I had visited my father's gravesite at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery maybe only five times since he was interred in 1968. That was until my oldest son (now 13) took part in the Memorial Day …

"You will not believe what I just heard," Jane said. Her brows were raised in a classic and universal WTF expression. Before I could ask, she held up a finger and said, "I'm still on …

If you enjoy a warm, relaxing bath, I know a travel destination that just might appeal to you. Most international visitors to Ecuador are in a hurry to get to either the Galapagos Islands or …

After finishing my second year of law school in San Diego, I decided that I needed a little adventure in my life. I planned my classes so that all my finals were done by December …

Education foundations have historically been groups that assist students with scholarships. However, last year’s revelations about Southwestern College’s foundation and recent exposés on Sweetwater Education Foundation raise the question, who are these organizations serving? The …

If you come home from a miserable day at a job that you hate, spend the night watching Futurama on TV, and wish you worked at a cool place like Planet Express, dream no more …

I didn’t recognize the number with the San Francisco area code, but when I read the text I picked up my phone and dialed it. Once Eddie grabbed the line, I said, “Does this answer …

The Riviera Supper Club’s bartender is a multimedia artist. An accomplished painter (theartsnob.com) and Art Institute of Chicago graduate, Doug Thompson is equally at home with sable brushes and glass swizzle sticks. But it’s the …

Unusual title. Strange artwork — foliage sprouting from several depictions of a naked figure wearing an expression of shock, pain, or bemusement. A pleasant, elementary riff ("Peace on the Rise") repeats for two minutes, prompting …

Scottish post-rock five-piece Mogwai took the ethereal sonics of this year’s Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will to the Belly Up in Solana Beach. The crowd varied from gray and weathered to young and …

Why spend years of your life, thousands of dollars, and tons of effort only to graduate from college and not be able to support yourself adequately for the rest of your adult life? How sad. …

Every year about now, hundreds of thousands of young people get their first jobs. It’s a great and exciting achievement. But it also comes with a dose of reality: What do you do once you’ve …

With only forty minutes of planning, two friends and I decided to visit a friend who was working on an archaeological dig in Hope, British Columbia. Eager for a road trip, we cleared two weeks …

"I need to give your Tupperware back," Terri said. "I forgot you even had it, no biggie," I said. It took me a second to remember why she'd have our Tupperware. That's right, the leftover …

I just got home (my current home) from signing a lease for what will be my new home. David and I are excited to have this decided and done, and now we're busy with preparations …

As I was flying at 4000 feet from Hemet to Gillespie Field at 11:30 a.m. on May 26, I spotted a column of smoke from the San Vicente Reservoir area. This was not good news, …

Author: Courtney Hartmann Neighborhood: North Park Age: 29 Occupation: Freelance writer It’s Hump Day to most. Weed Wednesday to me. When I get home after a long day, I know there will be people huddled …

Dear People Who Hover Outside of Grocery Stores With Clipboards, I hate you. I hate that you pester me with your bid to save medical marijuana, or your campaign to “change city hall.” No, I …

“I don’t know if any of you guys are aware that they are going to be cutting down [ficus trees] on Jefferson Street,” said Carlsbad resident Ila Schmidt during the May 25 city-council meeting. According …

Pummeled by roaring, tent-folding winds most of the night, I awoke to the softest of morning gusts coming out of the canyon. Swaying in my hammock, I sipped freshly brewed licorice root tea surrounded by …

County Clare, Ireland, is otherworldly: hilly, lush green paddocks (pastures) separated by centuries-old stone fences and dotted with small herds of cows, horses and donkeys. And sheep – glorious in shagginess and shades of white, …

At the Vista courthouse on May 23, Twin Oaks High School assistant principal Todd Marquet testified that 18-year-old Ernesto Gomez had been in attendance for two years before trouble arose. When Gomez got into an …

I am surrounded by papers and books at 10:30 at night. I am trying to concentrate on writing a rhetorical masterpiece on the financial recession of 2008 that will hopefully get me an A in …

Last week the Sweetwater Union High School board voted to have an independent audit of Scott Alevy, a public relations professional. The board's choice of an auditor has raised this question: can an attorney who …

Apparently, one of the other mothers at "drop off" -- where Jane drops her daughter Bella off at school -- was shocked by my sister's two-toned hair. As Jane relays it, her friend said something …

The La Jolla Heights Open Space clings to a patch of chaparral-clad hillside overlooking the village of La Jolla. Pottery Canyon is essentially a secluded ravine, right off busy Torrey Pines Road. Both are small …

Radio says they’re expecting 10,000 to 15,000 people here ­— here being Livermore, a town of 80,000 known to Bike World as Stage 4 start line in this year’s Tour of California. I’d been birding …

