Principal McCowan welcomes back highschoolers



Summer is over! Finally we get to head back to Valley Center High School and kick off another great school year. This year promises to be another challenging and exciting year as our high school students prepare to take advantage of all the academic and extra-curricular opportunities VCHS has to offer. What is new and exciting for the 2015-2016 school […]

‘Chip in for Jim’ seeks to help longtime area resident afflicted with ALS



McFarland, a 20-year resident of VC, said he was “awed” and “amazed” by the support given to him at this sell-out event. It’s difficult to estimate exactly how many people attended, but according to an organizer, there were 148 golfers, and 110 who purchased dinner alone. The Valley Center Community Aid Group provided 250 dinners before they ran out. There […]

Ron Roberts uses Neighborhood Reinvestment funds for county study of football stadium



The County of San Diego did not use any additional general fund money for its most recent funding to investigate the possibility of a new football stadium for the San Diego Chargers and for college football games. Each county supervisor has an annual $2 million discretionary Neighborhood Reinvestment Program budget, and Supervisor Ron Roberts utilized $500,000 of his 2015-16 budget […]

‘A Step Beyond’ uses dance, rigorous academics to help at risk children succeed in school—and beyond



At Wednesday’s Escondido City Council meeting Frank Foster, executive director of “A Step Beyond,” gave an update on this program for at risk children. The program is based in offices at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. “A Step Beyond” is just finishing its first year in Escondido. Foster formerly a banker and homebuilder with two decades of working […]

Supervisors call for stricter penalties against rogue drone operators who interfere with firefighting



In the original Terminator movie the automated Skynet defense system which began destroying humans when its artificial intelligence saw humans as a threat to its operation went on-line on August 4, 1997. On August 4, 2015, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors endorsed action against those who threaten human lives and property by using automated drone aircraft when that […]

Fire season is upon us



Fires in Northern California are clear evidence that fire season has arrived and will likely be with us for months to come. Fortunately, most of this region has been spared a major disaster so far, but our luck may not hold. We need to be prepared, to have a plan for fires or any disaster likely to strike our region, […]

Bilingual book club to meet August 29 at Escondido Public Library



Rincón Literario (The Literary Corner), Escondido Public Library’s Bilingual Book Discussion Group, will meet on Saturday, August 29, from 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. in the Turrentine Room. Bajo la misma estrella/The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, is the selected title for August. Multiple copies of the book are available for check out or can be reserved in the […]

Saturday night dances offered at Escondido’s Park Avenue Community Center



Saturday Night Dances are held on the first Saturday of each month from 7–9 p.m. at the Park Avenue Community Center, 210 E. Park Avenue. Each month features a different live band, refreshments, and door prizes. Singles, couples, of all levels and varieties of dancers, are welcome to join fun each month. Entry fee is only $4 per person. On […]

80th birthday—



Bates Food Truck Festival August 15 to feature 15 vendors



15 of San Diego’s favorite food trucks will return to Bates Nut Farm for the 4th Annual Valley Center Food Truck Festival. On Saturday, August 15 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., gourmet to-go will be the main attraction, with offerings of Cajun/Creole cuisine, sushi, surf cuisine, BBQ, Mexican, Polish, comfort food, desserts, and everything in between. In addition to […]