A top official at a boys academy in San Diego County had his child abuse conviction overturned, and he was granted a new trial by an appellant court. Jeffery Barton, then 55, was head of …
February 9, 2021
Latest News & Stories
Conviction of Army & Navy headmaster for child abuse is overturned – updated 12-6-21
DoorDash answers mayor Gloria with a “regulatory response fee”
A couple weeks ago, I got a headline wrong. After mayor Todd Gloria limited the fees delivery apps can charge restaurants, I wrote: “Delivery fees are capped, but don’t expect to pay less.” Problem is, …
February 9, 2021
Nomad John Sears and mules try Poway Road, Beyer Boulevard
A feeling of déjà vu struck John Sears and perhaps his two mules when county sheriffs recently escorted them out of the Poway city limits. "It was about a week ago," Sears said to me …
February 9, 2021
Alpine struggles to stay safe from fires
In Alpine's latest Community Plan Update, wildfire has its own standalone section, a result of changes to the environmental review process made by the state in 2018. The idea was to put the brakes on …
February 9, 2021
Covid-19 and the infection of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt
A heavily redacted report by the Inspector General's office of the U.S. Department of Defense has critical words for the Navy and the leadership of the San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt, one of two warships …
February 8, 2021
R & G Salumeria Wine Bar, al fresco
The sun came out, making the return of outdoor dining a hot ticket all over town. At least, as we drove across town, we saw packed patios and parklets all over, and lines forming at …
February 8, 2021
Tijuana neighborhood 3 de Octubre cracks up
On January 30, a landslide took place in Tijuana. This time, the working-class neighborhood 3 de Octubre, 18 miles southeast of downtown TJ, was affected. Marta Cardenas and her family built up their home here …
February 8, 2021
New Yorker Al Sharpton trashes San Diego's paramedic selection
A national political figure has parachuted into San Diego's decades-long big-money war over which paramedic provider should get the city's exclusive contract, virtually guaranteeing another heated round of racially charged wheeling and dealing. "San Diego …
February 8, 2021
Sun strides north, waves scrape sand from San Diego beaches
The Sun Strides North in February, swinging higher across the sky each successive day. Already quite noticeable is the change in the time of sunset, currently almost a minute later per day, and sunrise, currently …
February 8, 2021
Chocolate Mountains bombing spoils, MCRD Museum, Marine helo drivers
Operation Desert Spoils More than 20 different kinds of leaflets were dropped by American soldiers onto Iraqi lines. Countering Saddam Hussein's claims that the allies would torture captured soldiers, the leaflets promised Iraqi soldiers good …
February 8, 2021
Fires in Alpine, San Felipe Valley, Julian
Rustic Firetraps Imagine a wildfire driven by winds gusting at 80 miles per hour is racing toward your house east of Alpine. In the predawn darkness, you can see the red-orange glow of the inferno …
February 7, 2021
New home ownership, my life as fat boy, Christmas in Tijuana, at Horton Plaza
What on Earth am I Settling For? I let the front yard go and worked on building a fence in back. I got so angry digging postholes in the rain one afternoon that I had …
February 6, 2021
Need to see more with SD Symphony livestreaming
I wrote a little preview of the San Diego Symphony livestream entitled Wagner meets Mozart and mentioned that I didn’t quite understand how the concert hung together. After watching the livestream, I still don’t get …
February 5, 2021
First batch of female Marine recruits arrive at Camp Pendleton for training
Just kidding. These are actually all trans women, eager to take advantage of President Biden’s reversal of Trump’s transgender ban for the military. Just kidding. These are all cis het drag queens, eager to take …
February 5, 2021
Make it pop
What do this week’s films have in common? Both were found in Chula Vista, on the shelves of the Deseret Thrift Store, waiting patiently for me to take them home. The Wrecking Crew (2008) “What …
February 5, 2021