It was the biggest media event of the new year, and Elena Cristiano was in her element. A crowd of more than a hundred reporters, photographers, politicos, and sports fans, along with a bank of …

Eileen Jackson's daughter, Jerry Williamson, told me that her father had once said that Miller had “the soul of a poet.” Mrs. Williamson confessed that when she was a child Miller terrified her.

Hey: Does sucking on a penny really help you beat a Breathalyzer? -- A Boozehound, the net Matt: Somebody sent me one of those Internet lists of interesting "facts." Is Susan Lucci really Phyllis Diller's …

Dear Matt: We all know about dog farts, but we're in disagreement about ones by cats. Do cats even fart? I figure they must, but I'm not aware that my cat of 13 years ever …

Heymatt: A friend of mine is currently on vacation, all expenses paid by you and I (the State of California). During his sojourn in San Diego County's facility, Donovan, a fellow vacationer who has a …

They were distraught, talking incessantly, since they had just learned West’s dear friend F.Scott Fitzgerald had died. Dateline Hollywood. Sad news to report today, the voice of the flapper generation has been silenced.

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 …

For years, uppity La Jollans have talked about divorcing themselves from the hoi polloi of San Diego by seceding from the city and creating their own. Now the Orange County Register has done it for …

“War cries woke Warner. Phillips: “Rifle in hand, he ran to the doorway and discovered that the two horses he had tied near the house had been cut loose. Seeing Warner, some 20 Indians took cover.”

Vetter Mountain lies within Angeles National Forest's Charlton-Chilao Recreation Area -- a gateway of sorts to the high country of the San Gabriel Mountains. Here, Angelenos heading up Angeles Crest Highway from the west first …

This year the electronic-gaming industry expects to beat Hollywood at making money. It’s happened once before. In 1998, entranced with a new generation of gaming consoles that included the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Sega …

Dear Matthew Alice: I'm dying to know where the huge wave at the beginning of Hawaii Five-0 was filmed. -- Mark Plazak, La Jolla; and Paul Hunter, Clairemont; Jay Smith, North Park All you nonsurfers …

Dear Matt: Was Olivia Newton-John ever kissed by Albert Einstein? -- Milton F, Normal Heights Usually I don't much care which way the facts fall. True, false; you're right, you're wrong-- as long as my …

Before 1995, when the City of San Diego decided to expand what was then called Jack Murphy Stadium and give the Chargers their infamous ticket guarantee, one of the most popular plums of local political …

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 …

The county's data-processing program has gotten a new chief executive who is just as controversial as the trouble-plagued operation he's been named to run. Denny Piper abruptly resigned his position as Houston's chief information officer …

"Garra sent his son to San Diego with cash, but it, too, was short of the assessment. Few Americans or Californios in San Diego County realized how deeply the Indians of the region resented being taxed.”

The 21st Century journey up Palomar Mountain is perhaps too easy, notwithstanding the nauseatingly curvy South Grade Road that leads expeditiously to the top. With extra time, you can always revert to an earlier and …

It is Vincent Lazaneo’s job to answer any question about a fruit, vegetable, herb, flower, or ornamental shrub that a San Diego gardener might ask. How many plants is that? “It’s a little mind-boggling,” he …

Hey, Matt: During my many years as a mechanic, I learned many handy tricks. One thing I always have in stock is Super Glue, which I've found a thousand and one uses for. I regularly …

Heymatt: So I've been waiting in traffic or maybe driving along at 40 mph, and a motorcycle blows by playing Inagaddadavida on the dummy bumps. And then I see the CHP doing the same thing. …

Hey, Matt: Why does asparagus make my pee stink? -- Anonymous, somewhere In this land of climatic sameness, how does Matthew Alice know that spring has arrived? (1) Grandma Alice packs away her winter aprons …

Savvy San Diego shoppers seeking slashed rates on paint jobs, window tinting, and upholstery have driven their cars to Tijuana for decades. But you don't hear about gringos heading south to buy the whole car, …

San Diego and Florida have sunshine, cigars, con men, and drug runners in common. Now both can claim a couple of money-hungry politicos. Republican governor Jeb Bush and his probable Democratic rival Janet Reno are …

Earlier, while we were discussing family, I had told Kim that I have three children. While plates are passed, she turns to George. “See, George, he has three kids. It’s a lot of work."

Even in a town where every month some major or minor political figure is caught with a conflict or an unreported loan or a few unpaid bills or some back taxes, Tony Inocentes stands alone. …

A 129-acre island of open space in the midst of Studio City's more lavish residential areas, Wilacre Park (the former estate of silent-movie star Will Acres) offers a wide-ranging view of San Fernando Valley and …

These are accounts of ten angry young men with nothing to lose. Mayhem at home, drugs and alcohol, gang warfare, drive-by shootings, armed robbery — even murder — and always stints behind bars with a …

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 …

Hey, Matt: On a recent "where are they now" TV show, Ronny James Dio said that he wanted to be the first person to play on the moon. If we got tickets, would we be …

Forget this trashed piece of land and stop making myself sick over it. Besides, if they develop the strip, the property value of our house will go up. But where can we move to?

Just before the San Diego City Council narrowly voted to raise water rates during a bitter debate in April, Larry Gardner, the city's water utilities director, suffered a heart attack. He's now convalescing at home …

The acquisition of approximately 3500 acres of Daley Ranch property near Jamul last year by California's Wildlife Conservation Board led to the establishment of the Hollenbeck Canyon Wildlife Area, now being managed by the California …

Hey, Matt: Yellow cheese. I have recently been informed that cheese is naturally white. That it never was yellow until someone went out of their way to color it. What's worse, I'm told they use …