What was first thought to be a meth-lab explosion at the Heritage Inn in the Midway District on the morning of January 30 is now being reported as a different sort of drug-related disaster that …

An extremely reliable source says that at midnight tonight (Jan. 31), a press release will go out announcing that escrow has closed on the purchase of Borrego Springs's Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa (formerly La …

Most travelers to Taiwan simply visit Taipei, its modern capital. Although filled with wonderful sights, Taipei has only been a city of significance since the Chinese Qing dynasty moved the provincial capital there in 1886. …

Police are warning Normal Heights residents about a series of middle-of-the-night burglaries — with the victims at home asleep. The “hot prowls” all occurred in a small area of the neighborhood. "Hot-prowl burglaries are bold …

You have to ask directly

Good news: beer joints are popping up all over San Diego, so much that Time Magazine recently called San Diego the “hoppiest place on earth.” America’s craft-beer capital spells good news for people who want …

Military personnel are worried. They hear the news. They watch television. They hear terms such as sequestration, cutbacks, downsizing, rightsizing, reduction in force. Soon, we may find that many former military personnel are in the …

Coors Amphitheatre became San Diego County's largest concert locale when it opened in July of 1998 (the Spice Girls put on the first sold-out concert a month later). In April of 2008, the Chula Vista …

The Palomar Community College District wants their share of redevelopment tax increment promised to them by the City of Escondido in a 1984 agreement. The problem; district officials say the City doesn't want to pay …

San Diego's curios — each with their own separate stories.

At the January 28 Sweetwater Union High School District board meeting, the majority of trustees voted to support superintendent Ed Brand’s push to open a second charter school; following up the Stephen W. Hawking Math …

What's a medical cannabis patient to do in a routine encounter with the police? Depends on the police, it seems. The cannabis and paraphernalia in the photo above — from a bust at an I-8/East …

Casa Kelly’s 2013 New Year’s resolution is healthier living — nutritious eating, physical activity, and enlightenment of the mind. The easy part for shopper Eve is the eating. Out go the chips, in come the …

Hike up to 4927 feet for Glen’s View, with panoramic views that include North Peak, Julian, and the desert.

How does songwriting fit in at the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University?

Take Over, a local-music compilation from North County–based Pacific Ocean Records, drops January 31 with an 18-and-up party at Oceanside’s Red Crab Lounge. “We’ll give copies away to the first 50 people,” says label honcho …

For 28 years, two loyal friends serve a concurrent prison sentence: Val (Al Pacino), behind bars for refusing to finger an associate, and Doc (Christopher Walken), on the outside, waiting to perform the hit when …

USA Today once identified the Generators as one of America’s most underrated of punk bands. In truth, a punk-revival band from late 1990s Los Angeles, the Generators owe much to the Britpunk of the 1970s. …

What are you reading? “The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. It was made into a movie with Barbra Streisand. I’ve never seen the movie, but I’ve read great things about the book.” Tell me …

Musician Ron Najor produces the film I Am Not a Hipster, screened at Sundance and now on cable and DVD.

Desert Daze Music and Art Festival returns as a one-day camping jamboree near Desert Hot Springs, on the same weekend as Coachella Music and Arts Festival.

This column is for degenerate gamblers, a sporting demographic I’ve neglected lately. You can see why. When an internet gambling site runs a half-page, full-color ad in the sports section of a Super Bowl team’s …

Name: Tyler Crabe Vehicle: 2000 Ford Ranger What do you like about your car? It’s a stick, it gets decent gas mileage, and it can hold stuff. I bought a camper shell, and it’s the …

Ed kicks himself for not visiting Chef Arturo sooner.

Heymatt: Why do some clubs have such loud music? I know loud volume is a substitute for quality tones, but do they really need to go that far? Some have sound levels of 105 decibels, …

"Do you have Mexican food in Vancouver? Wait, that’s a stupid question — it’s a city, of course you do,” I said. “But it’s probably not as good as it is here...I mean, not because …

Speaking of David Alvarez, his ex-boss in the office of former South Bay Democratic state senator Denise Ducheny is raking in some big bucks from border-related city-hall lobbying of her former employee. Falcon Strategies, L.L.C., …

Sun Beauty crew members were saved after using an asparagus can to signal they needed rescuing.

