When the shutdown started, I was working at a preschool in Hillcrest. I can still picture my director walking down the stairs from her office above my classroom to tell us it was time to …
December 7, 2022
Latest News & Stories
How Covid tore San Diego friends and neighbors apart
VA details increase in vets shooting selves
VA’s shooting suicides San Diego’s Veterans Administration Health Care system has fallen short in its efforts to deal with the growing number of loaded guns in the hands of suicidal patients, according to a newly …
December 7, 2022
Garnet Peak is a gem that lives up to its name
Garnet Peak from Sunrise Highway S1 Located north of Mount Laguna, Garnet Peak is a fairly easy hike. With a length of 2.3 miles and an elevation gain of around 500 feet, the hike will …
December 7, 2022
The Mira Mesa library security guard’s tale
Gregg Fajardo noticed the Bowie knife on the man’s hip as the man sat there in the Mira Mesa library. Fajardo is telling me this in Clayton’s Coffee Shop in Coronado. We both came in …
December 7, 2022
Del Mar next for license plate readers
Del Mar will be the next city after Encinitas to install automated license plate recognition cameras, equipment that has sparked privacy concerns in other cities. Del Mar's city council on Monday authorized the San Diego …
December 6, 2022
Brake checking on San Diego freeways
Raul Estefania was driving eastbound along the 94 after 2:30 pm on November 16 when he saw a black Scion tC sitting on its roofline on the side of the freeway. Just minutes before, "The …
December 5, 2022
Not California Dates, Clear Air for Hiking, December’s Cold Moon
Ripening Palm Fruit, hanging in great clusters on California's native fan palms (Washingtonia filifera), can be seen this month. Native Americans of centuries past utilized the black, pea-sized fruit, which consists of a deliciously sweet …
December 5, 2022
Dirty words don't translate all that well from English to Spanish
Do you make these embarrassing mistakes when you cuss in Mexican? The exact same rhythm of “shave-and-a-haircut” translates in Spanish as chinga tu madre (“fuck your mother”). If we add the pleasant “two-bits,” it’s an …
December 5, 2022
The discreet charms of Secret Sister
San Diego appears to be experiencing a golden age of baked goods. At least, I’ve had trouble keeping up with all the capable bakeries doing business around the county. Every other week seems to find …
December 4, 2022
Allied Gardens invaded by 2000 sq ft houses
Too many mansions Boyer's 1400-square-foot house sits on 50th Street, immediately to the east and uphill from the proposed development, where bulldozers are currently grading the land into terraces on which will sit 25 new …
December 4, 2022
San Diego guys reflect on their dark skin
I'd never marry a pale girl "I don't really think about skin cancer too much. I'm not really worried about it. I've had a bad sunburn before. I couldn't put any lotion on or anything. …
December 3, 2022
Disneyland, Sibelius, and Depression
It’s December and the Depressed Disney Dad at Christmas when his ex has the kids is rousing himself to make his annual rounds of self-loathing. The Depressed Disney Dad is the Jungian shadow of the …
December 2, 2022
Polite Provisions’ Christmas Cricket: a creamy, vegan Grasshopper
It’s that time of year: the time when Polite Provisions transforms from an alcohol apothecary into a Miracle on 30th Street. Surrounded by kitschy holiday décor, general manager Alicia Perry patiently talks me through this …
December 2, 2022
Heroic fictional soccer coach bumps up against real-world football villainy
A few years ago, Jason Sudeikis scored a surprise hit for Apple TV with his show Ted Lasso, the story of an American football coach possessed of a relentlessly cheerful disposition and an abiding sense …
December 2, 2022
Santee politician Randy Voepel protests against media’s attempts to link him to his grandchild’s alleged crimes
“When I saw the news, my first thought was for the victims,” says Assemblyman Randy Voepel (R-Santee) of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs. “My second thought was for my poor grandson, who may …
December 2, 2022