4th of July spooked Lakeside horses
“It’s the house with the race cars"
Mike Madriaga 8:30 a.m., July 16
Vista Stories
Patience pays off for Guadalupe Brewing
After years of waiting, a new Vista taproom is here for the long haul
“We’re just going to be patient,” says Lisa Deju, “It might be a little extra work to get done, but it’s going to be great!” She’s speaking about the airy new Mission-styled Vista taproom recently ...
A recommended Feast at Carlsbad Ranch Market & Grill
Juice, local brews, and a fried chicken and gouda sandwich
When a Feast reader emailed to recommend a fried chicken sandwich, it piqued my interest. Mostly because at mere whisper of the words “fried chicken,” I’ll develop a craving. However, the description of this sandwich ...
Local Roots brings booch to North County
Hard Kombucha and soft kombucha, served dry, side by side
Add hard kombucha to the list of craft beverage attractions on the Hops Highway. In late April, Local Roots Kombucha opened a spacious and colorful booch tasting room in Vista, taking over over the brewery ...
Some bad news for the Vista Home Boys
The phone call from jail that alarmed police
San Diego County law enforcement invaded the apartment of known gangster Jose Antonio Sorto, Jr. in April of 2018. They believed that the man, better known as Stomps, controlled most of the meth flowing into ...
North San Diego County GOP survivors: Chris Rodriguez, John Franklin, Rocky Chavez
Rodriguez attends Democrats' meeting but poked into leaving
“The Republican party asked me to run against [Congressman] Mike Levin in 2020,” says GOP-up-and-comer Christopher Rodriguez. The Hispanic father of six checks a lot of political boxes. He’s a Purple Heart-decorated, USMC Iraq War ...
Iron Fist, aluminum cans
Vista brewery rocks a series of new tasting room releases
At the end of February, Iron Fist Brewing Company announced a new list of beers for 2019, highlighting seasonal releases to be introduced in its tasting rooms every month. This might sound like routine, first-quarter ...
Vista's main pot promoter loses chance for own dispensary
“My ball came up 31st out of 31"
In spite of city council opposition, citizens of Vista voted in November to allow 11 new dispensaries to sell medicinal weed legally. But due to a last-minute decision by the city, the man largely responsible ...
Vista child grabber gets four years prison
Admitted kidnap of girl outside library and punching her sister
A 60-year-old homeless man admitted trying to kidnap one small child and then beating up her teenaged sister who had intervened. In a plea deal, Alan Ray Sasseen will get four years in California State ...
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 ...
Shyrehl Wesley leaves best friend's body on Twin Oaks Valley Rd.
Why do good girls love bad boys?
“I attracted a lot of women, yes,” Shyrehl Wesley testified in October of 2018. “I do believe that men are the dominant ones in a relationship with a woman.” Wesley turned in the witness box ...
More than a fantasy brewer
Time for beer drinkers across the county to discover ales of BattleMage
“The beer is just good! That’s why I come back all the time.” So says a guy to my left, loud enough the whole tasting room can here. A few of us nod along. He’s ...
Man denies murder by the pool
Surveillance cameras and lots of witnesses
Multiple witnesses and surveillance cameras all caught the shooting next to a pool in a Vista apartment complex last summer, according to statements in court yesterday, Tuesday, November 6. Estevan Steve Montelongo, 41, pleaded not ...
“Best friend” murderer gets 80-years-to-Life
Judge: You “destroyed” life of accomplice
Yesterday afternoon, November 1, Judge Richard Monroy gave Shyrehl Joseph Wesley, now 22, the maximum sentence for killing his “best friend” a year ago. Wesley was sentenced to 80-years-to-life. The murderer was out on parole ...
Ugliest man-made structure in Vista
Beautiful hill on Vista Way and Foothill destroyed by Lennar
I live in Ocean Hills, Oceanside. I go to Vista a lot. There was this beautiful hill on Vista Way and Foothill that has been destroyed by a developer and turned into what has to ...