Established in 1984 by restaurateur and bullfighter Paul Dobson, La Gran Tapa was the first dedicated Spanish tapas bar in San Diego. Seven owners later, the Sicilian proprietor of the Turquoise Café in Pacific Beach, …

Picking an Ethiopian restaurant presents a draconian choice: you can head for one of the cramped little places in City Heights (Asmara and Red Sea) for authenticity or choose more spacious places (Muzita or the …

You can’t make this stuff up: Acrassicauda, a Saddam-era Iraqi thrash band, survived the war but lost their equipment — and the entire building they practiced in — to a missile strike. They suffered death …

We sail into the Sargasso Sea of summer, where movie sequels trawl for box-office kelp. But then, off to Paris! Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Having taken in way over two billion, even …

San Diego’s Crawdaddys are reforming for a pair of shows this year. On June 10, the band will headline the sixth annual “Go Sinner Go” festival in Spain. Then, on September 2, the band will …

“Our music intertwines upbeat reggae riffs with fist-pumping, melodic rock,” says Jet West singer/guitarist Scott Floquet. “We pull influences from blues, funk, country, and we’re even starting to experiment with techno.” Jet West’s debut Dropping …

“I couldn’t do it anymore.” After eight years, owner Jason Nascimento closed the doors to Portugalia, his Portuguese restaurant on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach. The last Live Wednesday was held there on May 18, …

South ParkWednesday, February 168:45 p.m. The sign painted on the building reads Delicious Food, Great Beer, Philanthropy, but I won’t notice this until I leave. For now, I dart from my car into South Park …

I’ll never forget the time, probably somewhere in early 2003, when Holy Molar played their first and only show at the Ché Café. Like most present, I was a high school kid whose primary release …

One practical use I’ve found for the embarrassing character flaw of romanticism is applying that wrongheaded screwiness to being broke. I’m probably more strapped than I need to be (I’m paid very fairly), as I …

Thirty-Five Years Ago<br>[Jerry] Brown is viewed as one of the shrewdest, most ambitious politicians of the century, so dedicated to power that some wouldn’t be surprised if, dissatisfied with the mere Philosopher King role, he …

If you’re a squirrel reading this, I have a great restaurant for you: Brent Fogwell’s six-acre macadamia tree farm in Spring Valley. He just lets the nuts drop from his 300 trees. But better hurry. …

What are you reading? “I’ve just been re-reading The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. It’s about four women from China who are immigrants to America trying to wrap their heads around their American-raised daughters …

“I don’t stay in touch with Mike as much as I probably should,” Texas blues guitarist Anson Funderburgh says by phone from Dallas. “You just never know where Mike is,” meaning Mike Judge, UCSD grad …

Former Dragons frontman Mario Escovedo has expanded his Requiemme Management to include a record label of the same name, distributed digitally by music publishing giant Bug Music. On May 24, the label will release its …

In 1938, a monument in front of Lakeside Grammar School on Woodside Avenue was dedicated to the memory of Hugo “Otto” Marcks. Marcks was a longtime resident of Lakeside and operated one of the only …

Loma Square Shopping Center is losing another tenant; in recent years, large spaces leased by Circuit City and a discount shoe store have gone vacant. The Everything a Deal clothing store at the intersection of …

When subsidizing businesses to move to an area, paying $100,000 per job is generally considered quite high. But in wooing biotech-research facilities and companies, Florida has been paying much more than $1 million — repeat, …

The convention-dependent business of Katherine Stuart, wife of GOP city councilman Kevin Faulconer — said to be interested in running for mayor to succeed termed-out fellow Republican Jerry Sanders — is doing better than ever, …

"It’s starting now. Do you hear it?” Henry asks. The raspy chirp of a motorcycle engine intrudes upon the morning’s stillness, muffling songbirds in the avocado grove on the slope below Henry’s house in Rainbow. …

Attorney Julie Dubick, chief of staff to mayor Jerry Sanders, reported a few tourist-related assets of her own, including a tidy stock holding in Hilton Hotels valued at between $2000 and $10,000 and an interest …

“Paragliding?” I asked. “Like when they pull you behind a boat?” “No,” replied Patrick. “That’s parasailing. Totally different. This is freedom, man.” John Ryan, owner of the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Center in La Mesa …

Listen, Kids Thank you for the wonderful story about Dep Tuany (“Love Well,” Cover Story, May 19). Wow, what a man. He is to be admired. How do I contribute to his trip to Sudan …

I offer my sacrifice and homage to thee, the Fire, as a good offering, and an offering with our hail of salvation, even as an offering of praise with benedictions to thee, the Fire, O …

