Michael Sprague, a City Heights homeowner, addressed the San Diego City Council on March 29 about his experience with the San Diego Housing Commission. Sprague, who served as chairman of the City Heights Area Planning …

A 25-year-old pro boxer’s life ended while training at a Tijuana gym on Tuesday, March 29. Humberto Tapia Armenta, who was considered by some to have a bright future in the sport, was shot by …

On March 29, San Diego city council showed its budgetary muscle by laying out a number of cost-saving proposals for the mayor to consider when he presents the fiscal year 2012 budget in mid-April. While …

During a council meeting last February, city councilmembers acting as the Redevelopment Agency requested that Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) return in March to discuss a plan that the corporation take over the $228 million …

As bartender Seth Laufman preps for Urbn Coal Fired Pizza’s Tuesday-evening crowds, he explains that of all the liquors behind the bar, whiskey’s the most entertaining to “play around with.” It starts with a silky-smooth …

If you happen to be driving down Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach, you will probably notice the 1977 VW bus owned by John Haupt. Haupt, owner of the Beach Club Grille, decided he wanted his …

This month, Bimbo Bakeries closed all of its San Diego-area bakery outlet stores: in Kearny Mesa, El Cajon, Escondido, and Chula Vista. By shopping at the discount stores, many folks, particularly those on fixed incomes, …

Membership: 500 Rabbi: David Castiglione Born: Brooklyn, NY Formation: Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, Ohio Ordained: 18 years San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? Rabbi David Castiglione: It all depends. It …

Dante Graphic illustrator/filmmaker, theamericandreammovie.com Piranha 3D: A nice throwback to the ’80s, when directors weren’t shy about showing the essentials to a goodtime horror flick: beer, babes, and lots of blood. Alexandre Aja and company …

Actors are the main interest this week — Paul Giamatti, Juliette Binoche, Jake Gyllenhaal, J.K. Simmons — and we offer a farewell to Elizabeth Taylor. Win Win What law of thespian karma could explain the …

If there is a God…he must necessarily be just; for if he were not, he would be the most wicked and imperfect of all beings…. Men commit unjust acts because it is to their advantage …

Heymatt: Everybody in my family hates cabbage. And my dad and sister won’t eat broccoli. That got us wondering if taste is genetic. Did I inherit my cabbage hate from my parents? Broccoli’s not my …

You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it’s all right. — Maya Angelou Forget marriage — my commitment with my man was consummated the day we …

The Good Son: A.B. Grizzwald sits on a stool in his friend’s Golden Hill garage studio. Though he claims this is where he paints occasionally, everything in the studio — paint, canvases, radio, couch, rug, …

Russell, Russell. This was your idea. Now I’m here, but you’re not. Russ died last month, you may have read. Pretty young. He was the Reader’s chief proofreader, which means he was a cross between …

Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which “are” there. — Richard Feynman Friday nights at D.G. …

It was one of those moments that pop out of the Daugherty space-time continuum on its own. The lead-up was as ordinary as breakfast. San Diego State had just lost their Sweet 16 game, which …

San Diego’s Embarcadero, the place of departure and arrival for vessels as small as fishing skiffs and as large as ocean liners, defines the city’s connection to the watery worlds of San Diego Bay and …

That last October, summer delayed her going, held time enchanted, even while sun slipped southward, kept birches green, blackberries on the vine, one perfect rose to dazzle our bedroom window, drove back the rain, allowed …

These days, Creed’s frontman Scott Stapp is a repentant man. “I’m on a quest right now, seeking things of a spiritual nature and really being honest with myself, in an attempt to be a better …

More hippie than hipster, the Kava Lounge in Middletown specializes in natural, organic cocktails and has played a significant role in cultivating San Diego’s electronic, experimental, and world-music scenes. The lounge was among the first …

Last year, Bay Area–artist Sonny Smith put on a gallery show in which he designed sleeves and labels for 7-inch singles by 100 imaginary bands. Smith, who’s also a singer and songwriter, recorded songs for …

Thursday 31 Messi, Puyol, Xavi, Furia, Manso — ¡Ole! Barcelona lounge lovers the Pinker Tones roll into Til-Two tonight behind their latest, Modular, a melting pot of world beats (and languages) with an electro-funk attitude. …

When he realized I was at Eleven to cover that evening’s show, Mark “Harpo” Delguidice’s face lit up. Although the Myspace for Harpco, his “folk/rock/blues/Americana” band, waxes wise-ass (“We vowed to forge ahead to become …

No doubt under the influence of the extravagantly titled “Supermoon,” March 19 was a day of nonstop partying for your humble Crasher. First, a birthday picnic in Bird Park for my friend Lauren. My roommates …

O.B. alt-rock quartet Pretty Too Bad will release their debut full-length, Balloons, at the Casbah on Friday, April 1. April 2, nu-wavers the Very will launch The Discovery (Aural Gravy) with a release party at …

Research into Elvis Presley’s first California concerts over the first week of April, 1956, has yielded new material about the San Diego dates, including unpublished photos of the rock icon backstage at the long-gone San …

