East County News Service

July 9, 2014 (San Diego) –East County Magazine picked up 10 journalism awards tonight in the Society of Professional Journalists San Diego contest, including four first place awards and for the third year in a row, the James Julian Memorial Award for community reporting.  

ECM picked up two awards for reports aired on KNSJ radio, as well as honors for online reporting. This brings ECM’s total awards to 69 since our launch in 2008.

“This is public service journalism at its finest—identify the problem for readers and track the changes. It worked in this case. Bravo,” commented a judge for the James Julian award, which includes a $100 cash prize for our story titled Why is County Veterans Service Department ignoring rural East County vets?  By Miriam Raftery.  After the report aired, Supervisor Dianne Jacob introduced a measure later adopted to bring veterans’ services to county libraries in rural locations.

In March, we covered plenty of hot topics, from the new healthcare exchange programs in California to La Mesa’s term limits initiative.  We toured a zebra ranch and animal rescue facility in Ramona, heard complaints about AT&T’s home wireless sytems, and had a rollicking interview with the Bayous Brothers band.  View a complete list of interviews and topics covered during March by clicking here.

You can hear our show on KNSJ 89.1 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5 p.m., with reruns aired the next mornings at 9 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.

By Miriam Raftery

March 10, 2014 (Santee)—“The musicianship is top notch and the music is infectious. I’m loving every minute of it!” says bass player Danny Perez of Santee, the newest member of the popular Bayou Brothers band.  The Bayou Brothers will bring their rollicking, foot-stomping, musical gumbo style to Santee’s Pinnacle Peak restaurant on Wednesday, March 12 for East County Magazine’s own Mardi Gars party from 6-10 p.m. 

It’s a sound straight out of New Orleans’ dance clubs, Louisiana blues festivals and backyard crawfish boils complete with drums, accordion, keyboard, guitar, rub-board and three-part harmony.  The styles range from blues to R&B to zydeco.

 Rick Lee, a drummer who founded the Bayou Brothers back in 1996 with friends who had toured through the South and picked up the flavor of zyedco music, calls it “Louisiana party music.”

Our January 2014 shows are now online—including special reports on East County issues, holiday specials, interviews with top newsmakers and people making a positive difference in our community.  Click here for a list of our January shows and interviews with links to listen online.

You can also hear our one-hour show live when it airs on KNSJ 89.1 FM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5 p.m. and reruns Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m.  Or listen live online during those hours at www.KNSJ.org.

Our November shows are now online—including special reports on East County issues, interviews with top newsmakers, local musicians, authors, colorful characters and people making a positive difference in our community. Click here for a list of our November shows and guests with links to listen online.

You can also hear our show live when it airs on KNSJ 89.1 FM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5 p.m. and reruns Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m.  Or listen live online during those hours at www.KNSJ.org.

By Miriam Raftery

October 31, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) –Nine East County Magazine team members combined to win 11 awards in the 40th annual “Excellence in Journalism Awards” presented by San Diego Press Club on October 29.  ECM has won a total of 58 journalism awards since our launch in September 2008.

Our winning news entries dealt primarily with compelling public health and safety issues(wildfires and industrial-scale energy projects), though we also picked up awards for photography, feature-writing and commentary.

Congratulations to our winners!  In alphabetical order, they are:  Nadin Abbott, Parke Ewing, Paul Kruze, Brian Lafferty, Ron Logan, Jim Pelley, Miriam Raftery, Sierra Robinson, and Darin Sefcik.

September 30, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--We had a great lineup of guests in September!  Our radio shows are now posted,  so you can listen to shows you  missed.  Below are links, along with a lineup of guests each day including Sheriff Bill Gore, Supervisor Dianne Jacob, climate change expert Eve Simmons, Noori Barka from the Chaldean American Institute, Van Collinsworth from Preserve Wild Santee, Helix Water’s Joel Scalzetti, and others including local authors, musicians, historians, and more.

Three ways to listen: 

1.  On-air broadcasts of our show run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and repeats Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM. 

2. If you can’t hear the signal, you can listen live during broadcasts at www.knsj.org. 

3. To listen online to our September shows, click “read more” below and scroll down to read a lineup of guests on each day’s show. (Note: you can find older shows further down the page you're now on.)

By Miriam Raftery; photos by Miriam Raftery, Tom and Nadin Abbott

August 29, 2013 (Descanso) – More than 150 people turned out for East County Magazine’s BBQ and Wild West Fest at the Descanso Town Hall earlier this month.   

