By Miriam Raftery

December 18, 2022 (Lakeside) – San Diego County is a hub for child sex trafficking, with at least 3,000 victims here each year. How can you protect your children?  Find out on Thursday, January 19 when the Lakeside Union School District and El Capitan High School PTSA groups host a screening of the film “Stolen: a Year-Long Investigation into Child Sex Trafficking and Exploitation.”  This must-see film based on an NBC 7 investigative series will be shown at the El Capitan High School Events Center (10410 Ashwood St., Lakeside) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

East County News Service

December 18, 2022 (Borrego Springs) – Dawes Eddy, 79, once set a record as the oldest American to climb Mount Everest. But on December 13, he failed to return from a hike up San Ysidro Mountain East Peak in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  skimming device recovered by La Mesa Police Department

December 14, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Skimming devices attached by thieves to ATM machines and credit card devices have stolen money from consumers in multiple East County locations. Some even have tiny hidden cameras stealing pin codes.

Lieutenant Katy Lynch with the La Mesa Police department confirms, “It’s definitely a trend.” LMPD has launched a campaign to educate merchants and the public on how to protect consumers and help nab thieves behind these schemes.

In La Mesa alone, 12 cases of skimming have been reported in the past year, with others in adjacent communities. “Many cases go unreported to law enforcement,” says Lt. Lynch. She urges anyone who is a victim of a skimming scam, or who believes they have spotted a skimmer, to immediately alert law enforcement. 

Showing a police report to banks or other financial institutions can help consumers recover money faster and also helps law enforcement catch the crooks, such as by identifying fingerprints or DNA on skimmers, and by asking businesses for surveillance videos. Businesses are encouraged to check their devices daily and report anything suspicious.

By Miriam Raftery

File photo:  snow at Lake Cuyamaca

December 6, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – A storm system is bringing rain this week to area valleys and mountains. After last night’s rainfall, a new storm system will move in Tuesday, with light rains and colder weather. A dusting of snow is forecast as low as 4,500 in East County’s mountain communities.

Winds and wet weather may produce difficult driving conditions. Wind gusts could reach up to 55 miles per hour over mountain peaks and ridges, and through wind-prone canyons and passes. Use caution, particularly with high-profile vehicles.  Be prepared for delays and carry chains if driving at higher elevations.

East County News Service 

December 5, 2022 (Lakeside) – The driver of a BMW 325i lost her life in a fiery solo-vehicle crash yesterday at 4:27 p.m., though a passenger escaped.

East County News Service

 December 4, 2022 (San Marcos) – The battle to protect nearly 2,000 acres in San Diego’s North County from development is over. Two years after voters approved ballot Measure B to block construction of the controversial Newland Sierra housing project previously approved by San Diego’s Board of Supervisors, one of the project’s leading opponents, Golden Door spa, has acquired the property to preserve it as open space and wildlife habitat for generations to come. 

 “We are excited to finally secure this remarkable benefit for climate action initiatives,” said Kathy Van Ness, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Golden Door.  “Protecting this property reflects our deep commitment to sustainability, which we believe is part of our responsibility to our community and beyond.  Caring for the incredible resources on this site is a way we can truly contribute to our shared climate action goals.”

 Nathan Fletcher, Chair of the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors, applauded this unique win-win opportunity for the region.

By Miriam Raftery

November 30, 2022 (La Mesa)  -- A $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest in the case of Cassidy Hopwood, an El Cajon teen who went missing in February. Her body was found March 13 behind a business in the 7900 block of El Cajon Blvd. in La Mesa, but she was not identified until November. 

Source:  California Department of Justice

November 28, 2022 (Oakland) - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert warning Californians of scammers targeting the state’s middle-class tax refund. Californians eligible for this one-time refund will automatically receive a payment by January 2023 by direct deposit or on a debit card. Below, Attorney General Bonta provides tips to help Californians waiting for their tax refund protect themselves from scams. 

By Miriam Raftery

Updated 3 p.m. with new outage information

November 24, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Gusty winds howled across East County’s mountains and rural region last night and early today, Thanksgiving morning.  Strong winds are forecast to continue through Friday.

The National Weather Service reports peak gusts as high as 89 miles per hour on Sill Hill near Descanso and 75 mph on Cuyamaca Peak in San Diego’s inland region between 10 p.m. last night and 10 a.m. today. Many other local areas had strong winds as well.

SDG&E reports outages in Campo, Dulzura, and Potrero with power restoration expected around 6 p.m. due to a foreign object hitting a power line, putting a damper on Thanksgiving cooking. In Granite Hills/Bostonia areas of El Cajon, outages have left people without power until an estimated 6 p.m. power restoration time. Two outages in the Julian, Wynola, Pine Hills and Santa Ysabel areas is due to have power restored around 5:30 p.m. Outages in East County have a 4 p.m. projected power restoration time. An earlier outage in Live Oak Springs, Boulevard and Jacumba, has been restored. Find out the latest outage info at to the SDG&E outage map.  

East County News Service

November 24, 2022 (San Diego) – Pilots safely landed two helicopters that collided near San Diego’s Brown Field Tuesday shortly after 6 p.m. 

A  UH-60A Firehawk contracted by SDG&E for year-round firefighting in our region collided in midair with a U.S.  Navy MH-60R Seahawk with three crewmembers aboard.

Despite the damage, crews and their families have much to be thankful for. "Both aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries to personnel," said ENS. Bryan Blair, Assistant Public Affairs Officer for Commander, Naval Air Forces, NBC 7 reports.

By Mike Allen

Photo: CC by ND via Bing

November 22, 2022 (Santee) -- Santee may be late to the party that other city governments have joined, allowing the sale of cannabis, yet it’s in no hurry to figure out how it will be permitted and managed.

East County News Service

November 22, 2022 (San Diego) – A 6.2 earthquake struck in Baja California, Mexico around 8:39 a.m.  The quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean about 18 miles southwest of Las Brisas, 138 miles southwest of Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

East County News Service

File photo

November 21, 2022 (Ramona) – An unidentified male pedestrian was struck by a 2020 Nissan Sentra at 1:19 a.m. in Ramona, suffering major injuries.

A 24-year-old man was driving the Nissan north on State Route 67, just south of Rancho De Oro Drive when the pedestrian was walking westbound across traffic lanes on the highway, according to Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  CC by Gage Skidmore; file image at Arizona rally

November 21, 2022 (Washington D.C.) – Twice impeached and under investigation for serious federal and state crimes, former president Donald Trump announced on Nov. 15 that he plans to run for president again in 2024.  The announcement, made at Trump’s Mar al Lago estate in Florida, came just days after most Trump-backed candidates suffered defeats in elections for Congress, Governor and other key positions across the nation.

Meanwhile in Washington D.C., Trump’s reelection announcement prompted Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special independent prosecutor to complete federal criminal investigations into Trump’s incitement of violence in the January 6, 2021 capitol insurrection, his refusal to take action to halt it, his removal of numerous classified documents from the White House, and other potentially serious federal crimes.  The appointment of Smith as independent prosecutor aims to eliminate the appearance of partisan politics from any future indictment or exoneration of Trump.

The federal prosecutor, Jack Smith, is a former federal prosecutor who has most recently been working to prosecute international war criminals at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. He formerly served as head of the Dept. of Justice’s Public Integrity Unit, which prosecutes public corruption cases such as bribery and election tampering.