Matthew Rothenberg would like to put San Diego’s music scene on the map. And the rest of the world’s as well, with a new website called Scene Roller. “It’s a group-driven, grassroots, music-history machine,” said …

“We were asked to sign individual liability waivers after we were loaded in and set up.” Robin Henkel says that prior to a recent gig at a local community college (he’d rather not specify which …

Wine bars are proliferating here at the speed of, well, gastropubs. Many of the earlier arrivals (and some new ones, too) offer only a few nibbles (cheeses, cured meats, bruschetta, etc.) as ballast for the …

My husband Patrick is the Dr. Frankenstein of bicycles. He takes a wheel from one, a seat from another, a pedal from a third, and patches together working bikes. He came by these skills early …

Let the sunshine in. Well, partway, anyhow. Two prominent San Diego economists are bullish on local home prices, and because consumer spending relies greatly on home values, they are also optimistic on retail sales. Two …

Last June, I wanted to sell a bicycle. Where else to unload it but on Craigslist, right? A potential buyer emailed me within hours asking for details beyond what I’d posted on the site. After …

Thirty-Five Years AgoIn reference to Matthew Alice’s history of Alonzo Horton: The mainstay of Horton Plaza, the pseudo-classic, algae covered, pigeon fertilized eyesore known as the Fountain, had nothing whatsoever to do with Alonzo Horton. …

Peer To Peer Re “Yes, My Dad Works in Hollywood” (Cover Story, March 24). I loved this story. The writer is a young author, and I do not usually read the Reader, but I felt …

A loose coalition of medical marijuana advocates and supporters put together a protest march in front of the Federal Courthouse on Monday, March 28. Starting at 12 noon, an estimated 100 or so activists began …

On Monday afternoon, March 28, visitors and patients arriving at Scripps La Jolla Hospital were greeted at the parking entrance by two gentlemen from Carpenters Local Union 1506. The flyers they were distributing spelled out …

If you were around the local music scene during the mid to late '90s (think B-Side Players, Greyboy Allstars, Price of Dope), then I'm sure you caught the funkified rhythms of Wise Monkey Orchestra. Shifting …

From many neighborhoods in San Diego, you can look out and see other neighborhoods. That’s how it is in a city of hills. When I lived on Boundary Street, in North Park, I could look …

Polly Jean Harvey returns and sounds positively (Kate) Bush–whacked on her eighth and most commercial album since Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea. From the nursery-rhyme chant of the title track, it rarely …

Paraty (pada-chee), a town on the southeast coast of Rio state, is like a top-shelf drink — from the aged, distilled waterfront of Brazil’s colonial history, to the calm, primal ecological beauty of the coastal …

An avocado festival – in Hawaii? Yes, and I just had to give it a try. While waiting for my plane to land on the Big Island, I’d almost finished reading the airline magazine when …

On Monday, March 28, nearly two years after the San Diego city council created the Medical Marijuana Task Force, they will decide whether to include medical marijuana collectives in the city's Land Development Code and …

The California Public Records Act insures the people’s right to access information held by public agencies. In the past year, accessing pertinent emails, documents, and contracts was critical to understanding what was transpiring at Southwestern …

At least one household on the 3600 block of Garrison Street in Point Loma is getting serious about speeding cars in their neighborhood. Recently, one of the same homeowners who decorates elaborately for Christmas put …

At its March 22 meeting, the Adams Recreation Council approved the final long-term plan for Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park, located at Adams Avenue and 40th Street. Approximately 20 residents attended the presentation by the Schmidt …

“The place down there reeks,” Norman Starr told the San Diego City Council on March 22. “It’s frightening to walk among that many panhandlers.” Starr described an area occupied by homeless people near his rental …

Mel Katz, chair of the San Diego Public Library Foundation, says his foundation has identified 13 "actively engaged" prospects willing to donate $10 million or more for downtown's new central library. According to Katz, who …

The five men in a Battle to Fight joke about being Marines who rock. “We can entertain you or we can pick you off at 500 yards,” says Lou, the lead guitarist for the metal-core …

When SixthDay’s debut Now Is the Time is launched March 26 with a show at Brick by Brick, it will include songs cowritten by their late drummer Andy Campbell, but not those tracks as recorded …

It was October 1990 and my dad was on location in Wilmington, North Carolina, working as a second assistant director on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. My mother, who was …

Rustic signs along some of Clairemont’s and Bay Park’s major streets call attention to one of the oldest designated open-space parks in San Diego: the 900-acre Tecolote Canyon Natural Park. The park’s unpaved service roads …

What are you reading? “We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future, by Matthew Spalding. He’s a historian who works for the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. It’s one of my …

— for Claudia Criss cross apple sauce do me a favor and get lost while you’re at it drop dead then come back without a head my daughter sings for me when I ask her …

Thursday 24Dood, say hi to your mom. Seattle songsmith Eric Elbogen dropped “Your Mom” in ’08 and simply calls himself Say Hi these days. He’s out to tout this year’s Barsuk offering Um, Uh Oh, …

Little Hurricane is roaring back into town with a new album after four months on a “slow tour.” The idea was to spend time in several major cities, getting to know the scene and forming …

