September 30, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – The "History Alive" lecture series, sponsored by the Lemon Grove Historical Society, will continue on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the H. Lee House Cultural Center, 3205 Olive, Lemon Grove.  Jack Shelver, the city's first city manager, will look back at the heady days of early cityhood in 1977. 

Jack, who retired to Julian in 1994, where he serves as president of the Fire Board, spent 17 years as Lemon Grove's chief executive.  He oversaw the coming of the trolley and the recreation of the original train depot.  He also oversaw the building of the Senior Center, launched redevelopment, and established the first General Plan.

  By Ariele Johannson

September 21, 2013 (Lemon Grove) The City of Lemon Grove and Lemon Grove Historical Society invites the public to a Grand Opening Party on the Main Street Promenade on Friday evening, Sept. 27  from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This hometown event celebrates the completion of the Pioneer Modernism Park at the Main Street Promenade and the welcomes Lemon Grove’s newest neighbors from Citronica One, the brand new colorful and modernistic residential and business structure recently completed near Highway 94 and the Lemon Grove Trolley Station.

“Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow” is the name chosen for the Pioneer Modernism Park, as it evokes Lemon Grove’s history. Visitors can view the new wonderful installations at the park, such as the wind spire, tractor slide, mosaics, charming seats, and windmill. Visitors are encouraged to bring the children, friends and colleagues to enjoy dancers, singers, jugglers, and magicians; to play in contests of hula hoop, jump rope, bubble blowing and whistling; and to enjoy free cookies and lemonade, and much more.

September 15, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC) will host a bus tour of East County to learn about business opportunities, existing and future plans in the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Santee, and the communities of Alpine, Lakeside, Rancho San Diego, and Spring Valley. The tour will be held on Wednesday, September 25.  Those interested in attending must register by Friday, September 20. 

August 23, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – Following an eight-month investigation, San Diego Sheriff’s deputies served search warrants and four arrest warrants at the Little Darlings Strip Club in Lemon Grove last night.

After a number of community complaints about illegal drug usage, drug sales and prostitution at the club, Sheriff’s detectives and the Narcotics Task Force launched an undercover investigation. Dancers and employees sold and supplied undercover detectives with narcotics or drugs on eight separate occasions, said Lt. Hank Turner. Detectives also witnessed or were solicited for lewd and lascivious acts for money. Undercover detectives also documented eight acts of prostitution and witnessed repeated licensing violations including selling alcohol to undercover detectives without a license.

July 29, 2013 (Bonita) -- A brush fire is burning at 7152 San Miguel Road in the vicinity of State Routes 125 and 54.  Structures and power lines are at risk. The fire is now 10 acres, burning uphill on San Miguel Mountain.  Fire is underneath high-voltage power lines, scanner traffic indicates.

July 15, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – This summer the music is floating over Berry Street Park, 7071 Mt. Vernon, Lemon Grove on Thursday evenings.  The free concerts are sponsored by the City of Lemon Grove and are from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

June 29, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – At the request of Council members George Gastil and Racquel Vasquez, Lemon Grove’s City Council on July 2 will consider a request from Money Out of Politics (MOP) to adopt a resolution to limit the influence of money in politics. Thirteen state legislatures and many cities, including San Diego and Los Angeles, have already adopted similar resolutions.

The resolution opposes the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case. The high court found limits on corporate campaign contributions to be illegal, finding that corporations have rights similar to citizens. 

The MOP resolution calls on Congress to begin the process of amending the U.S. Constitution t to make clear that corporations are not people and thus are not entitled to the rights and protections of citizens.

June 5, 2013 (Lemon Grove)--Two hundred goats are munching away in Lemon Grove, clearing about an acre of dry brush a day. 

The City of Lemon Grove, along with its fire department, Heartland Fire & Rescue, has brought in the four footed brush-clearing team to create defensible space that helps firefighters protect homes from wildfire.

The goats are at work near Central Ave and Liberty Charter High School, and may be visible to motorists along State Route 125.

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 9. 2013 (Lemon Grove) – Detectives from the Lemon Grove Sheriff's Station and Crime Stoppers want your help in finding and identifying a driver responsible for a hit-and-run that injured a woman.

It happened on April 17 at around 12:30 a.m. as an 18-year-old woman was crossing the street in the 2000 block of Lemon Grove Avenue. The car hit the victim and just kept going. A friend of the victim saw the incident. She describes the car as a small, red in color with dark tinted windows. Parts of the car were left at the scene and determined to be from a red 2005 or 2006 Toyota Corolla. A photo of a similar car is included in this NIXLE message.

April 13, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – A man with physical limitations was transported to UCSD Medical Center with mild injuries after escaping a  fire at a duplex in the 7200 block of Central Avenue in Lemon Grove. Two dogs also escaped the fire, but two cats were found deceased, overcome by smoke.

Red Cross will be assisting five adults and two children displaced in the fire, as well as the two dogs.

March 25, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – At the Lemon Grove Historical Society’s next "History Alive" lecture, Garry McClintock, the renowned saddle maker and CEO of McClintock Saddle Works, Descanso, and authority on cowboy history, will explain what makes a great saddle andwhy the cowboy was central to the story of the American West.  The event will be held on April 4 at 7 p.m. in the H. Lee House Cultural Center, 3205 Olive, Lemon Grove

See McClintock's gorgeous, hand-crafted saddles and hear why the life and times of the cowboy and his trusty horse became rooted in the American psyche.  From the gritty outback, to the open plains, to sprawling ranches, to the silver screen, the often harsh realities of the cowboy's world became the stuff of myth and legend, song and poetry. 

March 25, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove Academy joined local efforts to educate students and parents of the dangers of drugs and alcohol in East County by hosting its first Underage Drinking Forum on Thursday. The event, which took place on March 21, featured a complimentary pizza dinner, a presentation by a local drug and alcohol expert, as well as a separate break-out session for youth.

Retired narcotics officer and Executive Director of The Proactive Network Against Substance Abuse, Phil Hubbs, educated a group of nearly 40 parents about current drug and alcohol trends. He also showed parents a display of various household items such as hand sanitizer, whipped cream canisters and keyboard cleaner that kids use to get drunk or high.

March 3, 2013 (Lemon Grove) -- Live power lines are down in the 2500 block of Massachusetts Avenue in Lemon Grove after a vehicle struck a pole, Incident Page Network reports tonight.  SDG&E is reportedly en route; avoid this area.

January 26, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – The next "History Alive" lecture, sponsored by the Lemon Grove Historical Society, on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the H. Lee House Cultural Center, 3205 Olive, Lemon Grove, will feature Alexander D. Bevil discussing "Angels at 7 o'clock," his illustrated story of pioneering women aviators who made history between World War I and the 1930s when aviation was in its infancy. 

"Faced with gender bias, ridicule and sometimes outright sabotage, these 'First Ladies of Flight' had a single-minded determination to fly," said Bevil, who has been a California State Parks historian since 1998 and is the current president of the Congress of History of San Diego & Imperial Counties.