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 (KGTV) – A person was detained following the death of a young man in Lemon Grove on Tuesday night The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the 7800 block of Broadway at around 9:05 p.m after a reported assault with a deadly weapon incident Deputies arrived to find a man in his 20s “suffering from traumatic injuries,” according to sheriff’s officials identified as 25-year-old Julio Orozco Cabrera was taken to the hospital but died after arrival “Deputies detained the suspect at the location of the crime.” the suspect -- identified as 59-year-old Marvin Lester Sears -- was an acquaintance of the victim the motivation and circumstances of the crime are still under investigation There are no outstanding suspects and no apparent danger to the community,” sheriff’s officials said Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the sheriff's Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330 or 858-565-5200 Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 The final Arts & Lectures event of the spring semester features a lecture on the 1931 landmark case Roberto Alvarez v the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District which was the first successful school desegregation court decision in U.S The event is at 6 p.m. on April 23 in the USU Ballroom. Reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.  a professor emeritus of ethnic studies at UC San Diego and the son of the lead plaintiff in the case will review the specific struggle by the Mexican families of Lemon Grove in the greater context of the Mexican challenge to U.S The case established the rights of children of Mexican immigrants to equal education regional and national sentiment that favored not only segregation but the actual deportation of the Mexican population in the United States Current educational equity issues for Mexican immigrant and Latino communities will be contextualized through regional data compiled by the National Latino Research Center at CSUSM.  CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students a professor emeritus of ethnic studies at UC San Diego and the son of the lead plaintiff in the case Roberto Alvarez v the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District.   Tickets: Visit the Arts & Lectures ticket webpage  Cost: Free for CSUSM students; $5 for faculty staff and alumni; $10 for community members  Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairsebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314 Cal State San Marcos President Ellen Neufeldt remains committed to doing her part to showcase student artists.Neufeldt hosted about 40 people at her house on April 27 for a reception to unveil the third exhibition of … Karli Llorens aspires to work for the Drug Enforcement Administration Saba Wali wants to go to law school and become an international lawyer.Both Cal State San Marcos students took considerable steps toward their career … Adam Heppner didn’t speak his first words until he was 3 1/2 years old doctors were unsure of what his functioning level would be as an adult. But on May 16 (KGTV) — The city of Lemon Grove hosted a special meeting Tuesday night to discuss the county's plan for their Troy Street Sleeping Cabin project It was a packed house with concerned community members The meeting started with a presentation from the county who approved the location site in July 2024 The original plan was to put the project in Spring Valley but that was rescinded after community pushback The plan is to put 60 to 70 tiny homes at the corner of Sweetwater Road and Troy Street to house people who are homeless and in need of interim housing listen to your citizens and vote no on this project," said one resident during public comment A majority of people Tuesday night were opposed to the plans raising concerns about safety in the community they don't want to live by rules and regulations so first you have to address this problem," said another community member Drugs and alcohol are not allowed on site- but sobriety isn't required to get in "The residents are citizens that we have to take care of our community these are our neighbors," said one man who was in favor of the project saying it's necessary to help these individuals get back on their feet the program includes case management like access to behavioral health and services to create a path to permanent housing "I support these cabins and you guys are brave to go ahead and do this," said one woman who said she was previously homeless and would have benefited from the sleeping cabins had they existed when she was on the streets The project is expected to begin construction in June (KGTV) — Lemon Grove has been awarded an $8.4 million state grant to help over 100 people experiencing homelessness along the SR-94 corridor The money will go toward rental assistance City leaders say they're hopeful this funding will bring much needed resources to those living on the streets but this is just one piece of the puzzle of tackling homelessness Another project that has been in the works for months is the controversial sleeping cabin sites at Troy Street and Sweetwater Road San Diego County approved that plan last July to bring up to 70 cabins, restrooms, laundry facilities, and on-site services to Lemon Grove. It came after residents in Spring Valley successfully fought to keep a similar project out of their neighborhood a move that made the county lose $10 million in state funding towards that project Since the approval of this one, some Lemon Grove residents have their own concerns and just a mile from Mount Vernon Elementary School and some believe the county should be looking at other ways to help those in need "We're not going to fix the homeless situation we just keep throwing money at it left and right," Ken King We have more and more homeless every single day because we're not fixing the