Strongman Director Zachary Levy documents the daily clean-and-jerk of Stanley Pleskun, a strength-performer from South Brunswick, New Jersey, who goes by the handle “Stanless Steel” — the self-proclaimed “strongest man in the world (at bending …

Thirty-Five Years AgoThe sixth annual Tecate-Ensenada Bike Ride will be held this Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Tecate square. What started as a joke five years ago with ten riders has hit the …

Therefore, Lord, you have given understanding to faith, grant me that I may come to understand (as much as You think best) that You exist, as we believe, and that You are what we believe …

Pastor: Alan Deuel Age: 63 Born: San Diego Formation: Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey; San Francisco Theological Seminary, Pasadena Years Ordained: 35 years San Diego Reader: Can you think of a time when you …

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. — Dr. Seuss My jaw hung down in disbelief. New images of the cataclysm were pouring in faster …

My oldest hits high school next year, and my worrywart Aunt Azelda is pestering me about his college plans. I suppose a little planning wouldn’t hurt, so I rang up San Diego’s Lynn O’Shaughnessy of …

Andy Six says a “black veil bride” is what Catholics sometimes call a nun. “But to me, it always sounded like a band name. It had sort of the Guns N’ Roses feel — light, …

I once watched an NPR video of Sharon Van Etten accompanied by a female backup singer. I didn’t know what Van Etten looked like, and before she started playing I assumed she would be the …

When A.J. Croce was a week past his second birthday, his father, singer-songwriter Jim Croce, died in a September 1973 plane crash. A few years after A.J. and his mother Ingrid arrived in San Diego, …

Heads have been scratched, queries have been made: folks wanna know more about “The San Diego Music Awards” that tops the Casbah bill on March 29. “Truthfully, it’s not much different than an extension of …

I am not dying of any particular disease; I am dying, like all of us, a day at a time. Yet, the dialogue with death that I severed when I was an adolescent has begun …

Blow Up Smokers: Your smoke is excruciating to me, a nonsmoker (Cover Story, March 17). It feels like fingernails scratching my lungs. You shorten my life, you dirty my clothes. And you complain of being …

Many years ago, my friend lived on 23rd Street, so we would occasionally meet for breakfast at a diner at 25th Street and C. Officially, the place is known as the Golden Hills Coffee Shop, …

"Bet you can’t,” says Larry. “Bet I can,” I say. “Five-dollar meal at the Hotel Del Coronado?” He laughs into the phone. “No way.” Larry’s an old pal. Wants to get together. Except he lives …

Every time someone enters in Sam Shepard’s Simpatico, it’s as if the stage dips like a spider web...or waterbed. One move, even a tiptoe, alters what’s come before. Parts rise, others sag. Here is now …

It was precisely when your English instructor introduced you (assuming they did) to T.S. Eliot’s most famous phrase, “April is the cruelest month,” that it was determined whether your sense of paradox and irony might …

We can go all the way back to the first lifeform on Earth, which, according to the science crowd, occurred 3.8 billion years ago. Dear reader, let’s stop our busy lives, take a moment right …

Back in April 1997, then–Union-Tribune columnist Neil Morgan was the town’s chief cheerleader for developer Sam Marasco and his plan to build a taxpayer-subsidized shopping mall and pedestrian bridge across the border from San Ysidro …

The decision by GOP senator John Ensign of Nevada to scrap his 2012 reelection bid was generally expected by those who have been following the soap opera–like scandal arising from his affair with a staffer’s …

"We had to do something about it ’cause he’s our little cousin,” said Victor Lopez. “We got to go shoot somebody.” Victor’s 18-year-old cousin Alex had been shot in the face on his way to …

In 1989, San Diego mayor Maureen O’Connor, daughter of a professional pugilist, donned her boxing gloves and jumped into the ring with SCE Corporation, a huge Los Angeles area utility (now named Edison International), which …

On Tuesday, March 22, the San Diego city council approved loaning restaurateurs Joel Herzer and Tom Eads $500,000 in redevelopment funds to open Pan-Asian restaurant Wangs North Park in the former JC Penney's building at …

Last week, all 15 newspaper carriers for the North County Times' circulation in Solana Beach, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, and Encinitas received 30-day termination notices. The Escondido-based daily paper gave no reason for the layoffs. The carriers where …

The Quince Street footbridge in Banker's Hill is out of commission and closed. According to Hillquest.com, "A western portion of the 106-year-old wooden pedestrian bridge that crosses Maple Canyon connecting Banker’s Hill to Balboa Park …

The City of Chula Vista is considering assuming the responsibility for cleaning up the water and soil pollution after the deconstruction of the South Bay Power Plant. Negotiations on what the City has called a …

If you're getting dressed to go to a party, you don't want to warm up listening to three-time Grammy winner Lucinda Williams. But if you just ended a relationship and want some consolation that somebody …

Controlling a crowd's attention is a talent. Controlling its emotions is a feat. The curvilinear patterns of French composer Yann Tiersen and his superb backing band — orchestral at times and psychedelic at others — …

