Like many other municipalities in San Diego County, revenues in the City of Escondido’s financial coffers are drying up. The city is projecting, for the current fiscal year, a $6 million budget deficit. The deficit …

I can't tell you how it came to pass that the Italian winemakers Mario Schiopetto, Giacomo Bologna, and Maurizio Zanella joined Italian gastronomic giant Luigi Veronelli on a trip to America in 1981, a trip …

Superhero of the human genome project always gets what he wants. And what he wants now is seven acres of UCSD's ocean-view property.

Artist: Lillian Palmer Song: “Swinging on the Moon” (from the CD Like a Lover) Heard By: Gonzalo Dremoniz, Normal Heights Overall, it’s cookin’. It’s very tight and swingin’. It’s everything I like about “proper” jazz. …

As noted last week, employees of Latham & Watkins were the single biggest group of local law firm donors to the campaign of President-elect Barack Obama, giving a grand total of $9361, sizably more than …

Comic Error Oh, November 19 is certainly a Black Wednesday! Where are my Red Meat, Shoehorn Technique, Basic Instructions, and the rest of my weekly comic reads? Only Neal Obermeyer this week? Promise us this …

Hiro Iwamoto loves to sail. Not so unusual — except for one apparent drawback. He is blind. Before moving from Japan to San Diego two years ago, Iwamoto led a Tokyo team to the Blind …

‘It’s a Barnum and Bailey world, just as phony as it can be.” Those words are from the 1933 song “It’s Only a Paper Moon.” Seventy-five years later, Americans understand that the financial system has …

Hey, Matt: My girlfriend and I have a bet about Botox. I have heard it referred to as “pig botulism.” She, who works in a plastic surgeon’s office, claims NPI (no pigs involved). Dinner rides …

“In July 2004, I was coming out of my house and discovered the whole Colonia Federal being invaded by police and soldiers,” says Border Council of Arts and Culture founder Luis Ituarte. “I found out …

Robin Roth can be heard on Rock 105.3 FM Monday through Friday from 10 p.m. to midnight, but she’s best known for the Friday night 11th Hour spot when she plays noncommercial goth and industrial …

Got Milk. An affirmation, that, not a question. Gus Van Sant’s biopic on Harvey Milk, the gay-rights activist and San Francisco City Supervisor martyred by assassination in 1978, should afford sustenance and fortification for all …

Holly Golightly is probably best known as the special guest who shows up at the end of the White Stripes’ 2003 album Elephant in a duet with Jack White on “It’s True That We Love …

The unofficial title of Deerhunter’s first full-length CD was Turn It Up Faggot. Once you’ve made that sort of artistic statement, where do you go from there? Despite the criticism…up, apparently. For example, consider the …

Name: Byron Thompson Age: 19 Surfing: La Jolla Occupation: Student Lives in: North Park Best surf in SD: Bird Rock Longest duration surfed: Five hours "I don't mind girls that surf as long as they …

Recent excerpts of Ocean Beach bar reviews posted at Yelp.com: Catalina Lounge: "It's a guaranteed pickup bar, if you're just looking for a slump- buster." (Starlight M.) "If you wear a collared shirt, you will …

"The hardest part about being in a Sublime tribute band is remembering all the lyrics," says Dane Scott, front man for 40 Ounces to Freedom. "Sometimes [Sublime singer] Bradley Nowell rapped so fast, it's hard …

As far as tunes that name-check the team go, the new track "San Diego Chargers," by Mexican dance-pop-punk-funk duo Plastilina Mosh won't take over first place in the hearts of Chargers faithful anytime soon — …

Singer/drummer Joe Serrano of Paradise Hills has been playing in local norteño bands for 46 years. He guesses there are close to 2000 "Mexican cowboy" bands in the Southern California/Tijuana region. The huge number of …

For the past four years, Lisa Mettler has organized Rancho Buena Vista High's annual battle-of-the-bands contest. Over the past eight years, the spring concerts have raised more than $20,000 for the Vista school's annual on-campus …

