This is the most interesting highway sign in the county. For years I have been noting the political winds of change on the southeast side of Highway 78, about three miles east of Ramona. The …

When people find out that my daughter’s middle name is Vienna, the first question is inevitably some variation of, “Oooh, you didn’t name her after that mean chick from the Bachelor, did you??” So, no. …

My Dearest Freeway Five, Having spent most of my life in New York City, I have never truly known someone like you. But I came out here for new and exciting experiences, and boy am …

Last month, Oceanside businessman Steve Amster bought a house at auction. The boarded-up house, in the 1400 block of Dubuque Street in Oceanside, had been gutted by the city before auction. A few days after …

On November 28, a meeting was held at Escondido City Hall to consider opinions and concerns from the public regarding mobile catering trucks. Currently, city regulations do not allow food trucks. Food-truck operators say that …

Motorhomes are quite unwelcome on at least one street in Liberty Station. In fact, if you park your RV on Truxton Road, the street in front of Vons and Trader Joe’s grocery stores, a security …

The scraggly-looking display of succulents along the sidewalk at the foot of Santa Monica Avenue and Abbott Street have been spruced up. The little corner area near the Ocean Beach Lifeguard Tower has the San …

On Tuesday morning, November 27, at about 6:30, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents at the San Ysidro border crossing helped save the life of a month-old baby who appeared to be suffering from serious …

In the northwestern corner of China, where a pointed finger of land pokes into Russia and separates Kazakhstan from Mongolia, the last physical remains of the army of Genghis Khan stand watch. The area is …

The San Diego Port District is replacing pilings and renovating the outer facing of the G Street Pier. Many of the old logs used as pilings along the outer edge of the structure are being …

Bolivia is unique. It is the only country in the “New World” where the indigenous still predominate. Imagine if 65% of our population was still Native American (versus the less than one percent we have …

The Apple Tree market in Ocean Beach recently won a brief reprieve from their scheduled November 27 closure. The longtime grocer located at 4949 Santa Monica Avenue “will now be open until December 31, 2012,” …

Sitting approximately 25 miles from the western gate of Yosemite National Park is Groveland, CA. The town straddles highway 120 and is as rooted in the past as any other you will see on this …

I purchased After Hours, one of the four freshly minted CDs in the Complete Columbia Albums box, many years ago, on vinyl. Shouldn’t having the original — the cover of which is minutely replicated, as …

Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee struggled to hit the high notes on the opener, keyboard-centric “Subdivisions,” which was no surprise considering the studio versions helium-high voice. However, Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart were so …

What could we do with our waterfront, if we really put our thinking caps on?

Last year, the Sweetwater Union High School District board voted to support a vaguely worded concept about an institution called “Sweetwater University.” The latest gambit for Sweetwater U is online college courses offered to high …

The O.B. Christmas tree arrived at the foot of Newport Avenue yesterday, November 27, with a police escort. An Obecian donated the tree — a star pine — from their front yard. While O.B. has …

The way Tim Lowman tells the story, it is not surprising to learn that his one-man act Low Volts may have been shaped in part by his great grandfather Doc Lowman (he was a gospel …

Ed Bedford gets a burger at the Alamo Mexican Cafe and then hits Churchill Cigar Lounge before last call.

Carl Durant releases a new single and video for his song “(Not Our) Ride Home,” about 22 sixth-graders killed in Swiss Alp bus accident earlier this year.

Inspired in part by hip-hop and in part by “wheat pop,” one of Bar West’s best-selling drinks, the Drunken Monkey, developed from the beer-and-fruit combos already sliding across the bar most nights, says bartender Scott …

The Dirty Sirens are rock ’n’ roll’s fallen angels amplified.

If you had heard nothing about the Kopecky Family Band except their name, you would be forgiven for not having high hopes about this Nashville six-piece. It doesn’t help much to learn that none of …

Contentment and pipe smoke filled the air in the late-night hours after the Thanksgiving feast. My brother Bill, visiting from Kansas, puffed merrily away on our patio, reveling in the mild California evening. Patrick, meanwhile, …

Interview with Ghoulgotha founder/guitarist Wayne Sarantopoulos about death doom metal.

