Federal grant funding that helps employ 30 mental health professionals across the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District and six in the Lemon Grove School District will be terminated early by the Trump administration The districts were notified Tuesday in letters from the U.S Department of Education that their school-based mental health grants will be terminated two years early signed by Murray Bessette with the Department's Office of Planning state that the grant "provides funding for programs that reflect the prior administration's priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current administration" and is "inconsistent with the best interest of the federal government and will not be continued." The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District grant was for $11 million through 2027 Superintendent David Feliciano said the loss of funding that supports employment of social workers and counselors will likely impact a variety of district services that aid students receiving mental health and special education services Those services address student mental health crises social skill development and outreach efforts to help families with housing "We were shocked to learn that the Trump administration doesn't consider school-based mental health and special education services to be in 'the best interest of the federal government,'" Feliciano said said the funding allowed the district to hire six additional mental health staff The district was set to receive more than $2.5 million through 2027 Ending the grant in December means a loss of more than $1 million The letters to the districts said the programs "violate the letter or purpose of Federal civil rights law; conflict with the Department's policy of prioritizing merit and excellence in education; undermine the well-being of the students these programs are intended to help; or constitute an inappropriate use of federal funds." The Associated Press reported that the grant recipients nationwide received similar notifications on Tuesday which will result in $1 billion in grant funding canceled Madi Biedermann is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications for the U.S she wrote that grant recipients were using the funds to “implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas.” Department of Education officials wrote in a notice to members of Congress that it "plans to re-envision and re-compete its mental health program funds to more effectively support students' behavioral health needs." Both districts said they plan to request that the department reconsider district leaders said they’ll look for other sources of funding to keep the staff on through at least the end of next school year Mesa Thai’s Northeastern and Central Thai street food is serious enough to lure in one of the world’s biggest pop stars For White Lotus actress, Blackpink member, and Coachella headliner Lisa (also known as Lalisa), a recent pre-festival stay in Los Angeles meant eating around the city’s famed Thai Town. The section of East Hollywood known as “Thailand’s 77th province” by the Thai Chamber of Commerce beckoned with the spicy and tangy flavors she grew up with in Thailand’s northeast Buriram Province Her choice, chef Phitwasuphon “Ple” Thanaporn’s restaurant Mesa Thai is located about a mile from the main strip of Thai Town and known for its fiery Isan cuisine Lisa arrived unannounced at Mesa Thai on March 22 at around 8 p.m. “One of my servers slipped me a note that it was Lisa “Then I pulled myself together and said I’m going to make her some dishes she’ll never forget.” Seated at table number six tom sap (a northeastern pork rib soup known for its intense sour and spicy flavors) Thanaporn opened Mesa Thai on North Western Avenue in 2018 to serve the customer base she had built while selling food out of her home in Los Angeles had a popular street food stand in Bangkok where Thanaporn learned to cook dishes like boat noodles and papaya salad Thanaporn worked as a licensed massage therapist and as a cottage food producer of northeastern Thai street food until she opened Mesa Thai just two years after K-pop girl group Blackpink debuted on the world stage In 2022, Thai Town Council president Ton Pattana shared on a video series called Thai Town Check In that Thanaporn “represented the new generation of Thai cooks” and made “really good boat noodles” that reminded him of how they are served in Bangkok The restaurant slings pork boat noodle soup every day as well as beef boat noodles on Tuesdays and weekends Thanaporn scrawls its menu in colorful Thai script onto a large chalkboard hanging on the back wall Laotian street food staple yam naem khao tod a dish of broken deep-fried rice balls with fried pork rinds and pork meat is a highlight among the menu’s spicy and sour Isan salads Thanaporn’s chalkboard Isan menu, untranslated, teases non-Thai speakers with cutesy icons such as chili peppers, shrimp, mortar and pestle, a tom yum pot, and skewers (the Isan menu is written in English script on Mesa Thai’s website) The left column on the menu features various kinds of som tum (papaya salad) with seven versions There’s som tum pa mah with fermented blue crab and Lao-style som tum luang prabang that delivers