Acoustic troubadour Drew Douglas, aka Grampadrew, was nominated Best Alt Country and Best Songwriter at the 2008 San Diego HAT (Honoring Acoustic Talent) Awards. He came up performing at the Whistle Stop and later formed …
March 11, 2021
Latest News & Stories
Live at the Spring Valley Inn 1983
The Mauritanian: Downer by the Bay
‘This is a true story.” The presence of this disclaimer (or a reasonable variation thereof) at the outset of a picture suggests a license to speak truth to power. But a corking yarn without a …
March 11, 2021
The story behind The Beat Farmers’ 1983 Spring Valley Inn gigs
The Beat Farmers’ debut album Tales of the New West was recorded in the summer of 1984 with a bare-bones budget of $4500 — the majority of which was spent on a single-day marathon session …
March 11, 2021
Koi and contrast in Carlsbad
Many people feel that homes are meant to be colorful. Bright, vibrant hues accentuate their rooms and add personality. Flowers add a pop of color to garden beds. Carefully chosen tones and schemes provide warmth …
March 10, 2021
Confessions of an Otay car auction junkie
It’s almost eight o’clock, and the crowd is getting restless. It’s a chill, overcast January morning, and maybe 30 early birds have been waiting around for a while now, eager for the chain-link gate to …
March 10, 2021
Michael Moore not tough on SanDiego350 founder?
Bashing Michael Moore Another anti-climate change lobbying outfit has set up shop in San Diego. According to its March 1 registration with the city clerk, SanDiego350 “is an inclusive volunteer institution building a movement to …
March 10, 2021
Former San Diego councilman – be brief, letter writers
No empty epistles, thank you Please do not run anonymous letters, “name withheld”. Your policy invites abuse. If a speaker in a courtroom wishes to be anonymous, he/she needs permission of the judge based on …
March 10, 2021
Foghorn Leghorn Chokey Chicken
Dear Hipster: Is it good or bad if somebody does a good thing, but for a bad or evil reason? For example, if a rich man gives his fortune to charity, but he does it …
March 10, 2021
There goes the Oceanside beach
Apparently nothing will stop beachfront property owners in Oceanside from dropping in huge riprap boulders in front of their house. Not even a stop-work order from the state coastal commission. At about 2 pm Friday, …
March 9, 2021
Inside the Biden migrant camp in Tijuana
Since February 19 when 25 cases of asylum seekers were accepted for review, around five hundred migrants have established an improvised camp in the Mexican side of the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The Migrant …
March 9, 2021
Look out, Union-Tribune. Alden Global Capital may be just around the corner.
Will a lawsuit spawned in San Diego by the wheeling and dealings of Patrick Soon-Shiong ultimately force the Los Angeles billionaire to divest himself of the San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as the L.A. Times …
March 9, 2021
Myung Ka brings Korean bento boxes to Penasquitos
Don’t let anyone tell you the pandemic has scared everyone away from the restaurant business. Against the odds, we’re still seeing new restaurant openings happen in 2021. One of them even persuaded me to drive …
March 9, 2021
San Diego's deadly bike lanes
City planners and some cycling advocates insist that protected bike lanes are the best and safest way to encourage many San Diegans to ditch their cars and join the cycling transportation revolution. Bordered by raised …
March 8, 2021
Murder suspects hop fence near Carlsbad lagoon – updated 12-6-21
Ted said, “I got a phone call from my girlfriend.” It was just after 9 on a Monday morning. Ted said he stood up and turned away from his computer and looked out the window. …
March 8, 2021
Pungent sage, ornamental peachtrees
The Pleasantly Pungent Odor of sage is filling the air wherever native vegetation grows on the county’s coastal and lower-foothill slopes. Most common are the black sage, with tight clusters of small, white flowers; the …
March 8, 2021