Up to you: leisurely stroll or heart-pumping workout in the Elfin Forest.

Chargers head coach Norv Turner’s history of poor performance.

Sean Mackin checks in by phone from Albuquerque to talk about the Yellowcard tour. “We’re killing time right now,” he says. “We’ll probably do some go-carting before sound check. Team-building activities. Stuff like that.” How …

“It’s almost like the disease has to win in order for her soul to survive. Or something like that.”

Interview with musician/author/publisher Zack Wentz about his (Charles) Book&Record project.

Hey Matt: Watching the tube the other day, I thought I caught a commercial from a water-filter outfit that said the USA uses enough plastic water bottles to circle the Earth 19 or 119 times …

David and I braced ourselves for the nippy, nighttime New England air as we stepped off the ferry and onto the ramp, headed toward the luggage cart. It was 10:30 p.m. on Martha’s Vineyard, more …

Hey Matt:The elves will love this one! After a few hours and many beers in the garage I could not devise a system for measuring the pressure of my burps. We’re talking good, forceful, thundering …

The data are in: climate change is real, and greenhouse gas emissions are greatly to blame. Global warming does not necessarily cause destructive disasters but definitely intensifies them. The East Coast seems more vulnerable than …

"He started sobbing,” said the California Highway Patrol officer. The teenager had been forced to stop his Lexus by patrol cars gathered down the street from his parents’ Carmel Valley home. Officer Steven Jio said …

For the not so princely pay of $17.67 an hour, graduate students at San Diego State University are being offered the opportunity to work for Uncle Sam’s top-secret military dolphin program, according to a recent …

San Diego State University president Elliot Hirshman’s $400,000 salary came in for a lot of criticism when it was announced earlier this year. Even Democratic governor Jerry Brown got into the act, telling university trustees …

While election fights raged this past summer, some California pols who were safely ensconced in their seats or faced easy ballot battles partook of some heaping hospitality from the Barona Band of Mission Indians, operator …

Don’t be distracted by all the shiny, glittery things.

Life on Life’s Terms I am also a product of the streets of Southeast SD, and of growing up in the prison system. At the very smart age of 14, and being the smart gangster …

This guy’s seen it all: military impostors, wife killers, and clown therapy.

Who will believe my verse in time to come, If it were filled with your most high deserts? Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb Which hides your life, and shows not …

The Jonathan Sellers & Charlie Keever Outdoor Education Center opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, November 26, at the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located on the north end of 13th Street along …

An Ocean Beach woman left a bar on Newport Avenue in the early morning hours of November 1, only to wake up covered in blood and being rescued by her neighbors. She told me she …

For a city known for nightlife, Madrid's residents sure like to sleep. Don’t expect to accomplish much in the land in la mañana. I remember hearing stories during a city tour: it took city workers …

Located on the 200 block of Smilax Road Vista, Mariposa Apartments has been the site of countless vehicle damage and vandalism incidents since the spring of 2012. Situated in a park-like setting, the complex is …

On Sunday, November 25, the Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles arrived in Tijuana to play in the national fútbol finals and make history by beating Club León 3-0 in Caliente Stadium before a sell-out crowd. In the streets, …

Less than ten years ago, Tijuana was a cultural mecca for the salty, surf-inspired natives of San Diego. A gateway to the Baja Peninsula touting cheap drinks and cheaper thrills, promising an unforgettable experience with …

While older workers are less likely to be laid off than younger workers, they arre about half as likely to be rehired.

Although the Chula Vista Redevelopment Corporation has come to an end, the legacy of a past redevelopment project continues to play out. In June of 2011, the U-T published an online story titled “City-subsidized building …

Sometimes, having a job is not all it’s cracked up to be. Just look at the findings of ComPsych’s survey of 2,000 employees. It reports more workers than ever claiming signs of job burnout. According …

Robert Coleman, executive director of the Second Chance program, offers tips and resources for the “hardest to employ.” First, please tell me about Second Chance. Second Chance is dedicated to creating opportunities for self-sufficiency. We …

Pilots who have worked for a company for 10 years could have annual earnings close to $300,000.

