It was just a few weeks ago that federal, state and city officials in Tijuana swept through the concrete river channel known as El Bordo and dislodged hundreds of indigents, who had made the area …

Evidently the fast food restaurant workers in Encinitas are okay with their wages. A nationwide fast food workers strike was called for on the morning of August 29, in a effort to raise their industry’s …

On August 23 a Southwestern College campus police officer’s weapon went off accidentally. An anonymous source reported that two people were almost hit. The Southwestern daily crime log for that day reported that at 10:02 …

To paraphrase a certain late-twentieth-century alt-rock one-hit-wonder, Lisa Mendez wants to publish zines and rage against machines. The second part of that is an assumption based on the artist’s punk rock style, but the part …

After a notorious kiss and tell Playboy interview, John Mayer moved to remote Montana to escape the flack and recover from throat surgery. Lucky for us, while there he produced some of the best lyrics …

L.A.-based urban-Latino band Ozomatli once again ignited the stage of San Diego Summer Pops Thursday night. From the moment they took stage, the audience was bumping to the rhythm! During the first set, they played …

Somewhere in the Cuyamacas there’s a box canyon wide enough to include 50 armed men on horseback and tall enough to conceal at least 200 Kumeyaay warriors lying in wait around the rim. But try …

I overheard a conversation at the gym recently. The conversation was about Monday being national leg day. Before long the conversation took a dark turn toward Monday being national chest day. Is Monday national leg …

Opened in 1996, Coronado Brewing Company is one of San Diego’s eldest brewing operations. The last year was one of, if not the biggest for the island-based company. Several months ago, CBC opened a second, …

Authorities have released a photo and are looking for assistance from the public in identifying a man who robbed a Subway restaurant on the 600 block of Sweetwater Road in Spring Valley last week. On …

In the mountainous interior of Greece near Meteora, gigantic granite outcroppings, most of them topped with Christian monasteries, point skyward like fingers tipped in prayer. They are a stone’s throw from the pass of Thermopylae, …

Last March, the owner of Berry Happy Frozen Yogurt erected an ATM for his business on the busy corner of D Street and South Coast Hwy 101. But he didn’t put it inside his business. …

With all the themed running events, I was so excited when I first saw this one because for a split second I thought this was The Greatest American Hero 10K and 5K. Believe it or …

I heard that S10 Fitness had a new location so I went down to Rosecrans to check it out during their open gym. Open gym is on Saturdays at noon. I asked David Sten and …

This week, fifth in a six-part series, business coach Kate Kerr (nee Hanley) explains the importance of persistence in the job search or job upgrade process. We’ve talked about networking and goal-setting, and today you …

Even after half-a-decade in operation, New English Brewing Company remains one of San Diego’s best kept craft beer secrets. Run by English transplant Simon Lacey, it brings an authentic taste of the U.K. to the …

Rose Hipp has been a realtor for 20 years and has seen her profession go from hot to ice cold. These days, no matter what the headlines say, her career is taking off once again. …

One of the worst days in anyone’s work life is the day they get fired or laid-off. They have no idea that tomorrow can be a worse day. Why? Because the day-after is the day …

Mom-and-pop movie shop Kensington Video is a film-renters haven for its top-shelf collection and personal — familial, even — service. Oh, and their knowledge of all things Charles Bronson.

The El Cajon City Council on August 27 unanimously adopted an ordinance to regulate the sale of alcohol that is consumed offsite. The law established a system that starts with a warning, and could lead …

Ed visits a hero's grave in Old Town, gets distracted by the smell of Tom Yum coming from D'O Thai Cottage. C'mon, Ed!

Gin has had a hard row of it in San Diego — that’s according to Jason O’Bryan, one of the top barristers at the Asian fusion Gang Kitchen. “You would think that the starting ingredient …

One of the most troubling aspects of “living in the fast lane” is that there is no exit. There is no slowing down. The only way to stop is to crash. In the real world, …

Jazzy hip-hoppers Lyrical Groove will perform their debut full-length Spoken Soul on August 31 at Block 16 Union and Spirits on Seventh Avenue downtown, with other acts to include Geminelle, Presto, and Sound Collage Musik. …

Musicologist Bonnie Wright moves her cutting-edge Fresh Sounds series to artsy enclave Bread & Salt in Barrio Logan.

Stroll through one of San Diego’s more scenic oak woodlands and experience a diversity of vegetation types on your way up to the top of Mt. Woodson where rock climbers may be seen.

Erik Thompson wonders why no one has made a movie about the 91X he worked at 30 years ago. Driven by an exploding new wave and punk culture, 91X was one of the first commercial …

Composer, pianist, UCSD professor Anthony Davis talks about his shot at a Pulitzer and his day with the Dead.

What’s this? An intelligent, paranoid suspense thriller with no bullets fired, zero special effects, two sizzling romantic leads who don’t kiss (let alone hit the sheets), and the good sense to pack a tripod?! Summer’s …

If the idea of craft beer in Baja is new to you, you aren’t alone. But now, more than ever, it’s time to catch up. As any southbound San Diegan knows, the selection of suds …

Bird Killers The August 22 cover story blurb on wind turbines (“They’re Over 300 Feet High. They Kill Birds. They’re Linked to Cancer. They’re Everywhere Out Here.”) authoritatively states that “they kill birds.” Relatively few …

An outfit from Chicago that is lobbying here to sell the city of San Diego what it calls “street level mapping and asset identification” for “sidewalk assessments,” has already made some political waves in the …

I’ll admit it. When I heard the founders of Neighborhood, Craft & Commerce, and Underbelly were opening a place where the menu would be revolve around meatballs and apple pie, I had my doubts. Meatballs…good. …

Beleaguered San Diego Unified music programs — jamming on tin whistles and plastic trombones — win a national Music Education Award. Teachers ask, "What the…?"