This week’s Fortune magazine is out with a story titled “Ten New Gurus You Should Know,” about what the magazine says is “a new generation of big thinkers emerging with radical ideas such as how …

This restaurant is closed. Recession? You’d never know it if you judged by Illume (pronounced ill-LOOM, no accent on the e) and by the light but constant pedestrian traffic in its neighborhood. As for depression, …

“Oh, man. Where am I going to get my curry now?” Jim stands staring at the notice taped to the front door. “Dear customers,” it begins. “After serving El Cajon for 52 years since 1956, …

A gutted theater’s a depressing sight. October 25, 2008: painters apply a foundation coat to the Old Town Theatre’s interior walls. A heat wave forced them to open the tall stage doors to catch the …

Give us, Lord, a bit o’ sun,A bit o’ work and a bit o’ fun:Give us all in the struggle and SputterOur daily bread and a bit o’ butter.— On the wall of an old …

THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION, 1676. The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass …

“Going up!” said a man as I passed by on my way to the Wednesday night Men’s Bible Study at Midway Baptist. His speech suggested that he might be developmentally disabled, but he and his …

Blue Angels Peak is the name of a prominent crag practically sitting on the border between California and Baja California, just east of the high-desert community of Jacumba. In fact, the summit of Blue Angels …

Rocky, my rubber duck, is tunneling out of the bathroom. I know he’s tunneling because upon morning muster and inspection he’s been congenial and respectful, which is unfamiliar behavior for him. At night inspection, he’s …

What are you reading? “Black Hawk Down". I saw the movie a while ago and wasn’t that interested, but a friend of mine who’s big into war books — fiction and nonfiction — gave it …

“Thank heaven for little girls.” — Maurice Chevalier Once I set us up with drinks, a bowl of corn chips, and spinach dip from Trader Joe’s, I hopped onto the couch, crossed my legs, and …

The last weekend in August, I was invited to a party in an airplane hangar, which is funny because the word one associates with parties is “hangover,” not “hangar.” James, a local doctor with a …

The Kelly family needs an injection of charity. The thought was sparked by my son presenting me with a long gift list for Christmas. “We need to curtail this materialism and teach a bit of …

Thirty Years AgoIn the incessant border skirmishes between illegal Mexican immigrants and the Border Patrol, a new battle has developed in the last few months. It’s the “rock chuckers” versus the phlegm-green Border Patrol vehicles, …

When San Diego State University Associated Students president James Poet was busted last month by San Diego cops for driving under the influence and pot possession, school officials pledged to get to the bottom of …

The residents of Coronado are proud of their history. In city council chambers, underneath the large silver crown logo, behind the council’s desk, are the words “Established in 1890.” While the residents of Coronado love …

At the November 19th Oceanside City Council meeting, Caltrans along with shopping mall giant, Westfield Group, appealed the Planning Commission’s decision to support Jefferson Enterprises proposal to build a 92-acre shopping plaza in Oceanside, near …

Maybe lawmakers should get smart, smoke a little bud.

Everyone performing at the Casbah’s first local rap showcase next month was nominated in the Best Hip-Hop category at this year’s San Diego Music Awards — everyone except Kayo. “I wasn’t nominated for anything,” says …

There is a showdown coming. It might turn into a gunfight. Or at least a fistfight. There is a huge City budget deficit. To close the gap, the current council only wants to talk about …

We’re Talkin’ Real Money Elizabeth Marro’s article (“Hi, Connie. We’re Ready for You,” Cover Story, November 13) is interesting for me as she earlier worked in pharmaceutical marketing. The article reports the figure of $55,000,000 …

Tool front man Maynard James Keenan came to the Whole Foods Market in La Jolla on November 7 to sign bottles of wine produced at his Arizona winery. Many fans showed up at 2:00 p.m., …

