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Stories by Robert Kumpel

Do You Remember 2003?

1. San Diego's U.S. Attorney's office once had a staff of 122 prosecutors. How many have resigned in the past year? A. 15 B. 20 C. 27 D. 34 2. By losing to the Kansas …

January 1, 2004
San Diego's Mexicans make nacimientos for Christmas

Ruth Zuñiga, 102, has been erecting a nacimiento in some form at every Christmas since she was a small child. With old age making it difficult for her to move, she has kept her nacimiento …

December 18, 2003
Prolific Killer

A merica's Gross Domestic Product grew by 7.2 percent in the third quarter, marking the biggest growth in this economic indicator since what year? A. 1984 B. 1986 C. 1994 D. 1995 2. In the …

December 4, 2003
Every Planet

Which Southern California amusement park had customers killed on a ride in September? a. Knott's Berry Farm b. Disneyland c. Magic Mountain d. Universal Studios 2. On September 15, the ninth Circuit Court of Appeals …

October 2, 2003
Worst potholes in San Diego – La Jolla Blvd., El Cajon Blvd., University Ave.?

No one seems to know where San Diego’s worst potholes are. A pothole is forgotten unless it’s driven over frequently, and then it is instinctively avoided. Drivers swerve into the next lane, then back again …

San Diego lovers describe their love

“We had the same physics class, and he asked me if I had the book. I was, like, ‘Of course I have the book! I’m in the class!’ He was just, like, ‘Oh, we should study together sometime.’”

February 13, 2003
Did Jenny Craig Score Big?

The county Civil Service Commission is seeking to investigate former district attorney Paul Pfingst for the last-minute promotion of prosecutors who supported him instead of Bonnie Dumanis. How many prosecutors were promoted? A. 15 B. …

February 6, 2003
Did Lingerie Barbie Trounce Micropet?

Designated Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge is the former governor of which state? a. Idaho b. Kansas c. Pennsylvania d. Maryland 2. On November 25, 2002, the San Diego City Council approved reinstating red-light …

January 9, 2003
Tecate Train Station's Architectural Mystery

A woman who is rumored to be the wife of the late caretaker has been staying there every night until recently. During the winter, she made fires inside the depot. Everything was wood, the furniture, the floors,.

December 19, 2002
High Noon in Dulzura

Illegal passing on 94 became a bigger problem when CalTrans wrote new regulations. One such area is Daley Flats, a one-mile stretch of straight road on 94 that runs between Rancho Jamul and the town of Jamul.

December 19, 2002
Edible City

San Diegans who refer panhandlers to St. Vincent de Paul Village or the Rescue Mission may not know about San Diego's third option for free food: the local canyons. Jon Rebman, Ph.D., the curator of …

December 5, 2002
Examined Life

Even with a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, tax legislation and judicial nominees could be blocked by a filibuster. How many votes are needed to overcome a filibuster? A. 51 B. 59 C. 60 …

November 21, 2002
Poodles Aren't Dogs

"Once someone wanted her dog green for St. Patrick’s Day, and I did it. We used to get a lot of people who asked for toenail painting, but lately the styles have changed away from that."

November 14, 2002
Ballot Box Blues

The day after the November 5 election finds some San Diegans sad, others elated, and many just indifferent. At the time these interviews took place, the race between Bonnie Dumanis and Paul Pfingst was still …

November 14, 2002
Gun Universe

On October 21, during the hysteria of the D.C. sniper attacks, the Washington Times reported that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer had hushed up a report by state ballistics experts that accurate ballistic fingerprinting is …

November 7, 2002
Squirrel Crash

During the past few years, San Diego's rural tree squirrel population has nearly reached extinction. Their population is apparently coming back, even though few people seem to know exactly why they died off in the …

October 31, 2002
Burn Him Alive

"One of the trustees I talked to was moppin' the floor near Westerfield's cell. He [said Westerfield] was totally bummed out. The trustee's exact words were 'shot out.' He was down the tubes.”

October 10, 2002
San Diego's Arabs and Moslems on 9-11

San Diego’s Arab and Islamic communities have mixed feelings about September 11, 2001. Some blame Osama bin Laden, some fault the United States, and still others blame all parties involved. With one exception, these speakers …

September 26, 2002
No Cure for Lust

According to Dr. Robert Gunn of the county health department, the term "venereal" was phased out in favor of "sexually transmitted disease" (STD) in the 1970s because "the term 'venereal' comes from Venus, the goddess …

September 19, 2002
Voting Made Simple

Published on September 12, 2002 Voting Made Simple By Robert Kumpel San Diego voters are not likely to see any chad controversies in upcoming elections as November's election will be the last election in which …

September 12, 2002
San Diegans recall 9-11

Just about everyone remembers that moment on September 11 when he or she first heard that hijacked airliners had flown into the World Trade Center. Here, 101 men and women tell how that moment that …

September 5, 2002
Contagious Buzz

As the hysteria over the West Nile virus moves westward, California appears to be the inevitable destination of the mosquitoes that carry the deadly virus. Even though San Diego has a relatively dry climate and …

September 5, 2002
Al Qaeda Effect

The complete financial impact of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center will never be accurately calculated, but among those most hurt are travel- and tourism-related businesses. Many of San Diego's travel and tourist …

September 5, 2002
Car Talk

Since September 11, the most frequently seen bumper sticker in San Diego is the American flag, often shown with slogans such as "United We Stand" and "God Bless America." Other popular stickers include sports stickers, …

Infamous Boston pedophile Paul Shanley ends up in San Diego

Father Paul Shanley, the Roman Catholic priest who lived in San Diego from 1997 until his arrest in May of this year at his Hillcrest apartment, is currently awaiting trial in a Boston jail on …

