THE BELL TOWER OF OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH CAN BE SEEN FROM ALMOST ANYWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF CITY HEIGHTS. RISING INTO THE CLEAR, UNCLUTTERED AIR ABOVE A WELTER OF VIETNAMESE …

That year a water main ruptured near the library during construction work, sending 1.5 million gallons of water rushing toward the structure. The library’s electronic motion detectors opened the doors, welcoming the deluge into the library's interior.

Sombrero Peak rises head and shoulders above the southern margins of the Anza-Borrego Desert, overlooking a hundred-square-mile expanse of rock-strewn mountains and gorges, sun-baked valleys, and distant badlands. Conversely, the peak itself is a prominent …

It seems about as likely as a sudden agreement between the heads of Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia to reunite and redevelop Yugoslavia. Yet there they are, the heads of two of San Diego's most powerful …

Was Veronica Salazar strung up like a piñata and beaten to death in Michigan? Does anybody care? When the San Diego mother of three was murdered last September 1, the event rated 74 words in …

San Diego Mayor Susan Golding has at least one unpaid bill left over from her ill-fated senate campaign. According to a lien filed in August by the State of California, Susan Golding for U.S. Senate …

"Whiskeytown came by its name from the number of kegs of whiskey that were lost when mules lost their footing on the narrow trail and plunged into the ravine, emptying their precious cargo into the …

The sidelines at the Great Western Forum are a long way from the strip on El Cajon Boulevard where hard-core streetwalkers trudge up and down dirty sidewalks chasing $50 tricks. The big sports palace in …

Question: If Clinton is driven from office by impeachment, does he get a former president's retirement anyway? -- Arlene Burch, the Net Answer: Hell no. No golden parachute if they toss him out of Air …

Matman: Is there a way to tell which movies will end up on HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc.? Do certain studios like Columbia or Paramount always release their movies to the same cable stations? — Robert, …

Dear Matthew Alice: Am I the only person in Balboa Park who ever looks up? Otherwise, how is it that we have dozens of statues of bare-breasted, buxom ladies overhead and no one ever mentions …

Resting high above the city of Escondido, Valley Center is well on its way to becoming a rural suburb. As more and more country estates pop up on big lots, the area is gradually losing …

'The Farm Bureau of San Diego has abdicated its responsibility," said Pandora Rose, owner of a 74.5-acre avocado ranch in Ramona, about its opposition to the Rural Heritage Initiative, Proposition B on the November 3 …

What is the best way to redevelop downtown San Diego? The recent barrage of discussion regarding a Padres baseball stadium has focused attention on redevelopment of a downtown area, the recently renamed "East Village." Among …

While Union-Tribune World Series coverage has been heavy on hype, light on substance, last Sunday's New York Times magazine weighed in with a voluminous indictment of baseball and professional sports in general. Titled "Bizball," the …

William Carlos Williams wrote, “The pure products of America go crazy.” Charles Manson is a fine example. At the Access Manson Web site (www.atwa.com) one can measure the depths of the killer’s deviant soul. Collected …

"Matthew? Matthew! Fin's in the middle of the road!" Wheneer we go out for breakfast at the Antique Row Cafe on Adams Avenue — California omelette (hold the olives), homestyle potatoes, English muffin, orange juice, …

I tighten my right arm around the cheetah’s neck. He has a deep purr, like a Harley-Davidson heard cruising along two blocks away. I try not to think of his teeth and claws, but his …

WHEN YOU'VE GOT THE BLUES. THERE'S ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO. GO OUT AND BUY YOURSELF A NEW PAIR Of SHOES. — CHAMPION JOCH DUPREE I don’t have the blues — at least not …

'I was hoping it would stay away from San Diego," she said, compressing her meaty lips and furrowing her broad fore-head. She had not expected Californian curiosity to find her here, crammed with other unhappy …

When zillions of photons dart among billions of spinning, microscopic ice crystals in cirrus clouds high above, order may gel amid apparent disorder, creating a bevy of optical effects in the atmosphere. These effects include …

The American Civil Liberties Union has just picked up some competition on the right. According to last week's Washington Times, San Diego management consultant Robert B. Carleson, one-time advisor to President Ronald Reagan, has set …

"This policy makes it clear what we should do about Jessica and Christine." Two medical assistants who worked in our office until they decided they would try going to Kaiser to improve their incomes, Jessica …

The jagged blue line’s surges and plunges read like the electrocardiogram of a manic patient. But the line tells an innocuous story. It’s the wave report for San Diego County as described by the “swell …

“When people look at turf, their blood pressure drops and their heart rate decreases.. It’s been found that the rate of recovery from surgery is faster for people who have a view of the landscape.”

As usual, Mayor Cianci was at the murder scene. "There was one body on the street. He was in perfect health, outside of a hole in his head. He was lying face down, and they …

Matt: In short: Why are Greek urns rounded at the bottom? It's puzzled me for years. Even a tour guide at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art couldn't answer this. Greek urns were built …

Matmail: These questions have haunted me through my adolescence: Where does all the white come from in breaking waves? If hot air rises and cold air sinks, why is it colder at higher altitudes, where …

'Body found in TJ River Valley," Kyle Anastasio reads a text message on the pager hanging from his belt. He turns to me. "You're going flying." The drizzly June morning we've spent lazing in the …

San Diego police have yet to crack the May 1996 slaying of scientist Tsunao Saito and his 13-year-old daughter Loullie in front of their posh La Jolla home. The mystery and rumors surrounding the killings …

The early-autumn sun continues to scorch the desert's lowest elevations, yet it far more kindly illuminates the 4000-foot plateau of Pinyon Mountain Valley, high amid Anza-Borrego's central mountain range -- the Vallecito Mountains. Eighty-degree days …

Chapter One Monday, August 25. 9:15 p.m. Max Thursday stood in the shadows and waited. The illuminated hands of his wrist watch crept closer to 9:30. He was a big man, with wide shoulders and …

My smugness was arrested when a man appeared out of nowhere, wearing an apologetic frown. He said, “Sir, um, jeans aren’t allowed.” The pro shop charged $35 for a pair of shorts.

On September 18 -- the last day of KOGO talk-show host Roger Hedgecock's annual vacation -- the station filled in for him by inviting Larry Lucchino, CEO and minority owner of the San Diego Padres, …

John Ashley meets me at the gate of the Kona Kai Club marina. It's 4:00 a.m., and misty darkness shrouds the harbor. Ashley, a vigorous, ruddy-faced man, leads me down the floating dock to his …

Last February, Jennifer Ann Moores, 29-year-old daughter of Padres owner John Moores, was busted by a Glendale, Arizona, cop for going 67 mph in a 45 mph zone, apparently while on the way to a …

Matmail: When I see spiders outdoors, they are usually in the middle of a web. Inside my apartment, however, they just stand on my ceiling. Why don't my spiders spin webs indoors? Do they know …

Dear Matthew Alice: How does the government choose who to recruit for jury duty? These people will not leave me alone! Before they disrupt my life yet again, please tell me (1) how they make …

Here and there amid the gently undulating folds of San Diego County's highest elevations, crystal-clear water charged with sweet-tasting minerals seeps to the surface, wetting the ground and nourishing grasses and year-round greenery. At Dyar …