Amy Chu and the Reader
Amy Chu 8:30 a.m., Sept. 15
Spring Valley Stories
Gas tax bump sends 15 San Diego stations above $4.30/gallon
Calif. governor launches investigation
Gas prices in San Diego County were supposed to go up on 5.6 cents a gallon on July 1, due to a new gas tax. Some stations didn’t get the memo. As of midday July ...
The unsolved case of La Mesa's Jamie Peters
Maybe those bones are my son
Nearly 31 years ago, Jamie Peters walked into his mother’s home in La Mesa and dropped off his house keys. It was a brief nighttime visit. He paused long enough to look around the familiar ...
Where to find Bankhead Mississippi style cooking
A healthy approach to Southern food yields… Southern food
Never let it be said this county is short of corners to explore. I certainly found myself driving along new roads seeking out Bankhead Mississippi Style Cooking, out in a southern corner of Spring Valley, ...
238 calls to 911 by one man in Vista
Sheriffs lose body cameras while wrestling him into custody
Daryl Mayol Vaughn made 238 emergency calls to 911 in the year 2018, according to testimony from deputy Max Blumenshine in court yesterday, January 3, 2019. In those not-really-emergency calls, Vaughn typically claimed there was ...
The water of life flows in Spring Valley
A centuries old family scotch recipe goes legit
It’s tough to think of a peeted single malt whiskey as moonshine, especially from a recipe as old as any laws in this country. But for decades, that’s technically what Mike Curphy had been making. ...
Thanks for the Kmart memories
Spring Valley store to close in November
On August 23, I visited the Kmart at 935 Sweetwater Road in Spring Valley by the 54 Freeway. A lady with a blue shirt that read “Attention Kmart Shoppers” on the front was helping me. ...
Local spirits rise from the ashes
Nine months after a fire, San Diego Distillery returns bigger and better
Back in September 2017, San Diego Distillery was poised to grow out of its small warehouse space in Spring Valley. The craft spirit maker’s “beer whiskey” approach — distilling craft beer into barrel-aged grain liquors ...
Sharon's Worm World in Ramona makes me feel so good
No eyes, two lungs, five hearts, $25 a bucket.
The road to Sharon’s Worm World is in turn blacktop, gravel, then finally Ramona dirt. Sharon McLaughlan, the worm farm’s founder and namesake, is waiting at the crest of the dusty lane that ends at ...
No money allowed at food swaps
Surfeit of oranges, lemons, and eggs in Spring Valley and North Park right now
“The only rule of the [food] swap is that there is no exchange of money,” said Marianne West. On Saturday (May 27), she met with about forty other San Diegans at the Spring Valley East ...
He crashed Ford F-150 through the Bancroft's wall as band was starting
And there's more —Tower Bar, The Jewel Box, Zombie Lounge, Tobacco Rhoda’s, Wong's
It happens. Rob Logic, owner of the Bancroft in Spring Valley, can rattle off a list, starting with the time in 1964 when James Nelson Spencer smashed his Pontiac Bonneville through the front door of ...
Blackwater crash recovery
When one band stalls another starts for Syren Franco
“As of now, all the songs we were ready to record had to be rewritten musically,” says frontwoman Syren Franco, whose Jamul-based Blackwater Prophecy was recording their second album earlier this year, a symphonic rock ...
The Mice embrace the weird
Twenty-year punk trio and their bar the Bancroft bring a new sound to East County
The three punk Mice have been playing for 21 years. “We actually started two years before as Billy Club,” explains singer/bassist Travis Poe. “Our lead singer Matt went away to rehab and never came back. ...
I've made thousands off those idiots
San Diego artists on their Gigtown gigs
While the local booking company Gigtown remains controversial, one San Diego band and a hardcore critic are glad they’re here. Launched last year by Andy Altman with a reported $3 million investment by his father, ...
Liberty Call's new liberties
New law allows Spring Valley distillery to get more creative with its small-batch booze
Earlier this year, a Reader cover story highlighted changes to California law allowing small batch distilleries to sell bottles out of their tasting rooms. Only a few months later, this change is helping Spring Valley ...
San Diego Distillery won't compete with Kentucky
Trent Tilton's whiskey kick includes the definitely different
Spring Valley doesn't boast any craft breweries, but it's playing a pivotal role in San Diego's burgeoning craft-distillery movement. Kill Devil Spirits Co. started out there back in 2011, Liberty Call Distilling Co. in 2014, ...
