Not long ago, Forks, Washington, was among the dreariest and most unremarkable expired lumber towns in the country. Teenagers would kill time getting twisted on the “A” road, a desolate lumber route rumored to be …

I started writing on the Reader blog recently, simply for fun and to put out some fun little fiction and non fiction stories and some that had more depth. I am not a trained writer …

"For a variety of reasons, companies are still able to provide limited benefits to partners of same sex couples," said Marc Solomon, marriage director for Equality California, at a June 30 meeting of San Diego's …

“There’s a study by Barry Bittman,” says Davida Price, “that found that 30 minutes of drumming actually improves the production of T-cells.” Price, 29, is a certified music therapist. “Those are the cells that are …

I grew up in a religion that loved everything I would be taught to disdain in graduate school: America, authority, marriage, motherhood, and divine revelation. My father was a history-reading intellectual who treated me like …

Depression Definition While it is worthwhile for Don Bauder to have administered a dose of reality to the discourse over the “economic crisis,” for example, as to the mendacity of the Federal Reserve chairman, “Snail …

I had to think twice about trying Little Sheep, a Mongolian hot-pot restaurant, but I figured that if I hated it, I could title the review “Baah, humbug!” That’s because my prior experience with hot …

“Danger: Sheer Unstable Cliffs. Stay Back." The sign has been hammered into the sand a couple of yards from the edge. No fence. Big slab of rock down in the ocean looks like a fossilized …

Rachel Hauck’s set for Surf Report, at the La Jolla Playhouse, tells much of the story by itself. A sleek unit structure, upper walkway and open lower area, serves as a house, an office, even …

Settling down in a Starbucks on Fifth in the Gaslamp on a drizzling Monday morning, I am attempting to pore over the U-T to see what I missed over the weekend — what, maybe, I …

I’ve known…I’ll call him “David,” for 32 years. Like most people, I have several circles of friends. There’s a circle of artists/writers/actors, a circle of blue-collar Alaskans, and a circle of tai chi practitioners. David …

Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord, If I Contend Justus quidem tu es, Dominie, si disputem tecum Verumtamen justa ad te: Quare via impiorum prosperatur? &c. Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend With thee; …

Thursday 1If Björk is your brownie, my little pop-sweet indie geeks, then Parisian pair CocoRosie is that half-baked, which can be good, too, non? Cult-y Casady sisters Bianca and Sierra broke with the first wave …

Lights On celebrates their debut full-length Here Comes the Ocean with a release party on Saturday, July 3, at the Tin Can Ale House. “We’re doing a vinyl and cassette release only, with a digital …

San Diego dream-pop indie band Little White Teeth headed into SDRL Studios in April of 2009. Fourteen months later, Little White Teeth, whose songs are tinged with influences from Low, Yo La Tengo, and Galaxie …

“Jay Bogart — that was his punk name — was killed by a guy who went by the name of Chris Jarhead and whose actual name was Chris Cruise.” Eric Rife talks about a scene …

Thirty-Five Years AgoOne might begin to enumerate the virtues of the Old Globe’s Much Ado About Nothing by talking about the lighting. Lighting designers tend to be among the least noticed — and often enough …

San Diego city officials are spending $11.8 million to study whether sewage can be converted into drinking water, but their personal water supply is entirely another matter. According to a recent request for proposal, the …

Democratic congresswoman Susan Davis, already the junket queen of San Diego’s House delegation, has been racking up more miles of late. She and her husband, physician Steve Davis, went away to a swanky resort hotel …

1. One Southern California municipality recently offered its citizens big discounts on electric lawnmowers if they would drop off their old gasoline mowers at a local stadium parking lot. 1950 mowers were collected. What stadium …

Membership: 3000 individuals Pastor: Jim Standiford Age: 62 Born: West Virginia Formation: University of Redlands, Redlands, CA; Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, CA Years Ordained: 40 San Diego Reader: How long do you usually spend …

Dear Matthew: Is it just me, or does food generally taste better when we’re hungry? I swear I can barbecue for the family at home and the food doesn’t taste special, but then we can …

We learn geology the morning after the earthquake. — Ralph Waldo Emerson I felt the tremor in my feet before I heard the familiar groan in the walls — my home bracing itself for a …

Latest outflow from the sluggish mainstream and the rushing ­tributaries: Winter’s Bone. Debra Granik’s top-prize recipient at this year’s Sundance festival, a poky, low-key, somewhat parsimonious rural thriller with a simple set-up: if absent Dad, …

Melissa MolinaFilm critic,latinoreview.com Joss ­Whedon’s short-lived cult show Firefly spawned the feature Serenity. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his crew dodge the Alliance ­that’s hunting for his two newest additions. The film is full of …

My 14-year-old’s birthday is just around the corner. “He’s too old for toys,” says my husband. “Maybe he just needs bigger toys,” I answer. “Our go-carts run on gas and have a 200 cc, 6.5-horsepower …

Since 2005, after making more than $1.5 million profit from selling the Singing Serpent Studios property on 17th Street near City College (co-owned with partners), Rafter Roberts has been able to finance his own rhythmic …

In early January, Leon Russell underwent brain surgery at an undisclosed hospital in California to correct what was described as a chronic condition. Some news reports also claimed that the 68-year-old Oklahoman had suffered heart …

Bianca and Sierra Casady can and often do make beautiful music, but they don’t make it easy for anyone to love them. First, there are the publicity photos in which the sisters appear dressed in …