Up in tony Rancho Santa Fe, the county’s preserve of genteel wealth and privilege — along with a few occasional swindlers, suicide cults, and spies — takes the public interest seriously. A campaign committee called …

Nursery rhymes from hell: Johnny Mox brings us doom and dread disguised as something carefree and childish. Imagine “Row Row Row Your Boat” but recorded by the people who brought us the Blair Witch Project: …

Charles Page’s head is exploding with ideas. All the time. Whenever the Chula Vista artist opens his mouth, words fly out as he tries to explain whatever notion is running through his mind at the …

There’s good news for Chargers master of disaster Mark Fabiani, and though it doesn’t come from San Diego, it does bear a distinctly familiar back story. Fabiani’s old friend and favored candidate for mayor of …

Sweetwater Unified underwriters indicted over a billion dollars in back-room construction bond deals. San Diego DA's office calls it the largest public corruption case they've ever prosecuted.

Renée Westbrook’s Rock Reviews blog talks about the rock stardom she imagined she could achieve with little or no practice.

A boy with a shaved head and a wiry girl, black ponytail trailing, flash past the window on this perfect May afternoon, Monterey a purple outline across the bay, like the slope of a thigh …

Urged upon this compassion for mankind, God has assumed a human body so that he might be the refuge of all men; but they do not know him as He is. They consider him to …

Russia is one of the most challenging countries in which to travel on a budget. Oh sure, your ruble might still go a pinto’s puff further out on the street than your yen, but you’ll …

A new, temporary lifeguard tower has been placed on Carlsbad State Beach in between Carlsbad Village Blvd and Tamarack Avenue. Tower 36B stands twenty yards to the south of Tower 36, where it has been …

An international incident interrupted the "Poesía transfronteriza" poetry reading attended by over 60 people on August 25 at the border fence in Friendship Park. People on both sides of the border watched a series of …

The city's first parklet was officially dedicated August 23, at 3933 30th Street in North Park. It's in front of Caffé Calabria, which paid for construction and will do all the maintenance. The parklet was …

The big bang finale of the pops season is coming up on Labor Day Weekend. The program is ALL Tchaikovsky. That is to say the program is nothing but Tchaikovsky with just a hint of …

The biggest draw of Northern Michigan is Mackinac Island. Home to only 450 permanent residents, the island hosts over 1,000,000 visitors each season. Besides its natural beauty and history, Mackinac Island is well known for …

No comedian gets to his inner child faster, or stays longer, than Mel Brooks. “There are no rules,” says the self-annointed psychiatrist in Brooks’s 2000-Year-old Man album. “A hundred years from now, they’ll decide what …

Thomas Tallis versus William Walton. Thomas Tallis could be considered the beginning of British music. As I mentioned previously Tallis was able to keep his head on his shoulders during the reigns of Henry VIII, …

In a letter dated August 16, 2013, San Diego Gas and Electric advised residents of a planned power outage scheduled to commence on August 24, 2013 at 10pm, and last until August 25, 2013 at …

After a presentation by Escondido city staff last Wednesday, city council voted to let the city’s contract with Redflex expire in December 2013 and terminate police enforcement of photo-recorded red light violations. In 2003, the …

Earlier this year, I named some of the upcoming brewery operations I was most excited about. That included big businesses like Pizza Port Bressi Ranch, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Hess …

Starting on Monday, August 19, lovers of Happy Meals were probably jumping up and down when they saw construction finally going on at the old McDonalds site near the corner of Encinitas Boulevard at El …

With his recognizable voice and picture-painting lyrics, it's hard to imagine a more iconic singer-songwriter than Willie Nelson. Accompanied by his guitar "Trigger" and backed by the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, Nelson treated the near-capacity crowd …

I cannot believe she programmed those drums (not to mention everything else) all by herself. They sound live, crisp, and swinging, ever more complex with each listen. I better believe, though, that after 33 years …

I had wanted to visit Lake Powell ever since I saw Doctor Who breathe his last breath on the futuristic shores (British sci-fi, don’t worry about it), so as part of our Arizona-Utah road trip, …

Sheriff's deputies last night (August 22) conducted a raid at Little Darlings Gentlemen's Club on Broadway in Lemon Grove, which resulted in the arrest of three employees. Local residents have long complained of prostitution, illegal …

“I’m really shy about my photography,” says Zia Rodelo. “I don’t show it to just anyone.” 25-year-old Rodelo, who lives in University Heights, declined the offer of a gallery show in her hometown of El …

Navajo Community Planners Inc., on August 19 took no action on a request from the Cliffs Mobile Home Park residents to support their plan to obtain emergency evacuation easements on nearby Allied Gardens Little League …

