Within the last week, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has charged two San Diego County speculators with plundering funds from commodity pools they professed to be running. Jeffrey Gustaveson of Carlsbad raised $2.5 million from investors to put their money …

An investor sued NextWave Wireless in Delaware Chancery Court today (Aug. 31), stating that the $600 million that AT&T has agreed to pay for NextWave is too low. According to the suit, the troubled company agreed to sell itself for …

The Mujahadin-e Khalq - an Iranian exile group opposed to the current regime there and backed by Democratic congressman and San Diego mayoral candidate Bob Filner - has returned to the news, this time with a report that ex-Washington Post …

It's the final countdown for the Mother Earth Dispensary, the only legal-- according to county and state laws-- medical marijuana dispensary in San Diego County. If no action is taken and no one comes to the defense of the co-op, …

Christopher Bradley Nutt, 24, admitted sexual intercourse and taking photographs of a 12-year-old girl in a plea deal he signed this past week. Nutt has been in a San Diego County jail since he was arrested last May and charged …

Alex Spanos, severely ailing owner of the San Diego Chargers, has given $37,800 to this year's political campaign. That makes the Chargers 16th in donations among all pro teams, according to Business Insider. Spanos gave all his money to the …

The American Political Science Association has given its Best Book of 2011 award to "Paradise Plundered: Fiscal Crisis and Governance Failures in San Diego." It was published by Stanford University Press. Authors are Steve Erie, professor of political science at …

Doug Manchester isn't the only resident of San Diego County digging deep into their pocket book in support of Mitt Romney. Dozens of other wealthy residents in the area are doing the same, at times making donations for $100,000 to …

When Doug Manchester, hotel magnate turned media mogul, backs a candidate he doesn't mess around. Manchester, owner of San Diego's sole daily newspaper, the U-T San Diego, has upped the ante on his bet for who will be the next …

Craig Candelore, who was part of a failed conservative charge against San Diego's judicial establishment two years ago, has been sent a "warning letter" by the California Fair Political Practices Commission regarding the results of a state enforcement audit of …

The Port of San Diego has announced a meeting to be held tomorrow, August 30, to discuss the conceptual plans for a new hotel to be built on the site of Lane Field, original home of the Padres. After the …

A judge has released lists of items found during the investigation of the death of a young woman who was married to a Marine deployed overseas when she went missing last April. The cars and home and hotel room of …

An 43-year-old man was charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing a gun at his neighbors in Encinitas. Stephen Clay Robinson II was arraigned today on five felonies, including shooting at an inhabited dwelling and two attempted murders on two …

A man accused of violent gang activity in Escondido pled out to a reckless driving charge, in court yesterday. Alexander Pedro Cueva, 21, faced a charge of assault with a deadly weapon for benefit of criminal street gang in May …

A woman accused of trying to suffocate a 92-year-old man had her bail lowered and got out of jail last weekend. Records show that Superior Court Judge Richard Mills lowered the defendant’s bail from $500,000 to $100,000 last Friday, and …

A dishonest bookkeeper was sent to prison for 5 years and 8 months for stealing more than a million dollars from her employer. Her sentencing was last month. Five days ago a judge ordered the felon to pay $77,224 to …

Carlsbad eye surgeon James A. Davies, the younger brother of Ann Romney, tonight's main speaker at the Republican convention that is set to nominate her husband Mitt for the presidency, has been sued for medical malpractice in San Diego Superior …

The non-profit Employee Rights Center this afternoon attempted to stage a press conference near the Hilton hotel in Mission Valley to accuse the hotel’s operator, Conneticut-based HEI Hospitality, of wage theft totaling approximately $250,000. Those arriving to cover the event, …

A man who fled his 2010 rape trial in New Hampshire was recently arrested in Tijuana during a drug raid on a house. Christopher Blanchette, the suspect, has been waiting in the San Diego county jail after being handed over …

10News is not banning comments from their website despite the message that says otherwise, says station general manager, Jeff Block. Posted at the end of each news story appears a message in red which reads: "This commenting widget will be …

Further confirming that a restart of operations is unlikely to occur in the immediate future, plant operator Southern California Edison is preparing to remove tons of nuclear fuel from the Unit 3 reactor at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Unit …

A federal court judge has permanently banned Scott A. Waage, San Diego attorney, and his law firm, from preparing federal tax returns for others. The injunction, in which Waage did not have to admit the allegations, requires him to give …