Complications for the City of Chula Vista and police chief David Bejarano have begun to pile up like cars on a rain-slicked San Diego freeway. In early April, Art Moreno, head of Presidential Security Services, …

“Unless he changes his position, Jeff Light is going to be known as Jeff Darkness.” Thus speaks Sandra Dijkstra, a nationally known literary agent in Del Mar, talking about the new editor of the Union-Tribune. …

Well, I think I may be right about the Padres and the fact that Mr. Moorad or whomever is in charge, has some sort of BIG payment due in August. First of all he sent …

Earlier this month I spent over two weeks on the road. It was a 2,400 mile circumnavigation of Northern Arizona, Western Utah, Central Nevada, and the California Sierras. It started out as a TCB (Takin' …

Hot Hot Heat's latest offering screams, “We are unique, damn it!” With their desire to play multiple styles of music, make up words (“Implosionatic”), and spell ghettoized versions of real ones (“Buzinezz Az Uzual”), it …

What's up with the platypus? It's like a duck smeared over a beaver, but then it swims like an otter and, really, what sort of mammal lays eggs, anyway? It's totally ridiculous and probably alien, …

About halfway through his engaging summertime set, Kenny Loggins told the people who had gathered to see him at the San Diego County Fair that, given the venue's proximity to MCAS Miramar, "We'll probably have …

Fans were growing impatient as the Tubes had allowed 45 minutes to elapse after the long warm-up set by local trio Vacscene. But they hit the stage and made amends by showcasing their stellar rhythm …

The City of San Diego is trying to sink future "floatilla" events on San Diego waterways by banning anyone in an inner tube from getting inebriated. The raft ragers, sometimes with as many as 6000 …

“It’s unconstitutional,” said longtime Escondido resident Scott Davis on June 23, speaking in front of the Escondido City Council to address the red-light cameras within city limits. The city, according to the police department, has …

On the first anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death, June 25, the San Diego County Fair celebrated the pop icon by hosting the “Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band,” Who’s Bad. By 7:00 p.m., the Paddock’s stage …

Forty year San Marcos resident Helen Cortez appeared in front of the city council on June 22 to comment on the increased noise from Sunset Park, which is directly across from her home. Cortez described …

When Pablo told me to go to Luján with him, I was not excited – and sadly mistaken. I expected a desiccated religious tour, not a culinary adventure into the heart of Argentine cuisine. My …

Something about truly insane rock 'n' roll turns a crowd into one flailing, orgiastic organism — sharing space, joking about collisions, unafraid of looking foolish. Even before Ty pulls a fan onstage — placing the …

On June 22, the Chula Vista City Council suspended a campaign-enforcement ordinance that has troubled the City every election cycle since its inception. According to city attorney Bart Miesfield, the stated purpose for this campaign …

Where would you go out at night in New Orleans? Bourbon Street, right? Me too. But after satiating the people-watching craving via the drunken crowds and after having enough of the flashing neon signs, I …

Wednesday, June 23, two dozen Banker’s Hill and Park West residents, many representing the residential towers Bellefontaine and Park Laurel, filed into the penthouse at the Century Plaza Tower for the monthly meeting of the …

Shauna Riisoe works at the South Metro Career Center, one of several one-stop centers operated by the San Diego Workforce Partnership. What’s your role at the center? In terms of daily assignments, we all switch …

Summer is upon us, and if you recently graduated from college and are not working toward an advanced degree, you will be in the job market. You are at a pivotal time of your life. …

Green is the new black. Green is cool, it’s fashionable, and it’s profitable. For those who don’t believe in global warming, that’s fine. But, hopefully if you’re out of work you will at least consider …

On the afternoon of June 23, protestors clashed on Newport Avenue, attracting several news crews and police. The demonstration, originally intended as a peaceful picketing/petitioning event organized by Frank Gormlie of the OB Rag community …

Efforts to bridge the gap between north and south University City failed during Wednesday's Land Use and Housing Committee meeting in San Diego City Council Chambers. The proposed Regents Road Bridge over Rose Canyon has …

Skateworld, a Linda Vista landmark on Linda Vista Road, is on its way to extinction after the San Diego Redevelopment Agency approved a negotiation agreement on June 15 with a development company for the agency-owned …

A Christian martyrdom is never an accident, for Saints are not made by accident. Still less is a Christian martyrdom the effect of a ­man’s will to become a Saint, as a man by willing …

A man calling himself "Mr. Watchdog" was escorted out of Carlsbad City Council chambers on June 22 after hurling expletives at the mayor and council members during public comment. Mr. Watchdog was the first citizen …

As far back as I can remember, my parents expected me to go to college and get a degree before I thought about working. It was a given. To them – adults with only high …

The Smoke Fairies had me at "Frozen Heart." Actually, on more comprehensive listening to their collection of bits ’n’ pieces, they had me at "When You Grow Old." Will you remember me, the singer wonders. …

Once known as the “sixth Eagle,” John David (aka J.D.) Souther walked away from the music industry in the 1980s to try his hand at acting; he returned 24 years later in 2008 with If …

Steve Miller is back with his first new studio album in 17 years, featuring the Gangster of Love's re-discovery of his Chicago blues roots. This album showcases the signature Miller Band sound with the addition …

Jung-Ho Pak and Orchestra Novaban keep St. Paul’s Cathedral on their list of venues (along with Sherwood and Qualcomm auditoriums) despite a multitude of problems that the venue presents. For starters, the lack of parking …

The wife of Bill Lerach, onetime lawyer and investor champion who did a stretch in federal prison after copping a plea to fraud charges related to a client kickback scheme, gave a cool $1000 to …

