By Janis Mork

January 30, 2013 (El Cajon) Updated March 15, 2013- Last week, Troy McKinney, Fresh Fund coordinator from the International Rescue committee (IRC), participated in an exclusive interview with East County Magazine. He gave more details of the future farmers’ market that will be set up on the Prescott Promenade in downtown El Cajon each Thursday starting March 21.

Like the IRC’s farmer’s market started four years ago in City Heights, the El Cajon farmer’s market will help both local refugees and the broader community.

By Jim Lissner

March 9, 2013 (El Cajon)--Anyone who watches the crash videos circulated by the red light camera Industry will notice that most of the crashes occur many seconds into the red.  The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), with sponsorship by the Texas DOT, studied 41 crash videos obtained from red light cameras and confirmed what the public has been noticing: "With one exception, all of the right-angle crashes occurred after 5 seconds or more of red."  They also reported that the average was 8.9 seconds into the red.  (Link to the study:  http://thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/04-alternatives.pdf. See pages 5-15 and 5-16.) 

March 12, 2013 (El Cajon) – The next San Diego Antique & Collectible show will be held on Wednesday, March 13, at the Ronald Reagan Community Center, located at 195 E. Douglas Avenue in El Cajon from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.  The show features local dealers with a wide variety of antiques and collectables for sale, all categories.

You can also bring in your own antiques and collectibles for appraisals.  First appraisal is free, thereafter “Thumbnail” appraisals available for $5.00 each. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, please call (619) 339-7026.

March 7, 2013 (El Cajon )--A Heartland Fire & Rescue engine company in El Cajon was returning from a call at 5:30 this evening and came across a possible garage fire in the 100 block of West Douglas Avenue. The fire company, noticing heavy black smoke from the garage of the three-story town home, quickly called for a first alarm assignment to combat the fire.

March 3, 2013 (El Cajon) – The city of El Cajon and CECO (San Diego County Employees’ Charitable Organization) awarded separate grants to Home of Guiding Hands.  The former approved a $35,270 grant for the residential program’s capital improvements on Tuesday, February 26 at the El Cajon City Council meeting.  Funds will be used on four of their 31 community based homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Projects include a new kitchen, energy efficient replacement windows, flooring replacement and new bathroom vanities.

By Miriam Raftery

February 23, 2013 (El Cajon)—Shamoon Jeejo, an immigrant from war-torn Iraq,  is pleased to be among the local residents who now have a raised garden plot at Circle Community Garden.  The new garden had its grand opening ceremony today, serving up cake as local residents staked out spaces--and more are available.

“In Iraq, I had a garden, it was like ten of this space,” Jeejo (photo, left) told East County Magazine.  “I live near here, by the library.  If there is work, I want to volunteer. “  For Jeejo, who came here two and a half years ago to escape the oppressive government in Iraq, there is another benefit of working with others.  “I want to speak English; if I am with community, I can learn to speak English very well,” he says.

February 20, 2012 (El Cajon) -- Paul Kruze, a freelance photojournalist whose works have appeared in ECM, was at the scene of last night's fatality hit-and-run accident in El Cajon. He offers new details which suggest that the victim was jaywalking and died on impact.

"I was just getting gas at the ARCO on Avocado," he told ECM.  According to Kruze, the pedestrian was crossing Avocado considerably north of Chase -- not at the intersection.  The victim "clearly had been jaywalking, and it was really dark and raining," he said, adding that the victim wore a light-colored hoodie but visibility was poor. 

Kruze stated that the victim sustained a severe head injury and that due to the obvious damage, the individual died immediately.

February 16, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)--El Cajon resident and wildlife painter Gloria Chadwick has been selected as the featured artist for the 40th annual California Open Wildlife Art Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 16 and 17, at Liberty Station in San Diego’s Point Loma area. The festival, open to the public, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both weekend days at Liberty Station’s Corky McMillin Event Center, NTC Promenade, 2875 Dewey Road, San Diego. Admission is $5 per person, and children under 12 years of age are free. For more information, visit www.PSWA.net.