Contact: Mira Mesa High School, 10510 Reagan Road, San Diego, 619-699-5950; harborpc.org Membership: 57 (attendance 115) Pastor: Bob Klein Age: 58 Born: Baltimore, Maryland Formation: Hope College-Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan; Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, …

Even after the murder of the child Muhammad on Rosh HaShanah, the paper didn’t go black. In the same water in which the snipers wash their uniforms, I prepare my pasta, and over it pour …

The May 22 open house at Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility was also an information fair. Tables holding pamphlets were shaded with canopies. Behind each table stood helpful staff who provided information about programs available …

David gets a kick out of drawing similarities between me and my sister Jane. We both do the "happy dance" when we receive tasty food, we're both exceptionally neurotic, and we both make a game …

I boarded Lufthansa Airlines from LAX with a certain giddiness and anticipation. I was ready for a long flight over the U.S., Canada, Iceland, the Northern Sea and Germany – my final destination being Bucharest …

They don't call it Sunset Beach for nothing. The fading light casts vivid ambers and reds down the shoreline on the northwest of the island of Oahu. The rolling waves glisten, radiant, and a seal …

With the recently announced closing of UltraStar Cinemas' Flower Hill four-plex in Del Mar, North County residents between south Carlsbad and Carmel Valley will be without a multiplex movie theater. The Flower Hill theater will …

I didn't mind the long line to the checkout counter at Fry's Electronics, not this time. Because this time, there was a puppy in the shopping cart in front of me. "Do you mind?" I …

With the fragrance of wisteria in the air, one million daffodils in full bloom stand brightly in meadows near the Santa Cruz Mountains. At Filoli Gardens, forty-eight varieties of daffodils – including 65,000 golden dawns …

Though I joked that I was tweeting from Heaven this morning because "God has a thing for chicks in glasses," the truth is, I missed the rapture boat yesterday, as did all of us sinners. …

Catching up with a so-called one-hit-wonder band 29 years down the line is a little like checking in on a former beauty-pageant winner or somebody who got kicked by the president. You wonder how (if) …

Most current rock acts would be brought to their collective knees by a whimpering sound system. While the unflattering acoustics of 4th&B could have spoiled the evening, Tunde Adebimpe and his TV on the Radio …

The Amistad National Recreational Area on the Mexican border is beautiful waterway, surrounded with blooming prickly pear cactus and wildflowers. And, apparently, monster snakes. I was careful as I made my way down the rocky …

After visiting Oak Alley with its twin rows of 300-year-old oaks and impressive Greek Revival architecture, I found the modest appearance of the Laura Plantation an interesting contrast. Laura is one of several plantations off …

This morning, I interviewed one of our city's firefighters. I have a lot of respect for firefighters -- a number of my high school friends joined the local ranks (at least four I can think …

On the evening of May 17, 40 minutes before a Sweetwater Union High School board meeting was scheduled to begin, John Brickley and Fran Brinkman attempted to enter the board room. According to Brinkman, a …

Just after 8:00 p.m. on May 18, a major vehicular accident took place in the 4000 block of Rueda Drive, near the intersection of Rueda and Tierrasanta Boulevard. According to witnesses and emergency utility workers, …

On May 16 at around noon, a woman was waiting for the rinse cycle in a laundry room at the Mariner's Cove apartment complex in Ocean Beach when she witnessed what she told me "looked …

David and I are on our way out in a few minutes to check out the place we're thinking about moving into. It's contemporary, modern, suits our taste, but we need to stand inside and …

According to all the billboards around San Diego, the rapture is coming, and it'll be here this Saturday. Obviously, there is much preparation to be done. On the actual day of judgment, I'll be attending …

Israel Puente, a retired Marine Corps veteran, appeared before the San Diego City Council on May 17 to express his disappointment with a Clean and Safe Program employee during an incident that occurred over the …

When my friend Kerry finally decided to move down to San Diego from Santa Barbara, I thought we'd have nothing but time together. She and Mia were among the lucky few to keep up a …

Recipe by Roberto Gerbino, Executive Chef, Il Fornaio, Del Mar If you ask me what age I started cooking, I will tell you I was born in a restaurant. My father had a restaurant and …

Formerly San Diego’s “skid row,” downtown San Diego’s core historic area was reborn in the 1980s under a new name: the Gaslamp Quarter. Actually, gas lamps were never used for outdoor lighting in San Diego …

Brandon Parkhurst says reading about his substance abuse is what made him finally get clean. “I had lost everything,” says the singer/guitarist of Kut U Up. “I happened to read an article about how Kut …

The current Serious Guise lineup has been around since 1996, but the band’s roots go back to 1986. Serious Guise includes founding guitarist Dennis Gonzales, Rick Williams on drums and vocals, guitarist-vocalist Mark Griffin, and …

