The Hunt for Red October Genuine science can appear in the most unexpected places. In The Hunt for Red October (USA, 1990, Paramount Pictures) I was thrilled to see the eponymous sub ran on magnetohydrodynamics …

December 18 10:40 Swimmer: Sunset Cliffs Call Box Call, check the welfare on a surfer possibly tired and cold at Osprey. Lifeguard, Jet unit and a lifeguard rescue vessel respond, surfer clear lifeguards clear. 14:38 …

A new food truck has been setting up in the Target parking lot off Grape Street in South Park. The pink Dharma Dogs truck parks a few feet away from the fish taco Mariscos Nine …

This is a Test Sketch briefly the condition of the country at the close of the Revolutionary War until the inauguration of Washington. 2. What officers constitute the cabinet of the President? Sketch the history …

An El Cajon woman has admitted to preparing false tax returns on behalf of her clients, fraudulently reducing their tax burden by $1.2 million between 2008 and 2010. According to a federal Department of Justice …

Inshore: The local boats took advantage of some decent weather between fronts and found some decent bottom fishing for the anglers aboard. Entering into the last few days of rockfishing before that fishery closes on …

The darling of the 2017 San Diego International Auto Show that opened yesterday (December 29) was Ford’s new production vehicle, a bright red GT with gull-wing doors that pumps out 600 horsepower with a twin-turbo, …

After what appeared to be a never-ending campaign of presidential media blitzes, president-elect Donald Trump won the race. Lost the popular — but who’s counting? And now, a storm is coming, but the conditions are …

Shelly Schwartlander has been living at the Point Loma Tennis Club since 1991. The complex, built in 1968, sits on 13 acres and has approximately 260 trees of many different species. But it’s the eucalyptus …

The northward expansion of Modern Times Beer continues, but this time it's staying within San Diego County. Following announcements earlier this year that the Point Loma beer and coffee producer will be launching satellite properties …

The Viennese Waltz has become the official anthem of New Year’s, at least in classical circles. On each New Year’s day the Vienna Philharmonic gives a concert of music predominantly by the Strauss dynasty. Since …

“Hi, this is Debbie. If you are over 30 and have been inactive or have any ankle, knee, or back problems, you should have a medical checkup before starting any exercise program.” The preceding disclaimer …

The nation's largest battery storage for energy is being constructed in Escondido — part of the shift away from fuel-burning power plants to cleaner energy, which can't be switched on when needed. San Diego Gas …

Martin Scorsese claims to have stopped watching most contemporary films. “Cinema is gone,” he told the Associated Press. At a New York press conference Scorsese admitted, “I don’t see that many new ones over the …

The City of San Diego has tentatively settled a lawsuit brought by a woman who says the city failed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements while crews were repairing sections El Cajon Boulevard. As …

“Tengo que ir hacer laundry, then I have to study en la biblioteca,” I’m paraphrasing what the Latina students in my college sounded like. My first real encounter with Spanglish speakers was in Minnesota. Spanglish …

When Grizzly Business plays a release party for Spanish Old-Fashioned on January 7 at Soda Bar, “Attendees can definitely expect a ghost of Christmas past to join us on the stage,” according to cofounder Walter …

On New Year’s Eve, local groundfish might have a reason to celebrate. In the angling community over the past couple winters, our lucky New Year’s baby has been the El Niño conditions that kept yellowtail …

Oh, boy. Fish looks up at me from the plate. His open mouth seems to be saying something. “Help!” “See that?” I ask Mary Beth. “Your imagination,” she says, “is running rampant. It’s a tilapia. …

Star Spangled Banner [first verse] O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, …

"Here’s why open mics are important to me,” says Sam Bybee. “Fifteen years ago, there wasn’t much in the way of outlets for artists of any kind who were welcome to come and hone their …

Charles Black, a key figure in the drive by Rancho Santa Fe mega-millionaire and ex–Padres owner John Moores to build the team’s Petco Park, has copped a plea with San Diego’s ethics commission for failing …

Name: Darian Alexandra Age: 23 Location: Pacific Beach Occupation: Server at Kono’s Cafe Darian Alexandra moved to Pacific Beach from northern Indiana on Christmas day 2014 with the sole purpose of learning to surf. She …

The grim reaper has taken a major toll on the world’s music community this year and San Diego has been not been exempt. Here’s a look back at those we lost in 2016: January 2, …

Rangers began exploring Anza-Borrego Desert State Park systematically during the 1950s. They kept detailed logs and recorded their findings. When a wash or canyon did not have a name, they assigned one. Ranger Frank Fairchild …

Matthew Lickona here. One of the painful things about looking back over the year in reviews is you get an eyeful of your unfortunate overuses. I’m going to try to excise “riveting,” “gripping,” and “fascinating” …

For San Diego Theater in 2016, I wish everyone could have seen the following: 1918 at the Fringe Festival. La Moana, a dance troupe from New Zealand, arrived with no fanfare and blew audiences to …

If you mention dodgeball to someone over 18 years of age the most likely response will be to either praise or denigrate the 2004 film of the same name starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. …

“I got the recommendation from [hand-drum pro] Monette Marino,” confides 14-year-old percussionist Carmen Murray. “The symphony asked her for a young player and I got the call one day before the audition. I just played …

Dear Hipster:What will you do differently in 2017?— B. Despite my general disdain for mainstream concerns, I’ve come to appreciate the New Year’s Resolution, at least in a conceptual sense. Despite the fact that the …

10) Hirokazu Koreeda’s Our Little Sister At their estranged father’s funeral, the oldest of three sisters takes it upon herself to ask her little-known teenage half-sister — the product of an adulterous relationship that “crushed …

Hubert Humphrey — Richard Avedon, March 12th, 1976 Whether or not he won, Humphrey looks like the candidate who lost: no sensual lip, cheeks drawn, eyes slanted wary of hawks. Vietnam has ended. In a …