When Celine Dion appears on Tuesday, November 25, at the Sports Arena, “Any damage to [power and sound] cables, due to a forklift or other machine pass, will be charged to Presenter and will not …

Two elephants entered a special meeting of the City’s Budget and Finance Committee on Wednesday, November 12, and councilmembers donned their blinders to be certain not to see them. The two elephants were very inconvenient …

Printing a list of restaurants open for Thanksgiving has become a Reader tradition, and it’s worth noting up front that nearly every restaurant open for T-Day is also likely to serve brunch or dinner on …

Matt: I strolled into the kitchen yesterday and noticed that there was a fly perched on the edge of my counter, right next to the sink. I figured as I got closer to it, it …

Album: Homeland Security (2008) Artist: Nature of the Beast Label: self-released Where available/price: Access Hip Hop in Pacific Beach for $10.95 (CD and vinyl), CDBaby.com for $10.99 (CD) and $5.50 (vinyl), iTunes for $9.99 (download), …

P.O.D. recently canceled a planned six-city tour of the U.K. with Filter. Why? According to band members quoted by Undercover.com.au, a “recently announced hiatus” made the South Bay band “unable to fulfill touring obligations” planned …

Frightened Rabbit were joined onstage by an uninvited guest when they played North Park’s U31 on November 5. “I don’t really like to call people out,” blogs Rosey Bystrak at sddialedin.com, “but, to the drunk …

Big-time Democratic politicians from around the country are heading to San Diego next month for a confab expected to bless whomever President-elect Barack Obama chooses to succeed Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National …

No doubt the most prominent local position to be filled by President-elect Barack Obama will be that of United States attorney. The San Diego office has long been a turbulent place. The last permanent holder …

GWAR is a shock-rock band that wears creeped-out costumes on loan from the devil, comic books, and sci-fi. The band is Kiss on steroids. If nothing else, GWAR shows are memorable. They are something of …

The economy is in a shambles, the record industry is in freefall, and, God help us, Celine Dion is back in the top ten. So where can you find a success story in rock ’n’ …

“San Diego is definitely a cool place to be from,” says Mower front man Brian Sheerin. “We get a lot of love from local people who’ve been behind us for years, who go along with …

“If I were to build the perfect comedian, it would be Jerry Seinfeld crossed with Dave Chappelle,” says local comedian Mal Hall. “My comedy is observational. I wouldn’t do anything onstage that I think my …

Thirty Years AgoI couldn’t help but smirk when reading about the Second Annual Eleanor’s Edibles Contest. If the first prize is dinner with Eleanor Widmer (Reader food critic), then is the second prize two dinners …

Casa Kelly has been getting loosey-goosey with the Thanksgiving menu in recent years — lobster, sirloin cap, even lasagna. Not this year — Patrick’s Nana is flying out to visit, and everything’s got to be …

As a kid, music influenced how I thought about politics — songs such as Alice Cooper’s “Elected” or Cream’s “Politician,” wherein the politico talks a woman into his “big, black car.” As a teenager, I …

The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones. — Gabirol There are few things that ruffle my fancy feathers more than acts of inconsideration. A shopping cart left stranded close to …

Sweet merciful crap! Through means I’d rather not discuss, I’ve managed to transport myself back to the Mesozoic period. The dishwasher and eight-track cassette player I used as a time vehicle is now broken. Even …

Jones Peak is nowhere near the loftiest of the many named summits you can climb in the sharply rising “front range” of the San Gabriel Mountains. But its elevated position — barely one mile by …

"Bumping rims" is when you meet somebody and you have a connection. So, I would say, “Oh my God, I met the lead singer from The Faint last night and we totally bumped rims.” It’s …

Sunday’s service at Westminster Presbyterian was shot through with music. The folksy opening songs, full of strumming and tambourines and tentative harmonies, matched the ’60s decor (A-frame outfitted with stained glass at the base): “If …

Things are grim in San Diego State football world. Staff is still hungover from Saturday’s 63-14 drubbing at the hands of Utah. That drubbing was worse than the 41-12 drubbing at the hands of Brigham …