It hasn’t taken very long for freshman Democratic congressman Juan Vargas to hit the Washington fundraising circuit. According to a recent online invite from the Juan Vargas for Congress Committee, posted by the Sunlight Foundation’s …

Are Hollywood, football, and the media to blame for America’s penchant for violence?

Heymatt: Curious as to how an international letter works through the United States Postal Service? How does the USPS get paid and how much does the country receiving the letter get? Do both countries just …

Heymatt: How come you can “recreate” something (like a Civil War battle) and it would be a “RE-creation,” but when you go play tennis (or whatever) it’s “WRECK-reation?” Are they different words or just the …

After a grueling election year, things are settling back to normal at San Diego’s city hall, with favors and freebies the coin of the city’s political realm, and elected officials scrambling to be the first …

Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista has an excessive spending habit and may be in serious fiscal trouble soon.

A young man graduates, travels the world, and has his camera’s film stolen. He writes about it.

In Plain Sight I was reading an article in your publication and I found some things that troubled me. On page 28, one of your writers is repeatedly quoting someone using the “n” word in …

Night. Street. Lamp. Drugstore. Dull and sleazy light. Live twenty-five years more — It will be as now. No way out. You die — and again you begin. All is repeated as before: Night. The …

You go to an embassy compared with which all the embassies of men dwindle into insignificance. You go forth as ambassadors of Christ. You go to crumble idols — to convey light to benighted minds …

On Monday, January 28, concerned parents, teachers, and community members packed the Sweetwater Union High School District board meeting. One reason for the big draw was the district’s proposal to move evening board meetings to …

The City of San Diego has a problem with falling palm fronds and has fallen way behind with palm-tree trimming. So, on January 29, the San Diego City Council unanimously (with two absent) approved the …

If you're in Oahu and seen enough scary people in panda suits waiting for you to give them money so they can lunge at your face, why not try a shark cage tour? There is …

Tucked away in Old Shanghai City lies Yuyuan Garden, a five-acre oasis in the midst of an otherwise sprawling metropolis. It's only a short walk from Line 10 of the Shanghai Metro, and you’ll be …

Bicycles more than double that of the number of cars in Amsterdam, coming in at over half a million. In the city center, the number is probably closer to 5 to 1, as thousands of …

Major renovation is under way at 2692 C Street, the address that was previously home to George Washington Station, the post office that served Golden Hill from the '60s until it closed permanently in February …

The announcement of free entry to watch the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines on Monday morning, January 28, created a run on parking spaces at the Torrey Pines Gliderport. The parking area, …

Friday night I ran into dozens of Marines at the Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown. They were attending the second installment of the Marine Corp Birthday Ball. The first was held October 13th, 2012 in celebration …

A student attending a private prep school in Ensenada was murdered — reportedly shot at least ten times — on the afternoon of January 24. The recent arrival from Durango, Mexico, was reportedly lured from …

We drove through downtown San Diego in a state of anxiety, paranoia and excitement. It’s hard not to be affected by the constant media deluge of horrors from south of the border: decapitated heads, mutilated …

The official Sweetwater Union High School District calendar says the next board meeting will be held on January 28 at 6:00, the usual time board meetings are held. However, over the January 19–20 weekend, an …

During the past two months, Kensington residents have been baffled by the sudden appearance of a large boulder lodged into a slope along Aldine Drive. To add to the mystery, all vegetation was quickly cleared …

Mid-week, you can often find San Diego police utilizing the large open spaces of El Monte Park (five miles east of Lakeside) to train their dogs. The K-9 unit pulls up to the staged scene, …

Once spurned as another Radiohead rip-off, Muse has grown into a band with its own identity. With hints of Queen in its blood, Muse makes unique, bombastic arena rock. And rock they did at the …

Swami John Reis and the Night Marchers sat on this set for more than two years. Reis posts that it’s because he wanted each vinyl pressing hand-stamped. The only living human who does this, apparently, …

Dutchess County, New York, is part of the Hudson Valley. In one single county, you’ll find all types of cultures: historic, scenic outdoors, indie artists, foodie, horsey set and “beautiful people.” This is the land …

Few drinks admit of such variety as the bittersweet Negroni. Switch out the shot of gin for vodka and you have a Negroski; add bourbon instead of gin and you’re drinking a Boulevardier; order a …

At approximately 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 22, a possible car arson occurred in the Santana Village Shopping Center in Santee. The car was in the parking lot behind the Subway sandwich shop and across …

The Steak House on Broadway in Chula Vista, formerly known as the Butcher Shop, gets a lot of attention from me. I've been going there for years. A number of things keep me coming back: …

Before he was laid off in 2005, Sean Margolin worked 20 years for an electronics company. It took him about five minutes to decide what he was going to do next. “I got my captain’s …

Carolyn Walstein, profession organizer, explains the importance of staying organized in your job search. First, please tell me what you do. I’m a professional organizer. I help people update and prioritize, and let go of …

A dope deal with a stranger goes — you guessed it — wrong!