Rock radio in the years leading up to Van Halen was overwhelmed with the sounds of a format called new wave, otherwise known as synth pop. A lot of that music was exported from Britain. …

Economic forecasters are befuddled. Will President Trump ignite destructive trade wars? Or will a crackdown on companies shipping jobs overseas jack up employment and stimulate the economy? Will his planned massive tax cuts thrust the …

La Jolla–based military contractor General Atomics, maker of the Predator drone and other lucrative pieces of battle-ready hardware, also provides radiation monitoring systems for atomic reactors. The company’s latest installation came in July of this …

Not There :( I really miss the Sudoku contest where you had a chance to win a t-shirt or a hat. I keep hoping it’s going to come back, but every time I open the …

Chargers honcho Dean Spanos has pledged to soon reveal whether the team is moving to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, an Orange County city infamous for a 33 percent jump in crime last year is at work …

Ten years ago, Robert Medina, a Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder, led 18 officers and 13 police cars on a chase on I-15 through Oceanside, finally ending in Encinitas. The officers used spike strips and …

Former tax law attorney J. Douglass Jennings — now officially disbarred, according to State Bar records — cannot discharge a debt that he incurred in bankruptcy, the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth District, ruled …

On Top of the City Higgs is seventy-four, has been practicing law since 1934, and was president of the San Diego County Bar Association in 1940. His voice is raspy but his sentences are clear …

A new restaurant concept opened in East Village a couple months back called Dog Haus Biergarten. The Biergarten distinction is dubious — aside from a small amount of sidewalk seating, most of the place is …

In a suit filed last Monday (December 19), Mickey Kasparian, president of the United Food & Commercial Union Local 135, is charged with sexual harassment by a former employee who worked for him. Isabel Vasquez …

With another rough year for the newspaper business come and gone, the answer to the question of who will control the fate of the controversial tronc publishing empire — including the L.A. Times and San …

A chorus of “konichiwas” greeted me as I walked into the Gyu-Kaku dining room for lunch. I’ve been a fan of the Japanese tabletop-BBQ chain since visiting one in Honolulu more than a decade back, …

When South Bay rap/rockers P.O.D. played to thousands at a 2008 Chargers rally/concert before a post-season game outside Qualcomm, lead singer Sonny Sandoval proudly belted out the lyrics to “San Diego Chargers Anthem” with homer …

What are you doing here? I'm married! “I was in the turn lane, and he stopped his car in the middle lane next to me even though there were no cars in front of him,” …

A few new years have dawned since we had a New Year’s party in our own home. But 12 a.m., January 1, 2017, will be different. The bubbly will be bubbling, the streamers will be …

How to Read a Mug Adolf Hitler's strained smile was frightful, it gave away too much, even embarrassed him, and he always brought a hand up like a claw to cover it. No one has …

San Diego breweries expand out of stateLocal beer companies have been colonizing Orange and Los Angeles counties for years, but 2016 was the year San Diego breweries officially expanded production into other states. Stone Brewing …

Tuesday 27Trombonist/vocalist Lizzi Trumbore is back in town, playing a house party gig with guitarist Peter Sprague and vocalist Leonard Patton at the Trumbore household (17738 Villamoura Drive, Poway). Concert begins at 5:30 p.m. and …

: Back to the normal (wintertime) method of operation Inshore: Looks like it’s back to the normal M.O. for San Diego inshore fishing; Bottom fish until the bell at New Year’s and then scratch for …

A group of smugglers huddled in a prayer circle a couple weeks ago to ask God for help crossing into Mexico. “We prayed for [aduanas, Mexican customs officials] to turn a blind eye when we …

Seventy-five When I was a child, my mother took me to Central Park and spread a blanket for me to sit and play on, and if I strayed onto bare grass she would pick me …

America’s absolutely worst restaurant and food My beautiful daughter had shrimp scampi on angel hair, which was no more angel hair than the spaghetti/meatball mountain that the poor underpaid Mexicans in the back had prepped …

Hillcrest may soon have new parking meters as well as new enforcement hours. Uptown Community Parking District chief operating officer Elizabeth Hannon said the changes may go into effect in the spring. Established in 1997, …

One hundred years ago a Ukrainian composer named Mykola Leontovich found an ancient tune of four notes and set them to text about the coming of spring. The story of the song was about a …

This is it, folks. Unless you know something I don’t, there will be no new releases next Friday, December 30. (Scott and I will take the occasion to post our two Top Ten Lists, which …

On a rainy December night, the Dandy Warhols rolled into the Belly Up on their Distortland tour. As much as I dig the Dandys, I have to say this latest show in San Diego was …

I was invited to a going-away party at Le Papagayo recently, and the organizer was insistent that we confirm that we would be attending. “It’s not easy to get reservations on a Saturday night,” she …

Strange Storm, the third album from the Brooklyn-based Darrin James Band, is truth-telling of the bitterest sort, ten tracks naming the slights we do each other, intended and otherwise. Following suit, Darrin James, principle songwriter …

The fight between the bar owners of McDini's and National City continues unabated, according to Benjamin Adler, whose father's family trust owns the bar once known as a place to find SEALs and Special Warfare …

Civil rights lawyers and activists from the National Action Network gathered downtown on Wednesday (December 21) to blast new city-council president Myrtle Cole for her appointments to the council's Public Safety and Livable Communities Committee. …

Last year, fivethirtyeight.com called hard cider the fastest-growing segment of the craft beverage market. As we enter 2017, the movement is catching on in San Diego, with several new cideries in the works for the …

SeaWorld is moving forward with plans to pump millions in new attractions at its San Diego theme park. On December 19, the City of San Diego provided notice that SeaWorld has applied for the necessary …

I’m afraid that when it comes to Christmas, no one can do it quite like the Mormons and their Tabernacle Choir. On second thought, St. Olaf offers a big-time Christmas experience as well. If there …