More local control of alcohol-licensing process possible, experts say

Alcohol Policy Panel of San Diego presents model business policy as a case study

February 7, 2013 (El Cajon)-- Local community leaders, police and health officials will meet on February 8  with officials from Ventura County to discuss a model program that has successfully reduced alcohol-related problems by improving retail practices at bars, clubs, restaurants and liquor stores. The event, held by the Alcohol Policy Panel for San Diego County, will be held at the Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 East Douglas Avenue in El Cajon, from 9-11 a.m. Friday.

By Janis Mork

February 1, 2013 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s City Council voted 5-0 on January 22 to ask staff to draft options for an ordinance with tougher licensing regulations for off-site sales of liquor at markets and liquor stores.

“El Cajon has changed a lot since I was a kid in the 1960’s,” said Councilman Gary Kendrick, who introduced the proposal. “Unfortunately, as we grew, we acquired problems big cities had. One is alcohol abuse. We’ve struggled with it for 30 years now,” he said, adding that his proposal is modeled after ‘deemed approved’ ordinances that have, “...become very popular in cities that have it.” 

January 31, 2013 (El Cajon) -- A shooting in El Cajon may be gang related, Lt. Frank LaHaye with the El Cajon Police Department said.  A 21-year-old victim from San Diego and two companions were involved in a verbal altercation with an unknown suspect at 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, January 26 when the shooting occurred in the 400 block of N. Magnolia. The suspect is described as a black male, age 16 to 21, about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build.

The victim has been hospitalized for treatment of his injury.

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this shooting is encouraged to contact the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311.

January 18, 2013 (El Cajon ) – Raymond Lee Goodlow, 53, of El Cajon is hospitalized after being shot multiple times by an El Cajon Police officer at 9:29 a.m..   According to police, Goodlaw was illegally riding his bicycle on the sidewalk and refused to pull over when an officer attempted to stop him in the 1300 block of East Main.

Police and witnesses say the officer ordered the man to halt and get down on the ground, but that instead, Goodlaw reached into the waistband of his pants.  Fearing that he had a gun, the officer fired several times, witnesses report.

Goodlow did not have a gun. He did, however, have two knives  that were discovered by paramedics while treating his injuries, Lt. Tim Henton said.

January 17, 2013 (El Cajon) – Councilman Gary Kendrick will introduce a measure on Tuesday, January 22 that would implement a “deemed approved” system to regulate liquor licenses n El Cajon. 

“It enables a city to put a whole host of new conditions on existing liquor establishments,” Kendrick told ECM.  “It even covers those grandfathered in that don’t have a conditional use permit, so we could stop a liquor store from creating a nuisance in the city.”  The measure would cover all off-site liquor stores, type 20 and 21 licenses, he added.

The proposal would also allow the city to charge a fee to liquor stores to funds sting operations against alcohol sellers as asll as pay for a full-time alcohol enforcement officer.

By Janis Mork

January 8, 2013 (El Cajon)--By a unanimous vote, El Cajon’s City Council voted to condemn former Councilwoman Jillian Hanson-Cox’s embezzlement of funds from her former employer, Century Design. Council also added language to strip Hanson-Cox of any recognitions received from the City.

“Stealing is wrong, no matter what,” said Councilman Gary Kendrick, introducing the resolution. “I want to give an opportunity for the council to collectively and individually condemn her actions…I want to personally say I’m sorry to the Basso family and to what’s happened to them.”

January 9, 2013 (La Mesa) – Benjamin Nicholas Davidson, 28, of El Cajon is under arrest after fleeing from police, crashing head-on into another vehicle and breaking into a nearby home.

The incident began last night at 9:52 p.m., when a La Mesa Police officer tried to stop a Saab sedan traveling at a high speed on Fuerte Drive. The driver turned quickly onto Grossmont Boulevard, colliding head-on with a Ford F-150.

According to police, the Saab driver ran from the collision scene and tried to elude police by breaking into a home in the 9300 block of Wister Drive. The suspect was confronted by the home owners, who pushed him out the front door.