Call them what you will — roach-boys, rat-men, rat-catchers, terminators, pest technicians — the fact is that pest inspectors are professional killers.

"People thought [my becoming a pastor] was bogus," said Pastor Stan Miller. "They said, 'He's lost his marbles' and 'He's flipped out.' It angered the media. They vilified me. Most of this came from my …

You can't outrun evolution. You can throw a blazer over a half-tucked button-up, slip a sterling money clip into your back pocket, open the door, and ease your Dolce & Gabbana sandals over the pedals …

A Place Called Paradise: Culture & Community In Northampton, Massachusetts, 1654-2004. Edited by Kerry W. Buckley. Historic Northampton's Museum and Education Center, published in association with the University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst and Boston, 2004; …

Nothing makes you more tolerant of a neighbor's noisy party than being there. -- Franklin P. Jones Everybody shows up around the same time. They settle into their spaces -- hang posters on the wall, …

Remember when Christian rock conjured up images of guys with poodle perms wearing bumblebee stripes (Stryper) and high school productions of Jesus Christ Superstar stiffly performed to an amplified vinyl record? Those a bit more …

"We’ll trawl for tix. Half of these people are too drunk to go to the ballgame.”

Mile-high Palomar Mountain State Park has probably the finest montane scenery in San Diego County, complete with trickling streams, mixed oak-conifer forests, and rolling meadows. So far, this magnificent spot has managed to evade the …

During the Mister and Misses Tribute to Ugliness set at Che Café's "Ultimate Pizza Party," a Che staffer hurried onstage to tell any bands who had parked their vans in the "unofficial" loading area next …

Power Chords singer/guitarist John Hammer isn't bummed that his band didn't win "Best Punk" at the San Diego Music Awards, however... "They botched the category of punk," says Hammer. "[Other nominees] Kill Me Tomorrow is …

"I heard the Rolling Stones played here for sure," says Saad Mattia, owner of the Royal Palace in El Cajon. The 750-capacity hall, built in 1932 and named the Bostonia Ballroom, recently became active again. …

"The Hurricane Hit Us dead on [in Miami]," says Gavin Allen, director of Visual Underground. At the end of August, the local firm was in Miami to work MTV's Video Music Awards; they assisted the …

My partner was still hors de combat with food poisoning from the latest flunk-out café, so I met up with Lynne and Sheila, our Aussie friend, at Soleil @K. If we'd had a Samantha to …

When the House of Blues opened in June, some wondered if the smaller venues in town could survive. This month the Belly Up scored with two choice bookings: the Pink Martini orchestra from Portland, Oregon, …

When the Foo Fighters play Cox Arena Tuesday, September 27, they request that "if for some reason purchaser [promoter] actually promoted the show with a real live ad campaign and accompanying cool posters or lithos, …

Husband Patrick sings all day long -- in the shower, in the car, in the front yard on the way to the mailbox. He even bursts into song in the middle of stores and restaurants. …

San Diegans neck deep in debt may feel a noose tightening next month: a stringent new bankruptcy law goes into effect October 17, at the same time credit-card issuers will be boosting minimum monthly payments. …

'I've often pondered why anyone would run for public office.... So what's it all about? Power, plain and simple." "Sometimes people's quest for power is not a healthy one. And more often than not, the …

Their old chairs on the San Diego City Council dais may be empty, but the same can't be said of their former seats in the city's skybox at Petco Park, where politicos and their pals, …

'We cannot be complacent with playing good but not winning games," Marty Schottenheimer said after losing to Denver on Sunday. The Chargers gained 41 yards in the second half of that game. FEMA personnel are …

'A wall provides three dimensions. When we're on a stage, we just get the floor. If there's a wall there, you can balance against it, lean on it, run up it, push a dancer against …

“He called around, did a background check. Then he called me and offered a deal.”

“It will be hard, if not impossible, for Parker to pass on his mantle of power.”

Movies reviewed this week: Côte d’Azur, Everything Is Illuminated, Just Like Heaven, Proof, Reel Paradise, The Thing about My Folks, Thumbsucker, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

I went to a house concert in Rancho Peñasquitos where Steve Poltz, the Rugburns singer/guitarist, was performing. Though he plays at the Casbah and Belly-Up often, those shows are nothing like sitting on a driveway …

Matt; A brilliant school teacher in 1957 told the class something no one had ever heard. The Russian "Sputnik" was coming. It did. He also said that man is so brilliant he can change the …

Dear Matthew Alice: I think I've asked every short-order cook, waitress, chef, bus boy, whoever, for years this question, and nobody's ever been able to tell me. Why, WHY are restaurant coffee pots for decaf …

Thirty Years Ago Las Hermanas was opened last December. It is owned by two women, who are no longer San Diego residents.... I was left with an unclear idea of the coffeehouse's legal status. Partnership …

I Like My Four Seasons Here in North Idaho, "Californian" is a dirty word to some people. Which is ironic since most everyone I meet here has lived in California at one time or another. …