East County News Service

Photo: El Cajon Police

August 25, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police officers have collared an unusual “suspect” spotting rambling through backyards along Helix View Drive. Though a caller reporting a “possible alligator,” the roving reptile turned out to be a large iguana native to the tropics but commonly kept as pets.

August 25, 2015 (La Mesa)—On Thursday, August 27th at 8 a.m., officers from the La Mesa Police Department and community members will come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee. All community members are invited to attend. The event  is at Starbucks, 5020 Baltimore Drive La Mesa. Please contact Sergeant Brian Stoney with any questions at (619) 667-7555 bstoney@ci.la-mesa.ca.us

By Miriam Raftery

August 25, 2015 (Alpine) –Two men in a white minivan tried to lure a 10-year-old girl into the vehicle on Monday, August 24^th at noon, Sergeant L. Whalen with the Alpine Sheriff’s station reports.  The girl was playing in an apartment complex in the 2000 block of Arnold Way in Alpine when one of the suspects approached and  offered her a ride, saying had candy in the van. The girl ran away and hid in some bushes.

The  white van has had tinted side windows, a pink breast cancer sticker on the back door and two lumber boards on top. One suspect are described as a white man with a freckled face, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with drawstring pulled tight around his face and black sweatpants. Ther is no description of the second suspect.

Photo by Ion Moe/Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

Brandon Kover was accompanied at Cuyamaca College’s commencement ceremony by his favorite instructor, Lindy Brazil, who helped her former student through the processional.

August 21, 2015 (El Cajon ) --A doctor told Brandon Kover’s parents soon after his birth that as the extremely rare individual born without a cerebellum – the region of the brain critical to motor movement and balance – he would be a human vegetable, unable to move or communicate.

East County  News Service

August 23, 2015 (Lakeside) – Yesterday at 5:30 a.m., 16 detectives and deputies from the Lakeside Sheriff's Substation conducted a probation compliance/directed patrol operation in the Lakeside area.  Thirteen people were arrested, including five on warrants and seven on misdemeanor crimes. Stolen property was also recovered, including a $1,500 sound system control console.

August 18, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- Subscribers and donors to East County Magazine are cordially invited to celebrate summer's end (and our 7tht anniversary!) at our Barbecue Bash at our editor's home on Mt. Helix on August 30th from 4 to 7 p.m.

Not yet a subscriber?  Sign up for our weekly newsletter and/or wildfire alerts here FREE,  or donate here.  Then join us as we show our appreciation for our wonderful subscribers and donors! You can also sign up at the door at 4438 Hideaway Place, La Mesa.  Suggested donation: $20.

This festive celebration will include live reggae music with Ed Barrena, wine tasting by Ramona Valley Vineyards, bourbon grilled chicken from Pick Up Stix, BBQ pulled pork (slow-roasted), juicy watermelons from Baron's Market and scrumptious deserts from Grove Pastry Shop. We'll have drawings and a silent auction with lots of prizes including a large barbecue grill with all the fixings, Visionary Dance Theater "Hairspray" show tickets, wine baskets, pottery from Get Centered Clay studio, Julian Wolf Preserve passes, Santee Lakes passes, wine tasting coupons, Water Conservation Garden memberships, Kwai Sun karate lessons, a hand-painted treasure chest, and much, much more!

August 22, 2015 (El Cajon)--Learn how to avoid getting reeled in by financial scammers and other crooks at East County’s first-ever “Don’t Get Hooked” event set for Wednesday, Sept. 23, in El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

August 21, 2015 (Borrego Springs)—A mother and her infant son are dead of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle collision that occurred yesterday shortly before 4 p.m. in Borrego Springs. Three other people were injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.

August 21, 2015 (Anza-Borrego)--California State Parks is scheduled to conduct a limited prescribed burn on park lands today, conditions permitting.  This burn will occur in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at Carrizo Marsh. The burn will impact travel on roadways in the burn area.

East County News Service

August 19, 2015 (Alpine)—The Kiwanis Club of Alpine is looking for some good cooks to enter its annual Alpine Kiwanis Car Show & Chili Cook Off set for Saturday, September 19.  The fundraiser supports local children and the Alpine Community Center.

Update, August 21, 2015:  Donna Tisdale notified us that the backcountry "celebration over the death of Soitec's Boulevard projects was a bit premature. Today, County staff informed me that Soitec is going to remove the 160 cargo containers full of potentially toxic batteries from their Rugged Solar project and will resubmit the revised EIR for certification by the Board of Supervisors. (Back in February, Soitec self-terminated their Tierra Del Sol Solar project just 1 month after receiving Board approval due to a lack of buyers.) Staff is trying to docket the revised EIR for the Board agenda by October so they can meet the Court's order to report back by November 2nd on how they plan to comply," adds Tisdale, who concludes, "The battle to save the backcountry continues."

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: A Soitec solar panel in Newbury Springs, California

August 20, 2015 (Boulevard) – The last of four massive solar projects proposed by Soitec Solar in Boulevard may now be officially dead.

On August 7^th, Superior Court Judge Joel R. Wohlfeil  overturned County Supervisors’ approvals of Soitec’s Rugged Acres and Tierra del Sol projects,  because the approvals violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)  Soitec and the County failed to file an appeal by the August 14^th deadline, says Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Group and founder of Backcountry Against Dumps, which filed the lawsuit aiming to halt the project. View the court's judgment.

“Soitec’s Boulevard projects, approved for 1,200 acres, are now dead and buried!” Tisdale wrote in an email to project opponents. Any new projects proposed for those sites would need to start all over at step one,” requiring a new environmental impacts review, a lengthy and costly process. “I have asked the County for details on when they will set aside their voided approvals, as mandated by the court,” Tisdale added.

By Miriam Raftery

August 19, 2015 (El Cajon)—About 250 to 300 Iraqis from multiple religions and beliefs united in a demonstration in El Cajon on Saturday, standing in solidarity with people across Iraq who have taken to the streets to demand governmental reforms.  Mass protests in Iraq followed a cut-off of electricity amid sweltering heat.

Free Dive-In Movie at the La Mesa Municipal Pool

August 19, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Dive in and enjoy the movie Rio (rated PG) at the La Mesa Municipal Pool on August 21, presented by the City of La Mesa and the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation. The movie is free to the public and will be shown on a large screen. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m., and movie screening at 8:00 p.m..



Bring your swimsuits and something to float on to watch the movie from the pool, or a lawn chair to sit on the pool deck if you prefer to stay dry.

The Supporting Cast runs August 14 - September 13

By Kathy Carpenter, www.sdtheatrereviews.com Associate and Youth Reviewer

August 19, 2015 (La Mesa) - The Supporting Cast, is not a title of a play that grabs me and says “Hey, you need to see me.” However, the play it turns out is aptly named. The title is the name of a book the lead actor in the play wrote. The book is about people who are all married to famous people - thus the supporting cast. These are the heroes behind the celebrities who would not be who they are without the support of their loved one standing behind them. The wonderful support of the entire cast makes the play a hit.