Von Metzke "groomed" underaged girls by texting
Teens reported him, but theatre slow to act
Don Bauder 2 p.m., June 25
Encinitas News
Where are Mike Doyle, Mike Hynson, Skip Frye, Joe Roper,Chris O'Rourke, Chris Godfrey, Larry Gordon, Tom Bessell now?
San Diego surfers of future past
Just prior to the advent of the pro surfing tour in the mid 1970s there was a group of San Diego-based surfers who set the pace for the sport. They helped dictate everything from how ...
Local, organic, and rich in that umami flavor
So Cal stereotype
I was cruising through Encinitas, and the words “organic café” caught my eye. I pulled over and parked, and before long I was noshing on a grilled chicken pesto sandwich on a casual patio, trading ...
San Dieguito High honors classmates killed in battle
Twenty names read on Saturday, most by someone who knew them
During the Vietnam War, Del Mar resident 1st Lt. Jimmy Mitchell, a member of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, landed at Chu Lai in South Vietnam. On an August 31, 1965 patrol, the Marine from ...
Coastal Commission to Encinitas — No!
Bike trail must go east of the tracks
After a 13-hour meeting, the City of Encinitas’ attempt to increase bike and pedestrian safety and mobility along the Highway 101 corridor was dealt a big blow. Despite unanimous city council support for a proposed ...
NPR, SDSU, UNICEF, and Doctors Without Borders beat back Encinitas attorney
Appeals court says he influenced his sick client.
On April 20, the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, agreed with a lower court decision assailing an Encinitas attorney for making himself the recipient of the fortune of an elderly, mentally ailing client, who ...
Sheriff deputy cleared in 2015 "suicide by cop" death in Encinitas
Despondent Kendrick aimed the shotgun at Block which prompted the deputy to shoot six rounds
A law enforcement review board has ruled that San Diego County Sheriff's deputy Steven Block was justified in the shooting death of 56-year-old Gary Kendrick in Encinitas on March 27, 2015. The Community Law Enforcement ...
Blissing out on chicken pot pie
Just like mom and Roman soldiers used to make
When Pop Pie Co. opened in University Heights last fall, its single-serving pie concept roused a social media sensation that drew lines out the door. But it’s not alone in the pie-as-entrée space. Betty’s Pie ...
Encinitas' love/hate for a certain tree
"Like pit bulls, sometimes ficuses get a bad rap."
An attempt to pass a tree ordinance in Encinitas drew a slew of people to a meeting Wednesday night (March 8). Besides being generally interested in protecting publicly owned trees, people wanted to talk about ...
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 ...
Honey's Bistro & Bakery is anything but boring
Longtime Encinitas cafe easy to miss, but not to forget
When I first walked into Honey’s Bistro & Bakery in downtown Encinitas, I had one of those déjà vu moments. I was so sure I had been there before, but I hadn’t. A new friend ...
What's the affordable housing plan, Encinitas?
"Like a herd of wild turtles we are moving slowly toward our goal."
The Encinitas City Council set up a task force to put together a proposed housing plan Monday night (February 6) in hopes of avoiding another legal defeat for failing to identify how to create almost ...
We ordered them all
Fresh tacos, just like Tijuana
We were in the mood for tacos, and Alberto’s or actually any ’Berto’s wasn’t going to cut it. I had heard about The Taco Stand in Encinitas and was told it was authentic and beat ...
New North County transportation situation
Bus drivers look forward to management change and...raises?
The North County Transit District has announced a new firm, MV Transportation, will operate and maintain its regular bus routes, paratransit, and special transportation services. The contract includes the hiring, training, and employment of bus ...
Finding Oscar’s
Smoked fish tacos worth seeking out
Even when I couldn't find the place, my friend was about to miss the train, and a Rubio’s was staring at me from across the street, I pursued the siren call of the smoked-tuna taco. This family-run Pacific Beach taco stand started in 2011 and recently added East Village and Encinitas to its lineup. The Encinitas shop is so new it didn’t even have a proper sign up yet.
Encinitas eyes strawberry patch for sale
"We don't have the money to buy it but I'd like to be able to."
A 33-acre Encinitas strawberry farm landed on mayor Catherine Blakespear's wish list this week when the real estate agent representing the family owners offered it to the City of Encinitas. "It's just north of the ...
Say bye to Oceanside Digiplex's squeaky seats
Theater giant buys small chain to add to its big one
On January 31, as I sat in the Oceanside Digiplex Theater at the Mission Market Place, I couldn’t help but be bothered by the squeaky seat behind me; I also noticed a seat covered up ...
