East County News Service

April 29, 2016 (Santee) – George Lowery, 50, a homeless man found brutally beaten April 24^th in the San Diego riverbed in Santee, has died of his injuries. 

East County News Service

April 20, 2016 (Santee) -- An Earth Day Community Mural project is being launched in Santee at the Walker Preserve this weekend. Volunteers are needed to help pain a series of six murals at the Magnolia Avenue underpass along the San Diego River starting Friday, April 22^nd through Monday, April 25^th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

East County News Service

March 27, 2016 (Santee) – Kenneth Ryan, 28, has been arrested on multiple felon assault charges and an outstanding robbery warrant after taking a woman hostage in Santee yesterday.

East County News Service

February 25, 2016 (Santee) -- Riding inside the car is one thing, but riding trapped inside the front bumper of a car for 8 miles was quite another for a cat from Santee.

By Mike Allen

January 28, 2016 (El Cajon)--A plan to expand operations at Gillespie Field and develop a 70-acre site once occupied by the El Cajon Speedway was put in a holding pattern because of a lack of federal funding.

Earlier this month, board members from the Gillespie Field Development Council, a five-member board that oversees the county-owned airport, heard that expected federal grant funding to finance the estimated $30 million project wasn’t available.

By Mike Allen

January 18, 2016 (Santee)--Santee’s City Council has voted to amend an earlier ban on medical marijuana dispensaries, adding the explicit prohibition of cultivating and delivering weed within the city.

The city already prohibited the sale of weed dating to 2009, and has never allowed the activity, but a recent slate of regulations adopted by the state and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in October has prompted many cities to pass additional laws ensuring that the cities maintain local control.

The vote on Jan. 13 was 5-0, although one council member said the city should take another look at the issue especially in light of the money the city is spending to enforce the ban.

Free & discounted services at over 30 Santee health, fitness & wellness organizations in January

By Steve Lauria

 December 29, 2015 (Santee)--The City of Santee is a growing community in East County, and a great place to live and raise a family. Along with the rest of the country, it has a growing problem with obesity, chronic disease, and other health related problems.

 California Health Network is a nonprofit organization that was founded in Santee in 2012. Some of its efforts include East County’s first health and fitness expo, the East County Live Well Expo, and obesity prevention presentations to more than 60 local high school classes.

To help increase community awareness, California Health Network is promoting “Santee Health Awareness Month” in January of 2016, with the help of local officials and health related organizations.

East County News Service

December 24, 2015 (Santee)--Kellie and Dallas Coates-Legare had fleeting but frequent thoughts of opening a "serenity shop" sometime in their lives. They wanted to create a place focused on all of the anonymous recovery programs that would enhance the recovery journey of individuals while creating a supportive and compassionate environment for all seeking serenity in their lives; a place to buy tokens, books, cards and gifts of inspiration, celebration and healing.

This desire came from a long history of addiction and alcoholism in family members and friends which created a unique awareness of the disease of addiction in Kellie, both as a registered nurse and personally.

County News Service

December 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--The family of three—a couple approximately in their 40s, and their 17-year-old son and pet dog—slept in sleeping bags and blankets behind a Santee gas station last week. They were dressed in layers and were huddled or lying down on the concrete ground close to the building with their belongings in a few small carts. The family has been homeless since last December. Because the father works there five days a week, the gas station owner allows them to sleep on the property on occasion.

East County News Service

December 1, 2015 (Santee) –A 31-year-old El Cajon man was killed and two other people injured in a rollover accident on State Route 52 west of State Route 125 in Santee shortly before 5 a.m. this morning. The passenger who sustained fatal injuries was not wearing a seatbelt.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Kevin Pearlstein, a 33-year-old man from Escondido was driving a 2004 GMC pickup westbound when the vehicle drafted into a dirt center divide. The driver over-corrected, causing the truck to travel down a hill on the right before overturning.

East County News Service

November 22, 2015 (Santee) – Santee Santas invites you to join its 4^th annual Waddle & Trot 5K and Fun Run happening at 8:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov 26th. Runners and walkers of all levels are welcome.

This fast & flat 5K race starts and finishes at the Pathways Center in Santee, and loops around through scenic Santee Lakes. The 1/4 mile Fun Run takes place at the Pathways Center campus. All proceeds benefit Santee Santas and the Santee Food Bank.

East County News Service

November 10, 2015 (Santee) – A suspect who reportedly fled after a traffic stop in Santee later crashed and was ejected.  When he refused to cooperate with deputies after the accident, 41-year-old Anthony Ortega was tasered and arrested, said Sergeant Daniel Morsch.

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2015 (Santee) – The Sheriff’s department seeks public help to locate a Hispanic man in his late 20s or early 30s reported to have stalked multiple teenage girls in Santee near Santana High School.  The suspect was driving a white 1997-2004 Ford F-150 two-door pickup truck, dented on the passenger side between the front wheel well and passenger door. There was a silver tool box in the truck bed.  When last seen, he was unshaven with short hair and a dark complexion.

In the most recent incidents, the truck was seen driving past the home of a 17-year-old girl near Magnolia Avenue and Tomel Court several times over the weekend, at times honking the horn. On November 9, while in the street near her home, the victim recognized the same truck driving slowly behind her.  She started running and the truck then sped up and passed her. She ran home and later saw the truck pass her residence again, said Sergeant Joe Passalacqua.

In late September, Santana’s principal sent a letter warning parents about a suspect in a white pickup following multiple female students near Mast and Magnolia, as ECM reported. 

October 9, 2015 (Santee)--The American Diabetes Association (ADA) in San Diego will raise money for programs and services for people living with diabetes at its Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes, a fundraising walk on Sunday morning, Oct. 18, at NTC Park at Liberty Station, 2455 Cushing Road, San Diego.

One of the ADA’s East County programs to receive support from Step Out will be Camp Wana Kura, a summer day-camp held at Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve for children with diabetes.