a spicy umami bomb from seafood paste and padaek (an unfiltered fish sauce from Laos) “Very spicy” here means 35 to 40 Thai chiles but Thanaporn says Lisa opted for a medium-spicy mango salad without any proteins or sides we eat papaya salad with sticky rice and chicken wings Thanaporn approached my table to let me know I was sitting at the same table as Lisa but she ate a lot of the tom sap,” she said It takes some bravado for non-Thai customers to order off the Isan menu. Servers at Mesa Thai tend to steer non-Thai diners toward familiar, sweeter versions of dishes like pad thai, more cautious about recommending the extremes in acidity, spiciness, and salt found in Isan dishes. For those willing to brave the flames, something “Thai spicy” requires napkins at the ready to wipe away tears An imposing combination of blackened chiles and chile flakes float on the surface of the tom sap which is served in a tom yum soup pot; the soup contains quartered tomatoes and chopped scallions encircling an orange Sterno flame but in the northeast we love this dish,” says Thanaporn says she never imagined she would get the opportunity to meet Lisa and she loves what she does,” Thanaporn says The same could be said for the intrepid Thai chef making Isan flavors bold and nostalgic enough to lure in Thailand’s biggest superstar Mesa Thai is located at 820 North Western Avenue Tuesday to Sunday; the restaurant is closed on Mondays (KGTV) – A driver crashed their car into a parked motorhome in La Mesa early Thursday morning and then fled the scene La Mesa Police and Heartland Fire crews were called to the 8300 block of Pasadena Avenue due to a reported vehicle into a structure Police officers arrived to find a white sedan inside an RV; officers believe the car veered off nearby Spring Street struck the roof of a home and then ended up in the motorhome and officers found blood inside the vehicle Fire crews did not locate anyone trapped in the wreckage and police -- with help from the ASTREA helicopter – searched for the driver but they were nowhere to be found Police ended their search for the driver after about 30 minutes A tow truck arrived to remove the car from the RV; no injuries were reported in the home or the RV LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV) — The City of La Mesa is opening applications to its E-bike Incentive Program on Wednesday at 12 p.m becoming the first city in the San Diego area to offer such a program Funded by a $45,000 grant from San Diego Community Power the incentive will give applicants a voucher toward the purchase of an electric bike from Stay True Cycleworks and income qualified applicants will receive a $1200 voucher The pilot program’s website says replacing car trips with e-bikes will mean cleaner air and healthier communities and the vouchers are intended to give more residents and workers in La Mesa that opportunity applicants must be 18 years of age and either a resident of La Mesa or a worker at a business within the city with various options to prove residency or employment listed on the program website Applicants with income lower than 50% of the area median income Those who are selected are required to complete a free virtual training course presented by the San Diego County Bike Coalition to receive their voucher Priority will be given to the first 150 applicants and those who intend to use the bike the most often ideally daily and replacing significant vehicle trips The program’s eligible equipment list details the bikes that are available California recently offered vouchers in a similar program that is no longer accepting applications due to the high volume already received The artisan cheese shop will offer around 50 cheeses—the vast majority of which are artisan-made in the US—as well as various gifts, sundries, and other goods from local craft makers and a small coffee bar. Eventually, the space will also be home to Harvest Wine Shop Both businesses will cooperate inside the century-old craftsman home which has been completely renovated and awaits final approval for an official historical designation she knew it was time to invest in her dream—and her community “I’ve been living here in La Mesa for 17 years,” she says adding that she and Lowry live within a mile of the space We’re a mom-and-pop… [we want] to be good business neighbors to the people here.” She laughs when I ask about the shop’s name she knows means “fancy,” but is also her real last name “We’re leaning into the slang,” she says with a grin View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bougie's Cheese Shop (@bougiescheeseshop) Currently, the plan is to be open at least five days a week from around 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the other two days reserved for events like pairing classes, seminars on how to make cheese and other educational opportunities.  