By Paul Kruze 

Photo: Shawn “Lone Wolf” Christman in mid-1980s

August 19, 2017  (Santa Ysabel) -- Things were not supposed to end this way.

Santa Ysabel resident Angela June (Sortore) Christman  has traveled a long road of frustration that ended in heartbreak on August 10th, when Detective George Chrysler of the San Diego Sheriff Department gave her the bad news that her long lost son, Shawn “Lone Wolf” Christman (known to his friends as “Coyote”), had drowned in Lake Michigan in 1993.  His body was laid to rest as an unidentified John Doe in a pauper’s grave outside of Chicago, Illinois in 1994. 

By Valerie Watts 

August 9, 2017 (Alpine) -- The family and friends of Cash Osuna-Sutton will have a fundraising booth at the upcoming Kumeyaay Gathering at the Viejas Tribal Hall, 1 Viejas Grade Rd, Alpine on August 19 starting at 12 noon. Raffle tickets will be sold for $2 each or 5 for $10, with the prize drawing at 6:00 pm.  Any size monetary donation is also welcome.  Tickets are also available for purchase from the Viejas Community & Public Relations office located at the Viejas Outlet Center. 

The sustainably sourced and succulent favorite is flown in fresh every week for guests to savor

East County News Service

August 4, 2017 (Alpine) -- Crab lovers, rejoice: The Buffet at Viejas Casino & Resort is kicking off King Crab Leg Fridays, when guests can enjoy an unlimited feast of the delectable culinary favorite. Flown in fresh every week from the icy waters off of the Alaskan coast, the sustainably sourced King Crab is the newest featured addition to The Buffet’s recent enhancements, which also include a state-of-the-art, no-wait, no-hassle reservation system created in partnership with Yelp.

By Miriam Raftery

July 28, 2017 (Jamul) – Earlier this month, we covered concerns raised by Jamul community members and Supervisor Dianne Jacob over highway safety concerns on State Route 94 since the Hollywood Jamul-San Diego Casino opened and on delays in improvements planned on State Route 94.

In response to our inquiry, we received a statement issued by Caltrans, as well as additional remarks from Caltrans public information office Cathryne Bruce-Johnson.

Below is the statement:

Updated with corrections based on CHP data just received:  accidents spiked in 2015, before the casino opened. But DUI-related crashes are up.

By Miriam Raftery; Jonathan Goetz also contributed to this report

Photo by Jonathan Goetz

July 2, 2017 (Jamul) – Supervisor Dianne Jacob joined Jamul residents Friday in a press conference to share concerns over accidents along an 11-mile stretch of State Route 94.  The group also called for completion of promised roadway improvements that have not yet begun. 

The Jamul Indian Village has issued a response contending that the casino is being unfairly blamed for an uptick in accidents that may be related to other factors, and points a finger at CalTrans and Supervisor Jacob for delays in roadway improvements that the tribe says is due to Caltrans lacking land use authority.

By Miriam Raftery

June 14, 2017 (Alpine) – Viejas Casino and Resort has lined up chart-toppers from every genre, past and present for its summer-long open air concerts in the park.  The season opens with country music superstar sensation Martina McBride on July 3^rd.

By Miriam Raftery

June 14, 2017 (San Diego) -- A Native American religious group is heading to court over a dispute with a landlord in El Cajon over sale of marijuana for use in hallucinogenic sacraments.

East County News Service

May 18, 2017 (San Diego) - Sycuan Casino is pleased to announce this year’s Summer of Sycuan concert series. Kicking off the summer series is world-famous drummer Sheila E. performing at Sycuan on Friday, June 9. Multi-platinum music group Bell Biv DeVoe will follow with three shows on consecutive nights, June 26, 27 and 28.

Broken bones and rocks yield evidence that pushes back the record of early humans in North America by more than 100,000 years

Source: Natural History Museum

Photo:  Richard Cerutti, retired PaleoServices Field Paleontologist (left) and Dr. Tom Demere, Curator of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum (right), with mastodon tusk

April 27, 2017 (San Diego) -- Discovery of a 130,000-year-old mastodon skeleton in San Diego with bones altered by early humans dramatically revises the timeline for when humans first reached North America, according to a paper to be published in the April 27 issue of the prestigious science journal Nature.  The Cerutti Mastodon site is the oldest well-documented site with evidence of human presence in the Americas—and analysis reveals some startling findings.

By Miriam Raftery

March 31, 2017 (El Cajon) –“This is truly our day. We’re here to celebrate,” Sycuan Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez told a packed house during a groundbreaking on the Sycuan reservation for the tribe’s casino expansion.

The ambitious project will include a 12-story hotel resort with 300 rooms,  adult pool with swim-up bar, kids pool,  gardens including a 420-foot-long “lazy river,” new restaurants , spa,  60,000 in additional gaming space, and a spacious 11,401 square foot ballroom that can double as concert hall seating 1,200 or banquet room  with capacity for 700. The $226 million, 500,000 square foot project is slated to open in 2019.

East County News Service

March 21, 2017 (Alpine) -- Chairman Robert Welch of Viejas Band of The Kumeyaay Indians today announced the hiring of Thomas McCartney in the role of President and General Manager of Viejas Casino and Resort. The veteran casino and gaming executive will begin his new position November 1, 2016.

East County News Service

March 18, 2017 (Jamul) -- Leading up to what could be a busy fire season in San Diego County, the Jamul Indian Village will officially hand over the keys and deliver a new $1 million ladder truck and $500,000 pumper truck to the San Diego County Fire Authority on Tuesday.

East County News Service

March 9, 2017 (Alpine) -- Forbes Travel Guide has  unveiled its annual Star Rating list, naming Viejas Casino & Resort in Alpine as a new Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel. Viejas Casino & Resort will be showcased with all of the Star Rating recipients on ForbesTravelGuide.com. Read the Forbes review here:  http://www.forbestravelguide.com/san-diego-california/hotels/viejas-casino-resort.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: McCain Valley, before construction

February 16, 2017 (McCain Valley) – The Department of the Interior temporarily shut down construction of the Tule Wind Energy project in McCain Valley  on January20th due to six confirmed violations of the right-of-way grant conditions, including “three incidents of ground disturbing work without a cultural monitor present and three incidents of clearing beyond the disturbance limits at four different locations,”  according to the notice of temporary suspension issued January 20^th.

East County News Service

January 24, 2017 (San Diego) – Tonight, over 100 San Diegans including members of the Kumeyaay Nation and local climate activists, will rally outside the Federal Building (880 Front St.) to oppose President Donald Trump's decision to move ahead with the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipeline. This is one of several actions across the country.