At a La Mesa town hall meeting last week (January 17), two residents urged the council to preserve the Spring House in Collier Park. The park on Palm Avenue was named for David Charles Collier, …

After years of clinging to jobs, workers are expected to seek better employment.

Ed has hot-hot-hot soup at Plumeria, which is a Thai restaurant that bills itself first as “vegetarian.”

The Country Rockin’ Rebels were founded by Bad Science Fiction guitarist Michael Head, operator of local Headtrap Studios for around 20 years, and singer-songwriter Tristan Luhrs. “He and I have worked in my studio since …

Tiki-cocktail culture might be making a comeback, but at Lou & Mickey’s, it never went away. Take yourself downtown, where bartender Brian Gaudet is ready to take the sting out of your day by putting …

Golf, fishing, and rock and roll: Jon Goodhue emails that he is just leaving the course at Carmel Mountain Ranch at one point during the month that I spend interviewing him. A San Diego transplant …

With so many local performers relocating in search of success, Brothers Gow bucked the trend by moving to San Diego this past August. “We didn’t even know we wanted to move from the Bay Area …

I couldn’t think of two people with more divergent worldviews than my father — a ribald Brooklyn boy turned retired naval officer who runs military war games abroad — and the proper young woman with …

They didn’t talk about women while working on the Alaskan pipeline project in the ’70s.

John Jorgenson’s one of those guitarists with an astonishing facility, a modern performer capable of firing off lightning-fast Danny Gatton licks without a second thought, or of mastering Django Reinhardt licks using only two fingers. …

Piano-and-voice teacher Deborah Cooney is convinced electric meters made her sick and destroyed her music business.

Every sport or occupation has a dream scenario: score the winning goal; close the impossible sale. For old-time tuna “bait boats,” it was the Big Catch, a mammoth haul with bamboo poles and lines. In …

Christian Motos’s new release includes a song that didn’t make the Skyfall soundtrack.

Do bullets thrown into a campfire go off with the same velocity as when they are fired from a gun?

What happened to Disney’s 20,000 Leagues exhibit.

Heymatt: Supposedly, butchers are supposed to retire after a set amount of years (10, 15, 20?) because they’re otherwise highly prone to mental problems, i.e. they go crazy. I’ve snooped around a little but have …

Paved and dirt trails encourage all visitors (including those in wheelchairs) to experience the desert

If the recent plan to have a train stop at the Del Mar Fairgrounds falls through, resurrecting the adjacent former airport is certainly a nonstarter. Located on the San Dieguito River wetlands between the Del …

The “West Memphis Three” (Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin) were teenagers in 1993 when they were wrongfully convicted of the murders of three eight-year-old boys. Directed by investigative journalist Amy Berg (Deliver Us …

What a treat! George Bernard Shaw’s back at the Old Globe — finally! — with first-class direction, performances, and design work. Even a balky turntable on opening night couldn’t tarnish the luster. For the past …

Bob Filner and San Diego’s Democratic city-council majority have a lot of problems to solve — including global warming, in the opinion of one well-connected nonprofit. According to a recent lobbyist disclosure filing by the …

On Sunday, December 2, Jamie Boyd and Joseph Taylor met at Felix’s Restaurant in Lincoln Park to eat dinner and to swap their children to Mom (Boyd) after a weekend with Dad. They sat at …

Last week, new Democratic mayor Bob Filner gave his first State of the City Speech. Before he took the microphone at the Balboa Theatre, the mayor was preceded by Nathan Fletcher, former GOP assemblyman-turned-independent who …

A century ago, in the age of silent films, Mary Pickford was celebrated as “America’s Sweetheart.” Among the films she starred in were Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Pollyanna, and Little Lord Fauntleroy. In the tony …

Interview with Will James, pastor at Paradise Valley Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Pamela and the U.S. Postal Service.