addiction We're not fixing the mental health issue." ABC 10News has previously reported on the lack of available shelter beds in the County The Lemon Grove City Council will be discussing the project as an informational item at their next meeting on March 4 The city of Lemon Grove has seen a huge increase in its homeless population The 2024 Regional Task Force on Homeless' Point in Time Count data shows that Lemon Grove saw an 85% increase in unsheltered people from the previous year That's the largest increase of any East County city and the third largest increase in San Diego County the city announced it had received an $8.4 million Encampment Resolution Funding grant from the state of California for rapid rehousing of unsheltered people living in an area along State Route 94 and North Avenue Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow said about 150 people live in encampments in that area and the grant will help the city "provide services and support for people experiencing homelessness and encampments resulting in meaningful pathways to stable and permanent housing." The Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) will oversee the program RTFH CEO Tamera Koehler said they would "dedicate no less than 85% of that funding purely for outreach housing retention services and supports for housing stability." Kohler emphasized that wrap-around services like behavioral employment and family support are critical when it comes to housing retention Snow said housing for the program already exists in the community 'But for the grace go I.' This encampment resolution program is not a handout Kohler said the grant money could be issued within the next 90 days and once the grant is executed the city and the task force have two years to use all the funding (KGTV) – A suspect was arrested in connection with a shooting at a Lemon Grove park that left a man dead the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday Sheriff’s officials said 26-year-old Andrew Gomez Cardona was taken into custody at a home in the 900 block of S Cardona was jailed on suspicion of fatally shooting Anthony Trujillo during an altercation at Kunkel Park on Feb. 23 Details on how the incident unfolded were not immediately known Deputies responding to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon incident arrived at the park to find an injured Trujillo lying on the ground Deputies and paramedics performed emergency aid on Trujillo before he was taken to the hospital according to sheriff’s officials; the Medical Examiner’s Office said the victim’s cause of death was a gunshot to his neck Sheriff’s Homicide Unit detectives identified Cardona as the suspect in the case and investigators were able to locate him with assistance from the U.S the Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Detail East County Regional Gang Task Force/Street Team Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330 or 858-868-3200 Anonymous tips can be called into Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 (KGTV) LEMON GROVE — Tanya Valadez is staying positive in front of her coffee shop Elevated Coffee & Confections in Lemon Grove after the shop was burglarized early Monday morning I have never experienced so much love and outreach," said Valadez "As some of you know we had a break in last night It's a bummer and not a great start to the year," said Jules DeAmicis on Instagram Barista Jules DeAmicis who also works at the shop showed the damage on the community page Lemon Grove happenings "I wanted to let people know what happened because they are us the coffee shop was packed with customers showing support The community where the word is broadcast the most in times like this I am so thankful for this support," said Valadez A video from 3am Monday from inside the coffee shop shows someone with a hood and mask breaks through the door and takes off with the cash box Then another camera allegedly shows the thief driving away in an SUV Valadez says she could not tell who the person was She says the same thing happened about a year ago People feel violated when someone breaks into your store It's something you are not expecting," said Valadez But luckily nothing else inside the store was damaged The San Diego County Sheriff's Office tells u so far Anyone with information regarding either burglary is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office College & Schools and Academic Programs The University of San Diego (USD) announced today that longtime supporters Dan and Phyllis Epstein Read more read more  the University of San Diego proudly joined the 40th Annual Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair & Parade Read more read more  The University of San Diego officially opened the Palomar Health Student Wellness Center with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on Tu… Read more read more  The University of San Diego (USD) mourns the loss of Pope Francis Read more read more  Jonathan “Jonny” Kim ’12 (BA) this morning became the first Korean-American astronaut to journey into space Read more read more  USD News Minute: What you need to know this week at USD were awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship that supports exceptiona… In this episode of "At the Edge of It All," we dive into the world of integrated engineering with Gordon Hoople San Diego men's golf has received an at-large selection to the 2025 NCAA Tournament and is headed to the postseason for the fifth consecutive year The USD College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) hired 14 new faculty members in three distinctive themes – Borders and Social Justice The University of San Diego celebrated the official opening of the Palomar Health Student Wellness Center with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremon… The University of San Diego (USD) and JMI Sports are proud to announce a new multimedia rights partnership 