San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders, fresh off his “strong mayor” ballot victory, may have come up with a unique way to use the expensive reclaimed water that the City is capable of churning out at …

Lions and Tigers and Xolos In a dusty field behind a racetrack in Tijuana, the line of cars trying to park snakes into the distance. Once we park, we look around and see that we’re …

Membership: 80 Families Pastor: Father Simeon Corona Age: 45 Born: Los Angeles Formation: Lutheran Bible Institute, Seattle, WA; Concordia College, St. Paul, MN; Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA; Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, …

Recipe by Mario Cassineri, executive chef, BICE I don’t cook when I am at home. If I am alone or have time off, I go out to restaurants to see what is going on in …

Dear Matthew Alice: My mother showed me a trick to do with a big shell she has, and I want to know how it works. When I put the shell on my ear, I can …

Life changed after that jump…. I’d suddenly stepped to the highest level of daring, a level above even that which airplane pilots could attain. — Charles Lindbergh That quote about skydiving caught my eye. Perhaps …

Show me a woman who doesn’t feel guilty and I’ll show you a man. — Erica Jong The phone rang. I grabbed the receiver, glanced across the counter at David, and said, “Two guesses.” “Don’t …

“The disk is a whale,” Howard Blakeslee, science editor at Associated Press, wrote to George Ellery Hale in 1934. “Every detail is on a scale so much larger than anything heretofore attempted.” “And if the …

Shout Out To A Brutha Thank you for the article “I Was Bred for This” (Cover Story, June 17), about “Sgt. Tom O’Brian.“ If he was deployed from Fort Lewis, Washington, around July of 2009 …

It’s summer-movie time, bringing all those boyish action flicks, indefatigable heroes with glam starlets breathing heavily all over them. This story, however, features a heroine, a dynamic brunette with more energy than Lara Cross, a …

Slap, slap, slap. Joanna’s whipping those dough balls into tortillas. “Busy day today,” she says. She’s working right here with her tables and pans, out on the Astroturf entrance to Don Diego’s, a red, orange, …

“People who have hallucinations after operations sometimes ­don’t seem to come all the way back. Part of them gets lost. The hallucination can be at least as good, as powerful and compelling and meaningful as …

Mediaweek reports, “Through the first 14 matches of the World Cup, ESPN and ABC have delivered an average crowd of 3.35 million viewers, marking a 64 percent increase from the same period in 2006....” The …

In spring and late summer, the “elfin forest” of chaparral in the Santa Monica Mountains takes on a dozen shades of green and bursts forth with nectar-bearing blossoms that are often more attractive to the …

Earth has not anything to show more fair: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty …

Thursday 24Catchiest sets to get to this week are two SanFran bands, current standard bearers of the Bay Area’s indie scene, Ty Segall and Sonny & the Sunsets, at Bar Pink Thursday night. Segall is …

Word blew in from the desert that San Diego mystic-pop trio Maquiladora was re-collecting for a tour this summer. Follows is an e-chat with cofounder Eric Nielsen from the beardo’s O.B. dojo of drone. How …

When ex-Paladin Dave Gonzalez plays a CD-release show at the Casbah Friday night with his new “Texas funk” band the Stone River Boys, he will in effect be honoring his San Diego roots by performing …

“Dancey music will always be coveted by people.... It’s this inevitable thing about the human heartbeat and how we relate to rhythms,” says Keith Milgaten of electro-pop trio Jamuel Saxon over a beer at Small …

Chris Braciszewski’s alter ego is Snuffaluffagus, based on a large wooly mammoth that lived in the imagination of Sesame Street’s Big Bird. It also happens to be the name of Braciszewski’s collaborative music project. “I’m …

Thirty-Five Years AgoTHIS EERIE MALE still playing long shots, nevertheless would like an eerie female around the house. Special inducement, summer trip to Lake Erie. KIM: What’s this about Gharlene taking over the Coordinator’s office? …

Pixar’s Toy Story 3, or if it makes any difference Lee Unkrich’s Toy Story 3, adds little but minutes to the previous sequel, and for a computer-animated children’s film it adds quite a lot of …

“People have told us we sound like the Black Keys meets the Yeah Yeah Yeahs,” says Lucina Gonzalez, singer for Black Hondo. “Or the Jefferson Airplane. Shocking Blue kisses the Doors. Or PJ Harvey in …

Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects have described their music as “lowrider, Latin dub music,” but that doesn’t do justice to how mysterious it is. Trumpet and sax drift in and out of bass-heavy rhythms, …

When Sharon Jones was eight or nine years old, her father took her to see James Brown. The Godfather of Soul made an indelible impression. Decades later, Jones told NPR that she believed she never …

81 pounds of wood and steel Valentine’s Day, 2010: Strolling through the outer edges of downtown before heading home for the evening. Passing Salvatore’s Cucina Italiana at the corner of Front and G and glancing …

On April 4, Easter Sunday, Blanca Quintero was driving in Mexicali to visit her mother’s crypt when the magnitude 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake began rocking her SUV. Cracks opened in the street before her, and …

Almost always, the deeper an economy plunges, the more vigorously it springs back. But this Great Recession is different. Therefore, it’s time for a reality check. Economic growth — in the United States and in …

The last time Sammy Hagar had a hit single, The Karate Kid was a new story, the San Diego County Fair was called the Del Mar Fair, and the speed limit really was 55. But …

In the summer of 2000, I packed up my trusty backpack and guitar and bought a one-way ticket to Europe with my travel buddy, Jesse. We spent our first leg of our European tour in …

