June 30, 2015 (La Mesa)--Sharp Grossmont was honored with a 2015 Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s best hospitals for cancer care. Sharp Grossmont is just one of 331 hospitals to have earned the award by meeting the highest cancer care accreditation standards of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and other robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction.

June 30, 2015 (La Mesa) --  On Friday, July 24, at La Mesita Park, the City of La Mesa presents the movie “Despicable Me 2” (rated PG).  The Movie starts at 8:00 pm with pre-show entertainment at 7:30 pm.  La Mesita Park is located adjacent to the Junior Seau Sports Complex at 8855 Dallas Street, La Mesa.  This is FUN family entertainment at its best -“Movie Night Under the Stars.”  

East County News Service

June 29, 2015 (Ramona) --  The annual Ramona Fireworks display, synchronized to music, will be held on July 4^th at 9 p.m. at the Ramona High School football field, after a pre-fireworks picnic and activities at Olive Pierce Middle School.  But the Ramona Rotary Club, which organizes the display, has come up short despite substantial community fundraising efforts and warns that unless substantial donations or sponsors are received, this will be the last fireworks show in Ramona.

East County News Service

June 26, 2015 (Santee)—Francisco “Frankie” Castro, 23, is under arrest for an arson fire at  the “House of Hope,” a Santee shelter located at Prospect and Cottonwood avenues. The fire occurred on October 2, 2014.Castro was taken into custody by the Fugitive Task Force Thursday. He had been an "on and off" guest of one of the tenants.

East County News Service

June 27, 2015 (Lakeside) – Looking for a fun, free family activity?  Lindo Lakes County Park will be hosting free summer movies in the park.

June 26, 2015 (Julian) – The Volcan Mountain Foundation is offering a series of events, from hikes to beer-tasting to a summer film festival.  Scroll down for highlights, and visit www.VolcanMt.org. for full details.

By Pastor Rolland Slade, Meridian Baptist Church

June 26, 2015 (El Cajon)--For some time now, alcohol retailers in the City of El Cajon have been under pressure to conduct their businesses more responsibly. But despite all their efforts, irresponsible business practices such as selling to minors and already intoxicated homeless people have continued to be a problem.

By Miriam Raftery

June 25, 2015 (Borrego Springs) -- You just never know what you might see on a warm desert night out in Borrego Springs! 

This shot by our editor, Miriam Raftery, was taken on the summer solstice eve.  The figure at left, a photography student on Dennis Mammana's night sky photography tour, is facing off with a sculpture of a giant sloth (a creature that once roamed the Anza-Borrego Desert). The gigantic metal sculpture is one of many created by artist Richard Breceda that appear tto rise from the desert floor, captivating the imaginations of young and old alike.

The moon, Venus, and Jupiter are faintly visible in the sky above.

June 25, 2015 (Lemon Grove) – At a “Black Lives Matter” rally held last Monday in Lemon Grove, approximately 30 activists including representatives of religious, civil liberties, and immigrant rights groups called for a halt to the Sheriff’s “Operation Lemon Drop” and other similar law enforcement sweeps.

June 25, 2015 (Santee) -- With the slogan "changing lives one goal at a time" the One World Soccer Fest will kick off at the Sportsplex USA Santee (9851 Riverwalk Drive, Santee) on Saturday, July 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Proceeds will benefit the Chisomo Idea and the Homeless World Cup.  Soccer carnival games and a mini soccer clinic are all part of the day's fun, as well as viewing a round-robin soccer tournament.

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2015 (Spring Valley ) – San Miguel Fire Protection Agency has sent a letter notifying the Spring Valley Planning Group that the County intends to close its case on contamination from underground leaking storage tanks at 905 Gillespie Drive in Spring Valley.  The proposal would leave petroleum hydrocarbon elements in the soil to degrade by natural processes under the state’s “Low-Threat Closure Policy.”

Public comments will be accepted from June 27 through  August 31^st.

The fire district removed underground fuel storage tanks at its fire station on the site, Kevin Healy with the County's Enviornmental Health department advised East County Magazine. Under the state's policy, the contaminants can be left in place to degrade naturally if they are found to not pose a human health risk or adversely impact beneficial uses of surface water or groundwater.

East County News Service

June 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County)--Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will be holding a Standing on the Side of Love event to support the national "Black Lives Matter" movement in Lemon Grove, California on June 22nd from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.. 

The movement is a rallying cry against police actions and a criminal justice system which results in extremely disproportionate acts of violence, incrimination and incarceration of Blacks in America. This event will also advocate that local law enforcement agencies such as the San Diego Sheriffs' Department stop conducting actions like Operation Lemon Drop which appear to target low income populations of color.

The rally will start at the northwest corner of Lemon Grove Avenue and Broadway.  At 5:30, local speakers will make short presentations regarding this movement in our region.

By Paul Kruze

Video with permission of Mike Anderson.

June 19, 2015 (Rancho San Diego)--A full contingent of CAL-FIRE and San Diego County firefighters were called to fight a smoky 15-acre fire near State Highway 94 and Jamacha Blvd. that broke out Friday afternoon. The highway was closed to traffic in both directions until the fire reached 85 percent containment at 6:30 p.m.

A Sheriff’s Bomb/Arson Unit is investigating. Although an SDG&E substation was lightly damaged in the fire, power to about 20,000 homes was not affected. A man and a woman observed leaving an area known as a homeless encampment in the burn area have been detained for questioning, though no charges have be filed at this time.

East County News Service

June 18, 2015 (Ramona) – A proposed 18.3 acre solar energy facility is proposed in Ramona at the northwest corner of Creelman Lane and Ashley Road.  The developer is asking the County to adopt a mitigated negative declaration that would exempt it from California Environmental Quality Act review, declaring the impacts to be insignificant.