Members of the Border Bandits motorcycle club called sheriff’s deputies on the evening of Friday, March 18, after one of their own was involved in an accident with a teenage driver outside their chapter meeting …

Rosarito, long reliant on springbreakers to boost the economy, finds that the dearth of arriving students from the U.S is forcing businesses that catered to the seasonal crowds to close down. After waiting for several …

Last month, 30 women graduated from the Home Childcare Program organized by Horn of Africa and the International Rescue Committee, two non-profit organizations in City Heights. The 27-hour program consists of 15 hours of state-mandated …

After nearly three years of construction, the $26.8 million Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, connecting Petco Park to the convention center, opened to foot traffic on Friday, March 18. The 550-foot-long suspension bridge lies at the …

Who: Jan Davis Car: 2007 Chevy HHR. Mileage about 41,000 so far. Gets very good mileage on the open road. I have driven 600 miles to my sister’s house in Sonoma County on less than …

The Ocean Beach Planning Board held a special meeting on March 16 to take commentary on a proposed ordinance pertaining to medical marijuana dispensaries within San Diego’s city limits. The meeting drew a crowd of …

Shelley Malil, a former Hollywood actor who tried to stab to death his ex-girlfriend in her San Marcos home in 2008, was sentenced to life in prison in December. He was sent from local jail …

Patrick Edwards is president of San Diego’s business improvement district council, a coalition of the 17 business improvement districts throughout the city. Edwards appeared before the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on Wednesday, March …

Dream about sipping espressos in Rome, or walking along the Blue Danube in Vienna? Do you feel the need to ride a camel to work, or eat Indian food in India? If you have the …

After three and a half years as a freelance graphic designer, Monique Jenkins went corporate. She shares her perspective on the advantages and challenges of both. Tell me what you were doing before you found …

Just after 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16, a fire broke out in a two-story storage facility located on the 7500 block of Dagget Street. Firefighters were able to knock down the blaze before it …

During a March 16 meeting, Centre City Development Corporation's board of directors rejected a proposal from the mayor and city council to pay off $228 million in debt owed on a previous expansion of the …

Over a two-week period that ended March 10, San Diego County sheriff’s deputies (in conjunction with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) conducted undercover operations to bust local businesses that offered illegal gambling machines …

Membership: 100 Denomination: Assembly of God Pastor: Yancey Valdez Age: 43 Born: Santa Ana Formation: Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass.; Global University, Springfield, Mo. Years Practicing Ministry: 17 San Diego Reader: How long do …

Thirty-Five Years AgoThese days, one can wander into the Santa Fe Depot, downtown San Diego, and feel like a ghost. The imagination of a train buff can easily supply the atmosphere of a busy center …

“I know he recently reinvented himself by dropping the ‘Young’ and just going by ‘Mass’,” says 40oz Chris of the San Diego rapper formerly known as Young Mass. Mass was recently arrested near Las Vegas …

I’m sitting on a bench in the San Diego Museum of Art, which has just opened an exhibition by the British painter Howard Hodgkin. Pretty quiet here, only four other warm bodies, one of them …

“Build a quality studio, fill the place with outstanding musicians, and the market will come to you.” This formula, hopes Jim Austin, will spell success for a new business venture he owns with Buckfast Superbee …

Podunk Nowhere duo Heather and Johnny Janiga found out about Songwriters Acoustic Nights at a Gregory Page show. The Janigas were promptly invited to take seats at the monthly musicians’ gathering, which features the “Writers …

In April 2009, film directors José Luis Figueroa and Sebastían Diaz asked singer-bassist Phil Beaumont of Little White Teeth to compose a score for Tijuaneados Anonymous: A Teardrop, A Smile. The documentary profiles a group …

Thursday 17Break Free Your Mind, Aussie psych-rock act Matt Sonic & the High Times will shred through Soda Bar with Joy. Sonic et al. are on their first-ever U.S. tour and bring a down-and-dirty desert-rock …

Built in 1927 as San Diego’s second Bank of America, the building at the corner of University and Van Dyke in City Heights changed over from Nancy’s Pub to Black Cat Bar last month. High …

The trees are in their autumn beauty, The woodland paths are dry, Under the October twilight the water Mirrors a still sky; Upon the brimming water among the stones Are nine-and-fifty swans. The nineteenth autumn …

Remote Sheep Canyon, secreted in the middle reaches of Coyote Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, features some of the most rugged yet beautiful terrain in San Diego County. The canyon has two main forks …

There are those among us who believe every event ends with winners and losers. As to the NFL lockout, it’s too early to know if NFL Inc., or Players Inc., or CBS/TBS/TNT/TruTV Inc., will be …

Having just recently turned 60, I am pulling up the rear of what has commonly been termed the Baby Boomers. Apparently the generation dates from the end of WWII or 1945, so that would place …

It’s amazing what you find when you’re cruisin’, jes’ cruisin’. Actually, I’m threading my way up through the Gaslamp toward the bus stop at Third and Broadway. But I may be open to a snick …

No Jobs for Barbarians I am a graduated manufacturing mechanical engineer of the University of Minnesota, 1981. As you say, Americans have been pushed out of the American engineering economy and the American labor economy …