A renegade priest who has refused to give up his Rosarito Beach parish says he has filed a criminal complaint of robbery against the archbishop of Tijuana, the Tijuana daily Frontera reports. Father Raymundo Figueroa …

Hoarse vocals delivering 12 mid-tempo or slow, contemplative songs with well-trodden folk-rock structures usually earn a quick "No" from this quarter. McGraw grapples with grand topics: the death of a loved one and/or the Meaning …

San Diego pioneers WITT and Snuffaluffagus are off on a West Coast tour to Canada. The send-off show at UCSD's Ché Café sees an all-ages (read: teenages) crowd hopping around to upbeat indie Bossa Nova …

Santa Fe is a haven for artists, foodies and wilderness lovers – so it's pretty much a place for everyone. The art on Canyon Road extends up a mile-long road with gallery after gallery filling …

After numerous cancellations, the date for a public hearing on the downtown Escondido Marriott has been posted. On June 30, at 4 p.m., the public will have a chance to give their support or express …

“Is there any more comments?” asked Pacific Beach Town Council president Rose Galliher at the monthly meeting on June 16. Community members had just commented on the motion read by Scott Chipman, “That the Pacific …

Tijuana citizens were ecstatic on June 14 when the Mexican national team, “El Tri,” defeated European soccer powerhouse France 2 to 0 in the World Cup. The surprising victory reverberated with the historical conquest of …

Standing in front of four news cameras, five reporters, and a dozen San Diego Unified Schools staff members, school board president Richard Barrera stood at a podium to announce the three finalists to become the …

Martin Vasquez, a downtown pedicab driver, appeared before the San Diego City Council on June 15 to give his side of the story regarding the impounding of his pedicab by the San Diego police. On …

I’ve been sitting at my desk for three days, trying to effectively capture the feeling of what it‘s like to stand in the middle of the Tokyo train station after 12 hours of ass cramps …

"You will not be coming back for additional funds? Everything is accounted for? You know the cameras are recording this?" Councilmember and rules committee member Todd Gloria asked mayoral staffer Amy Benjamin during Wednesday's hearing …

On June 15, the Chula Vista City Council postponed passing a resolution that would potentially affect anyone driving in the city of Chula Vista. After many residents expressed concern about the consequences of passing the …

The new east-west pedestrian bridge being constructed at the San Ysidro border crossing is rising rapidly from its formerly inchoate state. Since a pile-driver pounded piers into the ground a few months back, it’s been …

For the past seven months, members of the Pacific Beach Planning Group have studied alcohol-related issues in Pacific Beach. On June 14, they presented their findings during a “special meeting.” Scott Chipman, chairman of the …

The Munro Trail is a scenic, moderately challenging and sometimes wet hike through the Koele uplands on the island of Lana'i. On a recent visit, we hiked part of the Munro Trail to Koloiki Ridge, …

Jack Belyea’s truck company became world famous for hauling gargantuan objects. In 1930, he and his brothers transported a 110-foot, 115-ton kiln 26 miles, then lowered it down a 20-percent grade with winches. They moved …

“I’m a disabled Navy vet with schizophrenia,” says Jonny B. Russell, who began playing guitar at age 14. “I’m currently taking the medication Abilify, and I’m doing well; I have been stabilized.” Beginning in 1987, …

Chandra and Leigh Watson are best known for singing backup on Jenny Lewis’s 2006 solo album Rabbit Fur Coat. Lewis — the singer of Rilo Kiley and an indie-rock pinup — got all the attention, …

In 1963, Jamaicans Neville O’Riley Livingston, Peter McIntosh, and Nesta Robert Marley — jacked on weed and American pop by the likes of Ray Charles and Fats Domino — formed a group of their own. …

Journeyman musician Michael Rennie has found a home in San Diego, in Normal Heights, where the Rio Peligroso singer-guitarist frequents his favorite neighborhood pub Rosie O’Grady’s and sates his beer munchies at Blind Lady Ale …

Faced with The A-Team and The Karate Kid, or going back to pick up the slighted Get Him to the Greek and Marmaduke, I did what any free-willed film fan would do: went to the …

Thirty-Five Years AgoEven the most noble of persons will some time find himself in a petty fight, a small disagreement. And even the most noble of persons cannot always treat petty things as petty things; …

Evona Wascinski is a bassist with deep roots in the local trad-jazz scene. She has at various times backed or worked with first-call locals such as Gilbert Castellanos, Mikan Zlatkovitch, and Sue Palmer at area …

“Mad Max fan events have been occurring in Australia and Japan since the movies were first released, beginning in the late ’70s,” says Jim Howard of Wasteland Weekend, the apocalypse-themed festival he’s helping to organize. …

“I spent almost 20 years as a dancer,” says Alyssa Jacey, whose high point as a hoofer was her 2003 appearance at Super Bowl XXXVII. “But then, in 2004, I started doing karaoke, mainly as …

The four-piece rockabilly band Causing Problems was founded in 2000 by singer/guitarists Andy Killion and Branden Gerbracht. “We both picked up guitar after our old ska band broke up,” says Killion, who also plays clarinet …

Thursday 17Ready for some heavy mellow? L.A. recording artist Jim Putnam resets with a new crew of Radar Bros. for this year’s Merge Records crit hit The Illustrated Garden. Crawled up to Spaceland in March …

Wednesdays are jazz-jam night at Little Italy’s El Camino (formerly Airport Lounge), presented by legendary local trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos. Affable foot-tappers get loose over margaritas and sangria ($5) at tables inscribed with tarot archetypes. Girls, …