7 San Diego Men's Tennis hoisted it's eighth WCC Tournament Title in the last nine seasons USD News Minute: What you need to know this week at USD… The University of San Diego officially opened the Palomar Health Student Wellness Center with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on Tuesday In this episode of "The Athletics Edge," a special series of "At the Edge of It All," we talk with Kimya Massey The USD College of Arts and Sciences (the college) hired 14 new faculty members in three distinctive themes – Borders and Social Justice Seventh-ranked San Diego Men's Tennis locked up the outright WCC Regular Season Championship title with a 4-2 win on the road over their rivals If you see Sumayya Sirajudeen walking across the University of San Diego (USD) campus it’s likely you’ll catch her talking and engaging w… It starts with an idea — one that is fostered through mentorship This philosophy is at the heart of the… 2025) - The San Diego County Bar Association has selected University of San Diego (USD) School of Law Professors David Brennan &l… In this episode of "At the Edge of It All," we sit down with Jena Hales associate professor and program director of Neuroscience University of San Diego Athletics has officially launched SanDiegoNIL.com a comprehensive digital hub dedicated to Name For alumni Elise Vaughan Winfrey ’08 and Nick Winfrey ’08 a liberal arts education helped them build a firm foundation for their careers.… An array of undergraduates spanning programs and schools gathered on the steps of the Learning Commons Town Square on April 8 and 10 The University of San Diego’s Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science has been recognized among the nation’s best in the newly released … The scent of the California air was Tatum Tande’s first clue that she was in the right place During her initial campus visit to the University … In this episode of "The Athletics Edge," a special series of "At the Edge of It All," we talk with Kimya Massey These are common words we hear in the push for more sustainable energy solutions in our communities CA (KGTV) — Last year's historic rains did major damage to the Lemon Grove Little League fields "When the rains came the field was all swamped," says league treasurer Yajaira Precieado I met Preciado last February and she gave me a first hand look at the mudslides and sinkholes on the fields and so we have two fields that we have to close." All that damage disrupted Lemon Grove Little League's 2024 season The 2025 season is right around the corner so I followed through on my coverage to see what the field conditions look like twelve months later "I hope that this is something that we can come back from," Preciado told me You can call this project a total home run and a great community effort So we collaborated and they were able to get us to where we are now and the community really rallied around us," says Preciado and the storm drain drain had to be repaired Preciado says the city spent close to $700 million on all the fixes "We also got a grant from the office of supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe for $50 thousand so that covered some of it Our league out of pocket spent another fifty grand." The league started assessments for the upcoming season last week as they get ready for opening day on February 8th Now the kids have a field with brand new grass and dirt "They are absolutely ecstatic," says Preciado Just seeing their faces with all the work we put in was absolutely worth it." (KGTV) - Loved ones are mourning two cousins and Haitian immigrants struck and killed when two vehicles crashed on New Year's Day in Lemon Grove a demolished sign rests next to a small memorial and the site of a horrific crash that killed two pedestrians 19-year-old Junior Joseph Juste was tagging along with his cousin who was heading to a bank to open an account at the intersection of Broadway and Buena Vista Avenue sending one of the cars into the path of the pair The Sheriff's Office says the two drivers were taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries SaintJuste says her brother and her cousin were both smart who immigrated to San Diego from Haiti last February and both were taking English classes in hopes of applying to colleges My brother loved soccer and wanted to play professionally some day,” said SaintJuste those two young live were cut short on a walk to a bank “It's hard to accept such a terrible accident It could have happened to anyone who was standing there The investigation into the crash is underway Sheriff’s deputies say speed is a possible factor Tests to determine if alcohol or tests were a factor All their dreams are gone,” said SaintJuste A public memorial is being held from 10 a.m A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help with funeral and other expenses SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Authorities publicly identified a man who was shot to death over the weekend in a Lemon Grove neighborhood near the junction of state Route 94 and SR-125 Deputies responding to a report of an assault shortly after 12:30 p.m Sunday found 51-year-old Anthony Trujillo suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck at Kunkel Park in Lemon Grove according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office RELATED: Homicide detectives investigate death of man at Lemon Grove park The events that led to the fatal gunfire are unknown though preliminary evidence suggested that the victim and the killer were not strangers the motivation and circumstances surrounding this tragic incident remain unclear," Lt SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Authorities reached out to the public for help identifying and tracking down the killer or killers of a homeless man who was fatally stabbed two summers ago in a makeshift encampment alongside state Route 94 in Lemon Grove was found dead at the transient camp