East County News Service

February 2, 2019 (Poway) -- The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego elected the Rev. Canon Susan Brown Snook as its fifth diocesan bishop today at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Poway. She was elected on the first ballot during an election that involved 212 voting delegates.  She is the first woman to be elected bishop since the diocese was formed in 1973. Others on the ballot were the Rev. Roy Hoffman, DMin and the Rev. Michael Tinnon, DMin, both priests serving in this diocese.

East County News Service

February 1, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- A powerful storm is forecast to bring heavy rains and powerful winds countywide tonight through Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. 

The storm could bring up to 4 inches of snow in mountain areas and a half inch in deserts, with 1.25 inches forecast in inland valleys and the coast. Strong winds with gusts up to 70 or 80 miles per hour in mountain and deset passes are also forecast, so secure loose items such as patio umbrellas. 

Flash flooding, urban flooding and debris flows are possible in some areas.

Another storm is expected to reach our region Sunday morning, with lighter rainfall Sunday and Monday.

By Miriam Raftery

January 17, 2019 (La Mesa)--Join us at our East County Dining Club’s next delicious event: a seafood soiree in the cozy party room at Red Lobster (8703 Murray Dr., La Mesa) across from Grossmont Center on Thursday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m. RSVP and prepay  to reserve space for this popular event.

You don't have to be a member to attend, though members receive special benefits. Proceeds benefit East County Media to support East County Magazine and East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts.

Your options include not only delicious wood-grilled lobster, shrimp and salmon, but also sizzling steak, Cajun chicken pasta, and options for luscious desserts.

We will also have plentiful prizes for our drawing including Red Lobster and other restaurant gift certificates, winery gift certificate, a wine rack, jewelry, novels, cookbooks, spa gift certificates, coffee, hand-woven scarf, and more.

East County News Service 

January 28, 2019 5:10 p.m. (Cuyamaca) -- A controlled burn in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park has jumped out of control, NBC 7 reports. Cal Fire has not confirmed this but the Cal Fire Twitter feed states that Cal Fire is assisting State Parks with this burn.

The burn began in the 13000 block of Highway 79 and is currently burning near I-8 east at Japatul Valley. 

East County News Service 

January 27, 2019 (Lakeside) – A 27-year-old San Diego man driving a stolen 2003 white Chevrolet Tahoe died in a crash in Lakeside early this morning.

Last year, over $40 million in state and federal refunds were received by over 31,000 San Diegans

East County News Service

January 25, 2019 (San Diego) – United Way of San Diego County and 2-1-1 San Diego announced today that they are partnering to leverage funds granted by the California Department of Community Services Development (CSD), to promote the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) and expand free tax preparation services. The two nonprofits are partnering with several other nonprofit organizations to help low- and moderate-income families prepare and file their 2018 taxes for free, and potentially add thousands of dollars to their refunds.

Santee Drive-In Theatre is one possible site for low-income housing

Council also approves feasibility study on community choice energy option, with two other cities

View Powerpoint presentation

By Mike Allen

January 24, 2019 (Santee) --Believe it not, Santee needs new housing, particularly affordable type, and more rental stock to handle demand from folks who cannot afford to buy houses.

But where to put housing geared to low income earners, and how that construction will impact other properties are not easy subjects, as was revealed at the latest City Council meeting Jan. 23.

The agenda item that prompted much frustration and hand wringing was a proposed residential condo development on a parcel owned by the county. City Ventures, a large Irvine-based developer, recently obtained the 22-acre parcel which is now in escrow. The company wants to build 365 new units at the site, which is just east of Town Center Community Park, behind the YMCA.

“This is your house.” -- Julian Cuyamaca Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Mike Van Bibber

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

Editor Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

January 24, 2019 (Julian) –“We’re rising from the ashes and we will emerge like the Phoenix, even better than before we were,” Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Mike Van Bibber told a crowd of some 75 citizens at a spaghetti dinner held Sunday in the main stationhouse on Highway79.

The mood was buoyant, despite storm clouds still looming over the district. A special election to save the county’s last volunteer fire department is slated for March, after residents gathered enough signatures to put the decision on the ballot and temporarily block takeover by the County Fire Department run by Cal-Fire.

East County News Service

January 24, 2019 (Washington, D.C.) - Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, has been appointed to serve on the Military Personnel Subcommittee and the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. Davis returns to Military Personnel as a member. She was Chair of Personnel from 2007 to 2011 and served as Ranking Member from 2011 to 2017. Davis will be the second highest ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.

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By Miriam Raftery

January 23, 2019 (San Diego) — San Diego ranks among the 13 worst regions in the nation for human trafficking, according to the FBI.  The underground sex economy locally is worth an estimated $810 million a year. To combat this crisis and help protect vulnerable young people, District Attorney Summer Stephan has announced three new programs to bring human trafficking education, prevention and awareness training to kids and teens in all public schools countywide.

Newsom proposes $7.5 million to fight black infant mortality.

By Dan Morain, CALmatters

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

January 21, 2019 (San Diego) - African-American women experience a far higher risk of pregnancy-related death than women in other ethnic groups, and black infants die at far higher rates, a threat that has promped Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose spending an extra $7.5 million to confront the issue next fiscal year.

By Miriam Raftery

January 18, 2019 (Lakeside) – Kathryn Anne Kennedy, 70, was found in Ocotillo Wells shortly after 11 a.m. this morning, Lt. David Perkins with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department has confirmed to ECM.

“A concerned citizen saw her sitting on the steps of the market at a campground in Ocotillo Wells and called for a welfare check because she seemed disoriented,” Lt. Perkins told ECM. Law enforcement officers identified her as the missing woman and transported her back to Lakeside to be reunited with friends, after making sure she did not appear to have any physical injuries.

“She was shaken, hungry and tired,” says Jill Barto, who helped organize a search for the missing woman and received word via a phone call with the good news.

January 17, 2019 (Jamul) – EnviroMine, the developer of a proposed sand mine at the Cottonwood Golf Course site in Rancho San Diego, is slated to make a presentation to the Jamul-Dulzura Community Plannning Group. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 12^th at 7:30 p.m. at Jamul Primary School's Auditorium at 14567 Lyons Valley Road (at the corner of Lyons Valley Road and Skyline Truck Trail).

Note: This location has changed from the usual venue to accommodate a large anticipated crowd.