Scene Not Heard
A second compilation from San Diego's unsung punks
“All these people said they would use our music on their comps. The problem is, those comps never came out.” That’s why longtime punker Ugly Lenny of Inciting Riots became Ugly Lenny record producer when ...
Going green
Area man celebrates Irish heritage all year 'round
Saint Patrick's Day has come and gone, but for at least one San Diego County man, "the wearing of the green" isn't something you do for one day a year. It's a way of life. ...
Something feral this way comes
With springtime's approach, the kitties are homeless again
La Mesa resident Tiffany heard the distinctive sounds of cat courtship in January and knew she would again face the issue of feral cats near her home. "We've been struggling [with it] since we moved ...
Spring Valley bar to ditch liquor license
Hookah bar owner turns attention to beer and “well-behaved clientele”
Andrew Somo, the owner of A-1 Hookah Bar in Spring Valley, is trading in his liquor license for a beer license because he wants a nicer clientele. But to do that, he has had to ...
Spring Valley hatchet attack committed by fugitive
Witnesses and dog help nab parolee, now facing attempted-murder charges
A fugitive in violation of his parole terms is back in custody after adding robbery and attempted-murder charges to his rap sheet over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, April 12, 24-year-old Harold Hill entered the ...
Noah Homes, an upside to Down syndrome
We should all live so well
The residents deserve to live as well as anyone else, not better.
All Things BBQ: Cali Comfort
The second-best barbecue on the Bancroft Road exit off the 94
What’s a Kamenitza beer, from far-off Bulgaria, doing in Cali Comfort? Long story short, the owner is Bulgarian. The place has been in his family for some time. Used to be a breakfast place, but ...
Rancho Shampoo
Amid playing with Mexicali hardcore outfit Los Nuevos Maevans (actually just some dudes Milli Vanilli-ing a pre-recorded ’80s punk play-list — seriously), Guillermo Estrada went on a spirit quest and re-invented himself as flute-tooting techno-shaman ...
All Things BBQ: Valley Farm BBQ Stand
An out-of-the-way shack in Spring Valley serves up delicious 'cue at a fair price. What more could you ask?
Part of the Valley Farm BBQ Stand’s charm is its utter lack of ambiance. The place is nothing but a shack in a grocery store parking lot, with a few patio tables for “seating.” Hulking ...
Spring Valley’s Christmas tree guy
Tim Gross hauls his wares from WA in seven 18-wheelers
If you have lived in Spring Valley for any period of time, then you have probably bought a Christmas tree from Tim Gross. Since 1981, he has transported thousands of Christmas trees from his 200-acre ...
Treebeard trimmed?
Estate of J.R.R. Tolkein sues area landscaping company for infringement
The estate of English author J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of The Lord of the Rings fantasy trilogy, today announced a $4.4 billion dollar lawsuit against the Spring Valley company Treebeard Landscape, citing copyright infringement. "Treebeard" says ...
Teen Spring Valley girl caught with heroin at border
Over two pounds, concealed in trunk
An 18-year-old Spring Valley resident was arrested on Monday, September 23, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered what they suspected was heroin in the trunk of her car as she entered the United ...
Spring Valley man fights police officers, loses
A scuffle ensued when police officers in La Mesa responded to a call about a fight outside an apartment on the 5600 block of Jackson Drive over the weekend, leaving both the suspect and an ...
Suspect sought in Spring Valley Subway armed robbery
Authorities have released a photo and are looking for assistance from the public in identifying a man who robbed a Subway restaurant on the 600 block of Sweetwater Road in Spring Valley last week. On ...
Spring Valley is the new North Park
The Bancroft opened at the site of the defunct dive Fannie’s, and the Spring Valley spot is now a punk and hardcore haven.
Taking up the challenge at Cali Comfort BBQ
Looking at it now, you may have to squint a little to envision the Spring Valley home that Bulgarian-farm-boy-cum-doctor Luben Walchef bought in 1972 and converted into a family restaurant about ten years later. The ...
Worker rescued from trench in Spring Valley
Pinned by a 1400-pound concrete form
A 31-year-old construction worker in Spring Valley fell into a 5-by-15-foot trench and was subsequently pinned by a 1400-pound concrete form on the morning of January 4. After being rescued by CalFire personnel, the worker ...