Uncovered My name is Sabrina and I am 19 years old. I'm featured on the cover of the Reader and interviewed for the article (“Cosplay in the Park: Adorable When I Dress Up,” January 10), …

The nights are long, the days long between the nights — no time for sleep; the sheets are ochre with damp, with the one body restless in the folds, the eyelids wide in premonition: another …

Together with Tijuana mayor Carlos Bustamante and border entrepreneurs, on January 21 San Diego mayor Bob Filner dismissed U.S. State Department–issued travel-alert warnings for visitors to Tijuana and Mexicali. According to Uniradioinforma, Filner said, "I …

In Lakeside on January 17, the finishing touches were put on the new Lakeside Rodeo marquee. The old sign was put up in the early ’70s and was showing signs of wear. The cost of …

It’s 5:30 a.m., 27 degrees and pitch-black dark on a November morning in New Mexico. I’m standing in a small group on a wooden platform built out over the water named “The Flight Deck.” Although …

At a January 17 town-hall meeting in La Mesa, Ted Crisostomo, Neighborhood Watch captain for the Dalhart Avenue and Dallas Street area, objected to the possible opening of a 24-hour 7-Eleven near the Big Lots! …

When you’re in Rome and need a break from frescos and friezes, hop onto Metro Line B and get off at the Piramide stop to visit one of its most authentic neighborhoods – where butchers …

Usually it's places with some sort of dark, twisted history that attract me. If a place doesn't have that, it's pretty rare that I'll visit, much less make it a regular stomping ground. So, considering …

“Fluff,” professional gamer Brian Lee, led a team that crushed the enemy in Defenders of the Ancients on Sunday, January 20, at UCSD’s Price Center. Gamers surrounded the tables and watched over the players' screens …

A barricade and orange cone mark the point of impact from a van that went flying over a fence surrounding Robb Field Skateboard Park on Tuesday morning, January 15. San Diego police have declared that …

I stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac, directed toward a small white building with bright blue lettering: "Toussaint Louverture." The massive cracks in the side of the building were visible even before we …

A synth player who leaves a popular Aussie band, St Helens, to explore the possibilities of himself with his machines? Sounds like a fairly risky set-up. But the short-lived indie band’s ex-songwriter/singer/guitarist/keyboardist has crafted a …

Since 1997 the band from East Essex named Keane has been producing piano-driven melodies much to the delight of fans both here and overseas. The quartet showcased their music library for the sold-out crowd at …

The Sweetwater Union High School District voted in 2011 to move forward on a university-related project. Superintendent Ed Brand told the Reader in a December 2011 interview that the district was surveying the residents to …

Wrightwood, CA, is a ski town just 1–10 hours away from L.A., depending on traffic. Mark and I were excited for our fully stocked rented weekend cabin. It belonged to a friend’s soon-to-be ex-wife. We …

The temples of Cambodia arguably stand alone as the finest blending of art and architecture in the world. Most people are aware of the monumental achievements in building championed by the Greeks, Egyptians and Mayans. …

For years, a phone booth sat on the corner just outside of the Siesta RV Park in the 400 block of Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach. Made of aluminum and glass with a light in …

People walking along the Embarcadero near Anthony's Seafood restaurant on Sunday afternoon, January 13, at around 4:30, were startled to see a soaking-wet, fully dressed man running along the sidewalk. The man was the father …

San Diego realtors have made do during years of a depressed market. They are optimistic in 2013.

We use a lot of barbecue sauce in the Kelly house. Our favorite has always been Gates Original. It hails from Kansas City, and my mom sends me a bottle every year at both Christmas …

Mark Sun opened Khan’s Cave after he realized he couldn’t stay out of the kitchen on a Friday night.

Snail pizza at Tijuana’s El Taller Baja-Mex Restaurant.

“The band is now essentially myself and singer Jesse Malley...we do the songwriting and band management,” says guitarist Jeff Irwin of outlaw-country-blues-rockers Tilt, whose debut full-length, Howlin’, will drop January 23 at the Belly Up. …

4th&B nightclub may reopen, this time as a dance club featuring electronic music.

I stood alone in the middle of a long aisle at Party City. I looked left. The only person in sight was the young clerk behind the register. Her face was turned away from me. …

Coaching twins have another chance — read the script.