August 1, 2002
Fires Move Faster than Firefighters

San Diego is not immune to the kinds of fires that have devastated Arizona and Colorado. Richard Hawkins, the chief of fire aviation management for the Cleveland National Forest, believes the potential exists here for …

Parting Shots

When Cox Arena hosted several high school graduation ceremonies on Friday, June 14, members of the graduating classes had their pictures flashed on the central marquee over the arena floor. Lincoln High School had a …

June 27, 2002
From La Jolla Shores to Mission Beach, guys talk about their tans

On a sunny afternoon in June, Mark Davis is peeling off the top of his wetsuit after taking a swim at La Jolla Shores. Davis, 23, just returned to San Diego after graduating from Humboldt …

June 20, 2002
Hotel Porn

A young couple in their 20s checks in at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley and unloads their three-year-old daughter from the white SUV rental. As they drove from the airport to Hotel Circle, they …

June 6, 2002
Embalmed Angel

Could the current '80s pop-cult revival include a resurgence of PCP use? Hitting its peak in the early '80s, PCP, or "angel dust," had notoriety as the drug that made its users so violent that …

May 30, 2002
I'd Fight

America saw a return to patriotism after the 9/11 tragedy that managed to raise enlistment rates in the military. But will the escalation of aggression in Israel stimulate the same response from American Jews? As …

May 23, 2002
Their Mothers Cry Too

While Israel's war with Palestinian terrorists rages on, hopes for peace diminish. Some Jews in San Diego are hopeful, even if their hope is only philosophical. Alex Brauer, 79, knows a little bit about Israeli …

May 16, 2002
More Treacherous Than Vietnam

McP's Pub in Coronado, a popular hangout for Navy SEALs, is packed with Marines. With only two women in a bar filled with nearly 70 men, they are having what bartender Tom Latona refers to …

April 25, 2002
Locals Discuss Catholic Priests and Sex Crimes

While the Catholic Church is waiting for the media's next horrific revelation of sexual abuse, many non-Catholics are also intrigued by the recent news. Locally, non-Catholics aren't especially surprised by recent revelations, as much of …

April 11, 2002
Are the van Dams Fit Parents?

They probably didn't check their kids that night, just out of routine. They shouldn't check every five minutes. If they went to bed, they went to bed. The mother was at the bar and left the responsibility to the father

March 28, 2002
UCSD Doc Slams Big-Gulp Culture

Dr. Kenneth Jones, a pediatric endocrinologist with UCSD, is concerned about the rise in Type II or "adult" diabetes in young people. "The age limit is moving down. Initially, it was thought to be a …

March 21, 2002
San Diego's thriving schools teaching foreigners English

Language Studies International occupies the top floor of an office building perched next to the Fifth Avenue bridge over Interstate 5. Steve Nicholson, its director since May 2001, seems young for the job, but his …

March 14, 2002
Why They Didn't Vote

The March 5 primary election had one of the lowest voter turnouts in San Diego history. A sampling of nonvoters seems to indicate that while many intended to vote, some simply didn't know or didn't …

March 14, 2002
This Cart Belongs to Squeegeeman

It's one of those February mornings in San Diego when the sun doesn't break through the clouds until nine o'clock. The visible moisture on cars and plants will disappear soon, but downtown air retains a …

February 28, 2002
Survival T-Shirts

Mad Engine produces T-shirts for department stores, designer clothing lines, and specialty stores in the U.S. and 17 other countries. In 2000, they shipped $27 million of T-shirts worldwide. That number has dropped to about …

February 7, 2002
Food Swings

While allergists are showing alarm at the increasing problem of mold, one physician believes the problem has been entirely overblown. Barnet Meltzer has been practicing holistic medicine in Del Mar since 1972. An author of …

January 31, 2002
Model Smoker

Jean Lucas's Rancho Bernardo townhouse is full of boxes. Paintings of elephants and lions lean in a stack against the wall. She is clearing her place of old junk and painting the walls to get …

January 17, 2002
Impatient Heart

"I was in Bangkok six years ago and picked up some kind of hepatitis-family virus — they couldn't isolate it — and it infected my heart muscle and left me with cardiomyopathy. So now I'm …

January 10, 2002
I Don't Have to Dodge Bullets

Robert S. (he wouldn't divulge his last name) stands in front of the Escondido Employment Development Department on Valley Parkway looking despondent. After losing a job he held for only 16 months, he is looking …

January 3, 2002
Young People Need to See What It's Like

Carol Snyder is always prepared. Carrying a stack of folders and papers, she walks out of the Chula Vista Career Center reading a series of want ads pasted to a yellow legal pad sheet. "I'm …

December 20, 2001
A San Diego Christmas without Jesus

"I never use religion for business. I respect religion for religion."

December 13, 2001
He Had No Right to Fire Me

Crystelle Love, 22, is on her way to a job interview. Sporting a black leather jacket, gray miniskirt, and black nylons, Love looks defiant. She lost her job three weeks ago and describes the event …

December 13, 2001
Big Boom Moves East

At the Employment Development Department's Metro Career Center on Aero Drive, people looking for work wander around the lobby. Some are on the provided telephones, calling job leads. Others look at the jobs listed on …

December 6, 2001
Take Wing, Toussaint, Turning Point – San Diego transitional homes

Leaving home is one of the defining events of growing up. The first taste of freedom from parental boundaries can be exhilarating. But for teens in San Diego County’s foster care system who have lost …

November 21, 2001
Fear for My Life

Yousef refuses to disclose where hawala transactions take place, since a major hub of such transactions, Al Barakaat, was closed down by the government just a week before. "That's a big hit to Somalis.”

November 21, 2001

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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