City code harshing on Surf Check's mellow?
Enforcement thwarts coffeeshop's humble aspirations
Delinda Lombardo 6:30 p.m., Oct. 17
Carlsbad news & stories
Breaking news and stories about Carlsbad, California. For event listings, blog entries, photos, and places to go in Carlsbad, visit the Carlsbad neighborhood page.
Army and Navy Academy sex-abuse case cavalcade
Two new lawsuits against departed and incarcerated former staff
Two former cadets at the Army and Navy Academy have filed lawsuits against the Carlsbad military academy over sexual assaults they suffered by former administrators. According to its website, the academy has operated for 100 ...
Devil in details of Carlsbad divorce case
Split involved shooter in bushes and young boy
A divorce between a Carlsbad couple that began in 2014 was interrupted by gunfire more than two years later. Diana Jean Lovejoy, 44, is set to go on trial tomorrow (October 17). She has pleaded ...
The bomb diggity brisket
Campfire avoids fusion confusion
A friend in Los Angeles had the day off and wanted to cruise south to catch up over a meal, so I figured I'd meet him half way. I hopped on the Coaster in Old ...
County sees golf carts as viable future transportation
"Local jurisdictions need to allow people to use these vehicles on the roads.”
The San Diego Association of Governments has noticed a big increase throughout the county in the use of golf carts and low-speed vehicles — golf carts being two-seaters and LSVs, as they’re called, being four-seaters. ...
It's the weather, stupid
I can't imagine a single New Yorker who wouldn't rather be here.
If you read a certain misguided Food & Wine article recently, you know that San Diego's dining scene is good enough to backhanded compliment, but "not the sort of thing you travel for." To that ...
Amtrak won’t stop in Encinitas or South Carlsbad
Agreement with North County Transit District to end October 9
Encinitas and South Carlsbad will be losing Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train service. Both stations receive six daily Amtrak train stops — three northbound and three southbound. The move, effective October 9, ends a four-year “Rail-2-Rail” ...
Crowlers are changing the way we take beer home
Pint-size advantage for the nanobrewery
I recently reported that San Diego's breweries have begun favoring cans over glass bottles, but that's only half the aluminum story. The same trend has been taking hold in the way tasting rooms offer growler ...
Councilwoman Zapf dodges financial hardship
Husband's Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharged following real estate deal
Eric Zapf, husband of councilwoman Lorie Zapf, has been discharged from a Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy he filed in May of this year. In 2014, the Fourth District Court of Appeal found that Eric Zapf ...
American Vandal mockumentary of Oceanside High doesn't ring a bell
Except that Lukas Gage went to San Dieguito
Former Encinitas resident, Lukas Gage, credits his past as a local surfer with helping him land a leading role in the upcoming Netflix series, American Vandal. The eight-episode show uploads to the online network on ...
Jeffrey Barton gets maximum sentence yesterday, Aug. 8
Barton, 59, gets 48 years for molesting boy
Jeffrey Barton spoke to a judge this morning, August 7, complaining and denying for more than 30 minutes, before he was sentenced to 48 years in prison for molesting a boy in his care. “This ...
Will Carlsbad allow drinking and driving?
Aug. 22 decision on K1 Speed kart beer and wine
A group of Carlsbad residents fighting to keep K1 Speed kart racing from getting city permission to serve wine and beer to onlookers includes the teenager who holds the top scoring position nationwide for performance ...
Carlsbad beachcomber got too close to their property
Thrown to sand with metal detector
A 70-year-old Carlsbad resident said he was attacked by a stranger when he was beachcombing earlier this month. Paul, who asked that he be identified only by his first name, said he was alone the ...
Speed limits to be lowered on La Costa Avenue, Quail Gardens Drive
But increased on El Camino Real
Some major streets in Encinitas are scheduled for speed limit changes, mostly downward by five miles per hour, but some will be increased, based on a little-known California law. Last week, although some residents protested ...
There was fontina, scamorza, buffalo mozzarella, jamón serrano…
Every neighborhood deserves a gourmet Italian market
Vigilucci’s several restaurants are familiar to me, but I might never have noticed Vigilucci’s Gourmet Market except for an empty parking space I found next to its sidewalk patio. Being next door to the larger ...
Man suspected of heroin sales at Carlsbad shopping center
Attorney suggested it was just personal use
Carlsbad police arrested a man suspected of possessing heroin for sale, in the parking lot of the Carlsbad Plaza South Shopping Center in the 2500 block of El Camino Real, the early morning hours of ...
Fish and Wildlife squeeze bikers from Carlsbad's Lake Calavera
Locals told "they don’t need to experience it"
Retired firefighter Rick Minnick has been riding and hiking the trails in the open space near Carlsbad’s Lake Calavera for about 25 years now. In the early days, Minnick and his buddies were able to ...