A shaggy dog story about a nearly hairless cat in 1920s Algiers. He serves his master the rabbi, but he loves his mistress, the rabbi’s fleshy daughter. When he eats the family parrot and so …

Montana is not the only state that can boast being “Big Sky Country.” We have the same bragging rights in our own backyard: the Laguna Mountains (locals call it “the Lagunas”). Tucked in the Cleveland …

“A rock star posing as a club act.” This is how a talent buyer at a local nightclub once characterized Joey Harris. A guitarist and a singer and a songwriter, Harris was solid gold even …

Name: Daniel Sigmon Vehicle: 2004 Pontiac Vibe How do you feel about your car? I actually like it quite a bit. This is hard because I don’t care about cars. My dream is not to …

It’s no secret that the allegations of long-term corruption in the Sweetwater Union High School District have roiled the South Bay waters. A recent U-T article even calls on South Bay politicians to discuss the …

Hey Matt: My English friend was riding in my car recently when I was pulled over by the police. I had not noticed them, but Nigel did and exclaimed, “Cripes, the rozzers are after us!” …

The Calypso Cafe, which opened in Leucadia in 1995 and featured music seven nights a week for most of its existence, held its final show this New Year’s Eve. Located in a converted house, the …

A Santee family of four was burned out of their Poinciana Drive home Tuesday, January 15, by a two-alarm fire that destroyed much of the house's interior. A firefighter and a civilian suffered minor injuries …

Now that the new downtown library is almost finished and preparing to open in July, moving day is just around the corner. This being the city, of course, a contractor is required. Based on a …

The tuna spotters sought jumpers, foamers, and boilers on the water’s surface, an indication of schools below and potential future profits.

Hey Matt: Why is it that a dog stays firm and muscular when you pick him up while a cat goes all loose and floppy and sags to the bottom like the stuff in a …

United States Attorney Laura Duffy, who has been waging a lengthy war against medical marijuana in San Diego — along with the city’s current mayor — is calling for reinforcements. During last year’s campaign, the …

I was riding my bike along Abbott Street and Saratoga Avenue on January 13 and smelled the smoke of a barbecue coming from Saratoga Park, right next to the sand. I saw a long line …

Gerardo said he was visiting family in Mexico when he got the first bizarre phone call. “I was in shock,” he said. He thought the first two calls were a “prank.” “First he said, ‘You …

Heymatt: How did we arrive at our crazy “standards” for paper sizes? I mean, where did sizes like eight-and-a-half by eleven inches come from? Who is responsible for this mess? And what would have happened …

Newly installed Democratic congressman Scott Peters is already entangled in some nagging post-election financial disclosure questions, courtesy of the Federal Election Commission. In a letter to Peters campaign treasurer Nancy Haley, dated January 4, the …

Cosplay Replay I just read the article by Siobhan Braun (“Adorable When I Dress Up,” January 10), and I would like to extend an invitation to her to go to another cosplay gathering. A handful …

Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent …

If my feet are chained, I’ll use my ten fingers to climb to you If my hands are tied, I’ll use my knees and chin to climb to you If my legs are smashed, I’ll …

Blogger pledges to devote most, if not all, of her do-good energies to the plight of the orangutan.

A longtime fixture at the recycling center behind the Vons on El Camino Real has left his Encinitas post. After nine years of lifting large blue barrels, weighing in cans, bottles, and plastics, recycler Steve …

We were heading to the majestic Grand Canyon, surely America’s most famous crevasse, when we decided to stop off at the neat little ghost town of Chloride, AZ. Nestling halfway between Las Vegas and the …

Anyone strolling along San Diego's Embarcadero might wonder who owns the super yacht docked at the B Street/Broadway Pier. The yacht, named Luna, is 377 feet long and is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. …

It appeared North Park Main Street, a business improvement district established by the City of San Diego, might be moving. Last month on two walkabouts it was dark inside, boxes and pictures were strewn about, …

Flying eastbound along Interstate 8 this Saturday morning of January 12, I could not help but notice the beauty of our East County with a light dusting of snow. It has been so cold (in …

Residents in Imperial Beach were dealing with more flooding as unusually high “king tides” hit the California coast last week. Condominiums along Seacoast Drive were inundated with water on Friday morning, January 11. The high …

Our plane knifed through the dark grey clouds and plunged into a driving snowstorm. As the wheels touched down on the tarmac we could distinguish the hulking remains of previously crashed planes lining the runway. …

