In late July, it was announced one of Oceanside’s elementary schools had to be shuttered because it was imploding. Two sinkholes at Garrison Elementary caused the Oceanside Unified School District to declare that the school …

Sean Christopher says his Lhooq (pronounced “look”) Books in Carlsbad is one of only about seven independent book stores left in the county. “I have the final hand-typed draft of the Pulp Fiction screenplay with …

It probably won’t draw the same attention as Donald Trump’s “grab her by the p–” clip. But a prominent Oceanside city official, who is running to represent the 76th Assembly district, has been haunted by …

Founded in 1883, the congregation of the St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Oceanside was torn apart ten years ago when the more liberal, establishment part of the church embraced female priests and gay bishops. The …

When the actors of Animal Kingdom talk about why they like to film in Oceanside, the word “grit” comes up a lot. The TNT drama steeped in drug use and debauchery just finished its fourth …

Mauricio has been fixing bikes for Oceanside locals for almost three decades. He started building his clientele in 1991 when he opened his booth inside the Oceanside Marketplace, often called the indoor swap meet. His …

Did NBC-7’s report about overtime paid by the city of Oceanside cause heads to roll? On July 3, Alex Presha reported that the Oceanside paid out $3.86 million in police overtime. Some officers made more …

After claiming a downtown roadway as an “area blighted and full of problems,” the city of Vista launched a $18.8-million renovation program to transform a mile of South Santa Fe into “Paseo Santa Fe.” The …

There was at least one time when struggling addict Mario Duron says the system screwed him. “I had been through drug court. I had been sober for eight months. My probation officer visited my house …

Even though the election was a year and half out, former United States Marine Patty Siegmann thought her commander-in-chief deserved her support. In March, the Republican started a pro-Trump street rally. Every other Friday from …

How Leighton came to the Reader: It was the end of 1998 when I was told by then Reader music editor Jennifer Ball that editor/publisher Jim Holman wanted to have someone exclusively write breaking news …

For many longtime locals the Red & White Market is the last surviving holdout from when South Oceanside was Mayberry-by-the-Sea. “I remember when moms would wear pretty dresses just to go and shop in a …

Being buried in Oceanside doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always rest in peace. “Look at what they did when they built the Hungry Hunter and the next-door gas station” says Shelley Hayes Caron. “They were throwing …

One of San Diego’s best paid media figures has just been removed from the airwaves, and this time it had nothing to do with bad behavior. Mikey Esparza once anchored the top-rated Mikey Show on …

Lilac fire survivor comes to the races On December 7, 2017, horse trainer Joe Herrick said, “Hell came to town.” Herrick was was involved in trying to rescue 450 thoroughbred horses caught in the raging …

According to a lawsuit filed last week, it can’t hurt to do business in Oceanside if you have ties to a well-connected local family. “There seems to be a strong nexus between local government and …

I need your support,” Oceanside City Councilman Christopher Rodriguez said in a June 29 Facebook post. The first-year councilman was not after votes or promoting a favorite charity. He was trying to sell the controversial …

The decimation of Oceanside beaches was the whole point of forming a group called Save Our Sand [SOS] Oceanside. At its first meeting June 17, some 25 people shared their stories about what it means …

Is it a Neighborhood Watch-style Facebook page with members who share local crime alerts. Or is Take Back Oceanside a vigilante site that uses social media shaming to have fun at the expense of local …

Is Del Mar’s world-famous attraction headed for extinction? “I grew up watching races with my dad, but maybe it’s time we end all this,” said a lifelong horse racing fan at the Santa Anita Racetrack …

The 90-acre Oceanside Swap Meet site was once hyped as a perfect home for a new Chargers stadium. That ten-year-old rumor was just idle folklore. But get ready for an attraction that may be just …

At least eight businesses in Carlsbad’s downtown Village area have been told they must prepare to move out as their buildings make way for a sleek new restaurant/retail complex. In what seems to cement the …

Twenty homeowners met May 9 in a living room in the upscale Oceanside Fire Mountain neighborhood. They weren’t carrying pitchforks, but they were fuming, outraged that an aggressive entrepreneur with a dubious history was building …

When a national news story breaks in your backyard, big enough to get non-stop coverage on CNN, don't expect your local news radio station to be bothered. The Poway synagogue shooting may have postponed commercials …

Q: What do you do if you want to open an adult business where it’s not permitted? A: If you’re Larry Flynt’s attorney you simply proclaim you are not an adult business and hope no …

I happened to be at the May 16, 2018 Oceanside City Council meeting when David Newman gave an emotional rant during the “items not on the agenda” segment. He and his wife Amber had been …