In 2007, the pop-music writers at MTV thought Yeasayer was a great band. They couldn’t say enough good things about them, and they thought that the band had gotten lost and went unnoticed amidst all …

In the dead of summer, temperatures in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, reach triple digits, with the humidity not far behind. The town, 60 miles north of Tulsa, near the Kansas border, lies along Tornado Alley. But in …

Partly from choice, more because of preview timing, we leave Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to cruise at sea until next week. But we hurry over to the pond for: The Beaver Jodie …

When Dep Tuany arrived on a drilling rig in the impoverished Sudanese village of Boriak, hostility lingered thick in the air. The village held roughly 1200 refugees living in grass and wood huts. They had …

This story may be familiar to you: A few years ago, after some health problems and the breakups of both his band and his relationship, Justin Vernon spent a winter holed up in a cabin …

Thursday 19 Sean Carey is one edumacated drummer. He’s got a degree in drumming from U.W.-Eau Claire; i.e., he doesn’t do songs, he does compositions. Carey helped fill out Bon Iver’s stark sound as they …

On March 30, Michael Tiernan blogged, “I launched Project Strong this past Tuesday, the day of my brother’s birthday, and I’ve already received tons of interested people who will be contributing content for the video. …

“We’re gonna have live music, but we’re gonna change the atmosphere,” says Colin Wickersheim. “Not so much the heavy metal anymore.” In December, Wickersheim’s wife Shelby, owner of Canvas Hair Studio on Garnet Avenue in …

Bassist David Flemminger, drummer Matt Johnson, and guitarist David Rinck have left the Cardiac Kidz. “Jerry [Flack] and I have decided that we’re the official Glimmer Twins of the punk-rock world,” Jim Ryan tells the …

Wrong Way Woman This is in praise of the cover photo for the May 12 issue, subtitled “Party People Take Back Tijuana.” It looks really cool. I love the colors and the retro phonograph records …

"You happy?” I ask Heidi. “I’m happy,” she says. “For another 30 minutes, anyway.” Erk. Thirty minutes? We’re talking happy hour. Heidi’s in charge of the bar. I look at my watch. Gadzooks, she’s right. …

The City of San Diego is slashing library hours and street repairs, but GOP mayor Jerry Sanders is still handing out big money to City lobbyists. According to its most recent disclosure statement, during the …

Tempers flared in the Vista courthouse on May 17 when 59-year-old Michael Theodore Pines, acting as his own attorney, was brought before a superior-court judge. Prosecutor James Romo said that Pines has filed suits against …

Membership: 135 Pastor: Tim Poldrugo Age: 61 Born: Gary, Indiana (raised in Los Angeles) Formation: Hope International University (Pacific Christian College), Fullerton, CA Years Ordained: 26 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing …

U.S. Department of Education auditors have called out the San Diego Unified School District for misspending some of the federal tax dollars it got under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as President …

On April 28, Carlsbad’s Michael T. Pines filed a lawsuit in bankruptcy court boasting that “Michael T. Pines is considered one of the few and earliest experts in the legal issues involved in the foreclosure …

Is the Sweetwater Union High School District playing roulette with students’ health? The district has signed lucrative contracts with communication companies that allow them to place 32 cell phone towers on campuses throughout the southernmost …

What She Wanted was my bones. As I gave them to her one at a time, she put them in a bag from Saks. As long as I didn't hesitate she collected scapula and vertebrae …

The Port of San Diego’s controversial new $28 million cruise ship terminal was completed in December, just as word got around that Holland America was planning to pull its 1916-passenger Oosterdam liner off the once-lucrative …

The Golden God, the Self, the immortal Swan Leaves the small nest of the body, goes where He wants. He moves through the realm of dreams; makes numberless forms, Delights in sex; eats, drinks, laughs …

I saw the flyer on India Street, where they were neatly displayed in various storefronts. (It is unlikely that you would ever see handbills tumbling freely down the street in Little Italy.) I grabbed one …

Getting a bad feeling about how it’s going to end. People forget how long this has been going on. Follows is from a column written in December, 2009. “This morning’s count is 15 mistresses, no …

For the past three weeks, bicycle logos have been painted on certain streets in Kensington, leaving residents baffled as to what they meant. The mystery of the logos was revealed when Jim Baross, president of …

Thirty-Five Years Ago Re: Review of my movie, Taxi Driver. You are dead wrong in your cheap, mindless review. If I weren’t so busy putting together half a dozen film packages with my friends Warren …

Protesters interrupted a discussion on education hosted by state assemblyman Nathan Fletcher outside his Miramar office on May 13. Fletcher, a Republican, started the event by saying he hoped for “a calm conversation” about the …