After leaving Barcelona and falling in love with the city, we hopped on the high-speed train to Madrid. Three hours later we arrived at our flat (that we found on AirBnb) overlooking Plaza De Santa …

As recently as last summer, Glasshouse Square Shopping Center, located in the Midway District, was home turf to many shelter-challenged individuals. Many customers and patrons were turned off by the presence of vagrants who would …

Have you ever eaten a marshmallow melted by a volcano? Well, I have. Let me tell you how this happened. I’m eleven years old and I just took my first trip overseas to Guatemala. I …

The latest round of indictments handed down by San Diego’s criminal grand jury is so extensive, people wonder if corruption is just another name for South Bay. Fifteen defendants from three separate South Bay school …

Lonerism is the second outing for the brainchild of Perth’s Kevin Parker, for it is he who composes, produces, sings, and plays (almost) everything on Tame Impala records. He’s even responsible for the sleeve photography. …

The punk-rock masses came out for a pre-Christmas “X mass” at the Casbah. It was a different type of spiritual gathering than your traditional church service, but for those of us that worship at the …

“We love you Pearl!” shouted several people to Pearl Quiñones inside the lobby of the downtown courthouse on January 7. Handfuls of supporters and opponents in the alleged Sweetwater Union High School District “pay for …

We were shivering under cloudy skies on the top deck of the 114-foot ferry as it entered Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. The overcast sky suddenly parted, as if on cue, and there …

The Economist ranks Switzerland the best country “to be born in 2013.” Zürich, the largest Swiss metropolis with 380,000 residents, has been voted the planet’s best city by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Monocle and others. …

Wardrobe malfunctions of the very stareable.

San Carlos was among the neighborhoods where residential burglaries increased during 2012, San Diego Police Department captain Andy Mills reported at the January 2 San Carlos Area Council meeting. Mills is commanding officer for the …

The Village @ 631 serves up come coffee and sausage at Ed’s request

Taking their name from a twist on the drawn-out folk song (the 99th bottle presumably being the one in your hand), 98 Bottles lends its own flourishes to the bottle-shop/beer-lounge arrangement that is on the …

Hi Matt: Travelling between San Diego and Oceanside via the 5 I’ve noticed a couple of things. At the Via de la Valle turn-off on both sides of the freeway there are white PVC pipes …

The cognitive thought-based method versus hypnosis for quitting the habit.

Clairemont rapper Joseph Sardina, aka Lil’ Joe, is now known as the Clinic.

War is a reflection of what hell is about.

I squeezed the plastic dropper and watched the first tiny glob break away and plummet into the big bowl. The droplet was supposed to slip through the surface of the liquid and end up at …

Navy salts are clock-punchers compared to the tuna men.

"I don’t know what you know about big cats,” Emilio says as he reclines in his chair and draws from a glass of whiskey, “but one thing you have to know is to always look …

Judging by the dewy exhalation that sighed forth from at least half the audience in attendance at the prerelease screening, it may be that the opportunity to put sensitive, handsome Ryan Gosling in a suit …

Gadgets really define the Bond films and the ones I really love are ones that would be great to actually have because I could see myself using them. One gadget is from one of the …

Caravaggio and His Legacy, on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art until February 10. 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. 323-857-6000; lacma.org In his 20s, in Rome, in the first decade of the …

The nation’s TV and radio stations use the public airways — which are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission — to make a lot of money. The stations are required to file a quarterly “Issues …

A waiter at a restaurant in the popular and upscale Zona Rio business district was recently busted by TJ police when it was discovered he was cloning patrons’ credit cards. The scam was discovered when …

Heymatt: So, everyone likes different kinds of music, clothing, TV shows, beer, food, jobs, cars, etc. My question is: if everyone likes all sorts of different things in life, why does everyone love pizza? At …

American engineers, scientists, and mathematicians can convincingly show that they are not in short supply, as corporations claim. But increasingly, politicians are siding with big business, which wants the government to loosen restrictions on the …

A walk at an important lake where waterfowl are plentiful.

A Ramona raptor hotspot attracts a pair of bald eagles.