A chain-link fence, lots of scaffolding, and a face-lift now separate would-be shoppers from the soon-to-open Point Loma Grocery Outlet in Midway Towne Center. "Point Loma Grocery Outlet is coming!” read a recent company Facebook …

Another store in the Otay Ranch Center mall will be closing its doors soon. Coldwater Creek, an upscale women’s clothing store, and Coldwater Creek Spa, a full-service salon, will be going out of business on …

Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast donned herself “Bratty B” in her rowdy yet sweet debut Crazy for You. She wrote catchy teen love songs that included her cat Snacks and a bunch of weed. But …

Mike Watt and his loyal Missingmen landed in San Diego for a second time this year to deliver an encore performance of the band's rock opera Hyphenated-Man. The trio tore into the piece with a …

Many readers have probably driven out to SR-2 just north of Ocotillo and taken Dos Cabezas Road to its western terminus in order to hike Goat Canyon and see the wood railroad trestles and tunnels …

If the Ocean Beach Skatepark is looking a little less ragged lately, you can thank Newbreak Church in Ocean Beach. The newly opened church on Cape May Avenue has a volunteer gardening group that gets …

At around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 2, traffic became snarled in Centro de Tijuana, with all incoming vehicles on Calle Tercera diverted onto Calle Madero. Mexico marked its 102nd year since the revolution of …

After the Hostess Company suspended operations and closed its three San Diego County outlet stores this week, most other stores were cleared of their products by fans and those who sought to profit from the …

A squawky, unintelligible, robot voice emanated from my phone — my latest ring tone. When I answered, my sister Heather said, “Well, I guess you need to let me know what night is good for …

Sponsored by the SDSU Alumni Association's Veterans War Memorial Committee, the war memorial at San Diego State is one of few such tributes of its kind to be erected on a U.S. college campus. Located …

Danger and sometimes $100 an hour.

As the San Diego County grand jury opens an investigation this week into allegations of corruption in the Sweetwater Union High School District, new intrigues play out in Calexico with Sweetwater’s former attorney firm, GCR, …

I signed up for a wildlife volunteer project in the Seychelles. In order to get accustomed to the time change and to get my PADI, I went a few days early. Another volunteer for a …

A limited-edition vinyl pressing of P.O.D.’s new full-length, Murdered Love, drops this week. It’s available in two colors: transparent red and clear with red splatter. On November 30, the Tin Can Alehouse will host the …

Helix High School band directors get creative in the absence of funding, including mattress sales and cow-chip bingo.

Hike on a man-made island in Mission Bay where invasive plants dominate the landscape.

Name: Brian Lehman Lyng Car: 2003 Acura TL How’s your commute? I live in Pacific Beach. It’s about seven miles to downtown, maybe ten miles to SDSU. And it is crazy everywhere I go. There …

Where it’s OK for females to go shirtless (and bra-less) in public?

We talk by phone, Nena Anderson and I, about her winter vegetable garden. She’s been working in her yard, getting ready for the coming cold front. A single mother, Anderson works as a designer, a …

Are Arbitron’s Portable People Meters fairly measuring the San Diego listenership of FM 94/9?

Hi Matthew:I read that the Sandcastles Festival here in Imperial Beach had over 400,000 visitors during the three-day weekend, more than any previous festival. Any clue how they can possibly calculate that figure and how …

Hey Matt:Can you find out why an earthen berm was constructed along the north side of the National Trails Highway/Route 66 for many miles east of Amboy, CA? Does it still serve any purpose? Was …

Rancho San Diego’s Press Box Sports Lounge has a beer selection that outshines any sports bar for at least ten miles in any direction.

‘We perform musical comedy inspired by burlesque, vaudeville, and punk rock,” says Jaye MacAskill, who cofounded Pony Death Ride with her husband Joe in 2009. “As a multi-instrumental duo, our songs reference a variety of …

Delicate Steve’s song “Redeemer,” from the new Positive Force, is an original, but it sounds like an oddball cover version of the instrumental theme song from some forgotten 1980s TV drama (I’m thinking Hill Street …

In spite of the ever-rising price of gas, I try to get out of my neighborhood(s) and see what’s going on elsewhere. And so, one morning about three months ago, I took a drive along …

The local branch of Service Employees International Union, the giant public employees union, has been in the market for a new employee. “We’re looking for a Political Organizer to work in our San Diego office …

About Danny Way, the North County resident who jumped the Great Wall of China on a skateboard.