Visit the sick, it is said in scripture, somewhere. I try to do that when indicated, possibly because it is pretty much always the last thing I want to do. Often I’ve found that can …

Tom Stoppard called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern “the most expendable people of all time.” Minor courtiers in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, they barely exist beyond their Renaissance finery and snatches of dialogue. They aim to please, pretty much, …

“Totally Nude, 6:00 p.m.–6:00 a.m.” Dang. It’s only 5:00 p.m., here outside Club Fantasy Gentlemen’s Club. Actually, I’m jes’ passing by, minding my business. Too broke to go in anyway. When you’re poor you can’t …

Twice, during the last two months, representatives from the City of San Diego, Greater Golden Hill CDC, and MAD Oversight Committee met with mediators from the National Conflict Resolution Center to establish more productive, positive …

Back in 2002, San Diego voters approved Proposition S, a construction-bond program for the San Diego Community College District. The $685 million in bonds provided for repairs and major renovations at each of the three …

Author: Patricia Alfano Neighborhood: Ocean Beach Age: over 40 Occupation: Administrative coordinator I sit here in San Diego International ­Airport’s baggage claim area anxiously awaiting my ­father’s arrival from New Jersey for my birthday celebration. …

At 9 a.m. on the morning of Wednesday, November 13th, the city Budget Review Committee met in a crowded and raucous city council chambers to discuss Mayor Sanders’s plan for $43 million in budget cuts …

On December 8th, termed-out San Diego City Council president Scott Peters won a seat on the San Diego Unified Port District’s board of seven commissioners. The District One rep’s appointment wasn’t achieved without some controversy. …

Human Lab Rats I am stranded inside an MRI machine. My arms are pinned to my sides; my head is immobilized; my nose lies seven inches from the ceiling of the high-tech shaft. I am …

Name: Steve Reed Age: 26 Surfing: La Jolla Lives in: South Park Pre-surf food: Nachos and beer Celebrity most like to surf with: Tony Danza “I love surfing at Mission Beach, but I really hate …

You’re exhilarated when the stock market zooms 10 percent in a day, right? Think again. Of the ten one-day miracles in investment history, when stocks have soared 9 to 15 percent, seven of those days …

When it comes to crossing the border, Carlos Hermosillo plays it by ear. As he gets close to the San Ysidro crossing, he calls 700-7000 on his cell phone, and a recording gives him the …

Missing Smear As you are aware, you published an article by Don Bauder on October 30, 2008, in volume 37, number 44 of your publication, the Reader. The article was entitled “Smear Machine,” and it …

Some San Diegans came out on top in this year’s electoral derby. Some didn’t. Among the biggest winners was La Jolla’s Christine Forester, the widow of noted architect and artist Russell Forester. On August 22 …

Utility giant Sempra Energy continued to pour money into local Republican Party coffers right up until the verge of the election, according to state campaign disclosure records. Sempra’s final preelection contribution, $10,000, was on Election …

Thirty Years AgoSILHOUETTE, how about the little park by the ocean in La Jolla Sunday afternoon. Quiet Man. PYTHON FANS: Does anyone know the number of albums that MP has made? If so, how many? …

My love Patrick is a man of many talents: handyman, gardener, chef, athlete, and baker. Goodness, he even sings opera. Last week he added another skill to his list of accomplishments: hairstylist. The economy’s squeezing …

The weekend before Halloween I hit a few parties related to my volunteer work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I usually do office work or airport pickups for them, but Evelynn asked me to help put …

Just because everything is different doesn’t mean anything has changed. — Irene Peter I’m not the type to mount a soapbox and demand credit for my accomplishments, but in this case, it never could have …

My roommate wandered in while I was watching a movie on TV. We’re still settling into our new place and she was retrieving and placing things in what she determined were their new proper spots. …