When people ask me when it was that David and I got married, the only way I can remember the exact date of that Wednesday we eloped is by thinking of my father's birthday, which …

When the devout multitudes tried to leave the Joel Osteen "Night of Hope" worship event at the Valley View Casino Center on Friday, May 13, they were greeted by a DUI checkpoint. At approximately 10 …

I try to visit my family in segments — a sister here, a parent there, I break them down into manageable numbers. On rare occasions, such as birthdays and holidays, I must see them all …

It is possible to be lovingly offensive. The people on all of those intervention shows know what I'm talking about -- whether it's hoarding or alcoholism that's ruining your life, only those who really truly …

Canadian-based electronic musician Tim Hecker recorded his sixth album, Ravedeath, 1972, live in a Reykjavík church primarily using a pipe organ. Of course, you wouldn't know that listening to the album, as the recorded output …

Jazz drummer Louis Hayes performed at the Saville Theatre for the final installment of this spring’s "KSDS Jazz Live" series. Hayes has played with several jazz greats, from John Coltrane to Woody Shaw; he once …

There’s so much more to Detroit than what’s in the foreboding Chrysler commercials. It’s taken a beating in the press with the hard times that have befallen the auto industry, but still offers a vibrant …

You’ll never forget walking the walls of Dubrovnik. Put this on your bucket list now! Climb the ancient stairs of this walled city and take your first look at centuries of history. The tile roofs …

Do you kick butt at video games that involve guns and knives and other weapons of destruction? Are you still having paintball birthday parties a few years out of college? Do you wear the same …

After just a week on the road together, my friend and I found that we were living for the next set of trees, the next perfect spot to string the hammock. It may seem like …

The hardest part about visiting Phantom Ranch isn’t getting there, but getting back. There are no welcome signs, no strategically placed words of encouragement. In fact, just the opposite. The one and only sign we …

Shortly after 11:00 a.m. today, May 13, a fire broke out in a residence in the 600 block of Rushville Street. According to witnesses and emergency workers, the owners of the home had been burning …

A room full of young skaters, their parents, and other supporters of building a skate park in Vista appeared at the city council meeting on May 10. “It is not just a skate park,” said …

In these days of modern technology, job search candidates are looking toward Twitter, My Space, Linkedin, and similar sites for job leads. Have they helped? Yes they have. Does that mean that traditional job search …

Chula Vista is considering doing away with the nonprofit corporation that advises the city council and the city’s Redevelopment Agency and Housing Authority on redevelopment projects. On May 3, the city council, in a 3-2 …

I finally understand why some people feel the need to make up a story to explain an obvious injury. A cast on your leg, a scar across your arm... a chipped tooth. I'm no stranger …

An unlikely memorial to the D-Day invasion lies half-hidden in a narrow wind-ravaged valley among the sand dunes of Braunton Burrows on the north coast of Devon, England. While the remembrance sites in France have …

I’m fascinated by the Mayan civilization and its monumental architecture, artwork and culture and have visited ancient Mayan sites throughout Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Some sites are sprawling, and it’s amazing to step back in …

Melodie Tao, of MarketingMelodie.com, explains the importance of social media as tools for job seekers. Please tell me about your background and how you came to be involved with social media. I started out working …

The experience of finding that first job &mdash; even if it’s a short-term, part-time summer job &mdash; can be daunting. Teenagers often find themselves in a strange world. They are expected to figure out what …

At the Escondido City Council meeting on May 11, councilman Ed Gallo was incredulous when staff members from the finance department asked for $264,314 to replace 12 trucks. “[T]here’s only three vehicles with over a …

Quality Social bartender Noelle Phares is fast. The Chico native holds regional high school records in the 300- and 100-meter hurdles. That speed translates into something sweet to see and refreshing to taste whenever Phares …

TAKING A LONG WALK OFF A SHORT PIER, POINT LOMA — It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. When San Diego’s High Tech High International was named as one of six candidates nationwide to …

During the first week of May, the U.S. Postal Service delivered notices informing La Mesa residents that the retail portion of the La Mesa Carrier Annex at 6055 Lake Murray Boulevard was “being considered for …

6:29 p.m., May 11 — A fire is currently consuming the Peace Pies building and Terra Rhythm Bike shop in Ocean Beach. I saw smoke billowing out the back of Terra, and I called 911. …

Bernard Delacruz Poet-Scientist The West Wing was my favorite TV show at the time and remains a favorite. I can pop in any DVD and know I am going to watch a quality TV episode. …

Watching the Manny Pacquiao/Shane Mosley fight on Showtime. Venue is the MGM Grand in Vegas. The camera pans the crowd and then there’s an outdoor shot of the strip. This always gets me. I lived …