La Jollan James Newcomb has been sentenced to two years in prison for providing adulterated cancer drugs to a doctor in St. Louis and elsewhere across the United States, Courthouse News Service reports. Newcomb pushed the “cold chain” chemotherapy drugs …

Developers of a potential mega-resort north of Los Cabos have resubmitted their plans to construct the controversial tourist destination. President Felipe Calderon said the original plans were scrapped in June because of threats to the natural eco-system. According to the …

San Diego County home values rose 1.1% from May to June, according to Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller data released this morning (Aug. 28). However, that lagged the 2.3% rise for the index of the top 20 markets. On a year-over-year basis, …

A woman charged in a high-profile murder case has reportedly given birth to the child of one of her co-defendants, according to a well-placed source. Dorothy Maraglino, 37, has given birth to a baby fathered by Louis Perez, 46; both …

Are the number of jobs in San Diego on the rise? Research professor, Lee McPheters of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, says job growth in San Diego is on the up and up. Using …

He was 18-years-old the night he committed rape and robbery and seven other felonies, in May of 2011. This morning, Hugo Elmer Garcia, now 20, was sentenced to 74 years and 8 months to life in prison, for his own …

Krystyna James was back in court today for another heroin matter. She was in court last year for heroin possession twice, and then again in February and then March of this year. In a plea deal signed last spring, besides …

The big San Diego cash just keeps on coming for Proposition 34, the measure on November's ballot to overturn California's death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole. Patrick Coughlin, an attorney with downtown's Robbins Geller Rudman …

Four United States citizens are currently playing for the popular Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente futbol team; two of those are currently starters. The soccer team, which is usually referred to as Club Tijuana, plays in the top Mexican league. …

The CredAbility consumer distress index tracks the financial condition of American households, says the publication Business Insider. There are five categories in the index: employment, housing, credit, household budgets and net worth. Overall, U.S. households scored 71.3%. A score below …

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department kept busy over the weekend by posting various checkpoints around the county, with “DUI/Driver License checkpoints” in Imperial Beach, Poway, San Marcos, and Vista. Another roadblock identified solely as a “DUI checkpoint” was erected in …

The New York Times tomorrow (Aug. 27) features a long story by four reporters on James Holmes, who murdered 12 people and injured 58 in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting July 20. Holmes was raised in Rancho Penasquitos. He …

A woman claims she was dragged and thrown to the ground by a car after she tried to stop the driver from fleeing a minor fender bender. San Diego Sheriff Deputies responded to North Island Credit Union 1101 Palm Avenue, …

Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith's non-profit, Great Friends Foundation, won't be granting scholarships to any children of military families this year; the non-profit has been placed on suspension by the Internal Revenue Service for failing to file necessary tax …

"Oh what a tangled web we weave..." You know the rest of the classic sentence. Right now, it appears the new Padres owners are on the periphery of a spider-infested web, but you never know if they will be found …

Former professional cyclist Floyd Landis appeared in federal court today (Aug. 24) and admitted he had defrauded 1,765 individuals who donated money to the Floyd Fairness Fund. Landis agreed to repay $478,354 of these funds, as he admitted falsely claiming …

La Jolla financier R. B. "Buzz" Woolley is not the only well-heeled San Diego county resident to give big bucks to the measure on November's ballot that would ban withholding of union political dues from employees' paychecks. As previously reported, …

Tom Newmark and Jeffrey Smith made the last San Diego stop on their Speaking Out for Healthier Food lecture tour yesterday afternoon at the San Diego Central Library. The lecture series is organized in support of, though not officially backed …

For opponents of Irwin Jacob's Balboa Park makeover plan, the news came as a bombshell. Democratic Congressman Bob Filner, who they were counting on to lead the loyal opposition to the Jacobs parking and road project, had just changed his …

The U.S. Attorney's office today (Aug. 23) announced the unsealing of an indictment charging two defense contractors and one company of conspiring with Navy officials to commit bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering at the Naval Air Station, North Island, …

It's semi-official: San Diego Democratic Congresswoman Susan Davis is number 17 on the list of the House and Senate's biggest-spending free travelers, running up a total tab of $200,652 on 28 trips taken courtesy of private sponsors. That's according to …

Statements from the California Independent Systems Operator (CAISO) concerning the stress put on the region’s power grid by the heat wave of the last two weeks are “borderline irresponsible,” says electrical engineer Bill Powers. CAISO, which provides access to the …

Authorities have busted over 500 marijuana farms throughout San Diego County in the last five years, resulting in the eradication of 1.5 million plants worth about $3 billion, according to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “Most people likely have no idea …