“The comic and tragic parts equally border on the hateful.”

Kate Murray went to sushi school against the advisement of men who told her raw fish begins cooking in women’s hands because they’re warmer than men’s.

Does San Diego’s great awakening include Republicans?

SDSU student/musician Ariel Schwartz says Associated Students has stopped paying to host bands and only includes DJs for entertainment.

My son recited a Gandhi quotation at dinner. “‘I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let …

Though the Obama administration’s second-term housecleaning begins soon, one controversial San Diegan is given good odds to hang around another four years in one capacity or another. Alan Bersin, currently assistant secretary of international affairs …

It was a good year for collecting child support in California. More aggressive collection efforts helped the state bring in $38 million more in the fiscal year that ended in June. San Diego ranked 22nd …

Standing Up for Servers I have been an avid fan of the Reader for over ten years. You have written great articles about my friends, local bands, I love the food reviews, etc. But this …

In a public gym on a Stairmaster having an erotic fantasy.

Owls glide off the thin Wrists of the night, And using snow for their feathers Drift down on either side Of the wind. I spot them As I camp along the ridge, Glistening over the …

Behind green shade cloth at Point Loma High School's Bennie Edens Stadium, a snack bar and bathrooms are being built. Due to ongoing construction of the Prop. S–funded project, the field gate on Voltaire Street …

Exhaustion from traveling had taken its toll. I craved sleep, but was not comforted by the platform posing as a bed, shaking as the night train made its way south to Moscow. Sightseeing in the …

“Welcome to Dalat. Please give me your passports. You are American? How do you come here?” Not an unusual greeting from the young female receptionist in a white ao dai local dress at the Dalat …

Tons of contaminated soil will be excavated from two sites at the southern border of Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach within the next month, according to Michael Pound of Naval Facilities Engineering Command …

On a recent visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, we decided to escape the congestion of the inner city. If you’ve never visited Angel Island, it should be on your priority list when visiting …

Dear Alex (Spanos), After almost 34 years together I’m starting to think this relationship isn’t working. I’ve given you my unconditional support, my precious time, and my hard-earned money and in return you’ve given me …

The Save Syrian Children contingent of the Syrian American Council marched in Balboa Park today, November 17. For the past two years, the group has held demonstrations to draw attention to the ongoing civil war …

All the whooping and hollering and horn honking started early on Saturday morning, November 17, in Ocean Beach, as approximately 3500 people came through the community as part of a three-day walk to benefit the …

Early on the morning of November 15 in El Monte Valley, I was driving slow like always, hoping to see a cat. Thursday was my day. I stopped my car when I spotted a young …

Gothenburg, Sweden, is the country’s second-largest city, and yet it’s not on most Americans' radar. It should be! It’s an important commercial port, Volvo’s headquarters, a college town, a gourmet food destination and a fashion …

Since 1997, Godspeed has sounded like a prodigious teen's imagination: splaying the guts of the world with youthful abandon. The band had painted the sounds of life with a better view. Godspeed explored great heights …

Like a juvenile Neil Young, guitarist/vocalist Brian King cast electrified chords to the night sky over UCSD’s (partially open-air) Porter’s Pub. As the last blast drifted on the wind, the ample crowd applauded. King beamed, …

In the past year, various reinforcement and remodeling efforts have been applied to the old pedestrian bridge crossing the Tijuana River, the quickest and most efficient walking route to downtown Tijuana. The bridge, built decades …

A suspect who robbed a Loma Portal gas station on Wednesday, November 14, at around 10:00 p.m. was still on the loose Thursday afternoon. The Shell gas station on the corner of West Point Loma …

After a week of photographing remote volcanic lakes in the desert of Ethiopia, Irene was tired and elected to stay with the vehicle while I went to shoot one last thermal pool. Assured of her …

Keith the Kelper grapples with the wires, yanking some down, twisting them, forwards, backwards and then finally wrapping them tightly around the post. “It’s those cows that do this, they chew the signs I suppose …

Few have captured Tijuana's cool new vivacity like filmmaker Aaron Soto.