It’s not the windy city, the motor city, least of all the center city. It’s not Linda Vista, City Heights, or Convoy Street. It’s La Jolla, right? So the chic, newish Thai restaurant that’s been …

“I’m not gonna kick somebody out because they’re selling something other than punk,” says Josh Barnes, “but that’s kind of it,” he says about the Shakedown’s punk-record swap meets. “But punk,” he says, “covers a …

"Please send some more tourists. The last ones were delicious.” This motto is on an Aussie license plate, one of their crocodiles smiling out from it. Shane is up on a stepladder, screwing in another …

Hey: Why are underwear and pants always referred to as a pair? Yes, there are two pant legs, but a shirt has two sleeves and nobody calls it a pair of shirts. — Apparelly Challenged, …

"But this really is Cailles en Sarcophage!” — General Lorens Lowenhielm, Babette’s Feast The general is shocked when he says this. He is shocked because he has just finished describing a dish he once enjoyed …

Mission Trails Regional Park’s 1291-foot-high South Fortuna Mountain is one of several summits of similar stature stretching from Cowles Mountain in the south to North Fortuna Mountain in the north. It’s easy to understand why …

Everything Must Go As authors go, Raymond Carver is not a golden boy of Hollywood — more a precious gem popping up here and there in the work of directors with a particular itch to …

Multitasking arises out of distraction itself. — Marilyn vos Savant I tried my best to tune her out, though I knew my efforts were futile — my sister’s voice screeches skyward every time she’s on …

Having held residency at the late Radio Room, the Flame, and Tijuana’s La Mezcalera, Club Purple recently put on their first night at Bodega Aragon a few blocks from the heart of Tijuana’s happening Sixth …

In honor of her late brother Michael “Stimy” Steinman, Jennifer Oliveira of Rancho Peñasquitos organized a donation fund that will provide scholarships for five students aged 8–15 to spend a week at DayJams, a rock-and-roll …

A personal tragedy suffered by Celia Brewer, assistant port attorney for the Port of San Diego, has prompted the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission to conduct a review of whether public officials should be required …

With the price of gas the way it is, maybe a little uranium in the drinking water isn’t such a bad thing. Such is the situation facing residents of Campo Hills, a rustic community about …

Thursday 12 “The fate of the world is safe in Crystal Castles,” so says “Alice Practice,” the accidental mic-check track that went viral and made Ethan Kath and Alice Glass of Canadian electro duo Crystal …

"Root, root, root for the home team.” It’s a tuneful ditty to sing during the seventh inning stretch, but it won’t help Padres fans. They should really sing, “Pray, pray, pray for the umpires to …

Peter Corona, a veteran superintendent of numerous school districts in California, was born in 1928 in San Diego’s “Italian Colony,” as Little Italy was first known. He grew up during the Depression and World War …

“The City of Escondido had their concerns, but I got verbal blessing from the city council and we’ll start with live music as soon as we finish work on the building,” says promoter Joe Troutman, …

Belongs In The Senior Lounge Re Moss Gropen’s article on wandering oils (“The Case of the Wandering Oils,” “City Lights,” May 5). Where the painting of senior citizens belongs is in the senior lounge in …

Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the plan for an underground pedestrian tunnel at the western end of Santa Fe Drive at San Elijo Avenue/Vulcan Avenue. The $4.5 million project would allow foot …

Membership: 125 Pastor: Mark McElwee Age: 51 Born: Groton, Conn. Formation: Southwest Bible College, Gainesville, Ga.; Logos International Bible College, England; Vision International Education Network, Ramona. Years Ordained: 12 years San Diego Reader: How long …

Last week, I was putting together a playlist of post-’60s psychedelic songs from the likes of Apples in Stereo, Kelley Stoltz, Young Prisms, and the Lumerians. I wanted droning, distorted organ sounds, primitive drums and …

Are the majority of country-western songs built on heartache and misery? “I would say it drives a lot of the genre, for sure,” says Bob Ryan. “Just like blues. A lot of times you get …

The atrium at the Museum of Photographic Arts offers an essay on what we thought we were as a people during the ’50s and ’60s. Constellated images by several photographers tell us that, before anything …

It all started in Mission Beach, where so many of us got stuck back in the Roaring ’90s. The place sucked us in like the rip current; and now, 20 years and a million beers …

The rope is purple. It stretches long and low between two palm trees, two of many that line the grassy portion of La Jolla Shores. It is attached to said trees — their trunks carefully …

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and …

This must certainly be the first time that the closing of a branch of some corporate empire affected me with a kind of disappointment bordering on sadness. Many bookstores have closed, independent enterprises that have …