Joining joggers, walkers, and cyclists on local recreational pathways are a certain number of recreational skaters, especially those using fast, sleek, in-line skates. Smooth, paved footpaths, bike paths and sidewalks, plus a few traffic-free roads …

I’m busy, you’re busy, nobody wants to rip a month out of a busy life watching foreign-made sports on American TV. I’m talking about World Cup soccer, known to American sports consumers as men-in-short-shorts-fetishizing-a-pockmarked-ball-while-prancing-about-in-what-could-have-been-a-perfectly-serviceable-NFL-stadium. Still, …

Noel Coward’s elegant, daffy Private Lives begins where most comedies end. Two pairs of honeymooners take in the scenery at Deauville, France’s classiest seaside resort. While an orchestra plays below, they prepare for a fashionably …

I’ve passed Crown Bistro scores of times, always wondering about it: a little white building, well gardened and with an inviting front patio in front of a small white boutique hotel, it looks charming — …

Me Too Jason O’Bryan’s article was right on the money (“Looking for Work Has Become the New Work,” Cover Story, June 10). I felt like I could have written that article word for word. It …

Matthew: If we can run our cars on recycled oil from french fries and stuff like that, why can’t we use recycled fat sucked out of people’s guts? Or maybe we already do. How about …

La Jolla investor, philanthropist, and charter school advocate R.B. “Buzz” Woolley came up with a disappointing loss last week when his chosen candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, Democratic state senator Gloria Romero, placed …

Democratic assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, who quit her challenge to county supervisor Ron Roberts early in the race, has transferred cash she raised for that campaign into a new committee aimed at a 39th District state …

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. …

Towered cities please us then,/ And the busy hum of men. — John Milton The flags marked the transition from one kingdom to the next. I knew the meaning of all the colors and symbols …

I was once told by the editor who enlisted me into these pages to “write everything as if it is the last chance ­you’ll have to write anything at all.” This ­isn’t always possible, of …

A bitter media war is raging in San Diego’s gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community. The battle pits San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, an online operation that is less than a year old, against Gay and Lesbian Times, …

General Atomics, the San Diego manufacturer of the Predator attack drone, has recently come under fire in Colorado, where its wholly owned company the Cotter Corporation operates a uranium mill. The facility produces yellowcake, a …

The emergency room of the Naval Medical Center San Diego was buzzing. Veterans of all ages waited their turn to be seen. In the corner, San Diego native Sergeant Tom O’Brian grimaced in pain. The …

Ariel Pink's audience has been growing over the last several albums of shambolic, four-track pop zaniness, to the point that Before Today's release was met with feverish fanfare (and a feature in the L.A. Times). …

The sophomore effort from Canadian quartet Tokyo Police Club feels like a visit home after leaving for college. The album navigates the discovery that everything you once knew, though still there, will never be the …

The third album from San Diego garage-rockers the Loons is their first on L.A.-based cult label Bomp! Opening with a ’60s-style R&B stomper, “Between Grey Slates,” they take us on a trip to the terraced …

June 12 was the deadline for students to move out of UCSD’s on-campus dorms. The next day — with most of the student housing empty — there were at least two reported incidents of people …

At 10:00 a.m. on June 15, at the entrance into Ocean Beach, a ten-man crew with a heavy-duty generator and a hovercraft-looking device began to cordon off a tall Mexican fan palm tree with yellow …

“It was an accident,” said Rebecca, a representative of Ocean View Villas, following a dumpster fire outside the hotel’s offices on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. “We’re doing some internal investigating. It’s definitely some internal housekeeping issue. …

Debut album Innerspeaker from Aussie three-piece Tame Impala arrives just in time for summer navel-gazing. Recorded and produced by front man Kevin Parker, engineered by Death In Vegas's Tim Holmes, and mixed by Dave Fridmann …

Saturday's cool night drew a youngish crowd to Balboa Theater's beautifully restored auditorium, which was 80 percent full. We were greeted by Maestro David Atherton, who then turned and led the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra …

Sometime after midnight on June 11, someone stole the Bob’s Big Boy statue from in front of the restaurant located at 27313 Jefferson Avenue in Temecula. Store general manager Laura Roberts noticed the statue missing …

On Saturday, June 12, upward of 50 near-nude bicyclists rode a loop from Hillcrest to the courthouses in downtown, drawing attention from tourists and locals. Many of the riders wore just enough clothing to cover …

KSDS deejay and jazz vocalist Cynthia Hammond celebrated the 20th anniversary of her weekly program "Local Jazz Corner" with a concert featuring three jazz combos. Opening the show was a trio led by San Diego …

Donna Westbrook, an Encinitas resident, appeared before the city council on June 9 to address a recent administrative approval for the installation of WiMAX antennas in the coastal zone of Encinitas. WiMAX antennas, according to …

On June 10 at approximately 4 p.m., Clubber Lang was spotted waddling across the green atop the cliffs at Law Street with his owner, local yoga instructor Steve Hubbard. Clubber is a two-year-old, 150-pound pot-bellied …

The San Diego American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has blasted media coverage of the May 28 death of Anastacio Hernández Rojas following a tasering and alleged beating by U.S. Border Patrol agents at the San …

After 12-years, Hole returns with an 11-song collection produced by Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Ozzy, Chili Peppers). Despite the heaviness in Beinhorn and Hole’s respective pasts, most of the tracks here are singer-songwriterly, where acoustics provide …