A ballot item approved in a 4-1 vote at the November 13 La Mesa City Council meeting means voters will decide in November 2014 whether medical marijuana dispensaries will be allowed in the city. Mayor …

Patrons at the Uptown shopping center were treated to several hours of deafening noise today, November 14, as Boart Longyear Drilling Services drilled 147 feet below the surface of the parking lot. Workers on the …

Concerned Sweetwater Union High School District parents and residents lined up to ask superintendent Ed Brand questions at a November 8 meeting. They wanted an accounting of the money they have paid into the 17 …

Heymatt:I’ve been living in my house in University Heights for 65 years and I’ve never had a spider problem like this one. These little buggers are festooning the roof tiles like Christmas tinsel. They’re on …

Recipe by Cliff Pleau, culinary director, Seasons 52 My earliest memory of wanting to be a chef was when I was about four years old. I was still sucking my thumb and my dad was …

Chris lifts up Guinness number 66. “I’m aiming for 100,” he says. “You get five free pints for every 100 pints you drink, and your name on that ‘Guinness Century Club’ plaque.” He indicates a …

"Don’t cook for Thanksgiving this year,” said Patrick’s mother. “You know what?” I answered. “I’m not going to fight you on that. It’s been a long year.” “So, where should we go? Our treat.” I …

According to the Whaling Bar & Grill’s bar manager Scotty Moises, the establishment took its name when it opened in the early 1950s from the mural that hangs over the bar, The Whale’s Last Stand. …

San Diego club-goers who smoke cigarettes take part in quit groups started by Rescue Social Change Group, funded through a grant from the University of California, San Francisco.

Interview with Steve Weinberger, author of the book No Air Guitar Allowed.

Trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos did his last Wednesday-night gig at El Camino bar/restaurant on October 31.

The song that transformed Boz Scaggs’s career is simple to the point of monotony. Except for the guitar break, there are two chords: an Em9 that resolves into a jazzy A13 over and over and …

This Agua Tibia Wilderness hike has dramatic vistas and a variety of vegetation types.

A couple of weeks before the election, I looked up a Future of the Left video online, but before I could see it I had to sit through a campaign ad for Rep. Michele Bachmann. …

Thom Beebe, owner of Guitar and Bass Land/Skin City Drums in El Cajon won’t deal in used musical equipment anymore due to an increase in secondhand/pawnshop permit fees.

New Jersey moves to legalize betting on football. Will they be stopped?

Disturbing strangeness at the Museum of Photographic Arts.

Just a month after the U.S. Border Patrol promised better public access to Monument Mesa in the historic Border Field State Park, the gates to the mile-and-a-half-long road from the park entrance to the mesa …

I don’t usually listen to voicemail left by robots, but this one was from my health-insurance company, so I stayed on the line long enough to jot down the 800 number I was instructed to …

Meet Buddy, an East Coast transplant, cultural chameleon, and private Peace Corpsman who knows the joy of being alive.

Membership: 525 Pastor: Gary McCary Age: 60 Born: Needles, CA Formation: La Sierra University, Riverside, CA; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI Years Ordained: 33 San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to …

The bayside Point Loma mansion lavishly remodeled by Mavourneen O’Connor, the secretive twin sister of onetime San Diego mayor Maureen O’Connor, is up for sale for a cool $6,825,000. “195 feet of prestigious water frontage …

When he was 22 years old, Jeremy Ryan Stutzman attacked a young Escondido housewife in her apartment. He bound and gagged her and forced her to dress in lingerie that he provided. His sexual assault …

Lame-duck San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders has backed off plans to expand the City’s controversial red-light camera enforcement program, leaving that decision to mayor-elect Bob Filner, according to a recent report in U-T San Diego. …

Race v. Rally Ahoy, Reader. In your Neighborhood News you made a serious error in terming the Baja Ha Ha a race. I think they call it a rally. The participants can use motors and …