If Congress can't reach a compromise on the 2012/2013 fiscal cliff -- rising taxes, falling spending -- San Diego could lose its expected economic growth in 2013, according to Erik Bruvold of the National University System Institute for Policy Research. …

Earlier this year, Wikileaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, which consists of over 5 million emails from the Austin, Texas based global intelligence agency Stratfor. The emails vary in date from 2004 to 2011. Hackers allegedly took down the …

Sea World San Diego has taken possession of a new killer whale, bringing the number of orcas in local captivity to nine. Shouka, a 19 year-old female, was born at an aquatic park in France and spent time at another …

The race for the 52nd congressional district seat has been closely watched on both sides of the aisle. Democrats believe their candidate, Scott Peters, has a shot to beat conservative congressman Brian Bilbray and win a much needed seat in …

Twenty-four year-old Javier Santos was surprised by a show of force from the cashier and patrons of Mr. A’s Liquor in Vista, which he tried to rob yesterday afternoon, according to a release from Sgt. Hernan Gonzalez of the San …

The city of San Diego intends to continue its controversial red light photo traffic ticketing system, but a decision on whether to expand the number of camera-covered intersections beyond the installations already in place seems likely to be left up …

Yesterday, we featured information on a series of lectures presented by supporters of Proposition 37, which would require the labeling of genetically modified foods sold in the state, with a host of exceptions. Today, the anti-37 crowd weighs in. They …

Developers have come forward with a plan to build a 400-room high rise hotel at the corner of Broadway and Pacific Highway, on the former site of Lane Field, the original home of the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres. …

City Auditor Eduardo Luna today (Aug. 21) confirmed what the nation's ranking expert on convention centers, Prof. Heywood Sanders, told the Reader in December: the San Diego Convention Center has been publishing phony figures. In my column published December 14, …

Sunday night, August 19th, over $1 million in cash was seized in Tijuana after two suspects were pulled over by police. The UT San Diego reported that the majority of the cash was in the vehicle; however the suspects led …

Four men accused of attempting a home-invasion robbery made plea deals today, in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse. Andrew Phan Le, 24, and Hung Manh Tu, 40, and Thanh Hoai Ho, 38, and Phuong Bui, 37 all pleaded guilty …

A 60-year-old woman accused of trying to kill a 92-year-old man last week was charged with attempted murder and felony elder abuse today. Donna Lee Darling pleaded not guilty through her privately retained defense attorney. Herb Weston said his client …

Nationally, July home values in major metro markets rose 1.2% from a year ago, according to Zillow.com. But San Diego's values dropped 0.6% on a year-over-year basis. But San Diego home values are far more expensive: the median local value …

A federal judge in Alabama yesterday (Aug. 20) dismissed a lawsuit by an American employee of India's Infosys, a so-called "head shop," or placement firm that brings in talent to American companies under the controversial H-1B program. Jack B. Palmer …

A prosecutor filed new paperwork today, making new allegations against three persons charged in the death of Brittany Killgore, a 22-year-old woman who was married to a Marine deployed to Afghanistan when she was killed. Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza …

On August 9, the United States Justice Foundation, a conservative legal advocacy group run by Superior Court Judge-elect and member of the birther movement, Gary Kreep, made a plea to potential contributors: donate money to the non-profit or the lawsuits …

San Diego may still be in the dog days of summer, but GOP mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio is quietly ramping up an all-out fall television blitz against his rival, Democratic congressman Bob Filner. Commercial time sales contracts kept by local …

Caltrans and the Port of San Diego are planning public meetings concerning the erection of a new community sign that would serve as a gateway to San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood. The first meeting, to discuss the sign concept and …

A new report that was done by the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (INEGI or National Institute of Statistics and Geography) backed up the dropping number of homicides in Baja California. The study, which is believed to be more …

Supporters of Proposition 37, which would require the labeling of genetically modified food, are partnering with the Institute for Responsible Technology to present Speaking Out for Healthier Food, a series of lectures that will take place around San Diego today, …

Alexander John Twedt, 30, was sentenced to 16 years in state prison this afternoon. In a plea deal, Twedt admitted “I unlawfully attempted to murder another human being, and in doing so I caused great bodily injury.” Prosecutors charged Twedt …

A young man with an unusual name made a felony plea deal in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse today. James Cameron Hollywood, 28, admitted that he possessed marijuana for sale and that he had a “usable amount” of heroin, …

On Thursday, San Diego planning commissioners will consider a proposal to add 26 acres of designated open space to the 491-acre Sycamore Landfill. The 26-acres located on the eastern border of San Diego County is needed, according to a draft …