He was charged with elder abuse, then packing a gun Possible subhead: He files suit, but this week he's back in hoosegow In October of last year, the district attorney's office charged Joshua Alan Blow …

Residents in Ocean Beach and Loma Portal woke up this morning (December 22) to a mysterious odor hanging in the damp air. Over the course of an hour, dozens of people reported the smell via …

A large, retro sign saying “Bakery” recently went up in North Park, the work of Blackmarket Bakery. The new restaurant represents the third installment and first San Diego entry of a small Orange County bakery …

The epic battle between the cities of Coronado and Imperial Beach for 200,000 gallons a day of sewage from the U.S. Navy landed in federal court last week, after Imperial Beach countersued Coronado, along with …

Wealthy Republican Ray Ellis lost out to Democrat Barbara Bry for the First District city-council seat representing La Jolla, but at least he got a refund. According to a December 2 closeout filed at city …

According to former Crash Worship member John Goff, everyone knew there was no future for his band after Great White’s 2003 Rhode Island nightclub gig that ended with 100 fans dead from a raging fire …

At the unruly age of 16, the former Bar Dynamite bleached its mop and jutted its chin as Blonde Bar. Open since August, Blonde channels a ’70s CBGB into modern day through the punk-rock patchwork …

The City of San Diego's pension liability as of June 30 has soared to $2.65 billion, up by $937 million since June of 2015, according to a report by Cheiron, the actuarial firm used by …

"I need a novio!” This is Leona. She’s standing by as I chow into her lush carnitas, basically slow-cooked pork on a plate loaded with frijoles, grated cotija cheese, avocado slices, pico de gallo, and …

Hardcore revivalists OFF! are supposed to be on hiatus right now, but the band has unexpectedly switched ON! ahead of schedule. “We’re supposed to be on a year-long hiatus and we are, maybe, seven months …

Carlsbad’s Eric Noonan, a warden with the private prison business known as GEO Group, was one of San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer’s most uniquely employed contributors, kicking in $1050 on election day, June 7. Other …

Catania’s cocktail menu holds a full offering of autumn nostalgia, including something called the Canella, created by Catania’s head bartender Cesar Sandoval. The Canella was inspired, in name and content, by San Francisco liquor producer …

“The very first time Fishbone played the Belly Up,” recalls bassist Norwood Fisher, “our [former] guitarist Kendall Jones jumped up and cracked his cranium on the side of one of the hanging speakers during our …

I sometimes get asked “Who’s your favorite writer?” “What’s your favorite play?” Well, Shakespeare and Chekhov certainly, Michel de Montaigne, whose wisdom grows as I grow older. But what about Homer or Simone Weil, or …

“‘Based on a True Story” has replaced “The Adventure Continues” as Hollywood’s most cringeworthy coming attraction tagline. Just because a narrative is rooted in reality doesn’t mean that its chronicler isn’t going to lie, cheat, …

The trails along the Wright’s Field Preserve are the perfect spot to walk the family dog, go jogging, or just take a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. Historically, this area was critical to the early …

Carlsbad-based singer/songwriter Aquile watched last week’s season finale of The Voice. It was the first time he’s seen an episode since he appeared on the chair-spinning talent show in 2012. “It can get hard to …

She rose from afternoon slumbers with something pinching her tail. Three feet below the surface of San Diego Bay her equine head, crowned with a five-point coronet, poked through a blanket of eel grass. Alarm …

Dear Hipster: My friend and I have a longstanding dispute, and I’ve unilaterally decided to bring you into it (you’re welcome). It began years ago, when that book Born to Run came out. I remember …

Beds: 5 Baths: 8 Current Owner: IAB LLC, care of Matthew Kemp List Price: $11,500,000 The sprawling Poway mansion at 14105 Biscayne Place is described in listing materials as “the Trophy Estate at the Heritage,” …

They’re a good three decades late to the dance, but don’t paint them into the retro corner. This is a living, breathing band, fresh, and coming off the launch pad as if they could restart …

San Diego needs many more trees and must take better care of the sparse trees it has. Trees shade us from the sun, reduce urban heat and noise, save energy, raise property values, improve air …

Advent The time of the first advent was foretold; the time of the second is not so; because the first was to be obscure, and the second is to be brilliant, and so manifest that …

Former U-T publisher and mayoral moneyman Douglas Manchester has been stirring the genteel reaches of the late Helen Copley’s Foxhill estate ever since he bought the lavish spread up the hill from the La Jolla …

Riverview Community Church Membership: 600 Pastor: Todd Tolson Age: 40 Born: Waukegan, IL Formation: Christian Heritage College, Santee (previously San Diego Christian, El Cajon) Years Ordained: 16 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend …

The Work Will Never Be Done Re: “San Diego Climate Cleanup Report Card Is In,” News Ticker, December 15 The report says there’s a lot more work to be done, but I’m curious when the …

When Machete Beer House opened two years ago, there weren't many places to get craft beer in National City. There weren't many opportunities to buy organic produce either. On Monday nights, Machete offers both. The …

Not a lot of people know this, but I wasn’t actually around in the 1940s. It’s true! I was still waiting for my parents to get born so that I could get born; but I’ve …

New Year’s Eve guides are a dime a dozen, but what to do if you find yourself out and about on Christmas Eve? The Infinity stage at Pala Casino is hosting Help!, a Beatles tribute …

January 2, 2016 Subject broke into a 85’ Hornblower vessel shortly after midnight and was able to start the vessel and remove it from the dock. The vessel was later discovered missing by employees and …

While the architect and building size remain the same, the updated plan for the new 25,000-square-foot San Carlos branch library is now one story instead of two. The 8200-square-foot branch at 7265 Jackson Drive opened …

One of the best, most moving shows of 2016 must close this Sunday, December 23. In many ways, Ion Theatre’s intimate space is the perfect site for Larry Kramer’s bulging epic about the early years …