Once the shop opens its doors, Bougie invites people to come and enjoy what she, Estes, and Lowry hope will be a gathering space for the local community “It’s about trying to create an experience… you’re coming into what we hope is creating a warm environment and have an experience around tasting cheese,” she says Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected] Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine By clicking subscribe you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions Email: [email protected] By clicking Subscribe you’re confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions Email: [email protected] © Copyright 2023 San Diego Magazine 1230 Columbia Street The work schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions For real-time traffic information, including traffic speed, lane and road closures due to construction and maintenance activities, and more, go to http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ (KGTV) — Officers from the La Mesa Police Department began a homicide investigation after responding to a shooting Thursday night according to a press release from the department Officers were called to the 8700 block of Echo Drive around 8:30 p.m Thursday after someone reported a shooting in the area LMPD found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head at the scene First responders gave the man medical attention and took him to Sharp Memorial Hospital LMPD says its initial investigation shows a memorial event was happening on Echo Drive when the victim It's unclear at this point who or what the memorial event was dedicated to "The memorial event was concluding when the shooting occurred and many people fled the scene upon hearing the gunshots," the press release states "Investigators are still working to obtain a description of the suspect and to determine how the suspect left the scene immediately following the shooting." The identity of the victim has not been released at this point since LMPD was working on notifying the family If you have any information for police about this shooting You can also reach out to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-TIPS to stay anonymous with your tip Don’t miss the San Diego Made Spring Market in La Mesa Village on Saturday family-friendly creative spring festival will feature over 120 local curated makers showcasing the best of San Diego's creative community and offering attendees a unique shopping experience outdoors down historic La Mesa Boulevard Businesses along the Boulevard will be offering specials throughout the day This event is free, but anyone who RSVP’s beforehand on the website will be added to a giveaway to win one of many amazing prize packs Bring the whole family to the San Diego Made Spring Market for some fun in the sun while supporting local businesses This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page (KGTV) – A rollover crash on a La Mesa street left a driver trapped in his upside-down car early Tuesday morning La Mesa Police said the crash happened at around 12:45 a.m ABC 10News learned some good Samaritans followed the car from Mission Valley and were updating 911 dispatchers as the driver made his way into La Mesa The driver lost control on Alvarado Road and overturned Several beer cans and bottles were scattered at the scene as responding firefighters pulled the driver out of the car The driver was taken to an area hospital for treatment There was no immediate word on the driver’s condition or if he was arrested (KGTV) — Shopping for clothes at local boutiques like Uneeke Boutique in La Mesa could become more expensive due to new tariffs Owner Kim Purchase is already noticing the impact on her business Uneeke Boutique, located on the corner of Nebo Drive, has weathered challenges such as the La Mesa riots and temporary pandemic closures. Purchase knows her customers well and is committed to offering them fresh fashion options. "We've survived the La Mesa riots and having to close temporarily during the pandemic," Purchase said. "They know that something new is gonna be in whether it's something for work, something for play, whatever the case may be." The introduction of new tariffs is raising concerns for Purchase regarding pricing. "I don't know if I'm gonna be able to keep the prices at that minimal, raise them, but still keep them at a valuable shoppable price," she said. Recently, one of Purchase's suppliers emailed her, stating they needed to raise prices due to tariff impacts. According to Purchase, "there's a lot of showrooms that have sent memos saying that they're gonna have to increase their prices from $2 to $17." Typically, customers find a 20 percent discount sticker in the store, but Purchase says that may soon change. "I'll probably do maybe once a month instead of every other week, twice a week or twice a month. Um, it just all depends on the foot traffic," she said. Dr. Alan Gin, an economics professor at the University of San Diego, says that these new tariffs will hit the clothing industry hard, particularly after the setbacks caused by the pandemic. "You combine that then with the internet coming on and people shopping online again, made worse by the pandemic, the brick-and-mortar stores have been under a lot of pressure," Gin said. He believes the clothing industry will be one of the hardest hit industries. The Yale Budget Lab estimates textile prices may increase by 44 percent, impacting the overall cost of clothing. The sticker shock will be hard to avoid. "People are gonna have to spend more money on other products—things like food—so that might mean they have less money to spend on things