Imperial Beach Stories
When they make wings out of pork parts and call it bar food, our cheap-eats guy is there to scarf it.
Chad Deal went looking for a drink (not a fight!) in SD’s second-oldest bar.
What’s it like to live in what passes for “the wilds" of San Diego County? Bill Manson finds out.
Imperial Beach firefighters were called to a home in the 1200 block of 7th Street shortly before 8:00 a.m. on March 8. Firefighters had to stretch their hoses 1500 feet to reach the nearest hydrant. …
A utility pole fell against an Imperial Beach apartment building on the morning of December 7, cutting off power to approximately two city blocks. At around 6:30 a.m., the wooden pole fell against the two-story …
Residents living near the SDG&E substation at Palm Avenue and Thermal Avenue were blasted awake at about 6:30 on Saturday morning, December 3, by three loud explosions. Soon after, residents observed fire and smoke coming …
The Imperial Beach border fence of rusted metal posts has been torn down, and construction of a taller, sturdier structure began in October. People, birds, and dogs have celebrated the chance to stand on the …
"The honeymoon might be over,” acknowledged Dr. Edward Brand, interim superintendent for Sweetwater Union High School District. Knee-deep in scandal, the Sweetwater school board on June 21 fired Superintendent Jesus Gandara. On June 22, Brand …
Fourteen miles south of San Diego and five miles north of the land where Tequila pours like honey lays the surfing Mecca known as Imperial Beach –or “IB” as it is referred to locally. I …
“Our grandmother, Pretty Kitty Keen, had donut places all through the Depression.”
"Teachers have an analogy for all the testing that we are required to do,” says Melanie Morton, a Sweetwater Union High School District teacher. “You don’t lose weight if you just keep stepping on the …
The criminal justice research arm of SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments) released a crime report today, September 16. The data was a mixed bag for people who live in San Diego County: “While overall …
It’s been over 20 years since Burger King opened their restaurant at 1180 Palm Avenue. Recently, though, all the Burger King logos were stripped off the building, and the restaurant's appliances and equipment were removed. …
"We should be so lucky,” says Michael. The two of us are looking at a wooden box, maybe four-by-four inches and three inches deep. Joe, the owner here, has brought it over to our table. …
There is a multicolored slide, part of a jungle gym, in Robert Brians’s front yard on Delaware Street in Imperial Beach. But I am admiring his two large African turtles crawling along the dusty ground. …
The Google Maps “Street View car” was making it rounds on Eighth Street in Imperial Beach on July 27 when it pulled into Veterans Park and stopped. The driver introduced himself as “Google Mike” and …
In Imperial Beach, residents who park their car on the lawn or have a yard sale without a permit say they can expect a visit from a code-compliance officer. Some of those same residents object …
Membership: 124 Pastor: Phyllis Ashe Born: San Francisco Formation: Claremont School of Theology, Claremont; National University, La Jolla Years Ordained: 12 years. San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermons? Pastor Phyllis …
As Oneonta Elementary School in Imperial Beach was dismissing students on June 16, nearby, a 19-year-old man lost control of his Chrysler PT Cruiser and sheared off a fire hydrant. According to witnesses, the driver …
Imperial Beach’s beaches are not as glamorous as others farther north, but they do include some very secluded stretches of sand, including the one described here, lying within the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. To …
Is the Sweetwater Union High School District playing roulette with students’ health? The district has signed lucrative contracts with communication companies that allow them to place 32 cell phone towers on campuses throughout the southernmost …
On April 21, San Diego sheriff’s deputies arrested several members of a tagging group responsible for over $70,000 in property damage in Imperial Beach. Law enforcement officials tracked them down on Facebook, according to a …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Imperial Beach's skate park, open since November 2010, is causing problems for neighborhood residents. The Imperialbeachpatch.com website recently reported that city manager "Gary Brown said several problems have emerged at the Recreation Center since the …
At approximately 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12, San Diego sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call to the alley between the 1200 block of 11th and Florida streets in Imperial Beach. The driver of …
Friday night. Just got paid. Riding my stretch limo (the 933 bus) around, circling the coast of I.B. I figure on maybe going up the pier to that seafood place the Tin Fish. But, then, …
Imperial Beach residents living along Connecticut Street on the south side of Imperial Beach Boulevard have been concerned for years about vehicular traffic. They complained that cars traveled too fast and something needed to be …