Not every week brings us New York ambition mania, a new Jane Eyre, an alien invasion, and a smart vehicle for Matt McConaughey. Limitless “I took my first pill,” wrote Aldous Huxley in The Doors …

Rifftide is a Chula Vista–based classic-rock cover band. The members met on Facebook and formed the band in March of 2010. Their day jobs include construction manager and brewmaster. Plus one stay-at-home mom. Jill Harvey …

If there were a rock-and-roll Hall of Fame for locals only, Joey Harris would be in it. The Beat Farmers is as good a place as any to begin the story. The band was founded …

My uncle Thad lives in a small town in western Kentucky. A few years ago, he was looking for videos online and came across what was then the most-popular clip on YouTube: a rendition of …

Forced capitalism mixed with equal parts fear and guilt and junk-food vice is a darn fine way to make your way in the world. — Mark Morford It’s not hard to find a source for …

Dear Matthew Alice: I’ve heard that after you die your hair and fingernails keep growing. How is that possible? Or maybe it’s not true. Straighten me out. — Daniel S., San Diego I couldn’t find …

Recipe by Chef Evan Cruz, executive chef, Pacifica Del Mar For me, it’s a funny story. I was going to become a chiropractor. But when I was going to chiropractic school, I got into a …

“Wherefore I much marvel why these things are thus turned upside down, and the punishment of wickedness oppresses the good, while evil men obtain the rewards of the good. And I desire to know of …

On March 7, 2011, San Diego’s Alice Echo-News Journal ran 248 classified ads. Two ads ran under the “Agriculture” subheading, one of which offered “85 good young crossbred cows. . .10 Brangus cows. . .[and] …

Without complaining — audibly, at least — they leave the building to light up, even when it’s cold and raining. In some offices, that means taking a 15-floor elevator ride to the street. But remember …

Clandestine negotiations, fueled by the prospect of a pot of gold set aside for cleaning up the South Bay Power Plant, have become a concern to some city council members and residents of Chula Vista. …

If the massive union workers’ protests radiate from Wisconsin and Ohio across the country, you can almost bet there is one metro area that won’t participate in large numbers: San Diego County. Across the nation, …

Last week, Union-Tribune columnist Tom Blair showed how far the paper has gone under its post–Copley Press owners, but whether it’s in a good direction probably depends on one’s politics and level of interest in …

Every fall, ex–Democratic state senator Steve Peace throws a free bash in Hawaii for legislators, paid for by corporate and big labor contributions to his nonprofit California Independent Voter Project. The names of donors are …

On March 14 at the Vista Courthouse, Charles Evan Williams Sr., the father of a murder victim, told the man who killed his son, “After the verdict was read, I slept well.” The murderer, Raphael …

When jobs are tight — as they have been around here for the past three years — people typically concentrate on just finding a job that pays well. Yet, as the economy inches toward a …

Everyone engages in self talk. For most folks, self talk is negative talk conducted over a lifetime, which only adds to our self doubt. In his excellent book The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful …

“Why don’t you come visit us? We’ll show you around Alexandria,” my cousins implored, inviting me to spend time with them in their historic hometown. I’d never thought much about Alexandria, Virginia, as a town …

It’s 10 o’clock at night in the Ciudad Vieja neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay. Three of us are gathered around a bench on the city’s main walking street, Peatonal Sarandí, but no one is wandering past …

Seattle is called the Emerald City, and that designation is not a misnomer. Greenery, trees, parks and flower gardens abound in this sophisticated Pacific Northwest city that seems perpetually drenched in a misty rain. Though …

Could've called it my Thursday travels ...but thought travelogue sounded more important and whats more important than my day . Like everything ! But to satisfy my urge to satisfy my expressive side ( yes …

Respectful (albeit soulful) backing vocals and laid-back, loping resolutions on the first couple tracks of this reissue (originally released in '01) seem a lifetime from Peter Green's stints with the Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac. And …

Cool blue lighting bathes the stage as sultry guitar tones initiate "The Sea" from Morcheeba's 1998 debut Big Calm. Opening with what is arguably their most recognized song, the group sets the bar high for …

For years residents of Uptown lobbied the City to reform the Uptown Partnership, the agency responsible for administering the community parking district in Hillcrest, Mission Hills, and Banker's Hill. They criticized the agency for ineffectiveness, …

The rising price of corn is raising a political uproar in Baja as tortilla prices skyrocket. A projected diminution in the corn harvest due to frost blight in Baja and other corn-growing regions has led …

On Thursday, March 10, San Diego district attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced her intention to run for mayor next year. "I want you to be among the first to know that I’ve made an important decision …

About two years ago, my wife and I responded to an ad for a one bedroom apartment for rent in the bizarre Bermuda Triangle where the 8 and Sports Arena Boulevard collide. Not quite ready …

A little less than a month ago, Caliente’s gambling palladium located near the Yellow Cab taxi stand was taken down to make way for a permanent structure. It’s back, replaced with a modestly sized circus …

At the Get Motivated Seminar held Tuesday, March 8, at the former Sports Arena (Valley View Casino Center), the crowd filled the center parking lot prior to the 8:00 a.m. start time. People gathered to …