Look for — but don't take — the copper ore remains
Rancho La Costa Preserve was full of mines
The Rancho La Costa Preserve, located in the cities of Carlsbad and San Marcos, is a popular destination for both hikers and mountain bikers. Situated between Batiquitos Lagoon and Lake Hodges, the preserve serves as ...
San Diego County school boards — do they need training?
And should they defer to staff on matters of teaching?
The county’s grand jury put out two reports in May concerning school boards. One discusses elections and term limits while the other points to inconsistent training of both school board members and superintendents. California is ...
Visitors bend rules at Carlsbad's Flower Fields
Enforcement staff wearing dark glasses doubled
“This day (April 8) that you are here,” said Fred Clarke, “is the best absolute day of color right now.” Clarke is the general manager of The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch. “The color is ...
Try the zwiebelrostbraten
Tip Top European lunch on the cheap
“I’m going to send a lot of money here,” I thought to myself as I entered Tip Top Meats. The Eurocentric market and counter service restaurant has been operating in some form since 1967. It ...
Rouleur pedals into Carlsbad
Cycling enthusiast plans a tour de flavor in his brewery
"I'm way into cycling and way into beer," says Rawley Macias, brewer and sole proprietor of Rouleur Brewing Company, the latest craft beer maker to open in Carlsbad's budding scene. While the branding of Macias's ...
Park-starved Carlsbad wins one
Council votes for peaceful place — to be paid for by developer
The Carlsbad city council on Tuesday night (March 14) unanimously approved a settlement plan that will create a new park at the chain-link-fenced Buena Vista reservoir and will resolve a lawsuit against the city over ...
Barrio Carlsbad endures
“People stay here if they can, because it’s a walkable neighborhood with little crime.”
From the beach, walk inland up Carlsbad Village Drive. Pass the beach bungalows that rent for $4000 a month and beach mansions listed for sale at $7 million. Check out the pricey condominiums with floor-to-ceiling ...
North County has less heroin today
Forty-six gang members rounded up
Federal indictments unsealed yesterday (March 1) charge 55 drug dealers and gang members with crimes including money-laundering, robberies, vehicle thefts, burglaries, assaults, and trafficking in heroin, methamphetamine, and firearms. The gang members operated in North ...
The best veggie burger, for real
A vegan, soy-free, scientifically formulated veggie patty. But it’s good.
In my experience, there’s a fair amount of self-deception involved in applying the term “veggie burger” to anything. I mean, can just any mushy puck of vegetable fiber, grains, and/or nuts be slapped on a ...
Bible in one hand and New York Times in the other
Pastor Madison Schockley explains why his church is named "Pilgrim"
Membership: 300 (125 average attendance) Pastor: Madison Schockley Age: 61 Born: Los Angeles Formation: Harvard University, MA; University of Missouri, Columbia, MO; Union Theological Seminary, NY; Claremont Graduate University, Claremont , CA Years Ordained: 38 ...
North County brewer shuts down
Six-year-old On the Tracks got clipped on a technicality
Carlsbad's brewery scene has been on the rise, with two new breweries opening in 2016, and two more due by the spring. However, the North County city lost one in December, when On the Tracks ...
Not your typical industrial park
“Even during the recession, we had 95 percent occupancy.”
A nondescript industrial center near Palomar Airport looks like every other in the vicinity. Yet, the nine-building Carlsbad Gateway Center at 5650 El Camino Real is vastly different. “We have 80 businesses that create, innovate, ...
McDonald's sauce hunters swoop on local restaurants
Big Mac gravy seems a good investment — oh, 2017, you...
McDonald’s pulled off a nationwide marketing stunt on January 26, releasing 10,000 bottles of its Big Mac “secret sauce.” The free 11.4-ounce bottles could only be obtained at few undisclosed restaurant locations and by stating ...
Happy lasagna
Italy in the heart of Carlsbad
My friend Mary suggested we meet at Fresco Trattoria in Carlsbad, and I agreed. My husband doesn’t like to spend money on pasta. After working in the grocery industry for 40 years, he claims that ...
Back to the 1940s
Advertisers got hip and realized that everybody was changing the channel when the commercials came on.
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 ...
North County wealth study
Poverty lower, incomes higher than countywide
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 ...
Dirty gas dream to come true in Carlsbad
State court denies another hearing to prevent power-plant construction
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 ...
Hosp Grove Park's east and west trails
An oasis in the heart of the city that many drive by daily never realizing it’s there
The dominant feature of Hosp Grove is the eucalyptus trees that were originally planted by F.P. Hosp in 1908. Believing that the fast-growing drought-tolerant Australian trees would be a great investment, he established the Hosp ...
Next up out of Carlsbad's McClellan-Palomar Airport
“If you’re looking to link up with other airlines, JetSuite is not for you.”