After several years offering San Diego youth a chance at on-the-job skills development, the Second Chance Youth Garden has found a new home market for their student-grown produce in City Heights. "We felt it was …

Since this year's annual Reader Beer Issue took a look at the dramatic growth of San Diego beers being released in cans, even more breweries have announced they are joining the aluminum fold. Mikkeller Brewing …

While 2499 Pacific Highway in the Little Italy neighborhood is currently an empty lot with a former car-rental office building, it could become a Valero service station. Civic San Diego has started the approval process …

The City of San Diego has agreed to settle a long-running excessive-force lawsuit filed against four San Diego police officers who allegedly assaulted members of a family during an incident in 2014. According to documents …

Have staff ethics at San Diego's city hall deteriorated under the rule of mayor Kevin Faulconer? Critics there say so, citing an increasingly opaque veil of secrecy the Republican has cast over his staff's dealings …

“If you want to go to a real beach bar, you go to the Pennant or the Beachcomber. If you want to go to a real beach bar that serves good food, you hit up …

Some in the Point Loma community see the Voltaire Street bridge as a gateway to their neighborhood. So, they want something a bit more attractive than a chain-link fence when a bridge rehabilitation project conceived …

Prodigals They speak better English, with better intonations and slang. They listen to American music and Japanese groups like Lunatic Lion or Ayumi Nakamura, whose album covers and song titles burst with English, who slip …

Inshore: It’s been a bit slow for the local fleet with only just under 340 anglers for the week. The catch is mainly rockfish with a few other seasonal bottom fish mixed in. After two …

Tuesday 20The annual “Unsilent Night” festivities kick off at 7 p.m. at the Gaslamp Quarter Station (Fifth Avenue/King Promenade). A large group of participants, each carrying a different sonic device, play Phil Kline’s “Unsilent Night” …

I’m asking actors and designers to name their five dream roles/projects and say why. The answers not only reveal aspirations, they may put an idea in the minds of artistic directors and producers — even …

The unemployment rate in the county was 4.3 percent in November, down from a revised 4.7 percent in October, and down from 5 percent from a year ago. San Diego did better than the nation, …

"Our focus right now is to make great spirits," says Scott Nixon, general manager of Copper Collar Distillery, the craft spirit company he cofounded with head distiller Jason Pelle earlier this year. Pelle and Nixon …

Poinsettias, a favorite of backyard gardeners, are now exhibiting their scarlet, petal-like bracts, just in time for the holidays. The onset of 14-hour-long nights triggers their behavior: In San Diego this condition is met just …

Carlsbad resident Chris Platus tries to save trees — but not from being cut down. The retired California State Parks ranger, now a woodworking hobbyist, seeks out old trees that developers are going to take …

There are no fedora-wearing hipsters at the Brown Cup. Which is why I go there. Not because I have anything against hipsters, but because this coffee joint is still undiscovered and I can find a …

A Kenya Guama Peaberry coffee roasted by Bird Rock Coffee Roasters has been named the number-one coffee of the year by CoffeeReview.com, earning a 97-point rating. Judges described it as “luscious, deeply sweet, and sumptuous.” …

Nowhere is America's face-off with mainland China in the dawning era of president-elect Donald Trump more materially mapped than the corner of Broadway and Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego. There, ex–Union-Tribune publisher and Republican …

At noon Friday (December 16), KFMB/Channel 8 viewers on Cox Cable saw their television screen go dark as the cable company and CBS's local affiliate failed to reach an agreement over fees Cox pays to …

The Wikipedia entry for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story calls it “a 2016 American epic space opera film.” There’s lots more after that, but let me pause for a moment. “Space opera?” As in …

The City of San Diego may have to fork over yet another hefty settlement over its crumbling and inadequate storm-water system. On December 13, the Chicano Federation of San Diego County filed a lawsuit against …

"There's been a lot of divisive rhetoric over the last year or so that's made people fearful, and to feel unwelcome," said John Bertsch, owner of the Meshuggah Shack coffee outlet in Mission Hills, before …

“Break-up record” is too reductive to describe Miranda Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings, but it’s a start. Though the country artist’s heart aches plenty in her first music after last year’s split from Blake …

It is the holiday season and thus the fare has changed. Many theaters repeat old favorites to ring in the festive mood. Besides the obvious suspects, there are newer offerings. For the past five years, …

A final hurrah was given for Irish indie-pop band Two Door Cinema Club, as they performed their last concert of 2016, stopping at Harrah’s Resort SoCal in San Diego for a set of mild madness …

On September 9, the San Diego Association of Government’s board of directors voted in favor of taking a prime corner lot above Mission Bay Park by eminent domain for a new trolley Park & Ride. …

Nearly 100 people showed up at the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park Wednesday night (December 14) to see what county officials are thinking about putting in the large and largely undeveloped park that starts at …

As the redemption of Scrooge drew nigh, I realized that there could be a better application of these characters. What if all the characters in A Christmas Carol are aspects of each of us? What …

Christy Martin wore pink as a boxer and posing for the cover of Sports Illustrated. When her husband and trainer for 20 years thought she was having an affair, he stabbed her three times in …

When was the last time you saw an expressionistic use of color in a trailer, let alone a feature? There was more color in the preview for La La Land than a box of 120 …

For the first time since 2003, one of Oceanside’s real bearded Santas, James Wornia, will not be working this Christmas season. Due to health reasons he’s had to cut back. But if the real Santa …

Since 1993, the San Diego City Council has been redeclaring a state of emergency in the Tijuana River Valley over the sewage, sediment, and rubbish as large as tires that flow into the area in …

Despite his best efforts, a suspected mail thief in East County failed in an attempt to flee sheriff's deputies after a brief pursuit in Alpine on Wednesday morning (December 14). Shortly after 7 a.m., deputies …