San Marcos carrying water for developers
Their Vallecitos water district ups rates for average user
Tom Scaglione was assistant general manager and CFO at San Marcos’ Vallecitos Water District. He retired in May and now teaches at Palomar College in their water/wastewater technology program. He’s become a critic on a ...
VR will not replace skating
Tony Hawk busts out his 360-degree loop in Vista Sunday
On August 26, former skateboard champion Tony Hawk busted out his 360-degree loop to give a few young skateboarders a chance to demo it — by his headquarters in Vista. The loop resembles that of ...
Pigs make a smooth landing in downtown Vista
Music festival tickets motivated restaurant founders
The Ginos thought they were saving money on tickets into a music festival, but it turns out they were opening a tasty BBQ restaurant in Vista Village. Granted, the entire process took over a decade. ...
Vista house party horror
Another reason to check Airbnb renters
Homie arrived at the party on Barsby Street about 11 p.m. He lived nearby so he walked with friends. It was cold that Friday night, January 26, 2018, almost freezing, which is unusual in San ...
Sanctuary city and pot become Vista fault lines
Dispensary signature gatherers fake out soccer moms
Although fists didn’t actually fly at the June 26 Vista City Council meeting, after a seven week summer break, Councilman Joe Green apologized to council colleague John Franklin at the very next meeting August 14.
It's not just for homebrewers
Bear Roots brings good taste to Vista Village
When I go to Vista, it usually has something to do with beer. Seventeen brewhouses call the hourglass shaped North County city home, offering at least that many reasons to visit. However, twelve of them ...
Fingerprints the clincher
Wind blew wig off robber at Vista's BBVA Compass bank
A woman said she was working behind the counter at a bank in Vista, two years ago, when a man put a bag onto her countertop and said, “Give me all your money.” The bank ...
Older sister in Vista tries to help
But Snapchat friend doesn't fall for it
Three young men skateboarding in a Vista parking lot were robbed at gunpoint last February, according to testimony this week. One victim’s sister tried to get their belongings back through her Snapchat connections, according to ...
Vista computer burglary shows right up on Google Cloud
Selfies taken by burglar lead cops to suspect
Two burglars climbed a tree, broke through a roof skylight, and used rope to rappel down into a Vista computer business and get away with $60,000 in loot, according to a prosecutor in court yesterday, ...
The missing wallet
Strangers in his truck on Nettleton Road
Juan (not his real name) Martinez said he parked his truck in the 200 block of Nettleton Road, Vista on a Friday night, June 8, 2018. “Because I am a musician and I play, and ...
A thief, a thief, a thief, a thief, a thief...
Our friendship is ceased and null
“I was gonna take Lyft and I wanted to check my balance. I had a negative fourteen cents. She took my very last dollar.” A woman identified as “Sharon” testified this morning that her former ...
Thirsty for sunshine
Five outdoor brewery destinations for the summer
Long summer days mean opportunities for drinking outdoors. Here are the top five brewery destinations to catch fresh air and sunshine with your craft beers this summer Eppig Brewing Waterfront Biergarten 2817 Dickens Street, Shelter ...
Gin and whiskey hoppers
Craft spirits for a West Coast palate in Vista
Back in 2012, decorated Tennessee distiller Darek Bell published the book Alt Whiskey, which offered recipes and techniques for distilling craft beer into nontraditional whiskies, including the addition of hops. “It got my brain working,” ...
Who’s about the kids and who’s about the money?
San Diego school district loses money if charters approved
On April 3 the San Diego Unified School Board granted the charter school petition of National University Academy 1001 STEAM, the first approval of a charter school new to the district in over four years. ...
Industrial vacancies lowest ever for San Diego
This can drive up prices, lengthen leases
It appears that San Diegans go to craft brewers located in industrial parks, put on weight, then go to to a fitness centers in industrial parks to shed that excess blubber. These are two reasons ...
Skating, surfing, hot-rodding, and beer
Beach Grease plants beer brand at former SpecHops brewhouse
"We're open!" So shouted a tasting room employee of Beach Grease Beer Co. at noon, Saturday, March 10th as the new beer company opened for business in Vista. A hint of surprise could almost be ...