So vast, our Goddess Night, she rises, Star-eyes gazing everywhere; All her finery of dress displayed. Space high and low she fills, Eternal Night, Her beauty driving out the dark. Close on the heels of …

Thirty-Five Years Ago “I’ve always wanted to be a judge,” confided attorney Ronald Mayo. “So I sent the governor a letter listing my qualifications and waited for the announcement of my appointment to the bench. …

The chinaberry tree and rock roses are in full bloom. The spring breeze carries the aroma of sage and honeysuckle. Orange-and-yellow western tanagers fly through the yard daily. Spring is in the air, summer on …

A small group of medicinal marijuana supporters made their way to Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach on May 7 for the 11 a.m. start of a march in support of their cause. "This is a …

The flag was at half-mast the Sunday morning last April when we pulled into Padres Island Visitors Center to purchase our backcountry camping permit to the largest undeveloped barrier island in the world. The National …

Sometimes, in the middle of a movie I'm enjoying, I’ll get a brain kick that tells me it’s really a winner. As I write this, I’m listening to ex-Band/Hall of Fame lead guitarist and songwriter …

The last show of Chris Cornell's five-week-long Songbook Acoustic tour was held under starry skies and a springtime crescent moon. Opener William Elliott Whitmore acquitted himself nicely singing blues and gospel tunes with a banjo …

When I was a young San Diego grom, long weekenders meant the following: My dad piled me, my brothers and some friends into our VW van and we camped and surfed in San Clemente. Despite …

Is there a more fitting origin for a cross-American journey than the birthplace of explorer Meriwether Lewis and former home of Thomas Jefferson? Nestled amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville, Virginia, soon became only a …

Sun Moon Lake is located in Central Taiwan, about two hours away via bus from Taichung. It’s the largest freshwater body in Taiwan, and boasts some of the most majestic scenery the country has to …

If it’s up to National City officials, last-minute shoppers in National City will have a hard time finding a roadside stand or pushcart to buy Mom a quick gift on Mother's Day. Starting in May …

We’ve always wanted to fly around the world in a small plane — my pilot’s license dates back to 1978. But we couldn’t afford a plane, so we had to build one. After taking six …

Councilmember Kevin Faulconer reportedly left the May 5 city council library budget meeting to speak at a National Day of Prayer event, so he missed public input that included a woman brandishing a spatula. Valorie …

On May 5 at 6 p.m., traffic was blocked on Midway Drive when a truck carrying the front end of a large airplane fuselage turned south from Rosecrans and entered a government facility across the …

On May 4, the body of a woman was found in an abandoned car with California plates near the San Ysidro border crossing. At around 11:30 a.m., police received a report that a person may …

Having seen two of the palm groves at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, I was inspired to drive north towards Palm Springs to see the largest palm groves in the world at the Agua Caliente …

Author: quillpena Neighborhood: Beyond San Diego When I watch Twilight Zone or old horror movies from the ’40s and ’50s, I miss the fact that almost everything terrifying that happened in them was left to …

Approximately 50 people — many of them angry — gathered in front of Escondido City Hall on May 4 to protest budget cuts the city council may make to recreational services. Under the proposal, popular …

On May 4 at around 1:00 in the afternoon, a southbound trolley hit a man who, according to a trolley engineer, “leaped out of a palm tree” located adjacent to the tracks. The victim turned …

The seven members of San Diego‘s Redistricting Commission met on May 2 in City Heights. In 2008, City of San Diego voters approved Proposition D, which established a “strong mayor” form of government. Voters also …

Cote Sud appears to have closed for good. Please see Ed Bedford's update of Monday, May 9. For posterity's sake, here is the review: "You sit next to Eva,” says Carla. “Then we won’t bump …

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, ‘You’re like a female Johnny Thunders,’” says singer-guitarist Diana Death. “If I have to be compared to somebody, it may as well be him. His talent …

Please: Please, please. Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo? And don’t give me that same-old same-old description of what it is. I know it’s not Mexican Independence Day. It happened so long ago, and …

Darrell Anderson steps out from behind an iron gate. Two dogs follow. One, a Maltese named Sugar, jumps up at me playfully. The other, Buddy, a muscular tan dog that Darrell refers to as a …

Bill Wesley moved to San Diego from Missouri in 1974. The then-teenaged Wesley created light shows for Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge, with projectors that he “modified so I could use foot switches to turn …

“What do you call a can opener that won’t work? A can’t opener.” Greg Morton is, by his own description, “not a particularly funny man,” and yet he ekes out a living — specifically, eking …

Drury “Drew” Bailey and the Founding of Julian City, Part Two In 1858, asked to write about why “A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss,” Drury “Drew” Bailey compared it to “the wanderer who starts…with bright …