just south of the freeway near North Avenue on the afternoon of Aug according to the California Highway Patrol The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide Anyone who might be able to help investigators determine who killed Jacquett was asked to contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or sdcrimestoppers.org Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 The male who claimed to be a witness called for Paramedics at the ARCO gas station on Massachusetts Ave The City of Lemon Grove honored the Lemon Grove Lions Club and the Lemon Grove Forward Club with a proclamation recognizing their ongoing efforts to keep the community cleaner demonstrating dedication through volunteering for countless hours to beautify Lemon Grove They have personally invested resources and partnered with both clubs to expand their impact the Lemon Grove Lions Club and Lemon Grove Forward Club mobilized volunteers and Klein have also extended their compassionate work to individuals experiencing homelessness demonstrating their commitment to the welfare of all community members (KGTV) — The Saint John of the Cross community is celebrating its return to classrooms after a harrowing year marked by flooding that forced the school to relocate Principal Gregory Krumm assessed extensive damage when floodwaters inundated the campus resulting in the student body finishing the school year at an alternative site in Paradise Hills “You almost felt this sense of sadness just seeing everything It’s a different feeling walking into the classroom not knowing what the future is going to bring.” a stark contrast to the uncertainty experienced just a year ago the teachers back enjoying their new classrooms — it's a world of difference," Krumm remarked Thanks to insurance and generous donations the school was able to rebuild its damaged facilities allowing students to return to their campus students expressed excitement over the improvements and we have tablets we can play on,” student Aiko Cabrera said Principal Krumm relayed to ABC 10News the lessons learned from the experience “How to be prepared next time because it will probably happen again at some point," he 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 (KGTV) — The San Diego County Sheriff's Office is investigating an incident at a Lemon Grove park that left one person dead Sunday afternoon Deputies responded to reports of a possible shooting at Kunkel Park Deputies arrived at the scene and found a Hispanic male in his 50s at Kunkel Park with a wound on his upper torso Sheriff's officials confirmed the victim was transported to Scripps Mercy Hospital for medical treatment The sheriff's Homicide Unit assumed lead on the investigation; the motivation and circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear but investigators believe the victim and the suspect were acquainted Sheriff's officials told ABC 10News the suspect in the case is a Hispanic male adult and was last seen wearing a light-blue sweatshirt with blue jeans The suspect was also seen wearing a backpack and riding an electric scooter Anybody with information on the incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 (CNS) - A 14-year-old boy and his parents were questioned by sheriff's detectives after the boy brought a plastic BB gun to Lemon Grove Academy Middle School the San Diego County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday Other students saw the boy with a replica firearm in his backpack on Friday but it wasn't reported to school staff members until Monday School administrators contacted the Lemon Grove Sheriff's Substation when they were notified that the replica firearm was brought to the school Sheriff's detectives contacted the boy and his parents and seized the BB gun The sheriff's office said there were no known threats against the Lemon Grove Academy Middle School The office says it has a policy of not releasing information about minors "The safety of our school children is a priority for the Sheriff's Office We want to remind students that if they hear any threats or even potential violence they should and can always approach school staff or call the anonymous Student Speaking Out Hotline at 888-580-8477." LEMON GROVE (KGTV) — A painted car and a handful of posters made it clear: people in Lemon Grove feel like they were lied to “They said we were going to get to give input," said resident Tina Cupp "Then they took it downtown and voted on it without our knowledge.” There’s an upcoming project to build tiny homes for the homeless in their city residents say they didn't hear about it until the project was approved “It’s the people of Lemon Grove’s tax dollars and they’re using it without our support,” said Ken King These tiny homes have struggled to find a home for a while now County Supervisor Nora Vargas pushed to put them in Spring Valley on Jamacha Road Vargas and the board voted to move the tiny homes elsewhere Mayor Raquel Vasquez was a part of the decision but said it's a county-led effort but what I do know is that we can work in unity to make a difference,” Vasquez said The county wants to put 70 tiny homes in a vacant lot at the intersection of Sweetwater and Troy and some local businesses are right across the street “Putting homeless encampments across the street from a gas station high schoolers consistently frequent is not the solution we need,” said Ryan Asmar Asmar’s dad has owned Sweet Water Gas since 1988 Asmar says the homeless population will create an unsafe environment for customers and people living nearby Another man showed me a petition signed by almost 500 people who agreed “They need to get actual facilities where they can treat the drug abuse Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe tells us the project will take up to two years to complete The county still needs to get permits approved but people in Lemon Grove are hoping they can still make a change.