A man who threatened to blow up the federal courthouse in San Diego was apprehended in Tijuana on Sunday, August 19th. Georgiy Chipunov, the 28 year old suspect, sent threatening emails which were traced to a tourist complex in Tijuana. …

The deadline for annual personal financial disclosure statements filed each year by members of Congress is May 15, but extensions of up to 90 days may be obtained through mid-August. Among this year's dawdlers were San Diego county's Darrell Issa, …

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering an epidemiological study on the affect living near nuclear power plants has on cancer rates, particularly in the case of childhood leukemia, the Los Angeles Times reports. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was …

Two inmates of Calipatria State Prison in Imperial Valley were injured, one of them fatally, while working as part of a CalTrans inmate work crew on the eastbound side of Interstate 8 yesterday in the late morning. Inmate Richard Warrick, …

Antonio “El Tornado de Tijuana” Margarito, a beloved professional boxer in Baja and much of Mexico, finally revealed the reason behind his retirement this summer. The 34 year old fighter recently told the Boxing Lab radio show that his eye …

A Better San Diego, a non-profit consisting of community, faith, and labor-backed groups hosted its monthly breakfast forum yesterday, this time using the meeting to host a panel of speakers opposing passage of Proposition 32 on the November ballot. Prop …

Willie Gandara Junior, pleaded guilty August 17 in a federal court in El Paso, Texas to drug trafficking conspiracy charges. Willie Gandara is nephew to Jesus Gandara, former superintendent of Sweetwater Union High School District. Jesus Gandara was indicted by …

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has revealed that federal court has instituted a consent order against Poway's Douglas Elsworth Wilson and three companies he controls, Elsworth Berg Capital Management, Elsworth Berg, and Elsworth Berg FX LLC. The court ordered …

A 60-year-old woman was arrested yesterday evening, suspected of putting a pillow over the face of a 92-year-old man while he slept. Oceanside Police report that Donna Darling was in the home of the older man at a trailer park …

A young man known as “Nervous” to his homies in Fallbrook made a plea deal and was sentenced to one year custody, this week. “I did unlawfully assault with deadly weapon another with force likely to cause great bodily injury,” …

It was the evening of November 1, 2007 when police officers from Orange County reportedly fired on a man driving a car in Carlsbad and a female passenger in the car suffered fatal gunshot wounds to her head. Police officers …

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed charges against a group of penny stock players for setting up shell companies concealed as mining companies. Tom and Elizabeth Coldicutt, veterans of the wild Vancouver penny stock scene, raked in $5 …

Troubled watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) today (Aug. 17) asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for creation of an emergency fund that will effectively forward intervenor fees UCAN would eventually get for its participation in the San Diego …

Once again, a bill by GOP state Sen. Sam Blakeslee to ban gifts to California legislators by the state's special interests, known as "lobbyist employers," has died in committee without a hearing or public vote. As reported yesterday on the …

San Diego County lost 4,400 nonfarm jobs from June to July, as the unemployment rate dipped to 9.2% from a revised 9.3% in June, according to the California Employment Development Department. The month-over-month job loss was largely seasonal. Government lost …

In recent years there's been no shortage of praise for online investigative news site Voice of San Diego. The non-profit news organization has been featured in papers such as the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. And while there …

Bob Filner’s mayoral campaign is on the offensive again, this time taking aim at Wednesday’s endorsement of opponent Carl DeMaio by the San Diego County Apartment Association. “Carl DeMaio will help make housing more affordable for San Diego’s middle-class families,” …

A man suspected of hosting a party at his employer’s warehouse last month and charging minors a fee to enter and consume alcohol, was in court this morning. Eduardo Hidalgo, 26, was charged with three misdemeanors today: failing to take …

A group of eight migrants became trapped in a sewer in Tijuana while they were attempting to cross into the United States on Wednesday, August 15th. A fire department official stated that someone in the group called for help around …

Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Qualcomm, was among the major U.S. top executives saving the most last year because of the Bush tax cuts, according to the Institute for Policy Studies. Jacobs had $34.7 million in taxable compensation last year …

Teenagers looking to borrow the car from good old dad can probably relate to Sacramento attorney Keven Star, who got his father, Jack Star of El Cajon, to lend him $140,000 in cash and pay for a $1230 website touting …

Getting into a press conference should be a relatively simple task for members of the media. Well, not in San Diego County where one man, Detective Gary Hassen, a spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department, acts as the press-pass …