Spring Valley Lady Allegedly Faked Death to Avoid Jail
An East County woman who may have tried to fake her own death was sentenced September 14 to 18 months in federal prison for her role in smuggling undocumented immigrants through Jacumba Hot Springs. Rebecca ...
Long-Awaited Jamacha Boulevard Completion Angers Residents
What county officials describe as a "greatly improved" road construction project has some residents of a Spring Valley mobile home park angry and complaining. "They care more for the birds and skunks than about how ...
San Diego, Unplugged
Top Ten Reasons to have a blackout 1) Now we know who we’re related to, electrically speaking 2) Finally got to use 2-year-old new emergency radio & flashlight 3) Neighbors out on porches, talking and ...
Faith Cougar
Author: Lisa E. Overton Neighborhood: Spring Valley Age: 51 Occupation: Writer and full-time mom I live in a mobile-home park in Spring Valley, so it’s a neighborhood inside a neighborhood. We are bounded by Jamacha ...
Community of Hope Church of the Nazarene
Contact: 3310 Bancroft Drive, Spring Valley, 91977; 619-587-8106 Membership: 150 Denomination: Evangelical Christian (Church of Nazarene) Pastor: Mariota Sola Age: 45 Born: Apia, Samoa Formation: Lighthouse Bible College, American Samoa Years Ordained: 21 San Diego ...
Freeway-Side Revelations
Author: Charles Arsenault Neighborhood: Spring Valley Age: 30 Occupation: Electronics technician (seasonally at McMurdo Station, Antarctica) The judge had sentenced me to many hours of hard labor. He hadn’t mentioned the complete lack of intelligence ...
Roadhouse Move
On the early, overcast morning of June 1, a big rig truck owned by C.E. Wilson Co. transported one half of a house from Spring Valley to a property near Barona Casino. The first half ...
Santa Sophia Roman Catholic Church
video
Much of the interior of Santa Sophia was straight out of the Jet Age — everything groovy, expansive, and clean. A pair of curved entrance tunnels led to a church whose high walls and ceiling ...
Scratched and Jailed
Sheriff's deputies arrested a Spring Valley rape suspect on February 27 in the 500 block of Palomar Street in Chula Vista. According to a press release issued by detective Pete Carrillo, the sheriff's station in ...
Everything's Gone
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 24, Teri emerged from the shower and thought she smelled burnt toast. Hearing strange sounds coming from Mark's room, she opened his door to investigate and found it ...
You Can Ride but Can't Hide
At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, a California Highway Patrol officer traveling on northbound I-5 near SR-163 observed a motorcycle driving at a high rate of speed. The officer was struggling to keep ...
Girls from Spring Valley
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 ...
Billionaires for Wealth Care
A dozen protesters pretending to be ultra-rich pulled up in a stretch limo and stole the show at a town-hall meeting hosted by congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA) on Saturday, August 29. The group, whose members ...
Mystery Tower
video
Last week in a Spring Valley business park, a tower nearly 100 feet tall sprang up seemingly overnight. It was not there on Monday, March 30, but the thin skeletal structure was noticed on Tuesday ...
Eddie + Alcohol = Air guitar
video
I got a call about crashing a wedding in Spring Valley a few weeks ago. I had a lot going on that day, but when I found out it was for a guy named Sam, ...
Slasher Apprehended
According to a police-radio scanner, at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, a 15-year-old male was stabbed on Central Avenue and Troy Street. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and found the victim sitting on the sidewalk. Deputies ...
Oh, Hail!
Conditions were optimal for a brief, mild hailstorm in Spring Valley on Monday, February 10. A series of rapidly moving clouds headed east had caused off-and-on rain throughout the day. At 4:19 p.m., a sudden ...
Water to Gas
Run our cars on water? Yes! Anyone can build (for 50 bucks, or buy one already built for 90 bucks) a unit that converts water (H2O) into” hydroxy” (HHO) and adds it to your car's ...
Peanuts, 1963
In 1963, District 5 county supervisor candidate Al Hogan posed with peanuts. Walnuts, celery, and carnations have all had their high-production years in San Diego County, but peanuts… In 1878, a Captain Porter “made a ...
