The Reader’s editorial staff was gratified and frequently delighted by the response we got to our writing contest: 347 non-fiction stories, 31 pieces of fiction, and no less than 199 poems. It’s good to know …
2022 San Diego Reader writing contest winners, part 1
From a Weezer tribute to fronting Smash Mouth
A vet of local bands such as Secret Seven, Divided by Zero, Ghoulspoon, and octogenarian Weezer tribute Geezer, Zach Goode has been announced as the new lead singer of 1990s alt-rock icons Smash Mouth, replacing …
Potato Chip Rock, The Barn, Barona Drags, Oasis Camel Dairy, the Turkey Inn, goat yoga
As Lakeside fades in my rearview and Ramona’s foothills loom in before me, I inhale my surroundings. Despite 20 years of living in San Diego, my Midwestern heart has yet to normalize the Western movie …
June 22, 2022
Wannabe cop pulls over seven North County drivers
A 21-year-old man had his 18-year-old girlfriend in his car when he pretended to be a policeman and pulled over another car last week, according to a San Diego County prosecutor who spoke in court …
June 21, 2022
Fallbrook – a door into the past
I want the backwards clock to go forward and the forward clock to go backwards Outside the barbershop, the street is usually sunny. Cars stop for the light and move past us, windows down, arms …
December 11, 2022
Falling for Fallbrook’s Rosa Sattoria
Luxury and opulence are obviously the prime factors underpinning what we do here at Unreal. Whether that means ultramodern sleekness in a living space rivaling the size of a large grocery store, a penthouse unit …
January 5, 2023
Fallbrook Guns burglar nabbed by dog
The owner of the Fallbrook Guns & Ammo store on Main Street in downtown Fallbrook called 911 a little before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. He told police that he could see a …
February 6, 2023
Gonzo Report: Fallbrook winery hosting hundreds of moves
The heavy rains and windy roads on SR-76 leading into Fallbrook added to the adventure of my January 15 visit to the Country Wine Dancing shindig at Monserate Winery. As I pulled up around 6 …
February 23, 2023
Athena's organic farm in Fallbrook draws in the Wwoofers
I discovered WWoofing back in 2012 when I spent a day picking kale at the <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/places/morning-star-ranch/">Morning Star Ranch</a> in Valley Center for a story on Farmers Markets. The ranch belonged to the Twelve Tribes, …
November 15, 2023
New San Diego dads run to therapists
Many fathers, including myself, know the feeling: a strange and heady mix of joy, wonder, and fear, brought on by the first meeting with our progeny. We went into the hospital as supportive partners for …
February 14, 2024