Another new airline took flight out of McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad on October 17. It is the fourth such airline to try doing business out of the North County airport since United Express pulled out ...
Taking a leap from real estate and tech to coffee
Second career coffee ventures
As the specialty coffee business has gained in popularity, it's become an appealing choice for non-service industry professionals pursuing a second career. A couple such cases have led to new roasting shops in the county. ...
Dine like a revolutionary
See an actual Sam Adams signature while drinking a Sam Adams beer
On the rare occasion David and I make a trek to Carlsbad, it’s usually to go to the European restaurant and store Tip Top Meats (primarily for products by the Hungarian brand, Bende, which is ...
Craft beer burgeoning in Carlsbad
North County natives readying for November brewery launch
The city of Carlsbad hasn't historically made it easy for breweries to open, requiring new businesses to goes through a series of committee meetings in order to obtain a conditional use permit. Case in point ...
Sleeping Tiger, hidden in winery
Witch Creek clears space for roasting machinery and full coffee bar
Sleeping Tiger Coffee launched what may well be the first café sitting inside an active winery. Last year, Paon wine bar owner Mayur Pavagadhi bought Witch Creek Winery, an urban winery operating out of north ...
SeaWorld slapped for plastic litter
Artist investigates source of washed-up detritus
The curiosity of a North County artist and beachcomber recently resulted in a slap on the wrist for SeaWorld, San Diego Coastkeeper is reporting. Janis Selby Jones has long walked the beaches of North County, ...
Massive glass doors and tidal elements everywhere
Home built in 2007; remodeled in 2015. Yours for just $18 million.
Beds: 5 Baths: 8 Current Owner: Christopher and Melanie Huber List Price: $18,000,000 “Welcome to one of the premier oceanfront estates in the world, where no expense was spared,” promise the opening lines of promotion ...
The language of the hammer
Pastor Alvin Helms: “There is going to be a final separation and there is going to be justice rendered.”
Carlsbad Community Church Membership: 400 Pastor: Alvin Helms Age: 55 Born: Houston, TX Formation: Seven Bible College, Houston; Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK; Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT Years Ordained: 25 San Diego Reader: ...
Strawberry season yields a pair of Acoustic Ales
San Diego fruit beer, two ways
Strawberries grow well in San Diego, turning up mid to late spring in great quantities all over the county. With the fruit-beer trend in full swing, it shouldn't be a surprise to see strawberry in ...
Wood beach fires come to an end
Nails and leftover coals prompt state to institute new rule
Effective last week, the California State Park beaches at Carlsbad, Ponto, and Cardiff by the Sea outlawed wood fires on the sand. Banners advising of the new regulation have been posted on most lifeguard towers ...
Old Ponto neighborhood soon to die?
Proposed adjacent development is one more piece of "vision plan"
The small coastal hamlet of Ponto in the area of South Carlsbad may be in its final days. A large townhome project, known as Ponto Beachfront East and Ponto Beachfront West, is slated for 11.3 ...
Burger phase continues in Carlsbad
Worth the Hamilton
“But whatever you do,” he says confidentially, “don’t eat crabs from Southern California.”
Carlsbad's Marty Schwartz is "the number-one online guitar teacher in the world"
I watch that guy!
“It’s crazy,” says Carlsbad resident Marty Schwartz, “so far my lessons have gotten over a half a billion hits on YouTube. Not to sound pompous, but I am the number-one online guitar teacher in the ...
Carlsbad Aloha
Vacuuming up french toast, sausage, and fried rice at Al’s
"Drink this. It’s 9500 years old.” The lady’s thrusting a glass of what looks like water at me in front of this food truck, “California Braise.” Truck’s new around here. And they serve this Carlsbad ...
Eat the record
Visiting North County's Spin Records on Record Store Day
Last weekend marked the seventh time Spin Records has celebrated the annual Record Store Day. “It’s our biggest day of the year,” says Ken Kosta, who brought Spin Records to Carlsbad 23 years ago. “We ...
Coke-Pepsi's discreet war in North County
“No one has ever walked in and asked for a glass of Pepsi. No one!"
“Is Pepsi okay?” are not the words serious Coca-Cola drinkers want to hear in restaurants. So when a Coke-themed diner switched to Pepsi, customers like Oceanside resident Cheri Noel were “not happy.” Last week Noel ...
My Energy Wave, my jail time
Caught selling phony healthcare devices, Carlsbad resident cured of fraud
David Perez, a former Carlsbad resident now living in Oregon, was sentenced to 30 months in custody yesterday (April 4) for selling unapproved "Energy Wave" medical devices over the internet. He admitted to his crimes ...
Hammering away on that mall-crazy Carlsbad City Council
If projections are too low, local traffic will be a nightmare
Ten reasons to vote "No on A" in Carlsbad’s Special Election