Drivers on I-5 northbound may have been a little confused the morning of August 22. Caltrans’ electronic billboard mounted on the Tamarack Ave. overcrossing displayed the message, “I-90 BAY BRIDGE WILL BE CLOSED AUG 28 …

The city council on August 13 unanimously approved a special-use permit for the Oktoberfest that will be held October 4-6. There won't be any carnival rides at the event sponsored by the La Mesa Chamber …

About 750,000 Americans a year visit Baja California for medical care, according to Karim Chalita Rodríguez, president of a medical trade group that goes by the name of Clúster Médico Dental y Hospitalario de Baja …

Okay. The stage will be bare. We’ll need a leather-like club chair: classy but mobile and able to take a pounding, since it’ll roll on and off often. Also, it must have wide and tall …

The North County Transit District has rolled out a free new mobile ticketing app for smart phones. It appeared in the Google store in mid-July and iTunes Store in August. After downloading the app, users …

In the Heights at San Diego Rep Sam Woodhouse (director), Javier Velasco (choreographer) and at least half of San Diego – or so it would seem – have turned the San Diego Rep’s Lyceum Stage …

Popular opinion is that Bob Filner is a buffoon. If you didn’t already think so, here’s further proof. While mayor of the craft beer capital of the country, the guy walked into a San Diego …

We arrived in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), in November. Instantly the heat had us deciding to take a bus to Chaungtha Beach, the most popular beach among Burmese vacationers and the closest to Yangon. Accommodation in …

The end of summer. Is it really? Beings how I haven’t even come close to a heat stroke yet it feels as though we’ve had more of a five month spring instead of a summer. …

The Eric Sears Memorial 5K is this Saturday at 10:00 am in Carlsbad at Poinsettia Community Park, Carlsbad, California. Eric Sears was a popular member of the Carlsbad High School cross country team. He died …

Wild Duck 5K sounds like a version of that Winter Olympics thingy where they cross country ski and then shoot stuff. That might be cool to have a cross country run paired with marksmanship. However, …

These days, craft beer fans try to keep as much an eye on San Diego breweries as they do on the thumping pulse of the pipeline of incoming brewing companies. Those interested in the works-in-progress …

A lot of windmills being installed on the Anza-Borrego Desert floor. Besides visual blight, backcountry residents complain of health issues and the unknown.

Many people were surprised to see Sweetwater superintendent Ed Brand appear at the August 19 National City Planning Commission. Brand left a regularly scheduled Sweetwater board meeting shortly after it convened to attend the meeting …

California Pacific Airlines, a new airline planned for operation out of Carlsbad’s Palomar-McClellan airport has suffered another set back. On August 7, the FAA denied CP Air’s application to begin flying. Additionally, an aviation industry …

National City artist examines the emotions behind body language in an exhibit at EQ Culture Studios.

At Balboa Park on a sunny afternoon, both Michaela Wilbanks and Cristina Campos stood out amongst the park’s stunning architecture in lady-like florals. Floral is no longer just a summer and spring staple. For those …

Grunge-shunning Dark Globe regroups two or three times a year, even though they broke up in 1994.

Sherman’s Shack offers Ed interesting burgers and tacos… a garlic shrimp and cream cheese–stuffed burger topped with orange sweet & sour, for example.

The American Scream is a thoughtful and intimate look into the lives of several families who take their love of Halloween a step further. The film quickly became one of my all-time favorite documentaries. Having …

Anza-Borrego’s high elevation multiuse trails appeal to hikers, bikers, and equestrians.

When you don’t have a skateboard, who can you call to help move out that old backyard hot tub?

The Bancroft opened at the site of the defunct dive Fannie’s, and the Spring Valley spot is now a punk and hardcore haven.

Ah, raised stakes. Is there any movie you can’t weaken, even as you seek to ratchet up the significance and tension of the crisis at hand? My top-of-the-head answer for favorite film of Summer 2013 …

Blues guitarists Michael Stone and Lafayette Falquay start playing live again. Each was on hiatus for different reasons.

Upcoming gigs for Late Nite Howl, featuring Tijuana guitarist Pablo Dodero.

Team Oracle in the America’s Cup Challenge — the U.S. entry in the race — has been accused of cheating.

Except for two tall, A-frame ladders, two small balconies, and a solitary light bulb, the stage for Lamb’s Players is bare. Even the coal-black rear wall is exposed. Take away the balconies and Michael McKeon’s …

For some, having virtually limitless access to money leads to the desire for the perfect private retreat to partake in outdoor hobbies. These individuals might find their ideal getaway in the Laguna Mountains near the …

The Wheeler Brothers, from Austin, Texas, are not a poor man’s Fleet Foxes. Nor are they an imitation Avett Brothers, even though, stylistically, they all sit pretty much at the same table with the larger …

The Raid: Redemption is an awesome Indonesian action-packed martial-arts film (featuring a style known as pencak silat) that combines fast-paced fighting with great scenes of brutality and suspense. The story revolves around the dramatic raid …

Mrs. Kymberli Parker, a teacher of etiquette for young children, has garnered a clientele of adults as well.

Readers of San Diego Beer News are hip to the fact new brewing companies are opening at a rapid clip, with a glut of other businesses working their way to their public debut. But the …

“We didn’t win, but looking back at that performance and all the stars that have played on that stage, it’s still pretty exciting,” says John Hull of his band making the Musicpalooza 2009 finals at …

San Diego’s richest man, La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs, who last year gave more than a million dollars to advance the fortunes of his favorite president, Democrat Barack Obama, is already preparing to help elect …

Geniya Derzhavina came to San Diego from Siberia, and will marry one of city's richest men.