Saturday morning is one of my favorite times to walk around the Gaslamp. It’s not crowded, there’s parking, and the old buildings have grandeur in the a.m. sunlight. Except for the occasional jogging conventioneer, you …

Graduates of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, taking the 2016 California Bar exam for the first time, were tied for second worst in the state, according to the publication Above the Law. Only 31 percent …

Sher Mohammad Haidari heard the radio crackle with Taliban chatter as the Army platoon he was with trudged through a valley in eastern Afghanistan looking for a U.S. soldier who had abandoned his post. The …

In God we trust.— Salmon Portland Chase Salmon Portland Chase (1808-1873 was an American politician and sixth Chief Justice of the United States (1864-1873). Besides serving as 23rd governor of Ohio, Chase also served as …

A group numbering several dozen environmental activists along with residents of Barrio Logan and surrounding communities gathered at the Port of San Diego on Tuesday afternoon (December 13) to cheer the port's board of directors …

“I joined the group about 13 years ago and bought the company 9 years later. We have between 45 and 50 singers, depending on the season,” says Angelica Eclar Ryan, speaking with me on a …

On December 1st, Barrio Logan brewery Border X was named the $5000 winner of the Startup Brewery Challenge. The biannual competition is staged by national craft beer website Brewbound.com and Craft Brew Alliance, the "fifth …

"Se habla English!!” That’s what it says on the menu I’m checking out, here in National City. It also says “Birrio de Chivo, Guadalajara-style, perfected in Tijuana and imported into the USA.” Perfect. Because tonight, …

I owe my love of Pablo Larraín to the San Diego Latino Film Festival. Their programming of Tony Manero and Post Mortem was tantamount to extracting a giant thorn from this reporter’s paw. Tony Manero …

Dear Hipster: I’m super burnt out on the whole “holiday shopping” scene. I went to the movies in Mission Valley the other day, and I’m still having flashbacks from the sight of cars practically running …

"I play pop rock, infused with some folk, funk, and jazz,” says La Mesa’s Marissa Grace, who started studying piano at age four. The 13-year-old took vocal lessons with local stars Eve Selis and Mattie …

My second daughter has one of those dreaded late-December birthdays, the kind that make both the birthday and Christmas feel a little less special because of their proximities. I confess that last year, budget and …

Scott Lehman left Canada a year ago when his wife got a plum job as a cancer researcher at Salk Institute. The guitarist/keyboardist had spent three years in Acronycal, a Foo Fighter-ish band that had …

San Diego County environmental health honchos have been lax dunning local landlords for cleaning up hazardous chemicals left over from busted methamphetamine labs on their property, an audit has found. “Although 10 collection notifications were …

Ex–Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson brings the Chris Robinson Brotherhood to the Observatory North Park on December 16. In between the phone signal cutting out in Appalachia, he took some questions. Where am I reaching …

Juniper Canyon Open Space is mainly an urban remnant of the local native coastal sage scrub, with some intermingling of chaparral and some weedy growth along the trail. The trail itself varies from a narrow …

Individuals who have history thrust upon them frequently make the best movie subjects. Lawrence of Arabia, Melvin and Howard, The Last Emperor, Vera Drake, and many other cinematic profiles have done wonders with a passive …

Anybody who caught X when they were wee lads playing shows in Los Angeles circa 1977 is about to feel old: X is on the brink of turning the big 4-0. “The reason we’re doing …

Dear Hipster: Since he embraced kitsch and practically hid his most clever comments by saying them in the same soft tone of voice as everything else he said, was Bob Ross the ultimate anti-hipster? — …

“I never thought you’d be a junkie/ because heroin is so passé.” Who would think to give the smack nation its own pink and yellow television-style game show, complete with burning luxe cars, dancing syringes, …

The playwright Bash Doran has come right out and said in interviews that The Mystery of Love and Sex is a play partly about race, partly family, and mostly sexuality; but that doesn’t mean we …

When David Copley sold the Union-Tribune to Tom Gores and his Beverly Hills–based Platinum Equity back in 2009, the vulture capitalist with Palestinian roots vowed that he was in the newspaper business for the long …

’Tis the year’s midnight, and it is the day’s, Lucy’s, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks; The sun is spent, and now his flasks Send forth light squibs, no constant rays; The world’s whole sap …

What Did They Do to the Meat? I read with interest your comments about the Habit, the hamburger restaurant. I agree with the author 100 percent about the meat — the hamburger patty has not …

A legal appeal to stop ex–Union-Tribune publisher and Donald Trump moneyman Douglas Manchester from building his so-called Navy Broadway Complex on downtown's waterfront has been spurned by the U.S. Supreme Court, a move that could …

A prominent developer who has spent more than a decade fighting the California Coastal Commission over allowing access to the beach has finally ended the fight, their attorney confirmed Monday (December 12). Ure Kretowicz and …

When asked to name a sequel that surpasses its original, The Godfather, Part II and The Bells of St. Mary’s are always the first to come to mind. (Exorcist II: The Heretic runs a close …

On Monday morning (December 12), Scott Basile was set up with an unusual camera to take photos of the pier in Ocean Beach. “I was just about to pour another plate and get it rolling …

Mingling on the Esplanadi The Sky Wheel spins remembrances of childhood. A southeastern breeze carries emotions, the X-girl laughter camouflaging the dark in her eyes. I smell apples and lilac. Sweden’s due west, Estonia to …

I already liked Green Acre Campus Pointe on the approach. I went looking for the Brian Malarkey restaurant after enjoying the sandwiches at his new Little Italy spot, Herb & Eatery. Green Acre is a …

Tijuana Mi Amor Marcos lived for months at the Hotel San Francisco, on Calle Primera, across from La Funeraria San Martin. His room was littered with Argentine novels and Communist literature from Latin America. The …

December 9 — HP were dispatched to a dinghy that was a hazard to navigation near Shelter Island. HP located the halfway-submerged dingy and transported it to the impound dock. December 5 — HP responded …