A ten year-old program to reintroduce California condors to the wild in the Sierra de San Pedro Martir mountains in Baja California is beginning to take wing, the Latin American Herald Tribune reports. In 2002 the Los Angeles Zoo donated …

A wanted drug trafficker from Romania was apprehended near Calexico while trying to enter the United States on Saturday, August 11th. The 31 year old man was with a group of eight Romanians attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. Border …

A woman identified as “Paulina” was walking her dog in Encinitas last week when a man jumped out of hiding and accosted her, according to a prosecutor in court last Monday. Prosecutor Aimee McLeod said the man spoke “in a …

Yet another member of the San Diego city planning commission has admitted that he failed to fully disclose his personal sources of income and has agreed to pay a fine to the city's ethics commission. According to a stipulated agreement …

A scam in which cash was taken out of local casinos’ ATM machines using fake credit cards has ended with guilty pleas from multiple defendants. The roots of the scam were discovered when Cesar Dario, 33, was arrested in Harrah’s …

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney may have a nice house on the beach in La Jolla, but a few of his wealthy and influential neighbors are backing Barack Obama. Lawyer Julie Dubick, currently chief of staff to Republican mayor …

Court files suggest Nhu Quynh Truong is a persistent shoplifter. Most recently the young woman, only 23 years old, has been charged with fifteen felonies related to retail thefts. Criminal history for Truong is documented since she was a juvenile …

A new Survey USA poll commissioned by KGTV San Diego is being touted by Carl DeMaio campaign manager Ryan Clumpner as “damning evidence that Bob Filner's latest attempt to smear Carl DeMaio has backfired.” The statement was made in a …

An estimated 55% of state and local police in Baja California are yet to take mandatory evaluations that were implemented in 2010. The Centro de Evaluación y Control de Confianza (CECC or Center for Evaluation and Reliability Control) of the …

Customers of San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison should have their utility bills cut, says California Public Utilities Commission’s independent Division of Ratepayer Advocates director, Joseph P. Como. In a letter sent to the agency’s commissioners Monday …

Job applicant Taylor Grey Meyer's earthy retort to the Padres has gone viral on the web, and been picked up by such publications as the New York Daily News. She reportedly has a Master's degree in sports management. According to …

Oscar and Miguel said they enjoyed a “Posada” or Christmas party last December which was hosted by their employer. They said the evening included beer, and that their boss Juan Rivas was also drinking. They all work together at a …

Bridgepoint Education, Inc., the controversial San Diego-based for-profit education conglomerate, is one of the city's biggest donors of political cash and event freebies, spreading the campaign wealth to everyone from Republican-turned-independent Nathan Fletcher's mayoral bid to Democratic Assemblyman Marty Block, …

Atheist groups American Atheists Inc. and the Freedom from Religion Foundation, along with religious freedom advocates Military Religious Freedom Foundation, have penned a letter of complaint to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus over what they say is unfairly restricted access to …

The killer whale wars between SeaWorld and drummer Tommy Lee continues. The feud has developed into an exchange of one angry letter after another between Lee and representatives from SeaWorld. Now Lee says he and representatives from the People for …

Save Our Heritage Organisation, which has long been vocal in its opposition to the plan to transform Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama, yesterday filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego over what the group calls a “failure to …

The State Bar of California has disbarred three local attorneys, primarily for misbehavior in loan modification cases. Kent C. Wilson was disbarred for 30 cases of misrepresentation in loan modification actions. He closed his office without notifying clients who had …

Julie Elizabeth Harper, 39, was charged in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse today with murdering her husband with a gun, last week. She pleaded not guilty through a private defense attorney. Prosecutor Keith Watanabe said police found her husband …

An Oceanside man convicted of abusing multiple girls under ten years of age over a period of years was sentenced to 475-years-to-life in prison, in court this morning. Corazon Paulino Flores turned 70 years old while awaiting the jury’s verdict, …

The DA’s office has asked that anyone who may have witnessed lewd acts or a scuffle at the Del Mar fairgrounds two months ago to please contact investigators. Prosecutor Tracy Prior has charged two persons with lewd acts and battery, …

The California Energy Commission is reviewing a proposal to build two new natural gas power plants on the site of two similar existing plants in Huntington Beach that had been retired but were returned to service in the wake of …

On Friday, August 10th, four Mexican citizens were arrested in Madrid, Spain for attempting to smuggle a large amount of cocaine into the country. The Associated Press reported that the FBI and Spanish police worked together in apprehending the four …