The election of Democratic state assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez means yet another hungry political mouth to feed around the Barona casino’s tables. On April 6, the Democrat, then a candidate, received a free meal said to …

Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is the second of four movies that make up the recent “rebuild” of the ’90s anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It’s the best of the three. All have beautiful …

While this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening to empire, And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass, pops and sighs out, and the mass hardens, I sadly smiling remember …

We might already be in the kingdom here and now.

Straight From the Plaintiff Don Bauder’s story “San Diego Builds into Convention Center Glut” (City Lights) said “the fact that citizens could not vote on the hotel tax — although extremely dubious — was upheld …

Renée Westbrook’s Rock Reviews blogs talk about the rock stardom he imagined he could achieve with little or no practice.

Fire broke out close to the 1300 block of Aurora Drive in El Cajon. The fire started on a open space preserve and burned close to homes. A 100-foot firebreak along the east edge of …

Not much changes in Vermont aside from the height of the trees. The second-least populated place in the country, the Green Mountain State is well known as a snowy winter wonderland and for its scenic …

Encinitas business owner Steve Amster is pissed again. Previously, he has fought with local governments and their code-enforcement regulations. But his July 2012 run-in with a sheriff’s motorcycle officer — when he asked the officer …

A woman at the August 13 La Mesa City Council meeting asked for help curtailing drug activity at the Mohawk Street mobile-home park, where she has lived since 2000. "For the past eight years or …

Outsider art and music outpost Stay Strange is taking part in a experimental music festival at the Malcolm X Library (Valencia Park) on Saturday, September 21. “It's been a dream of mine to host a …

Business leaders in Tijuana say they will ask outgoing Baja California governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán this week to veto a bill that would abolish paid parking at shopping centers. "It [paid parking] is a …

Varenna is a stunning, yet underrated, jewel on Lake Como just north of the more well-known and widely visited Bellagio. If you’re looking for a tranquil atmosphere to accompany magnificent views of the lake, Varenna …

On the evening of August 14, the Escondido City Council unanimously voted to approve a petition submitted by the grassroots organization ECCHO, the Escondido Country Club & Community Homeowners Organization. The 110-acre defunct Escondido Country …

As the second week of preseason NFL games concludes, my thoughts are turning toward autumn. I love this time of year, late August is pregnant with possibilities. The summer has yet to fade but when …

At Fashion Valley Mall, I ran into three women with their own unique take on denim. Twenty-six-year-old Missy Harper used denim as a subtle backdrop for her jewelry and leather ankle boots. Harper works at …

The first round is now complete for France, Italy, and Russia. Which country is up next? Great Britain. Thomas Tallis versus William Walton William Byrd versus Frederick Delius Ethel Smyth versus Gustav Holst Henry Purcell …

At nearly two years of age, Aztec Brewing Company (2330 La Mirada Drive, Suite 300, Vista) is one of the elder statesmen in its North County municipality, which is home to eight operating brewhouses with …

How’s this for a Cinderella story: Carly Newman is an “ethnic studies” major at USD and she never set out to make art, much less call herself an artist. As an intern at ArtLab Studios, …

One is a large box store in Sherman Heights. The other is a Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant in North Park. Both have sent the City to court for allowing them to build outside …

Maricela Martinez has kept her happy chickens in her yard at 28th and A, across from the golf course, right next to the sign that demarcates South Park from Golden Hill, for seven years. Signs …

Goodwill Industries of San Diego has leased space previously occupied by Legends Home Furnishings, at 1219 University Avenue. While not open for business, the store is accepting donations at the back door from 8:30 a.m. …

Hillcrest is a danger zone for any lost pet or stray. So, when my dog Ina ran away from home on August 11, I was consumed by worry. My roommate and I searched for her …

I love hiking, but I forget to do it again for months at a time. It usually plays out like this: 1) I trek along a path (or non-path) getting lost in the moment… sometimes …

Every once in a while you just got to get your fiddle on. Austin, Texas–based Americana roots-rock band Whiskey Shivers got the job done on a warm Saturday night at the Soda Bar. The Whiskey …

In 2010, Superchunk came back from an "extended hiatus" with the aptly titled Majesty Shredding. Now, after a three-year hiatus, the Chapel Hill fearsome foursome returns with I Hate Music. Apparently the hatred of music …

Political pressure is building in National City to allow Alliant International University to take over some classrooms previously dedicated to National City Adult School. On August 5, the National City Planning Commission voted to table …

Some San Diegans may be familiar with the moniker Wiens. Those same people are likely to be fans of wine tasting in the nearby Temecula Valley, as it’s the name of a winery just off …

City officials are predicting a traffic nightmare this weekend in Playas de Tijuana and surrounding neighborhoods as more than 45,000 people are expected to attend a free concert by Gloria Trevi, "the supreme diva of …

There’s an “almost” secret place in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado, also known as the San Juan Mountains, where sulfuric-laden hot springs bubble to the surface, spewing forth therapeutic heat and mineral-rich waters from …