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. This piece of music is considered to be the ultimate expression of humanity's struggle for freedom. The main tune, which we all know, the Ode to Joy, was purposefully written as …

Civic San Diego, the city-owned nonprofit corporation in charge of permitting and planning in downtown and surrounding communities, is again under fire for the process in which it approves development proposals. On December 6, a …

The pro football Rams' reception in Los Angeles is mediocre at best. Television ratings have been low to so-so. About 9.8 percent of area homes have been turned on to Rams games. That's worse than …

Authenticity abounds in New Village Arts’ production of Walton Jones’s 1940s piece, and the audience becomes immersed in the music and ambience of the period. Under the nurturing care of director Dana Case, aboard for …

As the battle for the presidency of the newly reconstituted San Diego City Council heads for a showdown, the contest is increasingly shaping up as a way for Mission Valley development interests to strengthen their …

Last week, the City of Escondido stocked Lake Wohlford with 6000 pounds of Nebraska Tailwalker rainbow trout for the annual trout opener on December 10. The lake had been closed since December 4, and the …

A 180-million-year-old Friend It was sheer proximity that charmed me. His claws were as thin as embroidery floss unraveled, and he had a wisp of grass on his head, which gave him an agreeably foolish …

Inshore: I think this is the first weekly report I’ve done in two years that doesn’t have a yellowtail in the local counts. Still, a few were caught off La Jolla by kayakers and private …

Monday 12 Gilbert Castellanos will be leading a group to celebrate the inauguration of SD City Councilmember Chris Ward, with Lorraine Castellanos on vocals, Bob Boss on guitar, Dean Hulett on bass, and Kevin Higuchi …

At the top of a steep, winding drive to the northeast of Escondido, you’ll find tiny Lake Wohlford. The dammed lake is routinely stocked with trout for recreational fisher folk, and a mobile home park …

Jupiter, the “king” of the planets, appears high in the southern sky after sunset. Note its creamy yellow-white color and unblinking brightness. Aim a small telescope at Jupiter anytime during the next few weeks to …

The Last Vaquero I’d tell Mollie where I was gonna camp, and she’d pack the ol’ mule and drag him around till I got to that camp, and she’d have it all set up. The …

I missed the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters. I also missed both versions of the “awful opera singer” story (Marguerite and Florence Foster Jenkins). Heck, I even missed Denial, despite the fact that it starred personal …

The San Diego Symphony gave a performance of John Adams’s Dr. Atomic Symphony over the weekend of December 3 and 4. It was a great performance but it left me realizing just how rich is …

San Diego County’s Regional Task Force on Homeless estimated in January 2016 that there were 8692 homeless people in San Diego. And while many are living in tents and on sidewalks, Ocean Beach has some …

Peter Doherty’s Hamburg Demonstrations shows us that there is beauty in our imperfections. His second solo acoustic album brings with it folky vibes and a refreshing confessional tone. These songs show us a side of …

An exceptional cast, snappy writing, and polished production elements bring to life the complicated nature of interpersonal relationships between family and friends in Bathsheba Doran’s The Mystery of Love and Sex. The play follows four …

Despite the fact that there is no pizza in Tijuana that comes close to Pizzeria Luigi, there are many hundreds of pizzerias spread throughout the city. Many of them are commercialized garbage. Including many of …

Camino del Rio South seems poised to become home to a third medical marijuana dispensary — and it's rumored that there may be a fourth in the works. Blake Marchand has applied to the city …

Currently based in NYC, Chilean musician Camila Meza made her San Diego debut on December 3, with a two-set house-capacity performance at the Athenaeum’s new Logan Heights outlet in the multi-arts venue Bread & Salt. …

Three-year-old Vista brewery Barrel Harbor has been getting active of late. It began releasing cans of Fenris IPA earlier this year and aims to begin canning South Island pilsner by the end of the month. …

The City of San Diego is poised to pay out another large sum for failing to maintain safe bike lanes and roads for pedestrians. On Tuesday (December 13) city councilmembers are expected to finalize a …

The summer of 2014 in Ocean Beach was hot, the water was unusually warm, dolphins were leaping out of the water, and fishermen were having a heyday, filling their buckets with everything from mackerel to …

Not quite ready for the holiday barrage? Here are two provocative pieces that must close this weekend. Seven Spots on the Sun, InnerMission Productions An old saying goes, “out of the mud grows the lotus.” …

Early whale hunters saw spouts over the dunes before they found the bay entrance, but in early winter of 1857, Charles Melville Scammons led the first two whaling ships into Laguna Ojo de Liebre on …

It was a Saturday afternoon when the husband pulled me into Duck Dive in Pacific Beach to catch up on some college football scores. The noise level was high, but he joined in to cheer …

The City of San Diego's adopted climate action plan is a great start, but there's much more work to be done throughout the county, according to a regional report card issued Wednesday (December 7) by …

“I just got back from the Standing Rock Dakota Access Pipeline protests [in Cannonball, North Dakota],” says singer/songwriter Scott Wilson. “I edited a short video on the issues surrounding why they’re protesting the construction of …

North County is better off economically than the rest of San Diego County, according to a study released yesterday (December 7) by the Center on Policy Initiatives. It used data from the Census Bureau's 2015 …

For some travelers, hope is the worst drug out there.