Trader Joe narrowly avoids disaster
Elderly driver felt bad, didn't intend to create a drive-through
Around 3:00 p.m. on January 26, a woman in her late 80s backed into the Trader Joe’s in Encinitas, injuring four people. Two victims were transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, one to ...
Glass elevator with mosaics that change on every floor
Pick up this beauty for just under $14 mil
Current owner: Leonard M. Okun Listing price: $13,500,000 Beds: 4 Baths: 5-1/2 House size: 5540 sq ft The “Venetian Villa” located at 828 Neptune Drive on a quarter-acre oceanfront lot, according to listing materials, “offers ...
No news is bad news in North County
Print runs cease for Seaside Courier and SD Discover
The upper-middle income areas of coastal North County, a desirable region for media advertisers, recently lost two print newspapers; another has cut back publication. The monthly Seaside Courier did not print a January edition. Reportedly, ...
Modern Times travels to Encinitas
Look for new brew room and nitrogenated canned suds in 2017
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 ...
Tree to table woodworker in Encinitas
Lumber from 50-foot Aleppo pine won't go to waste
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 ...
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 ...
Uber as designated driver choice backfires
On the street at bar-closing time sparks presumption of intoxication
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 ...
How supervisor-elect Gaspar avoided the jinx
Road trip!
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 ...
La Paloma Theatre restoration in progress
Tiles removed, replaced, good for another 80 years
The arts and music community of Encinitas recently got together and held a benefit concert to kick-start the restoration of La Paloma Theatre, built in 1928. "Love the Dove" (paloma is Spanish for dove) featured ...
Leucadia shop talk soon to stop
“With zoning, I don’t know if the owner can move.”
An eight-unit, three-story, residential, and commercial development in Leucadia will soon replace two businesses and a home, including North County Equipment, one of the last North County small-machine repair shops. The shop’s manager, Shane, says ...
Europa Street alley is a street, say residents
Councilmembers shut down concerns over siting of underground garage
A battle over the entry to an underground parking garage in Leucadia has been decided in favor of the developer. At a public hearing on November 9, the Encinitas City Council voted to deny two ...
High schoolers against (and for) Trump
San Dieguito Academy students get green light to protest
At 1:00 p.m. on November 10, at least 200 kids walked out of their San Dieguito Academy third-period classes for a planned anti-Trump protest. The night before, a junior had put up a message on ...
Encinitas loses longtime restaurants
“Normally you’d get three to six months to move. Thirty days? That’s ridiculous.”
October 26 was a sad day for customers of two longtime Encinitas restaurants: Kealani’s Hawaiian food and next-door neighbor Manhattan Giant Pizza both announced it would be their last day in business. On September 30 ...
Encinitas gas station stories
USA to become Arco — both owned by Tesoro
On October 17, the USA gas station off I-5 at Birmingham Drive in Cardiff by the Sea was set to shut down and begin a makeover to an Arco branded station. In an Arco-less city ...
North County growers sell and tempted to sell land
"I don't let them tell me [the value]. I'm not interested."
Two more family-owned plant nurseries on the ocean-view ridges just east of I-5 are headed toward being developed: one in Encinitas and one in Solana Beach. Tayama Greenhouses, on Requeza Street in Encinitas, will be ...
Paul Gaspar is not a medical doctor
Encinitas mayoral candidate accused of exaggerating qualifications
Some Encinitas residents are accusing mayoral candidate Paul Gaspar of misleading voters by using the "Dr." title without attaching the appropriate suffix in campaign brochures and on his website. Also on his website are pictures ...
Encinitas battle lines drawn
Rail Trail realities pump up interest in local elections
In Encinitas, in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan race for city council, the battle lines are now clearly drawn for November’s elections, with a slate of three candidates on both the conservative and ...
Untouched property on Neptune Drive
New, never used. Comes with Robern uplift medicine cabinets
Beds: 5 Baths: 6 Current Owner: Leonard Okun List Price: $11,995,000 The newly constructed oceanfront estate at 824 Neptune Avenue in Encinitas is billed as “an exquisite masterpiece” that is “sophisticated and inspiring” as it ...
Where endangered species thrive
An island in Encinitas
The Manchester Preserve is an island in an urban-suburban setting where endangered species such as the Del Mar manzanita, Orcutt’s hazardia, San Diego thornmint, and California gnatcatcher can thrive. Since the Center for Natural Lands ...
Where Gandhi and C-3PO converse
Writers, artists, musicians floated to San Dieguito Academy.
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY’S DESIGN would fit better amid the incohesive architecture of Tijuana than the square sterility of Southern California, where rows of beige-and-white dwellings and office buildings cloak themselves in the camouflage of each ...