Investigative Newsource, San Diego’s smallest nonprofit online-news operation, managed to grow its cash a bit in 2011, according to an annual charitable disclosure report filed in August with the Internal Revenue Service and recently posted …

Heymatt: If fire extinguishers use carbon dioxide to snuff out flames, why is it that the CO2 in expelled breath doesn’t blow out a fire? In fact, blowing on a hot ember usually causes it …

They can make a whole song out of two major chords. This means that something very entertaining must also be going on simultaneously. Not that it happens all the time in the Red Wanting Blue …

The L.A. Reader? Last week you forgot the remaining part of Barbarella’s column. This week you forgot the movie showtimes. I think you guys are drinking over there or something. You’re really messing things up …

Eh, West Hollywood wasn’t that charming anyway.

There are no stars tonight But those of memory. Yet how much room for memory there is In the loose girdle of soft rain. There is even room enough For the letters of my mother’s …

The Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine occupy the far western part of the country. They are considered moderate – nothing quite as massive or high as the Rockies, nor as rolling or subtle as the Appalachians. …

The San Diego City Council on January 8 unanimously approved a cooperative agreement between the City and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to seismically retrofit and rehabilitate the Laurel Street (Cabrillo) Bridge. Under the …

About 1300 people in Normal Heights went without electricity for ten hours, starting at 5 p.m. Monday, January 7, after a construction crew replacing sewer pipes crushed underground power lines at 33rd Street and Meade …

Enjoy a few leisurely hours driving east along picturesque Carmel Valley Road, just off Highway 1 near Carmel, California, where you can stop, taste and shop for veggies and herbs on an organic farm and …

When you travel far enough for long enough, sometimes very cool things happen that sound like a far-fetched story to many. I have traveled both long and far enough. Photographing in Mali, West Africa, I …

Entering Best Donuts Deli in Clairemont this past Sunday, January 6, I was greeted by a display case full of Mexican pastries unlike the ones I’m more familiar with — their empanadas, muffins, cakes, and …

The new occupants of the old Apple Tree Market that closed in Ocean Beach on December 31 have lost no time in gutting the aged supermarket and getting it ready to become a Foodland store. …

Malmö is at the very southern tip of Sweden. This lively, modern-thinking international city has been around since the Middle Ages and used to be part of Denmark. In fact, to visit Malmö, you fly …

San Diego started 2013 in style and grace with a fantastic "Salute to Vienna" concert at Copley Symphony Hall. The Strauss Symphony of America performed elegant pieces that included waltzes, polkas, and Die Fladermaus while …

Hundreds of people in Normal Heights were without water Friday night, January 4, after a water main broke at 32nd and Meade Avenue at around 4 p.m. Crews were still working to repair the main …

A 31-year-old construction worker in Spring Valley fell into a 5-by-15-foot trench and was subsequently pinned by a 1400-pound concrete form on the morning of January 4. After being rescued by CalFire personnel, the worker …

The troublesome parking situation at the VA Medical Center in La Jolla began to percolate about a decade ago; for a few reasons, it has now boiled over. Space remains finite. Most mornings, lines of …

Minutes after pistol-whipping a bus driver unconscious, an alleged thief was run over by the same bus he had just robbed in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood of the city, the Tijuana daily Frontera reports. The …

Most of the Caribbean has long since lost its authenticity, being overrun by cruise ships, high-pressure touts and one too many Jimmy Buffet wannabes. But there are still a few places where you can find …

For days he had been calling me. And it was always revolving around the same subject. "You gotta come here and check it out. You won't believe it." My brother had moved from San Diego …

A Thing Called Divine Fits could also be called a thing that Britt Daniel (Spoon) and Daniel Boeckner (Wolf Parade) came up with during downtime from their full-time bands. A Thing Called Divine Fits could …

Wrapping up its West Coast tour, Sacramento hardcore band Trash Talk left it all onstage at the Epicentre in Mira Mesa. The intensity of the show came from every angle of the room, from the …

Mayor Bob Filner announced at the January 2 San Carlos Area Council meeting that he will "take on" San Diego Gas & Electric. Filner also said that he was interviewing to hire an energy advocate …

Directions scribbled on the back of a napkin or coaster usually lead you to unforgettable locations. It was no different on this Sunday afternoon. As I sat and enjoyed a very good East Coast brew …

If you are like everyone else, you are sacrificing your individuality, your goals, and your uniqueness.

The Twelve Tribes religious sect staffs their Yellow Delis with volunteers. Thus, they don’t pay workers’ compensation or minimum wage. Thus, they are in trouble with the IRS.