Longtime Union-Tribune columnist Tom Blair, who served during the lengthy reign of late publisher Helen Copley, then later for Beverly Hills mega-investor Tom Gores, and briefly under the paper's latest owner, GOP kingpin and real estate mogul Doug Manchester, before …

Drummer Tommy Lee is not feeling so good about SeaWorld these days. The former Motley Crue percussionist is shouting at SeaWorld president John Reilly to stop playing any Crue tracks for the Shamu Rocks show. In his note to Reilly, …

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department continues in their attempt to crack down on drunk driving, with another checkpoint conducted over the weekend on the 1200 block of South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. 789 vehicles passed through the law enforcement …

A stash of weapons and ammunition, which included a grenade launcher, was seized in Tijuana in an operation that was conducted over the last week. According to state authorities, the weapons are believed to belong to Sinaloa Cartel members whom …

An alleged human trafficker who is originally from Puerto Rico was arrested in Tijuana on Friday, August 10th. Rafael Antonio Vélez Vargas, the alleged 41 year old human trafficker, was initially stopped for suspicious activity. State authorities displayed the suspect …

The unusual, much-arrested, former-attorney Michael Theodore Pines was back in court August 9. Pines was charged last month with eleven new crimes, including five felonies for written threats and attempted extortion. At the time of his most recent arrest, Pines …

The California Coastal Commission approved Chula Vista's Bayfront Master Plan at a Santa Cruz meeting on August 9. Collaboration between the city of Chula Vista, the Port, and various community stakeholders produced a plan that will include 1,500 condominiums, four …

In the second day of testimony, attorneys questioned friends and classmates and relations of a 17-year-old boy who has accused a 38-year-old man of abusing him since the boy was 14-years-old. Raul Licon Jr., a California firefighter, has pleaded not-guilty …

Julie Elizabeth Harper, 39, who was arrested on suspicion of killing her husband this week, was brought into a courtroom yesterday but not yet formally charged. Her defense attorney, Paul Pfingst, said that he was the one who phoned police …

Steven Martinez of Ramona, a tax preparer and former agent with the Internal Revenue Service, pleaded guilty today (Aug. 10) in federal court to charges of murder-for-hire, witness tampering that involved attempted murder, mail fraud, filing false tax returns, Social …

Residents on Dunemere Drive in La Jolla's posh beachside Barber Tract have yet another high-profile residential renovation project to kick around. First it was Mitt Romney's plan to raze the 3,000-square-foot beach cottage that he and his family purchased in …

San Diego State University was the beneficiary of $71.5 million in private donations in the fiscal year ending June 30, the college’s NewsCenter reported earlier this week. “This has been an extraordinary year in The Campaign for SDSU,” university president …

Joel Thurtell, a Michigan blogger on civic issues (joelontheroad.com), last May broke three excellent stories on a municipal bond outrage in Poway. In clearly-written blogs on May 1, May 10, and May 12, Thurtell described how Poway got seduced into …

On August 8 the bond oversight committee for Sweetwater Union High School District's Proposition O convened a special meeting. The $644 million proposition was approved by South Bay voters in 2006. Nick Marinovich, chair of the Prop O committee, said …

Kallie Lamb Helwig, 25, and Gerald Joseph Torello, 35, were summoned before a judge and ordered to stay away from three named persons, in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse today. Helwig and Torello, both said to be five-year veterans …

San Diego-based Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. is reporting that unknown thieves have made off with sensitive information on computers heisted from the offices of an unnamed independent accountant. "On Tuesday, July 3, 2012, the outside auditor of Petco's 401(k) plan …

Dole Fresh Fruit Company, one of the Port of San Diego’s largest tenants and the country’s largest banana importer and second-largest pineapple importer, is set to sign a 24.5-year lease to keep operations in San Diego. Dole controls nearly 22 …

This Sunday, a coalition of activist and social justice groups will begin what it calls a “Caravan for Peace With Justice and Dignity,” according to the website NeglectedWar.com. Beginning at the San Diego/Tijuana border, the group will spend a month …

A group of alleged United States gang members were arrested in Mexicali on Tuesday evening, August 7th. The municipal police spotted three suspicious men speeding in a vehicle, which led to the arrests. The men had no weapons or drugs …

Executives at the Downtown San Diego Partnership have been busy making their rounds, appearing at community group meetings in search of support for the renewal of downtown's Property-Based Business Improvement District (PBID). On Thursday August 9, executives will make their …

An environmental program between the United States and Mexico was signed into agreement between representatives of both nations in Tijuana today, August 8th. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, the U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program (Border 2012) will …