Oceanside is on a spending binge. Thanks to an extra $11 million coming in this year from the Measure X sales tax increase approved in November, the city council voted to rebuild its downtown fire …

When Wolfman Jack voiced his last show on “The Soul Express” (XEPRS-AM 1090) on a Saturday night in April 1972, the legendary R&B disc jockey was allowed to give a proper on-air goodbye to his …

"There have times when my customers can’t leave because the Soapy Joe's line of cars has taken over the entire parking lot. Their customers waiting in line often won't let anyone out of their parking …

That was the unstated sentiment as Ramona’s third medicinal cannabis dispensary Releaf Meds held its grand opening with a live concert and an official community meet-and-greet in January. The local love was there, but the …

Guitar bands spotted in the wild Here’s a fun-fact: contrary to popular opinion, guitar-based bands aren’t on the endangered species list. They may not generate the national coverage they once did, but if you venture …

Could mobile homes be an answer to the affordable housing crisis? Recent developments in Oceanside suggest not. In fact, it’s only getting worse for those who invested their lifesavings on their prefab homes. The corporations …

“The Republican party asked me to run against [Congressman] Mike Levin in 2020,” says GOP-up-and-comer Christopher Rodriguez. The Hispanic father of six checks a lot of political boxes. He’s a Purple Heart-decorated, USMC Iraq War …

Bartender Steve Menzel easily sees between 75 and 300 customers daily during his eight-hour shifts at Larry’s Beach Club. Menzel has been a bartender at the restaurant/bar on Oceanside Boulevard west of Coast Highway for …

The harsh way Firewater Saloon in downtown Oceanside was closed September 25 is not how the state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) usually deals with bar owners it doesn’t like. Firewater owners were given a ten-day …

Once again Mario Rivera has proven that operating a video editing console can be as valuable to your band as playing an instrument. The video he created for “Champagne Bike Ride” not only helped him …

In spite of city council opposition, citizens of Vista voted in November to allow 11 new dispensaries to sell medicinal weed legally. But due to a last-minute decision by the city, the man largely responsible …

City council candidate Michael Odegaard should be happy that local activist Nadine Scott sued a developer who wanted to build the “prison hotel” development in his neighborhood. Scott sued in June over plans to build …

Florida native Anthony White II taught marksmanship to new recruits in bootcamp. Like many Camp Pendleton Marines, White had a post-Corps life plan when his four years of service was over in 2015. “When I …

Tim Broom was not happy that a small plane crashed about 700 yards from his home near Highway 76. But when his interview aired on News 8’s 11 pm Tuesday night newscast, he could not …

For the first seven albums he’s appeared on, bass player Grant Glibert did what most local artists do. He and his bandmates in four different bands (Splavender, Slay Dean, Big Bloom, Citrus) ponied up their …

While the Casbah’s 30th is a milestone, the Penetrators reunion show packs a bigger numerical punch. Their first reunion show in five years on Friday marks the 40th anniversary for the trailblazing band that dominated …

Being tied to Oceanside Police can either be a blessing or the kiss of death if you want to become an Oceanside city councilman. It worked just fine for Jim Wood who was elected to …

“Bamboo Ben” Bassham has been involved in creating more than 20 tiki bars from San Francisco to Georgia. After he remade them in his version of Polynesian paradise, the bars and restaurants saw business pick …

“Oceanside is a big city. But it’s just like a small town. You can’t keep a secret here.” That’s from one of 23 candidates who applied for a vacancy created on the city council that …

This is the 50th anniversary of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by San Diego’s Iron Butterfly. The 17-minute rock opus was known for taking up one entire album side. Its mid-song drum solo helped grease the wheels for the …

Consider XIV, a loosely-structured La Mesa congregation that joyfully lives in the loungey music groove known as Big Sonic Chill. Nathan Samuels (keyboards, trumpet, vocals) and wife/partner Kelly Samuels (vocals, flute, keyboard, percussion) have anchored …

A high-stakes struggle over the airwaves between a Mexican radio owner and his San Diego-based operator spilled over onto the airwaves today resulting in DJs being yanked off the air and commercials for San Diego …

Founded by former Navy SEAL Greg McPartlin 36 years ago, McP’s in Coronado is probably most famous for being the favorite local watering hole for current and former Navy SEALs. Or for being the place …

The video of 19-year-old hot dogger Lukas Soelberg surfing on the flooded South Oceanside block December 8 went viral. NBC-7 reported an immediate 40,000 hits of the street surfer getting towed by a rope. The …