Worthwhile primarily for the view, which can be wide-ranging and spectacular on the clearest late fall or winter days, the Rim Trail in Mission Trails Regional Park rambles along a sparsely vegetated ridgeline overlooking much …

“It’s a family thing we got going,” said the man in the long, gray plaid jacket, the silver of his rings matching that of the religious medallion hanging outside his vest. “We’re concerned about each …

‘What kind of repairs do you do? Tune-ups? Rebuilds?” I’m talking to Kris Wells, 37, store manager at the UCSD Bike Shop. “All that,” Wells says. “The big things are the headset [bearing assembly that …

It would have been two weekends ago, All Souls (morphed along our border into Day of the Dead), a date I have had fun with in the past. It is, if nothing else, an opportunity …

When the Roman emperor Nero was born in AD 37, an astrologer declared he would have a “naturally cruel heart” and would become a “public danger.” Another warned, Nero “will be king and will kill …

“I didn’t drive here,” says Dale. “Why would I? I live two blocks away. This is my local. I used to spend $200–$300 a month on gas. Now it’s more like $60. We walk! This …

The Curse of Samurai Jim struck again — third time in a row. We were heading for a new Caribbean place in the Gaslamp, but when we called for a res, the phones were disconnected. …

“I had a feeling that something was wrong for a long time.” Fifty-six-year-old David Clark says as he lies recovering at a friend’s home from a liver transplant he received on June 13, 2008. He …

“The vice squad contacted the Bluefoot Bar for our very first session because they saw an ad for it and were, like, ‘We’re going to be watching you,’” says Lily Jackson, emcee for Dr. Sketchy’s …

The Vivian Girls were the heroines of a 15,000-page novel by Henry Darger, a reclusive janitor who died in obscurity, only to posthumously become one of the most famous and influential outsider artists in the …

The grunge family tree is not complicated. Before there was Nirvana or Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, or even those grand imitators the Stone Temple Pilots, there was a Bellevue, Washington band called Green River. Green …

It sounds more like a sensitive literary little indie, maybe something to do with a Physics teacher passed over for tenure and consoled in the arms of a fatherless grad student, but Quantum of Solace …

Matt Resovich is one of those musicians who keeps busy and often commits to many projects at a time. He’s performed with the Black Heart Procession, the Album Leaf, Mung, and Battling Maxo over the …

During his 25 years on local radio, deejay Steve West has survived prostate cancer, at least 16 different program directors and general managers, and a market-wide takeover by the Clear Channel conglomerate. Last week, West …

Death Cab for Cutie bassist Nick Harmer posts details online about the backstage mishap suffered by singer Ben Gibbard before the band’s October 29 show at SDSU’s Cox Arena. “So tonight in San Diego, Ben …

“The ghost of Frank Zappa keeps appearing in my dreams and bugging me to do mass overdubs on stuff from his catalog,” says Tony Villodas. As “Tony Mind controle,” he posts music at MySpace.com/IsItFrankZappa that …

Marc Intravaia: “Eve Selis and I played a private show back in 1994 or ’95 for about 1000 doctors at the Hotel Del. A doctor dropped dead at the side of the stage of a …

“My two bands are so different; I lead a completely bipolar life,” says local bandleader Gary Zon, who fronts the industrial goth group Dismantled and a breezy pop outfit called Aerodrone. “I started Dismantled back …

Twenty-eight years ago today (11/13/80), downtown’s California Theatre hosted a new-wave concert with 20/20 that was shut down by cops. “I’ve seen more than my fair share of police harassment at the various new-wave clubs …

Hey, Matt: I was using one of those hand sanitizers the other day and noticed on the bottle: “kills 99.9% of all germs.” What about the .1% that they don’t kill? Let’s say there are …

Artist: Pac 10Song: “You Could Be Next” (from the CD Franchise Players)Heard By: Jason Kjolsing, Mira Mesa I thought it was interesting subject matter. It was about how George Bush messed up the country and …