Three days after my mother died, her hollyhocks tumbled down under their own weight. My father disappeared. I had eaten the last of her meatloaf wrapped in wax paper. She had waved me out of …

A man and his dog were enjoying the day at Dog Beach November 13 when the man fell to the ground and began having a seizure, according to the Hubble family who witnessed the incident. …

The San Diego City Council on November 13 unanimously approved authorization to “advertise, bid, award, and construct” the multimillion-dollar Horton Plaza Improvement Project. The council acted in its role as the successor agency to the …

On November 9, around midnight, a 26-year-old Ocean Beach woman was attacked on the 1900 block of Ebers Street. She said she noticed a man walking near her and told him not to walk so …

On our first of what will be many journalistic journeys south of the border, we explored the towns of Rosarito, Puerto Nuevo and Ensenada to check out some of the upper Baja’s more renowned spots. …

Just the other evening, my husband and I were walking through the business area of El Cajon, on our way to a steakhouse, when a rat ran right in front of us. Doesn't that just …

As much as we see globalization happening on every continent, I have seen a place as-of-yet unaffected. Hyderabad, India, has yet to be conquered by McDonalds, Wal-Mart or Starbucks. You won't find much tourism there …

Monterosso al Mare, within the popular tourist destination of Cinque Terre, Italy, is a gem. I was here in September 2012 and was struck by its simple beauty. Most tourists had gone, and those here …

A fire was reported at 5 p.m. on November 11 at a two-story commercial building on the 3500 block of Hancock Street in the Point Loma/Sports Arena area. The conflagration soon drew over 60 firefighters …

Between 1:45 and 2:15 a.m. on Wednesday, November 7, thieves smashed the windows on several cars in a Mira Mesa neighborhood. Kim’s car was damaged and her Nook reading tablet was taken. She confirmed other …

At about 7:00 p.m. on November 10, during a neighborhood block party on Bedford Drive in Kensington, a man driving a red Honda sedan slowly but deliberately drove through three barriers that blocked off the …

Even though the 2012 general election was held almost a week ago, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office — as of 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 9 — still had not counted 27 …

Z and I arrive by evening ferry at the nondescript dock of Lopez Island. A sign by the terminal advises that “All at large dogs will be detained” – curious, to say the least. We …

A lone drifter, age unknown, rides into Lakeside, California, with his three mules. He says they wander the country, guided only by the love of the Earth and its creatures. The man goes by the …

Blair Littleton had such a negative car repair experience while she was a senior in high school that after graduation she decided to attend a vocational school where she was certified as an auto technician. …

I woke up this morning, knowing that everything on my uncovered porch outside was going to be saturated by the evening rain...Why was everything outside uncovered and unprotected from the rain you ask? BECAUSE THIS …

An enormous moving truck was stuck in the Point Loma Villa condos’ driveway in the Midway District on Friday morning, November 9, at around 11:00 a.m. Heavily laden with household items, the T & R …

"Dude, I think I want to go to Ukraine,” I told a friend over a beer-battered fish taco in cloudless San Diego. "What are you looking for in Russia? Women of dreamy, unworldly beauty, cheap …

Although a bit out of your way for nightly dinner reservations, if you happen to be in Nairobi, Kenya, this restaurant is not to be missed. In fact, it’s hard to avoid, as it seems …

You might find that you’ve shared information that doesn’t sit well with the boss.

The biggest no-no is creating a website that looks like you did it yourself.

On the morning of November 7, the Royce family from Oceanside lined up outside the Chick-fil-A on El Camino Real in Encinitas. By 10:30 a.m., a tent city had sprung up in the parking lot, …

A rape reportedly occurred in the 5100 block of Muir Steet in Ocean Beach on November 2, according to crimemapping.com In an interview with San Diego police Lt. Natalie Stone, she said the victim met …

“Someone making great handcrafted yogurt would be in like Flynn.”