Several patrons wearing stickers that read "I Support Bluefoot" crammed into a meeting room in city hall on March 10. They were there to ask San Diego's planning commission to uphold the neighborhood use permit …

Is the City ashamed of Fire Station 4, located on the corner of Eighth Avenue and J Street? The building has no signs indicating it’s a fire station and doesn’t fly the California or United …

Yes, it’s a pink drink. But, men, it’s better than you think. Let me explain. Or, better yet, let Bar Basic bartender Christina Daley explain. “I have to tell you, we barely sell these things …

Matt: Can a person who reads lips, like a deaf person, tell if you have an accent, like Southern or French or something? — Windsor Lakes, via email This should round out our lip-reading essays. …

Picture Head is a compilation of all-new tracks from six La Mesa bands, scheduled for a summer release on the neighborhood-based Quasi Recordings label. “Our goal is to bring our tiny La Mesa music community …

Since, therefore…we have explored the depths of divine knowledge, we are obliged to carry out in fullest detail what the Master has commanded us to do at stated times. He has ordered the sacrifices to …

Membership: 247 adults; 100 children Leader: Reverend David Miller Age: 51 Born: Chicago, Ill. Formation: Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, Calif. Years Ordained: 2 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? …

Condiments are like old friends — highly thought of, but often taken for granted. — Marilyn Kaytor I waited until the bartender was distracted and then went to work as quickly as possible. “Whoa, there …

"Mama, you never yell at us except when you drink coffee.” “That’s why we drink tea,” says Jennifer, “except sometimes.” But Jennifer likes to be called by her religious name, Bathsheba. “It means ‘daughter of …

So how do you re-create a road movie on stage? Best of show at La Jolla Playhouse’s hit-and-miss Little Miss Sunshine: David Korins’s set, enhanced by Ken Billington’s bold lighting, depicts the shifting geography from …

Readers ask, “Why don’t we have more postseason basketball tournaments?” I understand the need lurking behind that question. And the pain. Now, it’s true, except for the Ivy League, every Division I basketball conference has …

Your impression of Lake Jennings may be strongly colored by the season in which you choose to visit it — a not-unusual circumstance in many of San Diego County’s inland, low-elevation locales. Summer’s heat and …

Maybe it’s Ian. Maybe walking with him to the sitter’s, a kind of religious exercise, his singing counterpoint to mine as we walk wakens the gods. The fog dances more gently into the trees. This …

There is life after the Oscars, and it includes the San Diego Latino Film Festival. More on that, once we bring our dance card up to date: Of Gods and Men The French title is …

Thirty Years AgoTo the little Hmong girl, it was emblematic of her Southeast Asian culture’s remedy for chest colds; to the La Mesa elementary school nurse, who noticed the burn blisters along the girl’s spine, …

Several San Diego bands will make the 22-hour drive to Austin, Texas mid-March for the annual South by Southwest music festival and conference. Over 2000 performers seeking labels, booking agents, and recognition will pack 90-plus …

“The word ‘steampunk’ initially described a subgenre of science fiction,” says Eric Chamberlin, aka Professor J.S. Greyshade, cofounder and resident DJ of Queen Bee’s monthly steampunk club Chrononaut. “In its original literary definition, steampunk imagines …

Aunt Azelda wants to watch the sunset from the end of the Ocean Beach Pier. She’d like to get a glimpse of the baby hippo at the zoo. Most of all, she wants to graze …

Asobi Seksu came together in New York City in 2001 and spent the next few years refining a sound closely modeled on the so-called shoegazers of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Guitarist James Hanna …

Said the Whale is a Vancouver-based five-piece that has been on a songwriting-and- recording spree since their inception just out of high school in 2007. In less than five years, they have released seven EPs …

The Natives believe in San Diego. “The potential in this city, that’s the influence, man,” says singer Tony Fantano, who gave a shout-out to the Kumeyaay natives at a recent Whistle Stop gig. “I love …

Fuzzy-headed and inquisitive after a long night of sleep, I levitate a morning news screen to eye level. The glowing hover-display shows little icons indicating rain; damn, I forgot an umbrella. With a slight gesture …

“I’m working with promoter Sid Bernstein, the man who brought the Beatles to America and promoted their famed 1965 Shea Stadium gig,” says singer-songwriter Gary Ra’chac. “Believe it or not, Sid is recording his first …

The Twit Report Laurence Neal: Your disorganized study of Las Vegas and the war on terror is the most shallow, uninspiring piece of swill I can recall finding in a publication of this caliber (“That …

Have you ever run into a ramen-maniac? And how would you know? It’s pretty simple: Query the suspect with a simple question regarding ramen, and you’ll hear an amazing amount of ramen-based jargon and slang. …

“Beware the ides of March” is a quote from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, a warning regarding the emperor’s impending assassination. For a time, the dusty old quote enjoyed a new life as a reference to …

A recent seismic study by scientists of CICESE, an Ensenada-based investigatory group, determined that an earthquake measuring greater than 6 on the Richter scale would cause significant damage to Tijuana and outlying areas of the …