Already backed by once-imprisoned La Jolla super-lawyer Bill Lerach and San Diego's ACLU, Proposition 34, the measure on the November ballot to substitute life in prison without parole for capital punishment, has landed even more financial support here. According to …

Robert Peltier, one of two principal owners of Ranch Catering, pleaded guilty today (Aug. 8) to tax evasion. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, in 2003 Peltier deposited proceeds from the business in accounts at two separate banks. But Peltier …

A woman who identified herself as a lieutenant in the Navy, and a psychiatrist, and a mother of two children told a Superior Court judge today that she was beaten by an off-duty Border Patrol Agent while the attacker’s male …

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced yesterday that it has suspended the issuance of any license approvals for nuclear plants, affecting both new construction projects and those, like California’s two operating facilities at San Onofre and Diablo Canyon, which are …

John Lynch, CEO of the U-T San Diego is back in the news, this time over his decision to build a vintage auto museum inside the paper's Mission Valley headquarters without the proper permits. Voice of San Diego scribe Randy …

Two Border Patrol agents accused of lewd acts in public are expected to appear in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse tomorrow morning. And the woman who was allegedly assaulted after she complained about their behavior is expected to speak …

Yet another attorney has asked to be “relieved” from involvement in a criminal case which includes the well-known, disbarred, former-Carlsbad attorney Michael Theodore Pines. Criminal defense attorney Ivan B. Schwartz represented Pines’ co-defendant, named Robert Otis Griffith, as recently as …

The community group Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment has a novel means of encouraging major banks to clean up and maintain properties on which they foreclose – dumping trash left at a bank-owned residential property at the doorstep of …

Beer distributor Ron Fowler, who just bought himself a piece of the Padres in an $800 million deal announced yesterday, is a major league local political player who has been a big cash backer of both Republican and Democratic causes. …

A California Public Utilities Commission decision on whether to launch its own special investigation concerning the troubled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has been delayed once again. Originally scheduled for a vote in June and postponed once to a meeting …

The Division of Ratepayer Advocates, a California Public Utilities Commission operation that represents consumers, says San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) is asking for a vastly excessive return on equity in the utility's current rate case. SDGE wants an 11% …

Tonight, Medical Marijuana activists will meet in Lemon Grove to urge the city council to either enact an ordinance allowing dispensaries to operate in Lemon Grove or pay to place the item on the November ballot. The issue first was …

A group of Central California farmers have petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to remove the orca, or killer whale, from a list of animals deserving of protection under the Endangered Species Act, the Sacramento Bee reports. At issue is …

The young man told cops “he was going to make four or five more deliveries that evening.” He obligingly showed officers where to find the 15 gram bag of marijuana and THC-infused candies and one rolled cigarette that were located …

“The defendant said, ‘You better not say nothing you fucking bitch,” according to Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Esquer. The deputy testified today against a man accused of battery and felony attempt to dissuade witness and spitting on a cop. Farzad John …

The San Diego Workforce Index dipped slightly in June from May, to 86.0 from 86.3. Significant negative results in consumer confidence and the unemployment rate dropped the index, despite moderate improvements in total jobs available, the University of San Diego …

In terms of campaign fundraising, the month of June was a good month for councilmember Carl DeMaio. From June 1 to June 30 DeMaio's supporters gave the mayoral candidate nearly $97,000, almost three-times the amount that his opponent, Representative Bob …

It's no secret that the San Diego Police Officers Association, the local cops' labor organization, doesn't like GOP city councilman and mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio, and neither does the San Diego and Imperial County Labor Council, the AFL-CIO affiliate that …

The Port of San Diego has completed its final environmental impact report on and will host a public forum regarding a proposed pier replacement project at BAE Systems’ ship repair facility south of the Coronado Bridge along the San Diego …

According to a United States government report recently released, a weapon from the "Operation Fast and Furious" was seized in Tijuana from a group intending to assassinate Julián Leyzaola, who was the chief of police at the time. The firearm …

The public comment period on an environmental impact statement for the Navy’s Coronado Coastal Campus, which actually consists of eight individual sites throughout the county, has been extended 15 days through August 14, according to an entry in last week’s …

La Policía Estatal Preventiva (PEP or The State Preventive Police) arrested two men wanted in the United States on various charges over the weekend. The arrests occurred separately in Playas de Rosarito and Tijuana. The two alleged criminals are not …

I know these top-ten surveys can get a bit old. Remember the one from the cheese-filled pretzel company, Combos, that ranked San Diego as the "least manly city" in the nation? Or, how about the one from Marketwatch which placed …

