By Nadin Abbott

Photo:  Firefighters battle spot fire in Lakeside; photo by Jeff Holz

May 26, 2013 (San Diego East County)—Fire season is off to an early start. Yesterday, even as firefighters fought to contain the 1800-acre San Felipe fire in the mountains of East County, four new fires drew resources from across the region.  Here is a wrap-up on those fires in Ramona, Lakeside, the Santee/San Diego boundary area, Dulzura, and the border region.

May 30, 2013 (El Cajon ) – Round up the art lovers and music lovers in your family for the third annual Western Music Jubilee on Saturday, June 1 starting at 7 p.m. at the Cuyamaca Performing Arts Center.   The show stars Sourdough Slim, Dave Bourne, Mary Kaye, and the Red Hot Rhythm Rustlers.

It’s all to benefit educational programs at the Olaf Wieghorst  Museum in downtown El Cajon.Wieghorst was one of America’s premier western artists.  A cowboy and cavalryman who once pursued Pancho Villa,  his paintings hung in the White House and were owned by three presidents: Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

By Bill Weaver



May  24, 2013 (Alpine--originally written May 14, 2013) -- I am disappointed to report that new information has recently surfaced that indicates that Propositions H and U Bond funds have been grossly misused by the GUHSD, and that this misuse has been the subject of a cover-up by the GUHSD Trustees and Administrative staff.  A "smoking gun" has been discovered that points toward unethical and non-transparent behavior by District staff, presumably under the direction of the Trustees.



You will see from the content in the attachment that District bond construction funds have been mismanaged at best, and GUHSD fiscal policies and decision-making are a train wreck. The attachment shows that the District's ongoing bond management practices and accounting procedures have cheated taxpayers and burdened the district with unsustainable district "OPEX" Operating Expenses.

May 24, 2013 (Mountain Springs) - Photographers Jim Pelley and Parke Ewing spotted a herd of endangered Peninsular Bighorn sheep preparing to cross I-8 in Mountain Springs, at the county line separating San Diego and Imperial Valley counties. 

Residents report that wildlife is returning to the area over the past week, since wind turbines at the adjacent Ocotillo area have been silenced during the investigation into a blade that fell from a wind turbine.

How many sheep can you find ih the photo below? (click "read more" to view.)  We don't know the answer, but Pelley says spotting the well-camouflaged sheep reminds him of playing "Where's Waldo."

May 24, 2013 (Ramona)--The County Department of Animal Services (DAS) is investigating the death of a horse and is caring for another ten horses seized from an owner in Ramona late yesterday afternoon.      

DAS was called to Ramona Monday after a group of horses was found loose on Highway 78 Monday. CHP and CALFIRE returned them to a nearby property, and DAS began monitoring a herd of 30 horses at the location, noting that the animals lacked food and water. CALFIRE supplied some water, but the conditions prompted DAS to post a notice advising the horses’ owner the animals were subject to seizure.

Concerned neighbors also provided some feed to the horses, but based on the conditions officers found during a check yesterday, DAS seized all of the animals on the property.

By Nadin Abbott

Update May 24, 2013: 2 p.m. - The blaze is now 1800 acres.

Update May 24, 2013: Cal Fire held the blaze to 1500 overnight and now has 60% containment, with no threat to structures. One minor injury to a firefighter occurred.

May 23, 2013 (San Felipe)—Around 1 p.m., Cal Fire informed San Diegans through its Twitter account that it was conducting a controlled burn near the site of last year’s Ranchita Fire.Soon after, according to Cal Fire Deputy Chief Kely Zombro, “The winds shifted in an unprecedented way.”

The fire escaped the containment area, triggering mobilization of resources from across the region. As luck would have it, a multi-agency wildland training drill was being conducted at the Barona Reservation, where firefighters were swiftly shifted from the drill to the fire scene for a hands-on real-life exercise.

By Miriam Raftery

May 21, 2013 (Alpine) – The San Diego County Grand Jury has issue a report blasting the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) for repeatedly axing plans to build a 12th high school in Alpine despite voters twice approving bond measures to construct the new high school. The report is descriptively titled Grossmont Union High School District—Fool Us Once, Fool Us Twice?

The Grand Jury found that “residents of the GUHSD and the greater Alpine area deserve clarity from the School Board regarding the proposed 12th high school."

The report referenced several past articles published in East County Magazine.