As I was being driven to my hotel by the hotel’s transfer service from Tongatapu’s international airport, the King of Tonga decided to provide me with a personal escort into Nuku’alofa, the capital city. Ok, …

Last week, on August 7, the Escondido City Council received a $60,000 canine grant from the Gary and Mary West Foundation through the Escondido Police Foundation to purchase three police K-9s and associated equipment. The …

Kensington residents did double-takes early on the morning of Wednesday, August 14, when they saw colorfully knitted “wraps” adorning trees, poles, and handrails in front of the Kensington/Talmadge library. According to nearby residents, the knitted …

In PB, beach cruisers are the vehicle of choice. 18-year-old Yesenia Meadows rode her Isla Vista orange cruiser ($199) home from a shopping excursion at Urban Outfitters on Mission Boulevard. She wore a vintage chambray …

In our city, so close to an international border, a book that deals with the harsh realities of immigration should not struggle to grip San Diego’s collective attention. Where contemporary tales of immigration might look …

Jim Crute has been drinking beer almost exclusively out of 22-ounce bombers for decades. Given that, it’s not surprising that, to-date, all of the beers produced at his Lightning Brewery (13200 Kirkham Road, Suite 105, …

As members of the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP) for San Diego Police Department's Eastern Division, Gregg and Melody Stoner's accomplishments include recovering 62 stolen vehicles since May 2012. That's when a license-plate reader was …

Young guys explain why they are passing on going to college. Absurd expense and subsequent debt is one reason, but even a young man from a well-off family sees other deterrents.

A massively oversized semi trailer that broke down last Wednesday (August 7) has baffled and frustrated residents of the East County community of Dulzura. The veritable train of trailers sat on the side of Highway …

Ed snags a free beer, gobbles among gobblers at Nate’s Garden Grill, on the same property as Bill Tall’s City Farmers Nursery

The Black Angels, from Austin, Texas, are known as a psychedelic rock band. That’s a kind of music that dates back to the golden era of garage bands. The Angels owe much to the 1960s, …

‘We want our albums and live shows to have the diversity of a jukebox” says Tony Goncalves, who fronts the salsa-tinged jam band Agave. “You never know what we’re going to play next, but it’s …

Find two rare plants on the Torrey Pines Loop Trail — bush rue when descending into Gonzales Canyon and Torrey pine trees when ascending to the mesa top.

My sister Jane — a bold, don’t-take-no-for-an-answer saleswoman — lives by the adage, “It doesn’t hurt to ask.” Even when she knows a request is unlikely to be granted, she still throws it out there …

Local filmmaker Bill Perrine of Billingsgate Media is collaborating with musicians, promoters, and club owners to produce It’s Gonna Blow!!! — San Diego’s Music Underground 1986–1996.

Molly Whittaker explains how San Diego Continuing Education helped inspire her passion for upholstery and where she’s going next. First, tell me a little bit about your job history. I’ve been working as a professional …

Yoni Baker manages to make a living (thanks to other jobs) sitting as a nude model for artists in San Diego.

Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), an African-American man born into a family of sharecroppers and schooled in the art of “knowing he’s black,” spends 34 years of his life in domestic servitude under seven presidents. While …

The federal Department of Health and Human Services is demanding that the State of California give back what the feds claim is $627,000 in unallowable costs run up in San Diego for contraceptive supplies wrongly …

Arnold Newman: Masterclass, on view at the San Diego Museum of Art until September 8. 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. 619-232-7931; sdmart.org Mirrors were scarce in most mid-19th-century houses. Even by the 1840s, when a …

Blues singer Earl Thomas, whose same-sex marriage is imminent, explains the circumstance of being a performer in a genre that is typically hetero oriented.

Jessica Gier learned to fly her father’s Cessna 172 at Gillespie Field in El Cajon when she was 18. By the time she was 23 she was flying for a freight company and now, 10 …

City-hall lobbyist Matt Peterson has a good customer in former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. According to a recently filed disclosure report, the house-remodeling permission specialist was paid a healthy $25,191 by Romney and his …

Sean Peck, front man of San Diego heavy metal band Cage, talks about their heyday ’90s and how the gigs started drying up in Europe after he punched out Blaze Bayley of Iron Maiden.

The crisis of obesity and related healthcare costs that is hurtling toward us faster than the speed of sound has employers nationwide scratching their heads over how to combat this double-edged problem. Company-sponsored wellness programs …

It all started when I was working for Freeway Insurance as a sales trainee in Clairemont. I was hired by my good friend Kevin, my former manager at American Graphics, where we sold promotional giveaways …

In the wake of Bob Filner’s sexual harassment blowout, Public Policy Strategies, the lobbying shop owned by the mayor’s erstwhile political guru Tom Shepard, pretty well seems to have followed suit. According to published reports, …

The convention center industry knows there is a huge glut of space. Why don't San Diego expansion boosters mention it?

A gym-goer expresses her phobia of falling off the treadmill and is astounded that somebody would bring a bottle of vodka to drink from before their workout.