Although 16-year-old percussionist Johnny Steele is a committed jazz head, he actually caught the drum bug when his dad took him to his first concert at the age of eight to see the Canadian prog-rock …

Thanksgiving just passed and with it my favorite Thanksgiving-ish movies. Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose is essentially a screwball comedy with mobsters, exquisitely filmed in black and white. Thanksgiving elements range from the ridiculous — …

The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians has added a brewery component to its gambling interests. The sovereign tribe owns the Harrah's casino on its reservation near Valley Center, and on November 5th it opened a …

Ask for the Caribe Welcome at Miss B’s Coconut Club and the bartender will whip and dump a creamy white concoction into a young shaved coconut with Miss B’s logo burnt into the glistening white …

"Sorry about your leader.” “Thank you. But it’s been a long time. Thirty years since I left.” Raul’s from Cuba. I want to ask what he feels about Fidel. But conversation drifts. We happen to …

Jim Madaffer, who first linked up with second wife Robin a decade ago when he was a Republican member of the San Diego city council and she was a big-money city hall lobbyist, continues to …

A few weeks ago, a story appeared on The Big Screen about a “critic” who couldn’t manage to make it through a screening without texting. It was greeted with a tidal wave of sympathetic comments …

Josh Kmak says his commitment to making music both helped and hurt him through a very dark time. The multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter sits in occasionally with the Schizophonics and has played with the New Kinetics. He …

Membership: 200 Pastor: Dan Koeshall Age: 56 Born: Pipestone, MN Formation: Evangel University, Springfield, MO; Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena Years Ordained: 25 San Diego Reader: What’s your favorite subject on which to preach? Pastor Dan …

Mary Frances Prevost (pronounced PRAY-vo), who describes herself on her website as "California's Top Criminal & DUI Attorney," has been suspended by the California Bar for the third time. She was suspended from law practice …

Dear DJ: Riddle me this, why must millennials or hipsters name their newborns Lorax, Fennel, Maverick, Jaxson, Skylar, etc? What happened to good ol’ Bob and Henry? You know, names of power. — Javier Zoquaipa …

Beds: 7 Baths: 10 Current Owners: Hugh III and Joy Bancroft List Price: $10,800,000 Marketing materials describe the Rancho Santa Fe estate at 6605 La Valle Plateada using the name Il Incanto, Italian for “the …

First-time writer-director Nicolas Pesce’s The Eyes of My Mother feels unnervingly like a Diane Arbus photo that’s been stretched into a film. Which is to say, it’s unnerving, a shadowy black-and-white (well, black-and-gray) image of …

“We started in 1979 in the garage, ended in 1982, reformed in 1992, disbanded in 1997, and reformed in 2002,” says Mike Sainz, aka Mike Spent of Carlsbad punk rockers Spent Idols. “Along the way, …

Established to protect the life forms found within it, the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve became an official state park in 1956. Found within its borders is the Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), the rarest pine …

Prayers frontman Rafa Reyes was one of many musicians among the thousands protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline near Bismarck, North Dakota. “I didn’t tell anybody. I just woke up the day after Thanksgiving and took …

Dear Hipster: I was wondering if hipster things that become cool and mainstream are not cool anymore. For example, I noticed that the hipsters here used to wear a scarf. I am not talking a …

Fiddle music played by four traveling Mennonites. Put it that way and you might think that the Steel Wheels would not be a band that could chart and get radio play after scoring accolades at …

“Toilet to tap” minimal in its impact, maximum in its cost.

Where the Feeling Deserts Us I wake somewhere on the outskirts of Portland. The crickets are singing. The train is refusing to breathe. Off in the distance a truck gears down on a service road …

Sidewalk critics of ex–Union-Tribune publisher Douglas Manchester’s under-construction Austin, Texas, high-rise hotel, called the Fairmont Austin, have expressed disappointment with its increasingly frugal appearance, including what photos show to be a five-story featureless wall at …

“The appetite grows with eating.” Many in the late 19th Century applied the French proverb to an insatiable urge to filibuster: to conquer foreign territories with private armies. If appetite grows, then Captain John H. …

Just Don’t Print ’em Okay, friends, it’s getting plain ugly. You’re printing letters from hate-trolls. Trump did not legitimize use of words like “jigaboo.” You just should not print letters from “name withheld.” That’s usually …

At a planning-group meeting Monday night (December 5), City Heights residents gave mixed reviews of the city's revised plans for a stretch of El Cajon Boulevard. Several City Heights Area Planning Committee members blasted the …

In a press release timed to coincide with the 83rd anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition (December 5), national trade group the Brewers Association announced that the number of active breweries in the U.S. has …

I have an golden excuse to mention pianist Martha Argerich. On December 5 she was honored with a Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award. The Kennedy Center Honors will air on CBS December 27, at 9 …

A City of San Diego program to incentivize affordable housing developments and sustainable buildings by offering permitting in half the time of standard projects is underperforming, says a December 2 report from San Diego's city …

San Diegans, at least a good number of them, have had a long-standing love for the 800-mile-long Baja Peninsula. Until the north-south Highway 1 was completely paved in the mid 1970s, it was an arduous …

The changing of Sacramento’s mayoral guard occurs this week, with the exit of Kevin Johnson, once a municipal wunderkind, now tarred by a graphically documented sex scandal and a series of political funny-money charity deals. …

The Museum of Photographic Arts invites you to spend a day in Hollywood walking through the extensive picture collections at the Academy Film Archive. Established in 1991, the Archive currently houses 190,000 items including an …

Local activists gathered on Monday (December 5) to call for action from the San Diego Police Department in the wake of a study released by San Diego State University on racial profiling during traffic stops …

A candlelight vigil in support of a group of self-described "water protectors" blocking the construction of the oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation in North Dakota had an atmosphere of cautious celebration …

On November 7, the day before the election, stock of San Diego's troubled Bridgepoint Education sold for $7.02. The company is under investigation by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and …

Sometimes, in a live performance, a conductor will downplay “the big tune” in a symphony performance. Sometimes, in a live performance, a conductor will elevate and revel in “the big theme.” We gratefully received the …

In an effort to cut back on public intoxication and loud noise from drunken bar patrons leaving Encinitas' burgeoning bar scene, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department is targeting minorities and chasing out “undesirables" from …