In 1896, Homer Pennock arrived in a sleepy seaside hamlet in southern Alaska hoping to strike a fortune. He managed the Alaska Gold Mining Company, but his mining ventures ultimately failed. Pennock left the area …

Rarely has a format seemed as fitting as “country rock opera” does for Giant Giant Sand’s meshing of folk/jazz/rock/blues/country with offhand theatricality. Based on the group’s most dependable obsession/location — the Southwest — Tucson is …

John O’Regan, who has sanctioned the stage name Diamond Rings, brought his ’80s pop show to Soda Bar. In support of his sophomore release, Free Dimensional, the Canadian had been opening for the band Stars …

When I was released from prison in June of 2008, I received $200 in cash. They call it “gate money.” It’s the standard issue for all parolees leaving California prisons, and it does not matter …

On November 3, at approximately 1:10 p.m., a motorist was injured on the southbound I-15 between the Centre City Parkway on-ramp and Via Rancho Parkway off-ramp. A gas-cylinder delivery vehicle was unable to stop in …

Sometimes you like to get raw and wild with your peanut butter.

The Cheese Shop doesn’t specialize in cheese, they were too embarrassed to tell Mr. Cleese.

Autumns are short in America’s Finest City. The transition from summer’s dog days to mall-Santa season seems like it happens in the blink of a sunglass-shielded eye. But it’s worth taking time to enjoy this …

All about Penis Hickey, “an anarchic steel-toe to your earballs.”

The cooling, welcoming sight of a pond while hiking in the chaparral on a hot day.

Sam Prekop checks in by phone from his home in Chicago. I gather he is rocking in the proverbial sense, meaning in an old-fashioned chair. Every so often, I hear the tell-tale creak of wood …

You’d think I’d remember the layout better,” I said to the top of David’s smoothly shaven head, which was hovering over a small map of San Diego State University’s campus. “Then again, I was only …

Punk is getting interesting again. This year, the Russian provocateurs in Pussy Riot proved that punk is still a polarizing political and cultural force. But, musically, punk is thrilling in a way it hasn’t been …

Babycakes is a good place to start the day with a cocktail, a pastry, and a spanking.

Commercial local media outlets are increasingly forced by the economy and the disruptive impact of the internet on reading, viewing, and listening habits to cut staff, but San Diego State’s taxpayer-backed KPBS public broadcasting operation …

“Bless you,” San Diego’s crooked 30th Street, horsepower, all explained

Heymatt: Why in the world does 30th Street morph into Fern Street between Juniper and Ash streets? Not only that, 30th doesn’t disappear during its run as Fern but actually continues as an entirely separate …

Show Palace gets raided by multiple agencies on night of Alejandra Guzman show. Nothing was found, show proceeded. Insiders suggest state bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control was exerting pressure.

It’s Chargers football season, time once again for San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders to quietly give close friends and political allies free tickets to premier seats at Qualcomm Stadium. For the October 15 game with …

Heymatt:Why are car engines measured in horsepower? What does horsepower mean and how much horsepower does one horse generate? — Motorhead, Escondido Engines have been measured in horsepower since James Watt, who refined early steam …

Axe body spray pays Ninja Love for use of a song in a South American ad campaign.

Increasingly, American newspapers are trying to deliver the news electronically: online and by smartphone, tablet, Twitter, e-reader, you name it. But newspapers — particularly large metro dailies — are still having a rough time. Profits …

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” takes Tom Quinn, of the Pink Floyd Experience, to a beautiful place.

Name: Bob Woolly Cars: 2012 Ford Mustang GT 5.0; 1969 Chevrolet El Camino How did you decide to buy the GT? When I came back from Vietnam, I bought a ’68 Shelby 500 KR. “KR” …

Money may be tight, but San Diego’s mayor and city council have no shortage of ways to spend tax dollars, according to a list of top contracts posted online by the City’s purchasing department. The …

In October 2011, the San Diego Association of Governments adopted the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan, a document intended to guide development of transportation infrastructure — from freeways to bike paths to road construction to bus …

Whichever neighborhood has no clergyman I shall die there. Let no one see how beautiful Are all the things I have, my feet, my hair. In the name of the dead, free and immaculate, A …

We were very tired, we were very merry — We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry. It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable — But we looked into …

Metallic skinny pants and G-ma prints — San Diego fashions just around the bend?

