EL CAJON – For decades, diners have enjoyed the egg foo yong and orange chicken at Kip's Cafe, a small Chinese/Japanese/sushi restaurant in a strip mall on Second Avenue in El Cajon. Come Nov. 22, one of the oldest restaurants in the city will be shutting its doors after 52 years in business. Jim Wallis, a retired El Cajon police officer, is among the customers who will miss the restaurant. “You'd come in here and you know you'd get good food,” Wallis said as he picked up his takeout order of chicken chow mein. “It's an icon of the community.”

SANTEE – A new high school is on its way to Santee. The school will accommodate up to 470 students and rise in the city's RiverView office park. The Santee City Council this week approved a permit for the charter school, which will be part of the Grossmont Union High School District. It will be located west of Magnolia Avenue and north of Las Colinas Detection Facility. Debbie Beyer, the school's founder, said she hopes to open the doors of the new facility in fall 2009. The focus of the school will be literacy, technology and leadership.

When Marcee Fitzpatrick, 19, graduated from high school, she thought about pursuing a career in neuroscience and psychology. So much for that choice. While touring the performing arts facilities at Cuyamaca College, the La Mesa resident learned that the school was offering a new major: music industry studies. “It was like a revelation for me,” said Fitzpatrick, a longtime singer and musician. “It was exactly what I wanted to do, and this school could offer it for me.”

SANTEE – Voters last week overwhelmingly approved Proposition P, making Santee a charter city. But it will be several weeks before the four-page document, which acts like a local constitution, takes effect. And it could be longer before residents see changes in the way the city runs. Supporters of Proposition P say the Nov. 4 ballot measure wasn't designed to trigger sweeping day-to-day changes at City Hall.

• Perfecting their moves
• Water features make a splash
• Little change on East County councils
• Nothing but net
• Spooky surroundings
• Home has a colorful history
• New quarters for crime-fighters
• Ride program a ticket to freedom for seniors
• Sprucing up school grounds
• Disability awareness gets positive presentation
• Nearly 200 volunteers help spruce up homes
• Powwow dancers retrace the steps of their ancestors
• Difficult choices on finances are looming, candidates say
• Dealing with dumped alley trash
• Writer leads group into love affair with words
• Ethics expert hired to help Helix High
• Mother has special power
• Dogs join search-rescue team
• Diapers have babies covered
• Fishing derby gets kids hooked
• Kitten found on road is not what he seems
• Past, present alive and kickin' at cafe
• Nursing school grads wanted for Grossmont reunion
• Skateboard lot eagerly awaited
• Lucky ducks find safe homes
• 2 school districts honored for use of technology in classroom
• Water, fire districts to share a facility
• 'Uncle Bill' marking 100 years
• Moving gently, staying active
• Housing dreams now a reality for residents