Breaking News Stories

Exterior view of Santana High School in Santee, California; inset shows a CDCR inmate identification photo of Charles Andrew ‘Andy’ Williams.

Santana High shooter resentencing: a 2001 case collides with modern juvenile sentencing law

A resentencing ruling in the Santana High School shooting case is setting up a new legal fight—over juvenile sentencing, the scope of recall authority, and what happens next in juvenile

Lizzie Bly January 6, 2026 8:09 pm

School board agenda highlighting a staff hiring item with a job application labeled “Family?” on a boardroom table.

When the Board Is Mom, Stepdad, and Brother: Dehesa’s Data Job and the Daughter They Want to Put in It

With three members of the White family holding a board majority, Dehesa is moving to place the board president’s daughter in a key data-compliance job—despite its own anti-nepotism rules and

Lizzie Bly November 25, 2025 11:48 am

Close-up of a desk covered in highlighted public records, sticky notes, and a yellow highlighter, symbolizing an investigation into a school district’s charter finances and oversight.

Thirteen Points of Spin: How Dehesa’s Superintendent Tried to Rewrite the Record

When Dehesa’s superintendent fired off a thirteen-point defamation threat over my coverage of his tiny district’s massive charter empire, he didn’t just dispute a story—he became part of it. What

Lizzie Bly November 21, 2025 10:47 am

A sunlit school gymnasium with voting booths lined up and a child standing alone in the center, evoking themes of public accountability, education policy, and democratic process.

Stop Calling It Choice: Public Funds Deserve Public Standards

Charter schools were created in the spirit of innovation and flexibility—but with billions in public funds flowing into private hands and virtually no voter accountability, the promise of “choice” now

Lizzie Bly October 16, 2025 6:36 pm

Community Spotlight

Op Ed

The Sizzle Shack: A New Burger Royalty Emerges in East County

When In-N-Out’s heiress announced she was leaving California, burger lovers wondered who might rise to fill the symbolic void. Enter The Sizzle Shack: a fresh, family-owned burger joint in El

Lizzie Bly July 29, 2025 2:39 pm

Community Spotlight: The Stand Brings Flavor & Fresh Energy to Santee

Santee has a new spot worth checking out—and no, it’s not another chicken chain. It’s The Stand, a fast-casual eatery that’s setting a new bar for casual dining with bold

Lizzie Bly July 14, 2025 2:36 pm

The Case for the WNBA: Full Arenas, Real Rivalries, Stars Everywhere

You don’t have to be an NBA diehard. The WNBA already has full houses, bigger broadcast windows, charter flights, expansion on the calendar, and

Lizzie Bly August 20, 2025 6:25 am

Call Me Lizzie

An open letter to anyone who needs reminding that journalism isn’t just for those with clipboards and bylines.

Lizzie Bly June 29, 2025 11:00 pm

School News

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

Lizzie Bly July 15, 2025 11:42 am

A colorful satirical cartoon illustration of a one-room schoolhouse on a massive pedestal of cash, surrounded by oversized paperwork and red tape, symbolizing bloated administration costs in a tiny school district.

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

Lizzie Bly July 15, 2025 11:36 am