Late night fire displaces 4 adults and 2 children

January 31, 2012 (El Cajon)—A Heartland Fire & Rescue crew from El Cajon responded to reports of a structure fire at a board and care facility at 1460 E. Lexington Avenue in El Cajon late last night. Fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the facility, with reports of a trapped victim.

Update January 24, 2012:  Richard Hiel has been found, the Sheriff reports today.  

January 16, 2012 (El Cajon)—A 12-year-old boy has died of stab wounds in a crime that has shocked a neighbors on Royal Road in the unincorporated area of El Cajon.  The  suspect is a 10-year-old boy, Lt. Larry Nesbitt with the Sheriff's Homicide Detail confirms.

A neighbor, Derek Gorton, 18, told 10 News that the boys were close friends, but indicated that the younger child suffered from severe emotional issues. “Even though he threw temper tantrums, we never thought he’d do anything like this,” he said. 

January 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)—Due to guardrail repairs, the connector ramp from northbound State Route 67 to westbound Interstate 8 will be closed Saturday morning. The closure will be in effect from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m., according to the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans).

 
January 6, 2012 (East County) --  Estela De Los Rios, social justice advocate from El Cajon, has been selected to receive the Ashley Walker Social Justice Award from the San Diego Human Relations Commission.  She has championed battles to end human trafficking, hate crimes, and discrimination in our region. 

Photos by Monica Zech

January 4, 2012 (El Cajon) – A homeowner escaped her burning mobile home this morning, but her chihuahua dog, Mojo, was found unconscious and near death. Thanks to dedicated efforts  by local firefighters, however, Mojo's live has been saved. 

By Megan McGlamery

Photos by Woo-Jin Shim and Natalia Robert (http://full-circle-images.com/)

December 30, 2011 (San Diego)--Since 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been helping refugees rebuild their lives after fleeing tumultuous wars or other catastrophes in their homelands.  The IRC is currently active in 22 U.S. cities as well as overseas. In 2001, the IRC created its Microenterprise Program with the goal of helping refugees create their own businesses.

In the last 10 years, the IRC has helped 175 San Diego-based refugees become small-business owners. To showcase some of the great refugee-owned eateries of East County, the IRC hosted a Micro-finance bus tour, offering patrons a chance to sample some delicious cuisine from Iraq and East Africa.

By Meg Jensen

December 28, 2011 (El Cajon) – After heated testimony, El Cajon’s Council unanimously approved a ballot measure to grant the City Council “supreme authority over state law by having El Cajon become a charter city. Council members also approved a management team for a new planned business improvement district (PBID)in its December 13 meeting.  

 
December 15, 2011 (El Cajon) – For an artsy twist on the holiday season, stop by the Holiday Open House Extravaganza located at the Silver Creek Fine Art Gallery and Custom Framing, 120 East Main Street in El Cajon on December 16 from 5 – 8 p.m.  Meet featured artists Rick Knight, glass artist, and Denise Rich, cow artist.

 Story and photo by Pam Wilmers

 View a video by Billy Ortiz:  http://youtu.be/RGCBdTSChHw

December 4, 2011 (El Cajon ) – A home and barn used for storage at 5237 Dehesa Road in the unincorporated area of El Cajon were destroyed by fire this morning.

Leonard Villareal, spokesman for San Miguel Fire Department, said the November 1st elimination of the fire engine at the Department’s Dehesa station was “not a factor in this case."