Correction In last week’s Blurt (“Hometown Hit,” August 1), we stated that Paul Cannon is from Encinitas. He is not. We regret the error. — Editor Artless I had to laugh when I read Judy …

Glory to Saktinath, upon whose steps, The mighty goddesses attend, whom seek Successfully alone the firm of thought. He crowns the lofty aims of those who know And hold his form, as the pervading spirit, …

Through the yellow roses on the coffee table I peer at the ball game, tired of Whitman, tired of wanting to be great. “Holy cow,” roars the announcer, “walk him walk him,” Dad hollers, my …

Of all the neighborhoods in San Diego I’m the most enchanted by Normal Heights. They put on a hell of a festival with Adam’s Avenue Unplugged in April and the Adam’s Avenue Street Festival in …

Crossing the border at San Ysidro last week, pedestrians, once inside the U.S. border station building, were greeted by mysterious devices at the head of each line. The devices appeared to be robotic in nature, …

Though the reasons for WWI are murky to most Americans – something about the assassination of an Archduke, as well as the unification of feudal-era principalities into modern nation-states – the war brought our country …

It’s time to wrap up the first round for the Russians. Glinka has been given a second chance to advance to the second round of the Russian draw. His opponent is Dmitri Shostakovich. As explained …

Last weekend, I participated on a beer writing panel at the third annual craft brewing industry convention, Beer-Con. The panel included a quintet of local writers, editors, bloggers and podcasters. Having written about craft beer …

Five four-person teams at the Barking Lot bathed 250 dogs in an hour during an August 11 “Dog Wash-a-thon” that raised more than $4500 in pledges for the nonprofit rescue organization. The fundraiser "shattered" the …

Shortly before noon on Monday, August 12, a sheriff’s helicopter began circling over my neighborhood — just north of the Bancroft Drive and Campo Road intersection in La Mesa — announcing over their loudspeaker that …

On the night of August 11 at around 11 p.m., an out-of-town visitor staying at the Ocean Beach Hotel was attacked by a drunk female in her 30s — reputedly not a hotel guest. Police …

For seven years, Calvin Manson, artistic director of the Ira Aldridge Repertory, interviewed people unused to tape recorders and probing questions: the homeless, the bullied, the racially profiled. To enter their world he disguised himself …

The La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest is scheduled to end with a grand finale on August 23rd. Maestro James Conlon was to be the conductor for this concluding concert. Conlon is a major figure in …

It took a long time for San Diego’s southernmost reaches to get homegrown craft beer to reach for. The first opportunity came in 2008 when The Brew House at Eastlake brewpub opened. Last year, that …

Many are still perplexed by the vaunted opening of "Alliant International University at Sweetwater" in National City. A couple weeks ago (July 20), an Alliant sign was hung over an office door, and Alliant counselor …

Exagerated line drawings of her pet Boston Terrier, Ladybird, fill Kensington artist Heather Rae Morton’s home studio. She’s been living and working here since moving to San Diego from Philly three years ago. The fifteen …

In India’s Vedic prehistory, the son of Shiva and Parvati began his journey toward immortality when his father mistakenly lopped off his head with a sword, and upon realizing his mistake, replaced his son’s head …

The long-empty lot on the southeast corner of University Avenue and Louisiana Street is for sale again. The .21-acre property comprises two separate legal parcels, located at 2305 and 2307 University Avenue. Asking price is …

Doors were slammed and chairs seemed on the verge of being thrown at yet another O.B. Planning Board meeting regarding the temporary, yet seemingly permanent, police trailer in the Ocean Beach Pier parking lot. The …

What do the following have in common: Alan Arkin, Melinda Dillon, Barbara Harris, Peter Boyle, Joan Rivers? Can’t say? Okay here’s a clue. What do they have in common with John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan …

A man leaning against the façade of God’s Extended Hand at 1625 Island Ave. — a religious soup kitchen — will talk to me. He will not reveal his name but a mutual familiarity with …

San Francisco-based flugelhorn specialist Dmitri Matheny hit a three-hour L.A. traffic jam on the way to his Dizzy's gig, arriving in P.B. just in time to meet the local rhythm section of bassist Justin Grinnell …

The Smith Westerns’ self-titled debut album came out when the Chicago-based band members were teenagers. Four years later, their naive garage-rock vibe is not so naive. The trio still has youth to its advantage but …

Banano “I learned to surf with a broken board. I repaired it with resin that I bought from a fish taxidermist factory. I patched it and I glued it back together. I would surf with …

Authorities have tracked down the suspect in a 1977 murder that occurred in Santa Ysabel, east of Ramona, over 35 years ago. Yesterday morning (August 7), the San Diego Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit, working in …

Fugitive allegedly killed mother and son before fleeing with victim’s daughter as captive in southeast San Diego County.

Hundreds of Mexicans fleeing the increasingly lawless state of Michoacán have sought asylum at the San Ysidro and Otay ports of entry this week, an anonymous source has told the Baja California daily El Mexicano. …

Border-crossing pedestrians coming into San Ysidro witnessed a border-security takedown on August 5, as U.S. agents corralled a man and blasted him with a gaseous substance in order to arrest him. The incident occurred at …

These days, finding a brewer is a daunting task. There are over 70 operating brewhouses and, even with brewing and craft beer industry prep programs coming online at UCSD and SDSU, the employment pool has …

Mexico City can be daunting to outsiders. The metropolis is endless, making it impossible to ever cover the whole city without living there. But many from the U.S. still visit “el D.F.” (the Spanish acronym …

A wealthy estate in Rancho Santa Fe had more than $5 million worth of art and jewelry stolen, seven weeks ago, according to a San Diego County Sheriff’s detective. “We have been and we continue …

Hipness, hobnobbery, and crullers at 4am.