Shortly before sunset on Tuesday, November 16, a couple responding to a Craigslist ad about a “free trailer” found a small child wandering at Florida Street and Grove Avenue in Imperial Beach. They immediately notified …
Ed Kravitz, webmaster for political watchdog site saveib.com, wants to see some action from Imperial Beach political candidates whose campaign signs were pulled by city employees and thrown into a city hall closet days before …
San Diego police and sheriff’s deputies surrounded a home in Imperial Beach early on October 24, in search of a home-invasion robbery suspect. According to San Diego police Sgt. Steve Shaw, “At approximately 9:30 this …
At Wednesday's Imperial Beach City Council meeting, councilmembers will address the city's adult-entertainment establishments by proposing a new ordinance. City staff, according to a report from City Manager Gary Brown's office, first conceived of the …
San Diego firefighters rushed to a fire in the 800 block of Granger Street shortly before 9:30 a.m. on September 5. Battalion chief Dennis Clay confirmed that a young boy was responsible for the fire …
Two parents face several charges after burglarizing a Factory 2 U store in Imperial Beach on July 8. The most severe charge, according to police, involves their 1-year-old infant. The father, 25, and mother, 19, …
Shortly after 3:40 p.m. on July 6, firefighters responded to a 911 caller who reported flames coming from a dryer on a balcony at 642 Ocean Lane. After they learned what they were up against, …
On July 7, inside Imperial Beach council chambers, Mayor Jim Janney and councilmembers Lorie Bragg, Patricia McCoy, Jim King, and Diane Rose will go on record, responding to a June 7 San Diego County Grand …
Imperial Beach artist Kelly Tracy was driving the 5 freeway north on the afternoon of May 29. “I was in the slow lane, and about eight to ten car-lengths ahead I notice a full sheet …
For two years, Ed Kravitz, webmaster for Imperial Beach government watchdog website saveIB.com, has fought with city officials over streaming Imperial Beach City Council meetings on his website. When I.B. city councilmembers and Mayor Jim …
On Saturday, February 13, plumes of black smoke arose from where it seemed like the location of Mar Vista Middle School. As I traveled west on Coronado Avenue, I figured something big was on fire, …
A suspect has been arrested in connection with three bank robberies that occurred during the past several months in San Diego County. According to a report obtained from the local FBI office, 34-year-old Alberto Alatorre …
Recent attempts to smuggle drugs and illegals into San Diego via the Pacific Ocean have prompted the installation of thermal-imaging cameras that have the capability of scanning a distance of ten miles. The cameras are …
In his ongoing quest to promote democracy through educating the public, Ed Kravitz of SaveIB.com has sought access to a video feed of Imperial Beach City Council meetings. His intention is to stream the meetings …
Shortly after 1:15 p.m. on Monday, January 11, a Dodge Durango was driven into the Sombrero Mexican Food Restaurant at 189 Palm Ave. and the laundromat next door. According to Sombrero owner Maria Gomez, a …
The North Island Credit Union at 1101 Palm Avenue was robbed at about 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday, December 2. A sheriff’s deputy at the scene acknowledged that the robber who fled the scene on foot …
At around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday, November 29, sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call about a shooting at an apartment complex on Holly Avenue in Imperial Beach. Inside an apartment, police discovered a 21-year-old …
When they heard the smoke detector going off in a vacant condo unit, neighbors called the fire department to the Bayside Villas in the 600 block of 13th Street on Saturday morning, November 7. Ten-year-old …
On Wednesday, October 27, a shirtless man attacked a green waste container full of palm fronds in the 1100 block of Grove Avenue. An 11-year-old boy walking home from school with his 10-year-old cousin witnessed …
BALBOA PARK Another Perfect DayBy downtownphotoguy, June 26Today we were in Presidio Park in the morning and Balboa Park in the afternoon. We were shooting with a variety of lenses and techniques…. It seems everybody …
On Friday, October 9, in order to minimize the risk of a repeat of last mid-December's devastating flooding in the Tijuana River Valley, the City of San Diego Stormwater Management Department began removing tons of …
Shortly after 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, San Diego Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a 911 call from an apartment house at the corner of 13th Street and Grove Avenue in Imperial Beach. Three patrol …
At 2:15 Saturday morning, September 26, the 905 freeway was temporarily closed at the eastbound transition with Interstate 805 south after a horse was discovered walking west in the eastbound lanes. Zero visibility due to …