East County News Service

July 30, 2019 (Spring Valley) - Saps at Sea, the San Diego chapter of the Sons of the Desert, the official Laurel & Hardy fan society, invites you to their next meeting on August 31 at 6:30 p.m. in Williams Hall at Trinity Presbytarian Church in Spring Valley. 

UPDATE July 29, 2019 8:20 a.m.:  The fire has burned 150 acres and is now 50 percent contained, Cal Fire reports.  One lane of Dehesa Rd. has been opened for traffic according to the Dept. of Public Works.

UPDATE 8:38 p.m.:  Forward spread has been halted. The fire has burned 50 acres and is now 10% contained.  Dehesa Rd. is closed at Willow Glen Dr. on the west and Harbison Canyon Rd. on the east.  Three homes remain evacuated but no structures were damaged and none are threatened. Cal Fire, the USFS, Sycuan Fire, San Miguel Fire, San Diego Sheriff, CHP and County Animal Control are at the scene, where 17 engines are working on the fire. Mop-up is underway/

UPDATE  7:09 p.m.:  Per the Incident Commander, the fire is now estimated to be 50 acres and 0% contained. 3 homes have been voluntarily evacuated along Dehesa Rd but no evacuation warnings or orders have been issued. There are no homes that are currently being threatened.

East County News Service

July 28, 2019 (Dehesa) - Cal Fire is responding to a reported vegetation fire in the area of Dehesa Rd. near Sycuan Summit Dr. The fire is 25 acres with a moderate rate of spread.

View photos:

Photo right: View from Target in Rancho San Diego, by Paul Kruze.

Photo, left: Smoke acros East County, by Andy Calderon

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Source:  Caltrans 

July 28, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) - Motorists are advised to watch for full connector closures along Interstate 8 (I-8) in the mountain areas of eastern San Diego County weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for pavement work, according to Caltrans. Full closures will take place at one intersection at a time in the coming week as follows:

July 24, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- The National Weather Service has issued a flash flooding and extreme thunderstorm warning for the southeast portions of San Diego County in effect now through 4 p.m.  Locations likely to experience flooding include  Alpine, I-8 Between Pine Valley And Boulevard, Lake Morena, Potrero, Campo, Pine Valley, Descanso, Tecate, Guatay and Barrett  Lake.

Photo, right: Rainstorm over Boulevard, taken by Donna Tisdale this afternoon

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS:

Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small creeks and streams, country roads, farmland, and other low lying  spots.

In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Find an alternate route.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

July 22, 2019 (San Diego) - The sun is shining, but weather forecasts say summer storms could possibly create heavy rains and flooding in the mountains and deserts this week, meaning this could be a good time to stock up on free sandbags.

Source:  CalTrans

July 19, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- Crews will close various connectors along Interstate 8 (I-8) in the mountain areas of eastern San Diego County weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for pavement work, according to CalTrans. Full closures will take place at one intersection at a time in the coming week as follows:

Source: Alpine Union School District

July 16, 2019 (Alpine) -- Joan MacQueen Middle School Engineering students made the Alpine community proud by bringing home another national accolade from the 2019 Jr Solar Sprint held at the Technology Student Association (TSA) convention in Washington, DC. The JMMS team won first place in the sprint racing segment of the competition and finished 2nd out of 94 teams in the overall scoring of the Jr Solar Sprint event. This is the second top three finish for the JMMS Engineering program in the past three years.

East County News Service

May 16, 2019 (Jamul) - D&S Farms, home to Granite Lion Cellars (2801 Jamul Highlands Rd., Jamul) will host a wine tasting that also features live entertainment, food, and craft beer on Saturday, July 27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.  The event will benefit St. Pius X Catholic Church’s parish improvement fund, earmarked for heating and air conditioning repairs.

East County News Service

Photos: Map of proposed project; wildlife photos by Debbie Ekhaml, including raccoons in adjacent Sweetwater National Wildlife Refuge and mule deer in Jamul ecological preserve are among wildlife species that could be negatively impacted

July 13, 2019 (Rancho San Diego) – Significant concerns raised by the community over the proposal for a 10-year sand mining operation at Cottonwood Golf Course have been confirmed with the release of the County of San Diego’s Scoping Letter on the project.

UPDATE AS OF 7:22 PM:  Fire is now 100 acres on the U.S. side, 650 acres total with 10% containment. The combination of ground and air resources has allowed for significant progress, and containment is likely to increase overnight.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service

July 12, 2019 (Dulzura) – A brush fire that has charred over 100 acres in Mexico has crossed the international border and near Cottonwood Creek and Barrett Truck Trail south of Dulzura.  The blaze has charred around 10 acres on the U.S. side of thee border in rural San Diego County, according to Cal Fire.

Patch.com reports 60 firefighters on scene including two air tankers, two helicopters, six engines, two dozers, two hand crews and a water tender.

By Miriam Raftery

July 11, 2019 (Campo) – The San Diego & Arizona Railway, known as the “Impossible Railway” for the many challenges faced during its construction, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with two major centennial events on September 7 and November 16.

On Saturday, September 7, a Groundbreaking Festival will commemorate the 1907 groundbreaking of the railway, which took a dozen years to complete. 

Then on Saturday, November 16, a Centennial Celebration Day will include a reenactment of the 1919 golden spike ceremony, when John D. Spreckels drove in the final spike to complete the rail line in Carriso Gorge.

Both events will be held at the Campo Railroad Park & Museum operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, a nonprofit organization. 

At the events, the public is invited to come and enjoy train rides, view vintage railway cars and unique railroad equipment including a 1902 steam pump engine, an operating scale steam train exhibit, plus food, drinks, souvenirs, commemorative program and fun for the whole family.

By Miriam Raftery

July 6, 2019 (Alpine) – The San Diego County Library in Alpine is offering a fresh crop of free “modern homesteading” classes where you can learn how to raise and grow your own foods. The offerings include cheesemaking, beekeeping, vermicomposting, tilapia farming, backyard chickens, home farming and edible landscaping.

Below are full details:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: West Fire in Alpine, 2018

July 1, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Across California, some insurance companies have stopped writing policies for homes in areas at high risk for wildfires, even dropping policies for some long-standing customers, Voice of San Diego reported in mid-June. 

Now, Supervisor Dianne Jacob has written a letter on June 27 to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara urging him to take immediate action to “address the heavy-handed, blanket approach that insurance companies are currently utilizing to deny insurance though those who live in areas where wildfires may occur.” She also called on Lara to hold a public hearing in San Diego County on the issue, to allow residents to speak out and share concerns.