auction opens online (see below to bid),  and will close on Saturday, June 25  at 3 p.m. during the ECAA’s upcoming event, “Ocean Love” at the Courtyard Marriott in El Cajon. View event flyer. If you wish to view the works in person, you can visit the ECAA gallery at 124 East Main St. in downtown El Cajon, Wed.-Sat. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  60 percent of proceeds will benefit the East County Arts Association and 40% will benefit East County Media, the nonprofit that supports East County Magazine.

How to bid:

Send your name, mailing address, phone number, and email along with your bid amount to editor@eastcountymagazine.org and the words "AUCTION BID" in the subject line, along with which art piece you wish to bid on, and the amount of your bid.  You will receive a bid number and confirmation your bid was received. Bid numbers and amounts will be posted online at the bottom of this page and updated regularly. (No personal information will be posted.) The online auction bids will be accepted until June 25 at 11 a.m., after which the auction will continue at the event from1-3 p.m.

Source:  Rancho Helix de Oro Fire Safe Council

June 3, 2022 (El Cajon) - The Rancho Helix de Oro Fire Safe Council is sponsoring a free family-friendly education fair on June 12 to help residents prevent and prepare for devastating wildfires. The fair will be held from 1:30-4 p.m. at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, 2122 Cuyamaca College Dr West, El Cajon. Presentations will be given beginning at 2 p.m. by San Miguel Fire and Rescue, Cal Fire and the American Red Cross, with the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters. Displays will also be offered with home fire safety and safety information materials. San Miguel fire trucks and a brush clearing truck will also be on display.

East County News Service

May 20, 2022 (El Cajon) – Chase Folkes, 55, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his mother, 88-year-old Carolyn Jean Folkes. 

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from a man requesting help at a home in the 1200 block of Corto Lane in unincorporated El Cajon at 1:30 a.m. on May 19.  They found Carolyn Folkes dead in the home with trauma to her upper body.

By Miriam Raftery

May 12, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- County Supervisor Joel Anderson has sent a formal request to the County’s Chief Administrative Officer and Sheriff, urging them to take action mirroring recent action by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to remove encampments along public roadways that pose critical safety concerns. Caltrans’ clearing of an encampment in the Berkeley area was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on April 27.

By Miriam Raftery

May 9, 2022 (El Cajon) – Hakim Wakil Rashid, 52, has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a man in the head and back earlier today in downtown El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

May 7, 2022 (El Cajon) – A man accused of stealing a bicycle and a suitcase full of goods from a Target Store was arrested following a pursuit by El Cajon Police officers on Monday, May 2.  According to Lt. Randy Soulard, the suspect, Sterle Floyd Sisco lived at a homeless camp at Magnolia near the Vernon St. overpass in the unincorporated area. Sisco was on probation for assault with a deadly weapon and has an extensive criminal history including prior arrests for assault, burglary, theft, domestic violence and drug possession. He is also a suspect in numerous prior retail thefts.

The recent arrest highlights concerns over the encampment just days after Supervisor Joel Anderson held a press conference calling for a regional solution to homelessness, an action that will require cooperation from the four cities in East County.

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

April 29, 2022 (El Cajon) - For the first time, Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges will explore building affordable housing for students. The new initiative is being funded by a pair of $150,000 state grants received by the colleges, enabling college leaders to take a serious look at ways of providing housing security to students in need.

By Ray Bello

April 21, 2022 (El Cajon) -- If you live in Fletcher Hills, El Cajon, San Carlos, San Diego or near Parkway Middle School, La Mesa, you’ve probably driven by the star-spangled flag atop the flagpole at the intersection of Fletcher Parkway and Navajo Road many times without really seeing it.     

Source:  CHP

April 19, 2022 (El Cajon) - On April 18, 2022 at approximately 10:30 p.m., a yet to be identified male pedestrian began walking in the traffic lanes of westbound Interstate 8, west of State Route 67. As a result, the pedestrian was struck by a Kia Optima driven by a 36-year-old female from El Cajon, a Dodge Charger driven by a 28-year-old male from Chula Vista and an unidentified vehicle.  Unfortunately, the pedestrian died at the crash scene.  Two of the three drivers who struck the pedestrian remained on scene and are cooperating with the investigation.  The driver of the third vehicle, fled the scene and was last seen on Interstate 8 westbound.  

East County News Service

April 15, 2022 (El Cajon) -- An arrest has been made in a 2003 shooting that killed two people in the unincorporated area of El Cajon. Michael Romero, 45, has been arrested and charged with the murders of Brandon Vigil and Patrick John Greene.

By Miriam Raftery

April 14, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – A suspect accused of carjacking an El Cajon Police vehicle containing SWAT gear and weapons last night led officers on a high-speed chase across East County before being apprehended in Chula Vista.

An off-duty ECPD officer was leaving a 7-Eleven store in Santee when "a man opened the passenger door of the unmarked pickup truck, got into the vehicle and began yelling incoherently at the driver. At some point, both parties got out of the truck and the carjacker was able to get behind the wheel and drive away," says Sergeant Michael Gonzalez with the Sheriff's department.

The vehicle had SWAT gear, an assault rifle and a pistol locked in a storage locker, according to 10 News.

Source: AAUW

April 7, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Shilpi Somaya Gowda is the featured author for the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women’s annual Author’s Luncheon fundraiser. The event is open to the public and will be held at Sycuan Casino Resort, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon, CA on May 21 beginning at 11:00 a.m.