By Sierra Robinson

May 24, 2013 (Santee) – Looking for some family fun this Memorial Day weekend? On Saturday, May 25, the Santee Chamber will be hosting the annual Santee Street Fair. Starting at 10:00 a.m. and running until 7:00 p.m., visitors of all ages can enjoy live music on three stages, over 300 vendor books, food, and entertainment fit for the whole family.

By Jim Pelley

Photos:  Red Tail Hawk at Ocotillo. Thank God the turbines were not spinning! – Jim Pelley

May 22, 2013 (Ocotillo)--It’s been (1) week now since the blade throw at the Ocotillo Wind overseen by Pattern Energy. Wow! What a difference, we forgot what it was like without these wind turbines turning; it’s a breath of fresh air. Not seeing/hearing the turbines turning weather they are generating power or not is a huge difference and now that they are not turning it reminds of some of main reasons we moved to Ocotillo.

May 23, 2013 (San Diego) – The Salvation Army Kroc Center’s Kroc Kids Junior Theatre Company presents a performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS on May 24 & 25 at 7 p.m. and May 26 at 2 p.m. at The Joan Kroc Theatre.

The show will feature local talent ranging in age from 6 to 18, led by a professionally acclaimed production team including: Director and Choreographer – Laura Hodge, Musical Director – David Kamatoy, and numerous others.

By Janis Mork

May 22, 2013 (Alpine)- On May 21, Alpine Soroptomist had a special meeting to honor the organization’s Women of Achievement Award recipient, Brenda Killingbeck (pictured with program chair, Patty Tweed, and her two sons). She came with her sons,  Clayton, 9, and 6-year-old Mason.

“The Women of Achievement Award is awarded to a single mom in East County trying to make a better life for herself, who is trying to support her family, enhance her career, or change careers,” said Patty Tweed, program chair.

She introduced Killingbeck and read a short biography about Killingbeck, an Alpine resident and nurse whose actions helped locate a missing elderly man.

May 24, 2013 (La Mesa) –La Mesa Police responded to a robbery report at 1:24 a.m. at the USA gas station in the 7900 block of University.  A suspect wearing a Spiderman mask pulled a black, semi-automatic pistol out and told a customer to lie on the floor, then began kicking the customer, according to police.

The suspect demanded money from the clerk.  The masked man was last seen running northbound on La Mesa Boulevard. The loss was approximately $300 and the clerk was not injured. The male customer left on a bicycle after the robbery and before police arrived; he has not been located.

May 23, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – On June 1 at 10 a.m., the new Mission Revival style Lemon Grove Library, 3001 School Lane, will open its doors for a day of tours, new library cards, brand new books and resources, a new Friends of the Library bookstore, entertainment, music, food and rejoicing as this community of some 25,000 residents finally gets the library of its dreams. 

Reigning--and ringing--in the new bell tower will be the school district's original, 1894 school bell, recovered and restored in 2002 by the Lemon Grove Historical Society and reinstalled by the Lemon Grove School District on Mar. 12, 2013.

May 22, 2013 (Spring Valley) – Maybe becoming a volunteer Firefighter is a bit much, but please consider being a volunteer “Fire Preventer.”

The San Miguel Fire District in cooperation with its partner CAL FIRE, is ramping up its “Before the Threat, Are You Ready” preparedness and prevention campaign. This massive public education effort provides critical preparedness information with an old- fashioned door-to-door contact.

Again this year they are hoping teams of community volunteers join CAL FIRE Firefighters in a door-to-door campaign in the Districts high hazard urban interface areas. Two major fires in four years have shown all of us the need to be prepared and to create defensible space, to have an evacuation plan, and have the supplies necessary to take care of your families for up to a week.

May 22, 2013 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police were called to the Motel 6 at 7621 Alvarado Road regarding a robbery that had just occurred on May 20 at 2:27 a.m.  Officers found a victim suffering minor injuries from being struck in the head by two unknown suspects.  The victim reported he was robbed of his wallet and car keys by the two assailants.

The victim stated he was visiting a friend and walked out to his vehicle in the parking lot to leave.  The victim reported he was approached from behind, struck over the head, and then knocked to the ground while he was trying to get into his vehicle. The suspects, who were described as African American males, both wearing dark hooded sweatshirts, took the victim’s property and ran towards a waiting vehicle parked on Alvarado Road.  The suspects then fled the scene in that vehicle and were last seen driving east from the motel property.