A private security guard at a San Diego County fast-food restaurant said it was a “normal flow of business” and that he saw “nothing out of the ordinary” today, Friday, August 3. When asked if he had witnessed any unusual …

Tragedy struck the artist community of Chicano Park June 29th, when one of the painters of its world-famous art installation, Michael Schnorr, took his own life by jumping off the Coronado bridge. His murals are prominent among the 72 which …

It appears that an otherwise upstanding citizen in San Diego County has somehow become connected with disbarred attorney Michael Theodore Pines. Robert Otis Griffith, 41, is named as a co-defendant on a criminal complaint with notorious and much-arrested former-Carlsbad attorney …

La Mesa Police have apprehended the man they believe to be responsible for robbing a gas station armed with a machete last month. On July 18, the machete-brandishing suspect removed the cash drawer from a Circle K/76 station and fled …

Michael Peevey, head of the California Public Utilities Commission, recommended yesterday (Aug. 2) that the agency delay for several months an investigation into billowing costs tied to damage at the San Onofre nuclear power plant, according to the Associated Press. …

The San Diego chapter of the League of Conservation Voters yesterday issued a rather dismal report card reviewing actions of Mayor Jerry Sanders and the city council. Only three council members were ranked by the group at a level of …

President Obama got unexpected good news this morning (Aug. 3): the Labor Department said the nation added 163,000 nonfarm jobs in July, the highest monthly growth since February. Economists had expected 100,000. However, the unemployment rate rose to 8.3% from …

AT&T announced today (Aug. 2) that it will acquire NextWave Wireless for about $600 million. The deal is subject to approval of the Federal Communications Commission and possibly the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission, AT&T said. "Papa Doug" Manchester, …

The Victorville Daily Press is reporting that U.S. Army officials are investigating the collision of two General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator drones on the runway at the government's El Mirage Flight Test Facility on July 25. "There was some damage …

Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon, announced at the 33rd session of the National Public Security Council that the countries murder rate has dropped around 7% in the first 6 months of 2012, compared to the same months in 2011. The Spanish …

Clinical psychologist Roberto J. Velasquez pleaded guilty today (Aug. 2) to falsifying medical reports to the federal government. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Velasquez falsely certified that dozens of patients were disabled when they were not. He made up …

A North Carolina man pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter in the death of his passenger, when his car skidded out of control and collided with a palm tree on March 17 in Oceanside. Twenty-five-year-old Patrick Lewis Barnett admitted he was …

The Public Policy Institute of California has released a new study on the opinions of Californians relating to global warming and energy policy in the coming years. Most voters, the Institute reports, favor President Obama’s environmental stewardship over what they …

Seems as if a new spending cut to education is discovered every day. While administrators and school board members across the state have grown accustomed to handing out pink slips, increasing class size, and selling off valuable school assets in …

Carlsbad police officer Jamie Meroniuk said he was near the end of his shift, patrolling about 3 a.m. on a Thursday morning, when he saw two men on the sidewalk. “One of the males frantically waved at me,” officer Meroniuk …

This spring's topsy-turvy San Diego mayoral race - featuring a conservative gay Republican councilman, an ex-GOP Assemblyman turned independent, a tough-on-crime lesbian district attorney, and an old-line liberal Democratic congressman - promised to shake the city's traditionally hide-bound politics to …

Aquatic theme park chain Sea World has begun conditioning its orcas, or killer whales to accept trainers swimming in their tanks, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The move is a first step toward resuming “water work” with the animals since Tilikum, …

Brian Joseph Webb II, 34, was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse today. Webb is accused of causing a fatal collision on the I-15 freeway in the Escondido area last Saturday, driving his truck …

By one o’clock today, a manager at the Chick-Fil-A on Grand Avenue in San Marcos California worried that they were going to run out of food. The line of customers went out the door and wrapped around the large building …

Proposed legislation from state Assembly member Ben Hueso regarding the establishment of renewable energy “infrastructure financing districts” is drawing fire from the Protect Our Communities Foundation, a group “dedicated to protecting San Diego County backcountry from ill-conceived energy development and …

Executives with one of the city's biggest and most influential lobbying and public affairs outfits have thrown their financial muscle behind the San Diego mayoral candidacy of Republican city councilman Carl DeMaio, according to the firm's second-quarter lobbyist disclosure filing, …

Amid continued debate over the wisdom and appropriate time line for resuming power generating activities at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, now shuttered for over 6 months, plant operator Southern California Edison has set tentative “return to service” dates late …