like clothing," Gin told ABC 10News. As for Purchase, she remains dedicated to providing quality clothing at reasonable prices. "I think if I'm able to make sure that I still have quality clothing and if I do have to raise my prices, that it is still reasonably priced for my customers," Purchase said. This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. Deschutes County sheriff candidate Kent Vander Kamp asked a judge to stop OPB from getting records about his law enforcement career Vander Kamp’s own attorneys with the firm Employment Law Professionals Northwest inadvertently released the records through links available in public court filings “It appears to be accidental,” said Vander Kamp who is currently a sergeant with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office The records detail why police officials in La Mesa wanted to dismiss him as a volunteer reserve officer nearly 30 years ago Kent Vander Kamp poses for a portrait in Bend “Vander Kamp’s actions represent serious incidents of misconduct which bear directly on his credibility,” a La Mesa police captain wrote in a Jan internal affairs memo as he recommended dismissing Vander Kamp Vander Kamp’s employment with the city ended three weeks later according to La Mesa Human Resources Director Gretchen Spaniol His prior work in law enforcement has become a flashpoint in the contentious political race between him and his Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office colleague Capt Both men are seeking to replace outgoing Sheriff Shane Nelson The sheriff led the charge to unearth details about Vander Kamp’s past after Nelson said he received a complaint this year alleging the sergeant did not list his earlier stint in California when he applied to work in Oregon in 2004 La Mesa’s yearlong investigation into a younger Vander Kamp shows city police probed five incidents when fellow officers made various allegations against Vander Kamp The police department’s investigators sustained one of those claims and found Vander Kamp violated standards of conduct around honesty What began as admonishment for using a radar gun without proper training became an investigation into Vander Kamp’s truthfulness Vander Kamp claimed he was certified to use radar and said he would write to the Los Angeles Police Department to obtain proof LAPD later told La Mesa it had no record of Vander Kamp’s training in radar and La Mesa police officials found no certification under his name with the state of California Vander Kamp’s assertion that he has received this training in the face of the information to the contrary demonstrates an attempt to mislead the Department and violates standards of conduct,” the investigator found in 1997 Other allegations probed by La Mesa included Vander Kamp reportedly failing to log his activities correctly; and another incident where a sergeant felt he used too much force to detain suspects after a vehicle pursuit and “may have falsely arrested the driver,” according to the sergeant’s report The sergeant also raised concerns about whether Vander Kamp’s report on the incident was inaccurate La Mesa handled these complaints by giving Vander Kamp more training Vander Kamp was exonerated for other allegations stemming from an incident in which he was accused of not responding to a dispatcher call for a prisoner transport and then giving possibly false information about when his shift ended “Their records were incomplete,” Vander Kamp told OPB on Wednesday He said he’s been targeted by Nelson, who has a track record of alleged bullying and retaliation against political rivals The sheriff launched an investigation into Vander Kamp’s past after endorsing Bailey A fellow officer who ran against Nelson directly in 2016 was later the subject of internal investigations and fired. Eric Kozowski sued the sheriff’s office, and a jury awarded him more than $1 million in damages in 2021 Vander Kamp accused the sheriff’s office top brass This is about confusing voters and making something more than it is.” Vander Kamp told OPB in a previous interview he did not remember whether he left La Mesa voluntarily or the city police told him not to come back for any more shifts While the city’s internal investigation indicates La Mesa police officials recommended firing him Vander Kamp contends he was never given notice “The documents show that they never actually terminated me,” he said Deschutes County informed Vander Kamp this week that it planned to turn the documents over to OPB through a public records request Vander Kamp said he “really had no concerns about the records being released,” but that he decided to fight their disclosure in court to stop “the BS games and the shenanigans” that he accuses the current sheriff administration of perpetrating was holding them accountable,” Vander Kamp said of the legal complaint against the county and OPB Vander Kamp issued a public apology alluding to some of the 28-year-old incidents last week before the records were released he wrote he “was apparently dismissed from the volunteer position for using speed radar equipment without proper certification.” His statement does not mention the investigators’ conclusion that he attempted to mislead the department about his training When asked