The Pacific Beach Planning Group is throwing a party on Monday, June 14, at the Pacific Beach Middle School Auditorium. The theme of the party is alcohol, and attendees are asked to bring their own …

At approximately 2:45 in the afternoon on June 9, two men were assassinated in a vehicle in the La Mesa section of Tijuana, approximately 12 miles east of downtown. Witnesses testified that the victims were …

Following a catered dinner at the Joyce Beers Community Center, the June 8 Hillcrest Town Council Meeting got under way. A panel of three voiced their opinions and answered questions pertaining to the issue of …

How many people want to be unpaid movie extras, sit in the hot sun all day, and pretend to watch a fake tennis match? For the modestly budgeted Hollywood movie filming around San Diego this …

During the recent Memorial Day weekend, a Carlsbad resident observed several large RVs constantly parked just north of the Tamarack Beach area in Carlsbad. The same resident appeared before the city council on June 8 …

The San Marcos Sheriff's Station is looking for a woman who responds to ads posted in businesses, the Penny Saver, and craigslist for rooms to rent. The suspect calls and arrives to see the room, …

The Carlsbad City Council unanimously approved changes to the animal noise abatement and control code at their June 8 meeting. The amendment adopts San Diego County's code of regulatory ordinances regarding the treatment of animal-noise …

“The city put the wrong signs up…’no alcohol at Kate Sessions Park’…that’s illegal,” said a concerned Pacific Beach resident on the afternoon of June 7. “Park and Rec were anticipating a ban — that is …

Pastor Randa ­D’Aoust Church: La Mesa First United Methodist Address: 4690 Palm Avenue, La Mesa Phone: 619-466-4163 Web: lamesaumc.com/ Membership: 220 individual Pastor’s age: 61 Born: Decatur, ­Ill. Formation: University of Illinois-Urbana, Urbana, Ill.: bachelor’s …

The nose knows. Patrick enjoys the occasional cigar on guys’ night out. Hello, Father’s Day surprise from Eve. “Good cigars are all handmade,” said Cory, sales manager at Liberty Tobacco in Kearny Mesa (858-292-1772; libertytobacco.com; …

Hey, Matt: Maybe this isn’t a question for the elves, but I’ll ask it anyway. When I shave my beard, my face has always turned red and raw and I can’t find any way to …

For 15 years, Kenny Manzoni of Adventure Rib Rides has been motoring paying customers out of San Diego to watch whales and other marine mammals. He recalls the late 1990s, when he sometimes saw in …

A few weeks ago, Bonnie Wright’s laptop crashed after she spilled tea on its keypad. It was cheaper, she said, to upgrade. But the problem was that the newer laptop couldn’t read her address book, …

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is just one component of south Orange ­County’s 20,000-acre swath of coastal open-space parkland that is open to all kinds of non-motorized travel. The Big Bend Loop trail route (which takes …

Thursday 10Sebadude Lou Barlow’s had a fun reunion run over the past five years with his old band, Dinosaur Jr., which released ’09 standout Farm and toured a ton to great reviews. Lou’s back on …

Beyond the alien wind farms of Palm Springs, down the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway, a few miles off the 62 where the datura grows thick on the roadside, 3000 partiers converge for the eighth annual …

“Jail was fun, no big deal,” says Death of Desire singer Morbid of his “four-day weekend” in a downtown lockup. Last month, he and black metal bandmate Dawn Desiree were walking home from a P.B. …

‘Japan looks like a slow-moving train wreck,” says A. Gary Shilling, New Jersey–based economist who in 1988 was almost alone in predicting that the Japanese bubble would burst. But with the euro zone falling apart …

Day 1 Off the plane in San Diego, and ­it’s warm and sunny. Who ­knew? After two and a half years in Boston, ­I’ve quit my jobs and moved down here. I did this for …

Neal HallfordDirector, Witch Creek, witchcreekmovie.com The Changeling (not to be confused with Angelina Jolie’s Changeling) is a very suspenseful old-school horror movie that relied on atmosphere over gory theatrics. Stellar performance by George C. Scott …

Ratt left San Diego in the ’80s and scrabbled to the big prize in L.A. with their triple-platinum debut LP. After years of decadence, a few more albums, and the eventual drug death of guitarist …

“Our older brothers had a huge influence,” says Jonathan Mattson, who is one-half of jazz duo the Mattson 2. “My brother Mike played in Kut U Up. They toured with, like, Green Day, Jimmy Eat …

Toronto’s Sadies may be more famous as a backing band than as a band in their own right, but they are a hell of a band — equally at home playing alt-country, ’60s garage psychedelia, …

What Do Paris Hilton and 944 Have in Common? Ten San Diego print publications reviewed on Yelp.com, listed by number of reviews: San Diego Reader: 35 reviews, 2.5 stars. Comments: “I don’t really read it, …

1. Which of the following actors was NOT born in San ­Diego? a) Cameron Diaz b) Dennis Hopper c) Robert Duvall d) Gregory Peck 2. Many San Diegans recently observed Memorial Day by attending ceremonies …

Driving a brand-new car feels like driving around in an open billfold with the dollars flapping by your ears as they fly out the window. — Grey Livingston I led the uniformed man around the …

Thirty-Five Years AgoA San Diego tennis odyssey should both begin and end at Morley Field. This eucalytpus shaded corner of Balboa Park is a local tennis Mecca, and offers 25 of the finest, most immaculately …

You may recall Baby Rock, the notorious Tijuana nightclub founded in the late ’80s. A 1997 U.S. News and World Report article on Mexico’s booming drug trade found it to be “an elaborate faux-cave, four-level …

