By Miriam Raftery

December 9, 2021 (Deerhorn Valley) – Residents of rural Deerhorn Valley south of Jamul battled a fire Tuesday, December 7 that began near Deerhorn Valley Road and Elena.  Residents have voiced concerned about fire response time and how the fire started.

(Photo -left of Split Bakehouse owner Vanessa Corrales and her cousin Roxy Corrales)

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

December 8, 2021 – La Mesa’s Grossmont Center offers even more vegan food choices since adding Mystical Blends to their food court. Mystical Blends joins Split Bakehouse, a vegan bakery, and other establishments at the mall.

Split Bakehouse is located near the food court, just steps outside their west doors. They are a 100% plant-based bakery. They have won best vegan bakery, reader’s pick, in a San Diego Magazine poll in 2021 and best vegan pastries in 2019.

“We’ve been here three years,” said Split Bakehouse owner Vanessa Corrales. She adapted to the covid19 pandemic by opening a window in their storefront that they sell their plant based baked goods from Wednesday to Sunday. A buzzer can be used to alert staff to a customer’s presence.

“We are 100% plant based,” she said. “We make our own eggs and butter. We are mostly known for our ‘laminated’ croissants.”

By Elijah McKee

December 5, 2021 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove has several new businesses that you may want to check out when doing your holiday shopping including a boutique and art space, a coffee shop with health and wellness gifts, and a brewery.

Shopping locally not only brightens the holiday season for local businesses and those on your holiday gift list, it also puts some sales tax jingle into the city’s coffers to help fund projects that benefit the community.

This is part 3 in our series on new local retailers in East County.

By Miriam Raftery

December 5, 2021 (Borrego Springs) – The Anza Borrego Foundation’s member hikes are back starting Tuesday, December 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The first hike of the season will explore Sentenac Canyon and Cienega, including the Pacific Crest Trail and views of Earthquake Valley, Whale Peak, Volcan Mountain, Granite Mountain and Sentenac Canyon as well as Cienega, a rare desert wetland where habitat restoration is underway.

By Kiki Skagen Munshi

December 4, 2021 (Julian) -- Julian’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah will take place on Sunday, December 12, in the Julian Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. and all are welcome.  This is a community event, free of charge though donations are welcome. 

By Miriam Raftery

December 4, 2021 (La Mesa) – This holiday season, why not spread some cheer by shopping local to find some unique gifts right here in East County? 

If you haven’t ventured out lately, you may not realize that many new stores have opened amid the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. 

In this series, we’ll be focusing on new retail outlets perfect for your gift-giving needs – starting with La Mesa’s downtown village.

"These types of extraction operations pose an inherent risk to public safety.” --Shelly S. Howe, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Agency 

Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency

December 3, 2021 (El Cajon) --  Yesterday the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Narcotic Task Force and El Cajon Police Department executed a state search warrant at a warehouse at 1478 Fayette Street in El Cajon.  Investigators uncovered an active and sophisticated hexane hash oil extraction laboratory operation. 

By Miriam Raftery

December 2, 2021 (El Cajon) – Stellar musicians will rock the night onstage at The Magnolia in downtown El Cajon this week, including Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame on Friday, December 3 at 8 p.m.  Then on Monday, December 6 at 8 p.m., renown artists Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn and Sara Watkins will perform together in concert.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner ABC10 News

December 1, 2021 (El Cajon) – A man who reportedly threatened another person with a gun during a domestic violence dispute in City Heights early this morning fled the scene when San Diego Police officers arrived shortly after 7 a.m. 

The suspect, who was driving a white SUV, led officers on a high speed pursuit first to Kearny Mesa. California Highway Patrol joined the chase but halted when speeds reached up to 100 miles per hour near a school, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

By Miriam Raftery

November 30, 2021 (Ramona) – John Romeo, 57, a convicted felon seen leaving the vicinity of a shooting in Ramona, has been arrested on charges of illegally possessing a handgun and drug possession. He has not been charged in the shooting because the woman injured has refused to tell deputies how she sustained the wound, says Sergeant Jared Anderson.

On November 29 shortly after 4:30 p.m., deputies at the Ramona Sheriff’s station responded to a call reporting a woman had been shot at her home in the 2100 block of Walnut Street. They found her in the front yard with an apparent gunshot wound on her leg. 

East County News Service

November 28, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – Angel Gaspar Gallegos, 12, a student at Parkway Middle School in La Mesa, was killed on Thanksgiving night by a bullet while playing with cousins in his aunt’s backyard in the Skyline neighborhood.

By Kathy Carpenter 

East County News Service

Photo via Cal Fire Twitter feed

November 27, 2021 (Ramona) – The medical examiner has identified the woman found dead after a fire at her home as Deborah Ann Hester, 61.

Based on preliminary law enforcement investigation, on the early morning hours of November 15^th, Hester called 9-1-1 and requested emergency assistance due to a fire at her residence. San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the decedent’s residence at 566 Telford Lane in Ramona and heard her screaming for help.

By Henri Migala, East County Eater

Photos by Henri Migala, Miriam Raftery and Sammy’s

November 27, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Having been reviewing restaurants in East County for nearly two years now I have been reporting that East County has become the new gastronomic center of San Diego.

Nowhere is this more evident than the recently renovated Sammy’s Food + Wine in La Mesa. With a full and varied menu that reflects the international background of founder Sammy Ladeki and the rich multicultural nature of our eclectic East County community, Sammy’s offers something for everyone.

Celebrate “50 Days of Fiesta” with special menu and more now through Dec. 24  

East County News Service

November 27, 2021 (La Mesa) – Diane Powers’ Casa de Pico Mexican restaurant is celebrating 50 years of delicious and festive fun starting November 4 through December 24 in La Mesa’s Grossmont Center.  

Opened in 1971, Casa de Pico was Powers’ first restaurant and originally located within San Diego’s Old Town State Park. With the vision of recreating the beautiful Mexican bazaars she had long-admired, Powers leased the site of the rundown and boarded up Casa de Pico Motel from the state and began a legendary transformation of the space to create Bazaar del Mundo, a colorful shopping and dining experience, including Casa de Pico.