The carpet was just being rolled out between the birds-of-paradise planters when my roommate Eli and I arrived at Ray Street Studio in North Park for the Oscars Spaghetti Social party. Paintings adorned the walls …

A staffer for San Diego city councilwoman Lorie Zapf has been stirring the troubled waters of a bitter Northern California battle for a state assembly seat, which became vacant in January when the incumbent was …

The man who made a fortune as the political genius behind former Democratic assembly speaker and San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, among hundreds of others, has written a book of letters to his dead friends …

Back in 1950, almost 31 percent of working Americans had manufacturing jobs. Now the figure is below 10 percent. Many analysts put the blame on American companies that sent such jobs to low- and slave-wage …

On a Tuesday morning in late September, two 16-year-old girls snuck away from their North County high school. Chica wanted to go home, Nina later said. “I understood that she was going to go home …

At approximately 11:10 p.m. on March 7, a fire tore through and destroyed a residence in the 100 block of North Westwind Drive. The El Cajon Fire Department responded with two full crews, which knocked …

“Well, I kicked him right in the head,” said witness Steven Kane, recounting the day he chased down a man seen shooting a gun at schoolchildren last October. The construction worker testified for about 30 …

I hope people don't write off the Smoosh record because it's self-released. Or because it's a mostly web release. Or because it sounds more mainstream than the last two. Or because they're young. Or because …

Eric Clapton showed a sold-out Valley View Casino Center why he is a rock icon and the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and as a …

You don't need to travel to exotic hot springs to soak in the bounty of nature's hot mineral water. San Diegans can drive locally to Agua Caliente Hot Springs. Located a half hour south of …

On Saturday, March 5, City Heights residents protested governor Jerry Brown’s plan to abolish redevelopment agencies. The rally, organized by the Fox Canyon Neighborhood Association, took place in Auburn Park, a site chosen for its …

In the fast-moving modern times of the travel business, how does one decide between, say, the Bahamas or Singapore? One brochure boasts luxury in Honolulu and another calls you to Paris. One hotel has a …

“Graffiti is now on the street corner — 100 feet from where I live,” said longtime Escondido resident Dennis Tomlinson as he spoke before the city council on Wednesday, March 2. Tomlinson claims the amount …

The human resources director of a local San Diego company placed an opening on one of the internet job sites. The ad was placed for a three-week period. After approximately two and a half weeks, …

At about 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 3, a helicopter circled above Freda Lane in Cardiff. The cars of three sheriff's deputies blocked the north side of Freda Lane; half a dozen more official vehicles …

On March 4, Mark Johnson, the lead designer on Balboa Park's Plaza de Panama project, gave an update to the Balboa Park advisory committee. Johnson says that his firm, Civitas, continues to conduct public outreach …

Look &mdash it’s not so much that there are no jobs out there; the real issue is that jobs are changing. Sure, there’s a lot of protesting going on these days about unions and jobs …

Colleen Lanin, founder of TravelMamas.com, blogged her way to a new job. Where were you when this whole thing started? I had been taking writing classes for years but had never submitted anything for publication. …

Who: Michael Early, owner, Michael Early Construction, San Diego Car: 2008 Jeep Wrangler, 70,000 mi.; 2005 Dodge Magnum, 23,000 mi. (special use and beach vehicle); 1991 Dodge Ram Van (parts delivery truck), 121,000 mi. Previous …

A photo of Lake Cuyamaca, taken February 28 from a private aircraft at 1500 feet.

On March 2, the Natural Resource and Culture Committee discussed Mayor Sanders's decision to end trash collection for 4620 private businesses as well as 14,200 residences located on private roads, including 20 gated communities and …

The Concretes came together in Stockholm in 1995 and made a modest splash in the United States when their song “You Can’t Hurry Love” showed up in Target commercials six or seven years ago. With …

Jim Lauderdale has written hits for such country-music glitterati as George Strait, Patty Loveless, and George Jones but never for himself. It’s not that he hasn’t tried. The night before we talked, I listened to …

My two middle boys went deep-sea fishing a while back, and a couple of Fridays ago I cooked up some killer fish tacos with their rockfish. But while the insides were awesome, the tortillas proved …

Folks have been lining up at Petco Park on the first Saturday in March to buy single-game tickets ever since the park opened in 2004. This Saturday, March 5, will be different because the Padres …

Thirty Years AgoA large library in our town has in its subject catalog one and three-quarters inches of entries under the heading “Men” and sixty-six inches — seven full drawers — under the heading “Women.” …

I’ve followed the work of director Brad Anderson ever since Session 9. When I was given the chance to interview him for his new film, Vanishing on 7th Street, I jumped at the opportunity. I …

The Adjustment Bureau For everyone who couldn’t get enough of the Matt Damon metaphysical muddle in Hereafter, here’s a second helping, the chief lesson of which seems to be: it’s hard out there for an …

Unlike, say, rock-and-roll bands, classical musicians in a quartet are not required to exhibit personalities as they perform. A tuxedoed homogeneity and a serious sameness of expression will do nicely, thank you. If the performers …