December 2 was opening day for Dixon Lake’s 38th annual Trout Derby. With 6000 pounds of Nebraska Tailwalker rainbows stocked earlier in the week, derby and lake records were broken over the three-day event. Four …

In a solo performance, Ron Campbell plays numerous guests at a wedding reception, plus all the characters in The Dybbuk: or Between Two Worlds, S. Ansky’s “realistic play about mystical people.” The task requires a …

José Luis Rodriguez spent a lot of time and spread a lot of joy while he worked afternoons at the Lincoln Acres Library. He was getting ready to start college — he wanted to be …

When I talked to Juan Carlos Bucio for last summer’s Tijuana beer article, he described a vision of Plaza Fiesta beyond just beer. He envisioned Plaza as a daytime option for foodies, not just for …

A self-described “hippie shop” that's been around for 37 years will be closing next April. Cardiff by the Sea’s Good Morning store is being forced out because of a tripling in rent. Owner Darreld Kitaen, …

The Tubes of My Life 1966, home from college. Nothing better to do than sit around with mom and dad and watch some wretched WW2 thingie with Jack Warden held captive in the South Pacific. …

Inshore: A little rough weather kept a lot of anglers ashore this past week as only 37 boats got out with well under 1000 passengers total. Even so, the bottom fishing for reds, lingcod and …

Monday 5 The Mikan Zlatkovich Trio plays acoustic jazz fusion at Eddie V’s Seaport Village (789 W. Harbor Drive) at 6 p.m. No cover. Tuesday 6 The Mikan Zlatkovich Trio play acoustic jazz fusion, this …

After a drawn-out vote count that began after election night (November 8), earlier this week county supervisor Dave Roberts called Encinitas mayor Kristin Gaspar to concede the District 3 seat. It wasn't looking so good …

The Tale of an Elephant The worst of Jouett’s problems were yet to come. Media representatives wanted to be present when Cindy arrived in mid-December. The elephant trainer and keepers wanted no one there. They …

Liquidambar Trees, or sweet gums, the colorfully deciduous trees gracing front yards, parks, and campuses throughout the San Diego area, have been putting on a good show for the past month. The maplelike leaves of …

I first visited Pizzeria Luigi in 2008. I lived in Los Angeles at the time, but I visited my brother in San Diego frequently enough that Luigi’s became a regular spot. I thought Luigi’s pizza …

The battle between big beer and craft continues, and this time it's a Long Beach brewer taking shots at San Diego beer. Earlier this year, big-beer subsidiary 10 Barrel Brewing's plans to open a brewpub …

During his campaign for president, Donald Trump repeatedly knocked opponent Hillary Clinton for the highly paid speeches she gave for Wall Street's Goldman Sachs. Now Trump has named Steven Mnuchin, who spent 17 years with …

Less than two weeks after president-elect Donald Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle two lawsuits filed in San Diego over his for-profit university, the New York City mogul has been slapped with another …

Duncan Shepherd had it easy. When he slammed a movie, people would accuse him of being elitist or of hating anything that wasn’t foreign (Eastwood and the Coens excepted). Sometimes they would accuse him of …

On February 21 of this year, a San Diego policeman killed a family dog that had not made an aggressive move, says a lawsuit filed November 22 in federal court. Alfredo and Socorro Fuentes are …

In 2014 San Diego State University’s School of Theatre, Television, and Film combined with the School of Music and Dance for an epic concert of Les Miserables. Over 200 musicians, singers, and performers roared into …

The owners of three buildings above an Ocean Beach pocket beach known as Bermuda Beach are set to pay a mitigation fee of $82,000 for beach they hope won’t be created by bluff collapse. The …

In 1988, Apple Tree Market took over the space used by Safeway at the corner of Cable Street and Santa Monica Avenue in Ocean Beach. The market served the community until about a year after …

When I sat down at Zarlitos Family Restaurant and looked over the menu, I found lots of wonderful-sounding dishes. By that I mean the words themselves sounded wonderful: sinigang na baboy, tortang alimango, daing na …

Opponents of a controversial gas power plant proposed along Carlsbad's coast were dealt a blow this week, as a three-judge panel at the state First District Court of Appeals denied a request to have the …

Bruno Mars embraces a lavish lifestyle on his newest release, 24K Magic. The album, with sounds from ’70s funk to ’90s hip-hop, contains synthesizers, sensuality, and sexism. Even when the tempo drops, this album retains …

Joseph and Adriana Shayota, a married couple from El Cajon, were convicted late Monday (November 28) of criminal copyright infringement and trafficking in misbranded food by a federal court in San Jose. They were considered …

I woke up this morning feeling like there was something in my head — knocking, asking me to let it spill out. There was a rhythm and a beat and a step. I was being …

Animal-welfare activists are staging an ongoing protest in National City's Bonita Plaza shopping mall against pet stores and to put pressure on government officials over the practice of importing dogs from “puppy mill” animal-breeding factories …

The weekend of musical eggnog begins with a screening of Home Alone at Symphony Hall. The San Diego Symphony will provide a live soundtrack to this modern holiday classic. What will that rapscallion Kevin do …

About a block from the U.S.-Mexico high-tech border fence that president-elect Donald Trump has pledged to turn into an impregnable wall, a select group of San Diego and Tijuana big-money establishment names are set to …

Sheriff's deputies reported that North County tow-truck driver narrowly escaped a carjacking attempt early Wednesday morning (November 30). A woman who stopped to help the thieves after one of them crashed during a getaway attempt, …

The battle to complete the Highway 241 toll road into San Diego County is finally over. Planners for the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agencies announced last week that they are dropping future plans to extend …

Erika Lundeen first became concerned about artificial turf while substitute teaching at Loma Portal Elementary last year. “When I saw the kids rolling around in this black stuff on the field, I asked the PE …

The San Diego Convention Center's 2016 annual report is out, and it raises many questions. For starters, why in the world do cities keep expanding space when only 50 percent of it is in use …