In addition to delicious barbecue-grilled tri-tip and chicken served up by Descanso Junction, guests enjoyed lively entertainment by the Pine Creek Posse Band, Western reenactors Gaskill Brothers Gunfighters and the Hole in the Wall Gang, as well as music by Wind Wind Spirit Drum, winners of the national Native American Music Awards.

“We’re delighted at the success and hope to hold a similar event at this historic setting in the future,” said ECM editor and founder Miriam Raftery.  The benefit raised funds to support wildfire reporting to supplement the Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts provided by East County Magazine via e-mail, Twitter, and on KNSJ 89.1 FM radio.

Podcasts of all shows in July are now posted -- so you can listen to shows you  missed.   Links to listen are at the bottom of this page, below the index of guests and other content each day.

Our show schedule has changed. It now runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and repeats Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM.  If you can’t hear the signal, you can listen live at www.knsj.org  or click “read more” below and scroll down to hear podcasts whenever you wish!

By Nadin Abbott

July 27, 2013 (San Diego) This has been a busy few weeks of news gathering for East County Magazine. We were at the scene shortly after the Chariot Fire started. We made multiple trips to Mount Laguna reporting on the fire’s path and damage behind fire lines, also visiting the evacuation center. We remained long after other news media left, if they came at all.  We were at the fire scenes in Ranchita, the Old Fire, the Shockey Fire and more – sometimes in the middle of the night. 

We regularly cover local boards and commissions that the San Diego media ignores.  We drove to Julian to cover fire board meetings and report on citizens’ concerns when the fire department was at risk of dissolving and being taken over by the county.  We went downtown to cover hearings on the controversial County wind ordinance, the Quail Brush power plant, and other hot land-use issues impacting East County.

June 20, 2013 (Santee) -- Assemblyman Jones (R-Santee) and East County Magazine announced today that they will host a photography contest that features photographs taken in San Diego’s East County. The winning photographs will be displayed in Assemblyman Brian Jones’ Capitol Office and featured in East County Magazine. 

“It’s an honor to be able to highlight the photographers and the beautiful landscapes Eastern San Diego County has to offer,” Jones said.  

Miriam Raftery, Editor of East County Magazine said, “East County Magazine appreciates this opportunity to showcase the works of talented local photographers.  East County Magazine looks forward to publishing works displaying our region’s beautiful scenery and our historic communities.”

All entries must be received by July 15, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. to be eligible. For details, scroll down.

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By Caprice Harrison

February 22, 2013 (La Mesa) – Bring friends and come on out for some terrific comedy tonight (Feb. 22) at Holiday Inn Mesa Grill,  8000 Parkway Drive to benefit East County Magazine (ECM).  Brew Ha Ha’s hilarious comedy team, Chris Clobber from HBO and Comedy Central and internationally known comic Diane Jean, will perform stand-up comedy for an evening of laughs. Show starts at 7 p.m., or come early to mix and mingle at 6 p.m. with our staff, readers and comics. Win prizes and surprises--including a Viejas gift basket, a winery tour, restaraunt gift certificates and more!

December 21, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Congresswoman Susan Davis, La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid, and El Cajon Councilman Gary Kendrick were among the elected officials who joined in our “Feasting & Merrymaking” party over the weekend—and shared some  special news for our community.

Our guests also enjoyed live jazz by the amazing Chris Klich trio, fabulous food by chef Patrick Dean and the Grove Pastry Shop, wines from La Serenissima and San Pasqual wineries, plus an East County trivia game and prize drawings.

8 of 11 awards recognize ECM's in-depth coverage of energy issues in our region

By Miriam Raftery

October 23, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Continuing our proud tradition, East County Magazine was once again among the top recipients of honors at tonight’s San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards.  All entries were in the Daily Newspapers and Websites category, going up against the major print newspapers and online news sites in our region.

The majority of the honors recognized ECM's in-depth coverage of the impacts of major energy projects, including industrial wind turbines, on local rural, mountain and desert communities. ECM editor Miriam Raftery won nine awards, including a first place award in general news for Silence of the Lambs: U.S. Government authorizes killing of endangered bighorns in path of wind project.   Raftery and ECM intern Mia Myklebust shared an additional first place award in the public service/consumer advocacy category for Jacumba: A town surrounded. That story focused on the impacts of major energy projects on a small rural community.

Scroll down to see our full list of winners and read the winning entries.