“We were sitting around a campfire in 2005,” recalled Michael Hawkins, owner of San Diego Hot Tub Rentals (858-578-8822, sandiegohottubrentals.com), “and we saw an inflatable hot tub in a Popular Science magazine. We thought, That …

I was hobbling back from the store with a liter of milk, when I saw three young men sitting on the steps in front of a house in my Tijuana neighborhood. My friend Trini’s son …

Sometimes a little movie is a big movie. Sometimes a little movie offers riches, and I am happy to spill the news one week early for: Circo The Ken Cinema, a one-screen theater, will rightly …

In our pre-kid life, my husband and I spent a lot of time crashing on our friends’ hardwood floor in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. We would roam around the city all day and recover at …

Harmony seldom makes a headline. — Silas Bent I hadn’t set out to torture the mayor of Coronado, but things rarely turn out the way I expect. I didn’t even know Coronado had a mayor, …

If you want to spot wildlife, the earlier you make the hike to Chiquito Basin, the better. One morning, in the soft wet ground along the way, I discovered fresh tracks of a deer and …

Though the economy is down, local political dollars have continued to flow to those in the know. Poway’s Eric Christen, manager of the nonprofit Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction, which battles public project labor …

It took an historic, three-way collaboration — the San Diego Rep, Vantage Theatre, and the La Jolla Playhouse — to bring Anna Deavere Smith to San Diego for the first time. The collaboration breaks ground …

Bad News On The Beach Thank you for publishing an article concerning the investment firm of WFP Securities (“These Are Right for Client?” “City Lights,” April 21). I hope that other people will be forewarned …

Downtown nightspot 4th&B has among the most stringent security measures of any local venues, including a pat-down on entry, surveillance cameras, and security roaming inside and outside the club. On February 11, however, none of …

Familiar faces will accompany local blues guitarist Johnny Vernazza when he takes the stage during Zydeco-and-blues fest Gator by the Bay on May 7 and 8. During the two shows, Vernazza is bringing revered Bay …

Thursday 5 Cinco de Mayo means “games and prizes!” at Eleven and a helluva garage-punk rawker with early sets by ’70s slurrers los Last Years, ex-Sess cats los Shiva Trash, and Spanish 101 Ramones Los …

Even if it’s at the expense of the public, the City of San Diego wants to ensure that certain employees of America’s finest city have an appreciation for fine arts — or so it seems, …

Last week, city auditor Eduardo Luna released a report that strongly criticized the City’s management of its paramedic contractor, Scottsdale, Arizona–based Rural/Metro Corporation, finding that “the City has not adequately managed or monitored the financial …

Another mayoral hopeful, this one actually declared, is Republican district attorney Bonnie Dumanis. On Friday, April 15, she and her friend and political ally county sheriff Bill Gore held a Citizens of Courage Awards Ceremony …

“One of my favorite Manu Chao songs is ‘Bienvenidos a Tijuana,’” says Santiago Orozco of reggae/latin/acoustic group Todo Mundo. “I love this song. It has a line that says, ‘I want to go to San …

Thirty-Five Years Ago LANCE: IF HALF THE female population knew you work at the Mission Beach Plunge, it would be one crowded pool. You’ve got a hell of a body. HOW MANY (if any) wish …

Membership: 400 Pastor: Craig Harrison Age: 61 Born: Beloit, Wis. Formation: Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Ill., Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Ordained: 31 years San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? …

The sky is a dark bowl, the stars die and fall. The celestial bows quiver, The bones of the earthgods shake and planets come to a halt When they sight the king in all his …

“Say Shh...,” by Atmosphere, is a hip-hop anti-anthem: Instead of going the traditional route and boasting about the mean streets where he grew up, MC Slug raps about how his home, Minneapolis, is a good …

The blues-man’s stock-in-trade: endless metaphors for infidelity. “I got a feeling you’re eating out now, baby,” sings five-time Grammy winner Robert Cray, “and someone else is doing the fryin’.” But when Cray sings, it’s not …

Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime. We would sit down and think which way To walk, and pass our long love’s day; Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side …

On April 21, San Diego sheriff’s deputies arrested several members of a tagging group responsible for over $70,000 in property damage in Imperial Beach. Law enforcement officials tracked them down on Facebook, according to a …

Few bands as popular as the Foo Fighters go 16 years before having an album hit #1 on Billboard's Top 200 for the first time, but that's what Wasting Light has done, and it's easy …

This was Nathan Aweau's first appearance in San Diego since leaving popular Hawaiian folk band Hapa. The venue at the Bali Hai, though oddly configured, provided an intimate atmosphere for music. Opening for Aweau was …