"Huevos con Queso," by Agave, was the most downloaded MP3 from our website in October. Below is an interview with the band’s primary songwriter, Rusty Bishop. What is it about Mexico that musicians — especially …

John G. Capron, c. 1870. When he died in 1914 at age 86, Capron’s obituaries credited him as “the last of the four men who had most to do with building the San Diego area …

Recipe by Marguerite Grifka, the Starlite. I have always been an avid home cook. I would characterize my food philosophy as using the best, freshest ingredients and highlighting the natural flavors. I try to screw …

Mayor Jerry Sanders gave San Diego’s three new city council members a little taste of what they should expect during their first year on the council. The day after elections, while the final votes were …

Back in 2006, Escondido City Council members Ed Gallo and Sam Abed teamed up in support of a controversial housing ordinance aimed at preventing landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants. During that debate, Abed and …

Author: Jason Gentile Neighborhood: San Diego Age: 28 Occupation: Musician/Graphic Designer Okay, ­here’s the deal: I ­don’t really have a neighborhood. A description of my general place of residence would look something like this: Pacific …

It’s Friday morning, and a woman in casual clothes, with a viola case on her back, bicycles down Harbor Drive. She’s headed toward Embarcadero Park, behind the Convention Center, for a summer pops rehearsal of …

Album: It’s About Time (2008) Artist: Plane Without a Pilot Label: Rdub Recordings Where available/price: iTunes, CDBaby.com, Lou’s Records in Encinitas, Taang! Records, Music Trader, Thirsty Moon Records, Off the Record in North Park, M-Theory …

Twenty-nine years ago this week (11/10/79), the Dead Kennedys played the final concert staged at the city’s first punk venue – downtown’s original Skeleton Club on Fourth Avenue, across from Horton Plaza. Owner Laura Fraser …

“Including the champagne and a gallon of gold body paint, it ran about $30,000,” says Michael Page of a 3D video recently shot by PassmoreLab, the local visual production firm at which he works. (Page …

“I’m the new singer for the Bay City Rollers,” says local Eric Crabb. “Their guitarist Ian Mitchell lives in Orange County now, and he saw me on YouTube. It was an audition video I did …

Blitz Recording Studios owner Richard Livoni says, “I think only Signature Sound or maybe Studio West have been around longer.” Livoni’s Mission Hills storefront has been around for 14 years; before setting up shop on …

“There were naked people everywhere,” says Lee Williams, drummer for the Burning of Rome. The band played San Francisco’s Exotic Erotic Ball and Expo on October 24. Advertised as “A Celebration of Flesh, Fetish, and …

Anyone at the Sports Arena’s Panic at the Disco show last month might have noticed that the house was only about half full. Recent Soma shows by national touring artists Norma Jean, Haste the Day, …

Clint Eastwood was due for a dud. Changeling stacks up as his flattest film, his stumpiest film, since Blood Work, bookending his hot streak of Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and the Second World War …

“We normally process and adopt out 45 to 50 dogs a year — this year we have taken in and processed 87 dogs,” says Barbara McNair, president of Pug Rescue of San Diego County. “Most …

“Hello? at home. drunk” said the text message I finally received at 9 p.m. I thought, What did I do wrong to turn this hopeful young relationship into late-night booty texts? Through many protracted therapy …

Beth AccomandoCurator, Film School Confidential, sdfcs.org Whether you are rejoicing or reeling from the election, here is a trio of films fit for any election year. Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate, with Robert Redford as a …

“This is how I rock, this is how I roll Black, Puerto Rican brother with some soul. Though it took a while to accept my style This is who I am, and I won’t deny …

The Black Lips are famous for doing crazy things onstage — such as playing their guitars with their willies — so if you can find a performer who has shocked the Black Lips with his …

Ever since their inception during the Carter administration, the B-52’s have been hard at work nailing down their status as the world’s greatest party band. Max’s Kansas City nightclub in Manhattan was a fit for …