In May 2009, indie-rock/hip-hop duo Inspired Flight traveled north to play an after-party at a friend’s house in the Hollywood Hills. As Mira Mesa resident Eric Poline stood at the turntable and Gabe Lehner of …

Shame On You Re “Till Death Do Us Part. It’s the Only Way We Will,” by Thomas Larson (Cover Story, June 3). Shame on you for publishing that article about Ginger!!! Hasn’t the family suffered …

Too much, too soon? Bencotto, a new Northern Italian restaurant in Little Italy, launched sometime this winter (the earliest Yelp raves I’ve spotted were posted in early February). The management didn’t tell me about the …

Serendipity? This is how it happens: “No, no! Not one step further! You want 40 bucks down the drain?” Carla has planted her feet on the sidewalk. The palm trees are whipping around her. It’s …

Say you’re Tennessee Williams. The Glass Menagerie, which almost didn’t make it to New York, was an empyrean success in 1945. It ran for 561 performances and vaulted Williams to the heights. It also raised …

In terms of money, college football is an East Coast game. In the latest “College Football’s 20 Most Valuable Teams” list from Forbes, only one college west of the Continental Divide made it into the …

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I rediscovered what a great town it is for walking. The weather was miserable on the day of my arrival, reminding me of Mark Twain's quote that "the …

"For you," the merchant murmured, "three hundred Egyptian pounds." I guffawed. Three hundred pounds? For a little wooden lute? I wanted the rababah, to hang on my wall back home, but I wasn't about to …

Built on legend and myth of a world gone by, Tombstone is a town of Hollywood fame. But just across the desert from its dusty wooden walks lies a lesser-known area of lore.... I'm thankful …

The crowd was thin by the time A Frames took the stage, as apparently most of the concertgoers came to see local openers Nude Boy and Christmas Island. I, however, was almost quivering with anticipation …

After several years of contributing to downtown blight, the huge construction hole between Ash and Beech streets (bounded by Fourth and Fifth avenues) is finally being filled. The site of the planned Atmosphere condo development …

On June 2, UCSD's Associated Students Council voted to close the student-run Grove, the oldest café and first to sell espresso drinks on campus. The Grove is part of the Office of Enterprise Operations, dedicated …

News that the Neil Good Day Center will soon close is causing much angst among the ever-growing homeless population in downtown San Diego. Myra, supervisor at Neil Good Day Center, recently said, "Layoffs have already …

Jasmine is the first recorded collaboration by Jarrett and Haden in 30 years. Haden was an integral member of Jarrett's ensembles in the 1970s, playing a role in some of the finest music made in …

It had been a while since I went out after midnight, but I called on some liquid courage and ventured out to see the self-proclaimed “scariest band in the world,” Deadbolt. The show opened in …

Law enforcement agencies throughout San Diego County should open up a dialogue with medical marijuana dispensaries, revealed a June 9 report from the San Diego County Grand Jury. The report was issued after "numerous" complaints, …

"Long live Bradley Nowell," said Stick Figure via Twitter on May 25, the 14th anniversary of the Sublime founder’s passing. Three nights later, Stick Figure's performance at the 710 Beach Club indicated that Nowell's musical …

The Black Keys' new full-length, their seventh in eight years, is a collection of ballsy blues-rock that punches you gut level. No duo on earth plays louder than Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney. Authoritative drums …

On the early, overcast morning of June 1, a big rig truck owned by C.E. Wilson Co. transported one half of a house from Spring Valley to a property near Barona Casino. The first half …

I signed Mary and I up for a day-trip to Harper Cabin, in the central part of the Anza-Borrego Desert with the Anza-Borrego Foundation. My reasoning for signing up for an organized tour was twofold: …

The Caesar salad (romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper), originally invented at the Caesar Hotel on Avenida Revolución in the ‘20s, will be …

"Two years ago I stood before you telling you we were cutting out all of the fat. Last year was the flesh, the muscle, and the ligaments. Tonight, we're completely down to the bone," said …

A petition requesting increased security for El Cajon’s Westfield Parkway Shopping Center is circulating online. The petition had a slow start, with only a handful of signatures in its first few weeks, but the number …

On June 3, John Van Doorn, a candidate hoping to unseat District 5 county supervisor Bill Horn, held an American flag and waved at cars from an Interstate 15 overpass in Escondido. While red-faced and …

Emails have been circulating among women in Point Loma and Ocean Beach to warn of a suspicious male identified by police as someone "who says he's a freelance photographer." (Police know his name; however, because …

“What the hell were they thinking?” was the remark of an East Village resident who awoke to blasts of fireworks at nearby Petco Park on Monday, May 31. The Padres were celebrating Memorial Day and …

It’s been a whirlwind of emotions coming back to Chiang Mai. I can't believe I lived here for so long and made this place my home only 3 years ago. We immediately rented a motorbike …

Thankfully, I’m not referring to a severe tropical cyclone unleashing raging reptiles, but rather to drink and food. I arrived in the “birthplace of jazz” with a few goals outside of relishing music: to find …

A major morning-commute route for automobiles and buses, Calle Segunda (also known as Calle Benito Juárez) was ripped up a couple of days ago for resurfacing, virtually closing the popular artery to traffic between Avenida …

I had just finished the engine run-up and instrument check in a Cessna 172 and pulled up to the hold line for Gillespie Field's runway 27R at about 10:30 this morning, June 2. I switched …