what he had to say to voters who might be questioning his trustworthiness now Vander Kamp said: “Look at the last 22 years of my career and what’s been done and how it’s been done Look at the people I work with and work for.” After OPB reported on the contents of Vander Kamp’s accidentally-released records his attorneys sought to dismiss Vander Kamp’s legal complaint against Deschutes County Deschutes Circuit Court Pro Tem Judge Dan Bunch ordered Vander Kamp to post the records on his campaign website and the county released its copies of the documents to OPB Monday morning One page may be missing from the packet La Mesa provided to Deschutes County It’s unclear if page 84 out of 110 pages ever existed or if its absence is simply a page numbering error Tags: Politics, Deschutes County, Sheriff Stand with OPB and protect independent journalism for everyone Listen to the OPB News live stream (opens new window)Streaming Now Deschutes County sheriff candidate Kent Vander Kamp asked a judge to stop OPB from getting records about his law enforcement career.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JTNSV325BFGQFLVT76ZK35T6EA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"But before a judge could hear the case ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HCSX4DLSDFCABIMPNYJUSYPZJU","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"“It appears to be accidental,” said Vander Kamp who is currently a sergeant with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4OVMBX7Q6ZH6FCMCPMR2MDY7II","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The records detail why police officials in La Mesa Her reporting seeks to hold powerful people to account promote honesty and transparency in public affairs She formerly contributed award-winning programming to Georgia Public Broadcasting and Jefferson Public Radio and reporting to community newspapers like the Del Norte Triplicate in Crescent City Emily graduated from the University of Texas in Austin. Send her feedback and story ideas at ecureton@opb.org Emily Cureton Cook is OPB’s Central Oregon bureau chief (KGTV) — At the corner of La Mesa Boulevard and Spring Street you will find the women’s resell clothing store we are so lucky to have worked together for so many years She bought it for $10,000 in 1982 after going through a divorce.  "My lawyer said 'You took care of your husband all these years now he is going to take care of you.' He got the money The women say a new owner bought the building and increased the rent from $1,700 a month to $5,600 "He bought the building and had to raise the rent I don’t think it’s fair market value what he is asking," said Ross But they say the outpouring of support from customers has kept them going We are so blessed to have made so many fabulous friends and so many fabulous customers," said Ross Dolores says the memories will live on.  "So many of them have become such good friends Coming in telling me about their family," said Buller The ladies are looking for a new space here in La Mesa (KGTV) – Residents in a La Mesa neighborhood woke up to a fire ripping through a housing complex early Thursday morning Heartland Fire & Rescue crews were called to the 4900 block of Clearview Way at around 7 a.m after a blaze ignited at a building that some area residents said was a well-known eyesore the fire was elevated to a two-alarm status prompting firefighters to call for additional crews It took firefighters about an hour to finally knock down the flames I could see the smoke was going really high up into the sky,” said Duane Ivey Ivey was in bed when he heard sirens blaring and trucks speeding down the street He said the smell of smoke filled his house my concern was that our house would catch on fire,” said Ivey The cars all down the block have ash on them Several residents said they’re used to seeing squatters at the structure despite the city condemning the building and putting a fence around it It's probably about time it was going to catch fire,” said Robert Montell some neighbors say they want the problem building gone for good Heartland officials said they’re still investigating what caused the fire but they say no one was injured and no other homes were damaged (KGTV) – Two people were killed in a vehicle collision on Interstate 8 in the La Mesa area Monday night The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened on eastbound I-8 near Lake Murray Boulevard at around 7:20 p.m a car with two people inside was at a stop on the freeway after breaking down when another vehicle slammed into the back of it CHP officials confirmed the two people in the disabled car died at the scene The emergency response led to the closure of all eastbound lanes for several hours The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office later identified the deceased as a married couple: 79-year-old James Allina and 77-year-old Rosalyn Allina The City of La Mesa is launching an e-bike incentive program as part of an effort to promote more biking around the city La Mesa residents can apply to receive $1,200 towards the purchase of a new approved e-bike Applications are being accepted until April 14 More information on the program can be found at https://www.cityoflamesa.us/1864/E-Bike-Incentive-Program.