Traditional art shows can be boring. You go for the free wine and cheese, stroll around the gallery, and are in and out in less time than it took to find parking. But it doesn’t …

If you know where to go, the dedicated jazz fan can find something happening in San Diego seven days a week. Here are eight recommended spots: The New Dizzy’s All ages. Cover: $15, $10 students. …

Pasaje Rodríguez totally changed my preconceptions of Tijuana about a year and a half ago, when I accidentally discovered the bustling arts-and-culture alleyway while searching for tacos one Friday night with Reader foodie Ian Pike. …

On Saturday, August 3, veterans and families came together at Miramar National Cemetery to honor fallen veterans. In a ceremony at the cemetery’s new Miramar Memorial Walkway, four stone monuments with bronze plaques were dedicated …

Films about missing children are as common today as unmotivated camera movements. Shake a cable box and at any given time you’re bound to find a couple. Few are about adult children and even fewer …

Tarantula? The leggy thing lies on my plate staring up at me. Its ten legs claw out from under a shell of batter and a blob of tartar sauce. At least it’s not staring up …

They got caught, the lover got the chair, and Cain got a darn good story.

Now to Labor Day is high season for camping. Collect spouse, kids, dogs, pack up SUV, set course for somewhere in Cleveland National Forest, Palomar Mountain, or the sweat lodges of Anywhere, Imperial County. That’s …

This short hike and visitor center are perfect introductions to coastal birds and marsh habitat.

Just starting out the evening and need to pre-game? Head to Kensington first. If beer’s your thing, Clem’s Tap House, which serves organized flights of fancy beers at reasonable prices. It’s more of a tasting …

Wallflowers beware: addictive beats and tasty elixirs move San Diego’s dance scene to a new state of trance. We rhythm seekers live forever on the dance floor and DJs always play our favorite songs. From …

STARTERS: Wine Vault & Bistro One of the best dining deals in town, this hidden gem is tucked away atop of Midtown’s International Restaurant Row (on India near Washington). Enjoy three courses of finely executed …

Winstons A slice of history in the midst of Ocean Beach, Winstons dates back to 1986 and retains that wonderful sense of all things hippie. That means Dead tributes and jam bands and reggae groups …

Membership: 150 Rabbi: Avram Bogopulsky Age: 49 Born: Brooklyn, NY Formation: St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY; Yeshiva Shaarei Torah, Suffern, NY Years Ordained: 25 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your …

Current owner: Dario DeLuca Listing price: $15,995,000 Beds: 6 Baths: 11 House size: 12,000 sq ft While many buyers of new, estate-quality homes like to participate in the custom construction of their palaces, some just …

We’ve all heard the story by now: 9/11-mania brought the border to a halt. Tourism died. Tijuana got bad. Locals stopped going out. Locals got tired of not going out. La Mezcalera opened. Locals went …

My father refers to David and me as “lesbians.” Dad means no insult — it’s just that nearly all of the couples he knows who seem to be attached at the hip also happen to …

Paul Cannon rewrites his “Homegrown” tune for the Padres. “The song has been released as a single [and] we have an instrumental version, karaoke version, ringtone, and a full-length available.”

Former 91X DJ Marco Collins is nervous about the upcoming release of The Glamour and the Squalor, a movie about the early ’90s rock scene in Seattle, which he helped usher in.

In an interview with Jim Miller of the San Diego Free Press in early May, Greater Golden Hill Community Development Corporation board member Judd Curran stated that the second annual Golden Hill Street Fair was …

House freshman Democrat Juan Vargas hasn’t yet entirely escaped the shadow of his previous gig as a California state legislator, and now he’s using his clout in Congress to raise big cash to redeem his …

Mission Beach’s boardwalk is one of the greatest locales in San Diego for people watching. There is a superb mixture of out-of-towners, drunk frat boys, scantily clad beach goers, and bizarre buskers whose talents include …

Purple Church drummer Michael Prince found dead in Oceanside.

It’s a Friday night. I’m heading into McP’s, the Coronado pub where Navy SEALs hang out. McP’s was recently in the news because Prince Harry turned up with his buddies while he was helicopter training …

In 1998, No Depression magazine named Alejandro Escovedo their Artist of the Decade, and they were right. Escovedo is a direct pipeline to something that is bigger than rock and roll. First, consider the man’s …

Recordatorio I was driving home from San Diego and caught Vivian Dunbar’s beautiful, stimulating letter regarding Baja beauty (Letters: “Beauty and Grace in Baja”). Thanks for reminding people of the magic of Mexico — my …

Officially it’s a non-election year, but that didn’t stop Sempra Energy from laying out $541,025 in political expenditures during the first six months of 2013. The California Democratic party picked up $125,000 from the San …

San Diego State University, hit by parched California state finances, is on the hunt for a new million-dollar-plus rainmaker. Says an online help-wanted ad: “The Director of Donor Relations reports directly to the Vice President …

Just in time for back-to-school, a survey of what’s out there in the way of lunch boxes.

So, you think you can Zumba? A blogger does, and she writes about her failure.