Burned by Bensoussan Re “The View of the Lake,” (Neighborhood News, November 1). I regret the time I spent campaigning for Pamela Bensoussan, and for voting for her in 2008. As soon as she was …

There are lots of reasons why you might like to have a handy day-trip plan for NYC. Perhaps you’re sitting bored out of your tree in one of the many cities that supports a super-discount …

“16 miles! Please tell me you’re kidding?” It’s 12:30 p.m. and I’m at the first break spot along this 50-mile Rosarito–Ensenada Bike Ride. I’ve been on my $40 Craigslist-bought beach cruiser (the title doesn’t lie) …

The newly opened border-crossing facility dubbed El Chaparral opened its 22 gates to the full flow of Mexico-bound vehicle traffic on Friday, November 1, and motorists were forced to endure “embotellamientos” (traffic jams) in various …

Dedicated on September 16, 2011, the POW Liberation Monument is located at the Miramar National Cemetery. Designed by artist Richard Becker, the memorial is a 15-foot tall, bronze, concrete, and stainless steel sculpture, a tribute …

Once in a great while, the simplest of acts, even performed inadvertently, can have far-reaching effects. In Xi'an, China, there is a massive army that has stood in silent formation for more than two-and-a-half thousand …

Before my sister, Stormy, began college at UCSD, I thought it imperative that she have an adventure. So for the summer, I flew her to Antalya, Turkey, where I had been living. For her 18th …

After traveling all around southern Spain this past year, we figured it was finally time to give some love to northern Spain. We started with 3 days in Spain's Catelonian capital, Barcelona. The minute we …

Though many people want to see corruption and mismanagement cleaned up in the Sweetwater Union High School District, few people stepped into the November 6 election. One interesting candidate who wants to try his hand …

Sometime between morning trash pick-up and 9 a.m. on Thursday, November 1, a loaded city trash truck malfunctioned and spilled most of its contents onto the street on the corner of 26th and A streets, …

After two hours in the pedestrian line, waiting to cross into the US, I'm often a bit knackered by the time I get to the CBP Agent Interrogation desk. I have my papers in order, …

With the U-T’s purchase of the North County Times, the firing of 80 staff employees and writers, and the merging of the publications on October 15, one aspect of the transition has so far remained …

Beginning at six o'clock in the morning on November 7, approximately 95 percent of the greater Tijuana area will be without running water. The service is expected to resume normally 12 hours later, according to …

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office has determined that one of two elderly individuals found dead in a Santa Ysabel residence on the 25200 block of Mesa Grande Road on Monday is the victim …

Vietnam is a unique country in many ways. First, it’s Southeast Asia’s “skinniest” country. Second, the country is still divided over geographical, political and cultural lines. The North and South divide is an active component …

When you think of a national park, your mind rarely conjures up images of people falling in love. The classic boy-meets-girl scenario is usually left to Hollywood's far-fetched romantic comedies. But here’s a story about …

Halloween on Ocean Beach’s Newport Avenue produced a woman getting her cheek bitten and a man lying unconscious on the sidewalk. In the cheek incident, Steve Perez said he and his girlfriend were enjoying the …

Richard Shapiro is fighting a campaign on behalf of recreational vehicle owners against the City of Carlsbad. Effective January 1, 2013, the city intends to ban RVs on Carlsbad city streets due to complaints of …

At 9 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30, at the corner of Coahuila and Niños Héroes, the area was crowded with people grabbing quick food from the taco carts. At first it sounded like firecrackers. After …

Ex-Grandaddy mastermind and current Montana mainstay Jason Lytle played an intimate show at the Casbah for a modest crowd on a late October night. Though there were probably 30 or so heads at the club, …

Way back in ancient history — the ’60s — I was living in San Francisco, and one of my favorite ways to spend a sunny day was driving the winding road to Stinson Beach. I …

On Halloween night at around 8 p.m. at the Ocean Beach Farmers’ Market, Todo Mundo was performing in the street. A lot of people were wearing costumes, dancing, and enjoying the beautiful music and weather. …