…philosophers cannot entirely exempt themselves from this natural frailty; but have oft ascribed to inanimate matter the horror of a vacuum, sympathies, antipathies, and other affections of human nature. The absurdity is not less, while …

Membership: 300 Denomination: Independent Christian Church Pastor: Marshall Masser Age: 38 Born: San Antonio, Texas Formation: Lincoln Christian Seminary, Lincoln, Ill. Years Ordained: 15 years. San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your …

Recipe by Mike Liotta, chef de cuisine, Quarter Kitchen I spent my early years in the South. I know, an Italian family that grew up in the South, right? But I think it’s a really …

The very week that I received the elaborate press kit from Tre Porcellini (which means “three little pigs”), Barbarella mentioned the restaurant favorably in her column. Knowing her and David’s fine palates, I looked at …

"I’m jonesing to get back down to Panama,” says Jeff. “‘Jonesing’?” says this old guy who is seated next to me. “Yeah,” Jeff says. “Like, longing.” Huh. I’d forgotten the word myself. But Jeff, it …

March may have blustered into San Diego like a lion more than once but never often enough to earn a cuteism like June Gloom or May Gray. Nothing like, “Ah, yes, just like clockwork every …

The sprawling Chino Hills State Park east of Los Angeles offers 14,000 acres of open space for hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers to roam (note: dogs are not welcome). Unfortunately, the November 2008 “Freeway Complex …

A broken moon on the cold water, And wild geese crying high overhead, The smoke of the campfire rises Toward the geometry of heaven - Points of light in the infinite blackness. I watch across …

Kadan at 30th and Adams takes its name from the town where owner Chris Heaney met his wife at a smoky café in 1994. Inspired by a Czech discotheque that played eclectic music to a …

New this week is the debut from Middle Brother, featuring Delta Spirit singer Matthew Vasquez alongside Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) and John McCauley (Deer Tick). A free download of the track “Me Me Me” is available …

Be it glorious summer — or just after another homegrown baseball talent leaves the Padres for the Red Sox — Ted Williams (1918–2002) remains eternally relevant. “Teddy Ballgame” endures as arguably the greatest achiever among …

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On February 24, Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego and the O’Farrell Community School in Skyline hosted a dedication concert on campus to name their auditorium after a former student, the late jazz saxophonist …

Matt: I have this friend who decided that burglars should learn to use their feet instead of their hands when they steal things so they won’t leave any fingerprints behind. I think he was kidding …

Society can exist only on the basis that there is some amount of polished lying and that no one says exactly what he thinks. — Lin Yutang I stood beside David in the atrium on …

The Purple Heart license plate on my car makes the cops more sympathetic if I get caught. “Do you know how fast you were going?” “I’m not sure, Officer.” “You were going 85 in a …

I met Craig Oliver at a scorching rock spread (Oh Sees, So Cow, and Bare Wires at Bar Pink). Unless he’s pouring lager and adjusting sound at the Whistle Stop, Oliver’s at just about every …

Chris VannoyPoet and artist I recommend the 1969 film The Illustrated Man, starring Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom and based on Ray Bradbury’s 1951 book of the same name. Steiger puts in a stellar performance …

Hey, Babe Re the cover photo (“Cat Snip,” February 24), isn’t it distressing when a castrating woman is drop-dead gorgeous? Gary Whitlockvia email Cat Lovers Protest This week’s cover of the Reader is very offensive …

Call me Little Mary Sunshine. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. But I am beginning to believe that pro football’s domination of the national psyche peaked with this year’s Super Bowl. This can only be good news …

It wasn’t so long ago that David Copley enjoyed free rein at city hall, easily convincing the City’s Planning Department to allow him to combine a cluster of adjacent houses on La Jolla’s Virginia Way …

Despite the state’s budget crisis, Sandra A. Brown, the new vice chancellor for research at UCSD, has been awarded a salary of $290,000 a year by UC regents. A Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Wayne …

Alan Bersin, President Obama’s customs and border chief, often touts the administration’s efforts to counter the danger to American tourists from Mexico’s cartel-spawned violence, and it appears that San Diego Democrats are taking him at …

Juan Mariscal rests a hand on the new walker he started using two days ago. In November, doctors amputated the 64-year-old man’s right leg because of complications from diabetes. During the next three months, as …

The new pedestrian bridge that crosses over the I-5 freeway in San Ysidro is scheduled to open this spring. From all appearances, it is ready to open now. In the wee hours of the night, …

The Patriot Flag made a brief San Diego stopover this morning, March 1, on its way from Hawaii. According to project coordinator Mitch Mendler, the flag is scheduled to fly in all 50 states in …

Save-U-Foods, part of the Save-A-Lot discount grocery chain and one of only three full-service grocery stores in Imperial Beach, is being forced to close on Friday, March 4. The City of Imperial Beach, which paid …

On February 28, San Diego city council approved spending over $600,000 in redevelopment funds on a new leash-free dog park in downtown San Diego. The 16,500-square-foot dog park — proposed for the block bordered by …

Retirement used to be such a simple concept. It required that you work steadily for 40 or 45 years and then you retired at the age of 65. The U.S. economy would reward you for …