Sandra Millers Younger’s new book, The Fire Outside My Window, is slated for release in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the Cedar Fire. That devastating natural disaster burned 280,000 acres, destroyed 2,800 homes, and …

One of Sweetwater Union High School District superintendent Ed Brand’s pet projects suffered a setback at the hands of National City planning commissioners on the night of August 5. Brand’s idea to establish Alliant International …

There’s plenty on the beer board for hop heads and hot heads at Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits. Specialty brewer Colby Chandler is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on crafting chili-infused beers. Allow me to …

The Rep has opened its 38th season with a spectacular production of the Tony Award-winning musical. The evening seems to grow with every song. In fact, after a while when one tough act to follow …

Anyone who has crossed the pedestrian bridge over the Tijuana River next to the newly constructed El Chaparral border station in the past several months has noticed that hundreds of people are living in the …

On any given night in numerous San Diego neighborhoods, you can find an open mic night hosted by a local coffee house. I am a tad obsessed thanks to an experience years ago at a …

Urbino, a former center of culture during the Renaissance, has largely been forgotten by tourists due to its location in the Marche region of Italy. But, despite having far fewer visitors than its more glamorous …

What is Violetta fighting for when Alfredo’s father, Germont, confronts her in Act II of La Traviata? Remember, we’re talking about adding depth to a character in opera by using the guideposts from the book …

Recently, I interviewed Tomme Arthur, the famous beer mind and director of brewery operations at The Lost Abbey (155 Mata Way, #104, San Marcos) and its West Coast-style counterpart Port Brewing. I was there to …

Silvia Fletes, the 19-year-old woman who was injured in a crossfire of bullets from three San Diego Police officers after a brief car chase in Encanto, has filed a lawsuit against the officers and the …

I remember it clear as day. It was a sunny Saturday morning during the 2011 edition of San Diego Beer Week. I was touring the grounds of the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival, getting a …

Tijuana city officials have ordered a temporary halt to construction of a Walmart store in Playas de Tijuana after several community groups objected to the way contractors were disposing of debris as they cleared land …

In 1927, Ruth Snyder, a woman in Queens, persuaded her lover, Judd Gray, to kill her husband so they could collect the insurance, which had a double indemnity clause for accidental death. Snyder and Gray …

In the summer of 1896, yellow fever, civil unrest, an independence war, collapsing buildings and general economic despair threatened the lives of the entire populace of Havana, Cuba. In the summer of 2012, cholera, civil …

Curious reports continue regarding burned papers retrieved from a burn barrel in the maintenance yard of the San Ysidro School District. The incident, which was first reported on July 3 by NBC7, resulted in the …

Can Prokofiev overcome a composer who believes he can write the end of creation?

Earlier this week, dozens of sidewalk vendors (known as comerciantes ambulantes) were banished from the banquetas of downtown Tijuana's Centro Histórico district. The raid on the informal shopkeepers took place on the night of Monday, …

The La Jolla Music Society is taking its Summerfest to a new level of intimacy with a concert at The Loft on the campus of UCSD. Audience members will be practically sitting on the musician’s …

A true rarity – an American take on a Gueuze – and a spectacular one at that.

The San Marcos sheriff’s station received a report of a suspicious-looking device near a mailbox in the 3100 block of North Broadway in Escondido shortly before 7:30 a.m. on August 1 . Upon arrival to …

In the world of Surfer Blood, major-label maturity seems to mean stripping away the reverb that drenched your first album and, lyrically, graduating from middle school to high school. Anybody who bought this album on …

The body of a young male washed ashore in Border Field State Park on Thursday morning, August 1, quite likely the second of two teenage boys who went missing July 16 from the Playas de …

An old friend and his fiancee were flying into Los Angeles from Texas in July, on their way up to Santa Barbara. They were staying one night in L.A., and asked me to join them …

Not a lot of rock bands would take the stage wearing shorts. For a recent gig at the Soda Bar, Massachusetts four-piece Speedy Ortiz did exactly that. Maybe they're hip to the fact that San …

Todd is camped out with his woman. They, along with another ten or so “campers,” are situated along the wall of the closed business, Central Graphics, on 13th Street. When that business opens, they and …

Jared Steiger sat at the bar in a San Diego Applebee’s sipping a diet soda. His white tank top showed off multiple tattoos, and he nervously checked his cell phone every few seconds. Before he …

The San Diego Track Club is holding it 59th annual three and eight mile run in around and through Balboa Park. As we might expect, there are two distances to choose from. This event is …

Robots are here to stay, and according to many experts they will take over many more tasks in the coming years. Where are robots used? They are everywhere. They have been in the automotive industry …

If you’re a consistent San Diego Beer News reader, by now you know the name Benchmark Brewing Company (6190 Fairmount Avenue, Suite G, Grantville). It’s a new brewery run by former AleSmith brewer Matt Akin. …

It looks like San Quintín won't become Baja California's newest city after all — or at least not anytime soon. Baja California governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millan has vetoed a measure that would have made …

If you’re dying to go to Europe but discouraged by the value of the euro, consider Portugal, where you can actually spend less than $50 a day. Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon, has stunning Moorish castles, …

For more than a decade, I worked in a building in which I would frequently share an elevator with a particular middle-aged woman. She never spoke to me, nor looked in my direction. She avoided …

For those of us living in Southern California, Alabama is not what one might call a vacation destination. Driving along Highway 59, I can’t help but think that if history had run a different course, …