No Encinitas home for Mom or Pop
Longtime Mexican restaurant the next to close up
August 21 was the last day of business for Garcia’s, a longtime Mexican restaurant in Encinitas’ Village Square I strip mall shopping center, on the 1400 block of Encinitas Boulevard. According to neighboring businesses, the ...
Encinitas Kentucky Fried Chicken flies the coop
“I got to work and they were just gone.”
The Kentucky Fried Chicken at 266 North El Camino Real closed abruptly last week. The signage and familiar KFC logos were removed overnight. “I got to work and they were just gone,” said an employee ...
Encinitas elections seemingly a family affair
Did husbands of outgoing councilwomen spoof mayoral candidate husband?
The seat in the Encinitas mayor’s office and three on the council are up for grabs in November. Three spouses of current and former councilwomen and one son-in-law of a former governor indicated they would ...
Encinitas No Rail Trail group displeased
Mayoral candidate/councilwoman Blakespear answers accusations
A group of Encinitas residents is accusing a councilmember of rigging the public process in a proposal to construct biking and walking paths along San Elijo Avenue in Cardiff. The residents feel the Cardiff portion ...
Culture crowlers for Encinitas farmers' market
Next year, maybe a downtown tasting room
Culture Brewing Co. has a thing for beach communities. The Solana Beach brewery has been pouring beers for more than three years on Cedros Avenue and for nearly two years at its tasting room in ...
Encinitas' one-man beach-renaming lobby
“It's not supposed to be Beacon’s. It's Beacon.”
For years, Leucadian Doug Fiske has been pointing out that the City of Encinitas has the wrong spelling on one of its popular beaches — Beacon’s. Until now, his plea for historical accuracy has fallen ...
Close to the edge on Neptune Avenue
Bluff-top homeowners seek to prevent erosion
Surfrider and two members of the California Coastal Commission are challenging two homeowners’ plans at the bluff’s edge on Neptune Avenue. While the City of Encinitas approved the projects 40 feet back from the edge ...
Bluff-top building permits challenged in Encinitas
"It's a perpetuation of irresponsible planning, especially in light of sea-level rise."
Though approved by the City of Encinitas, Surfrider and two members of the California Coastal Commission are challenging two homeowners' plans at the bluff's edge on Neptune Avenue. While the city approved the projects that ...
What's killing the crows of North County?
“It’s West Nile virus."
Dead crows are being found in Cardiff by the Sea and Encinitas. Over the past two weeks, neighbors and friends in the Poinsettia Heights and Park Place neighborhoods have found at least seven dead and ...
Encinitas before yuppies, the proposal to divide Fairbanks Ranch
Oceanside's secret French village and the University City bridge fight
The Most ideal of Provinces Rancho Santa Fe proposed an alternative plan, which called for preserving Del Dios as a two-lane road and, instead, extending and expanding San Dieguito Road (Route 728) such that it ...
He who would steal from a dog
Older surfer type rips off humane society collections box, gets away on bike
On June 24 at 2:47 p.m., a Caucasian male walked into My Sister’s Closet resale and consignment clothing store in La Jolla and stole the cash donation box earmarked for the Rancho Coastal Humane Society. ...
Encinitas moves toward drone ordinance
“There isn’t a ‘drone police.’ Who will enforce it?”
It’s one thing to fly a paper kite at the beach and another to control a metal drone that can weigh more than a watermelon. But both objects can be played with in public, which ...
Gun mogul's cash targeted Gaspar for assault weapons vote
AR-15 accessory-maker backed PAC attack on Encinitas mayor called flip-flopper
A San Diego gun-owners’ group financed by a wealthy Santee-based assault-weapons magnate that drew a June primary bead on county supervisorial candidate Kristin Gaspar may now be open to a change of mind. From the ...
San Dieguito trots out its old metal mustang
Original artist returns to give sign a new coat
On June 7, former Encinitas resident Susan LaForest Williams returned to San Diego from her home in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to repaint the San Dieguito High School mascot sign. As a sophomore in 1979, ...
Bat-wielding doctor loses license
Spat at neighbor's guest, made death threat, had stroke soon after
Michael Patrick Smith of Encinitas lost his medical license last month, according to the Medical Board of California. He did not dispute the board's account of his behavior. On July 21 of 2012, Smith's neighbors ...
Proposition 47 a culprit in increase of burglaries?
“It’s not just Encinitas. It's also Del Mar, Solana Beach, Carlsbad..."
On the morning of May 20, a home on Nolbey Street in Cardiff by the Sea was the second home burglarized on the same street in the past two weeks. Combined with an increase of ...