Tijuana River contamination forced the closure of the entire Imperial Beach shoreline on Wednesday, January 2. According to the county Department of Environmental Health, the contamination stretched from the Mexican border to the north end …

Sometimes the beauty of Central America is its simplicity. A small sign on the west side of the road announces that you’ve arrived at the Belize Community Baboon Sanctuary. (A misnomer, Belize’s "baboons" are in …

Kelia swings her butt as only Hawaiians can. “That’s called ‘hula for moolah,’” says her mom, Kealani. They burst out laughing. “I used to have all the staff do it,” Kealani says. “Every time a …

Remedies to kick a cough and keep a cold at bay.

"So, what do you do at — ” I stole a glance at the name badge on the chest in front of me. “San Diego Story?” “I review music,” said Christian, the man behind the …

“We’ve all got friends on the East Coast.” Guitarist John McAllister talks about the benefit gig to help the Red Cross effort for Hurricane Sandy victims that he and his band, the PettyBreakers, are spearheading. …

Unless you’re a zombie, Simeon Flick’s latest album of tighter songs, better production, and more proficient engineering should inspire a stronger emotional response than previous records.

Interview with poet/producer Lizzie Wann, who used to be able to do one side of a Rubik’s cube with her feet.

Halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles is the charming coastal town of San Clemente, CA. Somewhat akin to San Diego in its wholesomeness, San Clemente also boasts beachside ambiance without the pretensions commonly found …

Suzy Favor-Hamilton, one-time track star, now the third-most popular prostitute in Las Vegas.

Explore the wild side of this much-loved neighborhood park with beautiful views and a wide array of native and exotic plants.

Joseph Stevens to launch San Diego Music TV on January 30.

Harrowing life-reckoning times while reluctantly fighting death.

Heymatt: I use a bicycle a lot to get around San Diego, often avoiding hills and apparently clueless car drivers. Now, I see sharrows on some roads. What are people supposed to do when we …

Spoiler alert: it ends with the bad guy getting killed. More hurt from Kathryn Bigelow in this docudrama-style (read: handheld) account of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. You can’t preach due process without practicing …

The Reader asked musicians and music-industry locals to name their favorite hometown CD releases of the year. Here’s what they had to say. Diana Death (musician/Rock ’n’ Roll Preservation Society DJ): The New Kinetics, In …

Heymatt:How come San Diego is the only city on the entire West Coast that does not allow sex offenders to enter a homeless shelter? Don’t believe it? Check out www.lawsuit.tk.— Anonymous Well, I didn’t believe …

Three people left their Carlsbad home on a cool October evening in 2011 to take the dog for a walk. They all got shot. It was completely dark when David, Erik, and Alejandra left the …

San Diego mayor Bob Filner makes an annual salary of $100,464, and city council members are each paid $75,386. Their relatively modest remuneration is unlikely to increase soon, but municipal leaders have discovered another, not-often-discussed …

UCAN, the San Diego–based Utility Consumers’ Action Network, burdened by scandal and misuse of funds, should shut down, some say. Some say otherwise.

Yo Matt: I have a question about some weird concrete patches in some of the slow lanes on our interstates. They’re rectangular cutouts, in two rows of four, very neatly patched. They seem to run …

No one ever talks about it. The parties have ended. Confetti has been swept up and thrown away. Headaches have disappeared. And maybe that’s why I’ve always preferred the second day of the year. Because …

Not SEALs — EODT I’m calling about the Yukon story in the December 20 issue (City Lights: “Why the Yukon will Continue to Kill Divers,”) and how it kept referencing that the SEALs were the …

And, O Yudhisthira, the Selfcreate Grandsire, Almighty God, spreading illusion, slayeth the creatures by the instrumentality of his creatures, as one may break a piece of inert and senseless wood with wood, or stone with …

Brit rips into script and “Happy Birthday” at Coronado Theatre. Still, no callback.

Early evening, South Encanto. You know it’s Encanto because lines of passenger jets come cruising overhead, silent, like an invasion of UFOs, coasting in to Lindbergh. Looking to see if the Salaam Fish House is …

The San Diego Gas & Electric payment and customer service center at 436 H Street in Chula Vista has a habit of closing their drive-thru bill-payment window on the side of the building unannounced. Mothers …

An interesting local public-art installation can be found in Ruocco Park, 3.3 acres of bayfront land that were dedicated on September 18, 2012, according to the Port of San Diego website. Located west of Pacific …

This will be the year that employers are forced to decide whether they value their workforce enough to invest in it.