Love surprises! Neighbor Kevin and I are coming out of the ocean after a lunchtime swim. Was it cold? You betcha, for the first minute. But once you’re body surfing, all you’re thinking about is …
December 9, 2021
Latest News & Stories
IB Thai: not afraid to be rich, or hot
Last Tango in Paris: cinemas-interrupticus
A friend recently linked me to a collection of Sunday newspaper TV ads, and I chanced upon a half-pager from November 1973 pitching a late show airing of The Young Lions, in which Marlon Brando …
December 9, 2021
Making masks and music for soccer moms
Western-tinged Dani Bell & the Tarantist is yet another band championed by local star Alfred Howard, who performs with the group and signed them to the label he co-owns, Redwoods Music. Singer Dani Bell (Boychick) …
December 9, 2021
Donna Larsen wants more than Wiggles & Raffi
Donna Larsen knows singing, songwriting, producing, and promotion. But when it came to making music (and eventually books) for kids, she fell back on the most reliable test market she could find: her own children. …
December 9, 2021
Black Canyon Ranch: a Rocky Mountain cabin vibe
The calendar has turned to December, and the days are getting colder. Well, some days anyhow. They’re definitely getting shorter. Winter is coming, and with it, the handful of chances Eastern San Diego County gets …
December 8, 2021
SDG&E workers fear wildfires and violent public
SDG&E’s sitting ducks The first annual Safety Culture Assessment of San Diego Gas & Electric by the state’s Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety is out, giving the local utility generally high marks, with a significant …
December 8, 2021
The ways and wiles of San Diego young sports card flippers
In April of this year, a sports trading card featuring basketball star LeBron James sold for $5.2 million. That tied the previous record, set in January, for a 1952 Topps baseball card featuring Mickey Mantle. …
December 8, 2021
I’m not giving KPBS Radio a dime
No way with words Hold off giving to the incessant fund-raising of KPBS Public Radio 89.5 FM which has been interrupting scheduled programming for the last two weeks in its chronic bid for listener bucks …
December 8, 2021
California Pepper Tree sprouts Tiny Town in Coronado
I’ve always been a tad cynical about anything cute. Think portraits of children with giant Disney eyes. But I do have chinks in my armor. Here’s one: ambling down C street in Coronado t’other day, …
December 8, 2021
Elisabeth Sullivan: Not quite underwater
It’s one of those evenings. I’m in The Studio in Hillcrest with my friend Eric. He’s introducing me to his friend, the artist Elisabeth Sullivan. And straightaway, I’m mesmerized by this painting of hers. It’s …
December 8, 2021
MTS can't get enough bus drivers
Headlines at the website of Metropolitan Transit System or MTS, the agency that operates the buses and light rail in the city, rave about the recent expansion of the San Diego Trolley with nine new …
December 7, 2021
Smokin J’s BBQ improves on the TV dinner
People under a certain age might know them as Hungry Man dinners: frozen meals sold in partitioned, microwave-safe trays, in order to keep entrees and side dishes separate as they’re reheated. But, back in the …
December 7, 2021
Truck drivers at U.S. border lose visas because of stowaways
Last January, 12 heavy cargo drivers have had their visas taken by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol; they were caught with undocumented migrants hidden on their trucks. The waiting lane for these trailers can …
December 7, 2021
In an upset, Sean Elo Rivera becomes next San Diego City Council president
A vote for president of the San Diego City Council took a surprise turn on Mon., leaving Sean Elo-Rivera to take over the meeting, abruptly ending Jen Campbell's one-year term. Council presidents are chosen by …
December 7, 2021
Will North Park Woolworth's ever be renovated?
Renovations of historic buildings often move at a snail’s pace. An example is the former Woolworth’s store in North Park, standing vacant for many years. Located at 3067-3075 University Avenue, its last tenant was a …
December 6, 2021