In 2008, administrators for the School of Creative and Performing Arts, known widely as "the School," withdrew $65,568 in reserve associated student body (ASB) funds, meant to finance non-curricular events, and deposited the cash into …

“I don’t think they mean to be so degrading,” Little Hurricane’s drummer C.C. says over a beer at the Live Wire, “but I went to buy cymbal polish, and the guy said, ‘Well, what kind …

Seth Combs spent his last day in CityBeat’s North Park office last Wednesday after 15 months as its arts and culture editor. “There reaches a point where it starts to feel more like a job …

Thirty-Five Years AgoWho, indeed, was the wrong-headed entrepreneur who decided that Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jeff Beck would make a compatible concert bill? The coup certainly seemed tantalizing in the ads — two of the world’s …

1. Which of the following Republican candidates running for Barbara ­Boxer’s U.S. Senate seat has openly opposed ­Arizona’s new immigration ­laws? a) Tom Campbell b) Carly Fiorina c) Chuck De Vore d) None of the …

La Jolla financier and public affairs philanthropist R.B. “Buzz” Woolley has teamed up with Netflix founder Reed Hastings in a high-dollar independent campaign on behalf of South Gate city clerk and ex-teacher Carmen Avalos, who …

The Navy is preparing to resume live fire near the sands of Coronado after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed off last month on a plan to establish a “naval danger zone” in the …

Eastbound in the right lane of Highway 52, the San Clemente Canyon Freeway, you can look down upon a long, slender, almost unbroken swath of natural vegetation: massive sycamores, stately live oaks, swaying willows, climbing …

Afternoon. Across the garden, in Green Hall, someone begins playing the old piano — a spontaneous piece, amateurish and alive, full of a simple, joyful melody. The music floats among us in the classroom. I …

Thursday 3Courtney Love’s Hole will fill 4th&B tonight. Let me start again. Nineties alt-radio staples Hole have a new collection out on Mercury Records, Nobody’s Daughter, their first in a decade. Heard a pixilated version …

Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels debut their Americana soul album Until the Stars Came Out on Friday, June 4, with a release party at the Marble Room. “Rather than just selling downloads,” says front …

“I don’t know how to play a musical instrument,” says Sue Spray, “but I know how to make a guitar that sounds really good.” Spray also builds ukuleles and Celtic harps. “Some of my guitars …

In my years at this post, there have been no fewer than three re-releases of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. (A measure, some might suggest, of a too long length of time.) The latest one, at the …

Recipe by Su-Mei Yu, executive chef, Saffron. I hardly ever go out to eat except when my daughter is in town and we go out to try new restaurants. I cook every single day and …

On this shrunken globe, men can no longer live as strangers. — Adlai E. Stevenson People think time is fixed, an immutable truth like the laws of mass and energy. They’re wrong. Seven days of …

The man needs a large Father’s Day gift. He’s been pouring his energy into his work, fixing our bathroom, gardening, playing kickball with the kids, and performing lots of loving acts of service for his …

Dave Wakeling calls from his tour bus. His band the English Beat, the U.S. version of the Beat, is on the road and passing through New Mexico. He is the only member of the popular …

Editor's Note: As of June 2, this concert has been postponed. Most artists have fans; Courtney Love has defenders. I used to be one myself. There are a lot fewer of them than there used …

Almost no information is available to voters about Proposition A. The East Otay Mesa Recycling Collection Center and Landfill Ordinance, a countywide proposition on the June 8 ballot, requires a simple majority to pass. Aside …

They’re scrimping in PortugalRetrenching in SpainParsimonious in ItalyIn San Diego — insane Europe talks frugalityJapan’s praising thriftEven Greece lauds austeritySan Diegans get stiffed (apologies to the Kingston Trio) Yes, the frugal horn is blowing around …

When Ginger Bass filed for divorce from her husband Frank in November 2007, she hoped he would not contest the dissolution. She offered to buy out his interest in their Lakeside home so both could …

Rattler ManJoseph Beresford, son of a British Lord, fell in love with the ­gardener’s daughter. His father, whose lineage went back to James I, gave him an ultimatum: marry beneath your rank and lose your …

Heavy Hand Moss Gropen’s story about the power of our “strong mayor” was frightening since it demonstrated Sanders’s total disrespect for the law (“Influence Paddling,” Cover Story, May 27). The article tells of two employees …

Ain’t it funny how things happen in strings? Maybe that’s what string theory’s all about. But one week after chew-chewing gourmet burgers downtown at Neighborhood, I’m being tempted by another hip joint (heh-heh) that sells …

The Tiger Woods story has turned interesting again, which, given the attention span of news consumers, is remarkable. In fact, you could argue Woods’s story has gone on so long, has been renewed so many …

"I hear the noise and the music coming through the walls of my house.... The police department [is] not enforcing the city's noise ordinance. Sometimes officers will knock on my door at two in the …

There's a hole in the map of South Africa. That hole is a separate little country, Lesotho, which is where I was riding a horse when it started to hail. As I lowered my head, …

It felt like an Ottoman bazaar: Tables and tents formed a maze of narrow walkways, and everywhere I looked, I saw jewelry and CD's and hand-spun garments. Middle-aged woman sat in lawn chairs, wearing floppy …

Imperial Beach artist Kelly Tracy was driving the 5 freeway north on the afternoon of May 29. “I was in the slow lane, and about eight to ten car-lengths ahead I notice a full sheet …

A shaky figure swathed in dingy fabric limps through a crowd of Memorial Day revelers and passionate devotees. Mirroring his disappointing late ’70s experience, the entrance proves premature — turns out Science Fiction has finagled …