She buries her face into his shirt. He stares, bug-eyed, out the window. You know he’s pondering a bi-ig problem. They’re sitting on the side seats at the back of the Number 7. He gets …

Water and Power, the title of Richard Montoya’s “stage noir” drama, sums up Southern California history in three words. Forget gold, railroads, or waves upon waves of health seekers. Water has always ruled our region. …

Shall I give Halloween a rest? I don’t much think so. Why me? In fact, I notice it growing on me day by day, and I’ve been paying more attention to its utility as, if …

I like sandhill cranes. It’s the pterodactyl in them, the too-long toothpick legs, the Ichabod Crane anatomy, the black beak, and the 1950 Mercury convertible red top that sends me back to those Triassic period …

November 2 was the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed at St. Mary, Star of the Sea — All Souls’ Day, the Day of the Dead. Sheets of parchment hung along the walls of the …

My slang word has a two-fold meaning. The first is the origin of how I came up with it. I work as a barista at a coffee place that isn’t Starbucks, and I started saying …

Temescal Canyon and Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades are just two of the many units of parkland and open space that make up the sprawling Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The …

We’ve focused so exclusively on the election that I’m unsure I’ll know what to do with myself when it’s over. I write this two days before The Tuesday, the incredibly important Tuesday, the Tuesday two …

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. — Abraham Lincoln Before finalizing …

When KGB had its Sky Show at Qualcomm a few weeks ago, I heard about a party at a house nearby that had a perfect view — a nice way to avoid all the stadium …

Chances are your stockbroker or financial planner is telling you to buy stocks now. Oh, there is a chance they will go down in the short run, he or she will say, but in a …

Thirty Years AgoSo why does a glance at the front page of the San Diego Union’s Flight 182 “memorial edition” elicit a shiver? “If my daughter got killed in that crash and some jerk newspaper …

Face it, the meats at most local chain supermarkets are roadkill. Plumped with antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides and raised in crowded pens ankle-deep in their own manure, they lead short, unhealthy lives and periodically pass …

‘This recession is taking a toll on my love life,” sighed my friend Tara. “My husband and I used to go out every Friday night. Now it’s just too expensive — especially when you factor …

Recipe by Joe Magnanelli, executive chef, Laurel Restaurant. I’m a self-taught cook. I never went to culinary school, even though I worked at some very established restaurants, such as those in the Ritz-Carlton and the …

Matt: I can’t figure this out. Maybe you can. When I’m at work, mostly, I seem to always be rubbing my face and eyes. I rub them pretty hard, which really messes up my makeup. …

Union-Tribune investigative reporter Brooke Williams has asked the office of San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders to turn over documents it has in its files on a former U-T colleague. In a Public Records Act request …

No News Feed Don Bauder didn’t contact enough people before writing his diatribe about the “Wolverine” network (“Smear Machine,” “City Lights,” October 30). Had he done what a journalist should have done (and Don used …

In the midtown community of Banker's Hill, a convertible Mercedes drives down Olive Street straight through the intersection with Third Avenue and onto a narrow paved driveway. The car coasts past a wooden sign displaying …

Legislative-lobbying filings are in for the third quarter, and, as usual, utility giant Sempra Energy has been one of the big free spenders. The company paid $120 for food, beverage, and transportation for each of …

With the expected onset of a recession, the City of San Diego is facing mounting budget woes. But so far, at least, Mayor Jerry Sanders has continued to spend plenty on the City’s Sacramento lobbyist. …

Ever since the “strong mayor” form of governance was adopted Mayor Sanders has been hard to find at city council meetings. It’s been even harder for the average citizen to get his attention. On October …

On October 29th, San Diego County’s Environmental Health Department confirmed that a new case of hantavirus was found in a rodent at Mission Trails Regional Park, making it the fourth such case found this year. …

While I was growing up in Valley Center, my dogs had the life. We lived on a five-acre ranch and the dogs were free to roam. We had a Collie, who was an adult, and …