Local News Matters
Stay Informed With East of 52's Stories
Bringing you the latest updates and insightful coverage on what matters in your community.
Lakeside Man Sentenced to Four Years, Eight Months After Guilty Pleas in Child Hit-and-Run and Evading Cases
Dani Korkis was sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison after guilty pleas in a felony evading case and a later hit-and-run that severely injured a child on Ballantyne Street.
Behind the Villa Chardonnay Rescue: Bankruptcy Records Show the Sanctuary’s Collapse Was Years in the Making
Bankruptcy records show the May 1 animal rescue at Villa Chardonnay was the public endpoint of a much larger collapse involving millions in debt, delinquent charity registration, creditor disputes, court-supervised property turnover, and hundreds of elderly or sick animals listed as assets of the estate.
Sick of Your Local School Board? Then Run for It.
School board races are not symbolic, sleepy local contests. They are oversight jobs with real power, real consequences, and a practical path for communities ready to turn frustration into action and change the direction of a district.
Sipping Local: Why Lakeside Social is the New Heart of Woodside
With a sprawling specialty menu, generous portions, and a high-energy atmosphere, this Lakeside gem is proving that a great cup of coffee is only the beginning of the experience.
Opinion: Who is the Banking Committee Really Protecting? (Hint: It’s Not Your Savings)
New White House data reveals that the banking lobby’s crusade to ban stablecoin yields would increase national lending by a mere 0.02%—all while stripping $800 million in returns from American consumers.
Your Source for Local News
Latest Updates from Our Community
Method Musical Chairs: How Dehesa’s Enrollment Shuffle Fueled ADA Funding, Charter Growth, and Audit Flags
Dehesa’s enrollment skyrocketed—on paper. But the math doesn’t track. Resident students were displaced. Outsiders were brought in. Funding followed the fiction. At the center: inflated ADA, a $253K superintendent, and a board bound by family ties. Call it creative governance. Or call it what it looks like: Method Musical Chairs.
Adjacent, Apparently: How Dehesas Definition Could Cost Taxpayers Millions
Let’s talk about the word “adjacent.” It’s simple, right? You’d think so. But in the world of charter authorizing loopholes, definitions get stretched—then warped—until they snap.
The Tale of the Three Whites and the Two Phams — A one-school district. Five board members. Two families. And a growing rebellion.
In the rural hills outside El Cajon, where wildfire season sparks fear each summer, another kind of fire has begun to smolder. But this time, it wasn’t fireworks that started it — it was the slow burn of unchecked power, financial collapse, and a board so tightly held by two families that Dehesa parents have now sent up a smoke signal of their own.
Superintendent in One-School District Paid $2,522 Per Student Without Required Credential
A tiny school district in rural East San Diego County is paying a $252,000 salary to a superintendent overseeing fewer than 100 students — without a valid administrative credential. A closer look reveals a pattern of unchecked power, family-run governance, and public funds under questionable management.
“The power of the press is the power to hold the powerful accountable — and we hold that power fiercely.”