There's no booze in this gose
Unique fermentations for a beer counterculture
Booze is kind of a nebulous term to describe fermented and/or distilled beverages. So it seems fitting that Vista beer company, Booze Brothers Brewing Co., would spin-off a brand of beverages that hang at the ...
The Beaver has more to belch about
Vista brewery's Pub 980 revamp features restaurant as star
Belching Beaver Brewery debuted its new Pub 980 concept in January, taking the unusual step of converting the tasting room of its original Vista brewery location into a casual eatery with a taproom bar. Since ...
His best friend and a good girl accused of murder
D'Angelo Maurice Charon's body was found on the side of the road
A man and woman were held equally liable in the death of their friend and ordered to face murder charges at the end of a hearing on January 24th. Shyrehl Joseph Wesley, 21, and Sheffah ...
Contenders list is long for Rocky's seat
New blood for North County's 76th Assembly District
Election season is heating up in coastal North County with incumbent Rocky Chávez (R-Oceanside) not running for re-election in the 76th Assembly District. He was elected to the seat in 2012. The district runs from ...
North County congressman Issa to retire
He faced a tough reelection and "barely survived the 2016 election”
Republican North County congressman Darrell Issa today (January 10) announced that he will be retiring from his post in the 49th District this fall. The publication Politico called Issa’s move “the latest sign of a ...
SpecHops the last brewery closure of 2017
Founded in 2010, but Vista tasting room opened last year
As 2017 came to an end, so did another San Diego area brewery. On the afternoon of December 31st, Vista-based SpecHops Brewing Company announced via Facebook that it was closing its doors. The post reads: ...
Lovejoy and McDavid guilty of attempted murder
Defense story was too far-fetched, says juror
After half a day of deliberations, a jury declared both Diana Jean Lovejoy, 45, and Weldon Kermit McDavid Jr., 50, guilty of the attempted murder of her husband, Greg Mulvhill, 47, during a bitter divorce ...
Middle-aged cops were alleged targets of rage
Did Roberto Flores intend to steer his car into officer Brad Hunter?
Oceanside police officer Brad Hunter was struck down as he stood next to a car he had pulled over for a traffic stop on Foussat Road on July 19, 2017. A jury was seated on ...
Devil in details of Carlsbad divorce case
Split involved shooter in bushes and young boy
A divorce between a Carlsbad couple that began in 2014 was interrupted by gunfire more than two years later. Diana Jean Lovejoy, 44, is set to go on trial tomorrow (October 17). She has pleaded ...
Vista councilman regrets leash-free vote
John Franklin aims to get Buena Vista Park ordinance rescinded
On August 22, the Vista City Council approved a one-year experiment to allow unleashed dogs at the “Trails” area of Buena Vista Park in Vista’s Shadowridge area. Its passage allowed dogs to legally run free ...
Blindsided by a lug wrench at the bus stop
"I bet you didn’t think I could sneak up on you like that, did you?”
Armando said he was seated on a bench, minding his own business the morning of February 22, 2017, when he was attacked. “I was waiting for the bus.” It was almost time for his regular ...
Meth-troubled dad faces court dates
Repeat offender accused of kidnapping wife and child and more
A man who allegedly invaded a home in the remote eastern edges of Escondido, and was reportedly shot multiple times by the homeowner, is due in court on Wednesday, September 13. Noe Colimas Valladares, 28 ...
Plastic-bag ban led to hep A health crisis?
“The outbreak was completely predictable — it's why I left San Diego.”
“The plastic bag ban is the main reason for the hepatitis outbreak,” says the homeless man who writes the Homeless Survival Guide. “The hepatitis outbreak was completely predictable — it's why I left San Diego.” ...
Ebullition bubbles in to Vista
Do the math: city's 18th brewhouse, 4 more in planning stages
Ebullition Brew Works soft-opened in Vista at the beginning of July. Nearly two months later, the brewery has yet to announce a grand-opening date but has been keeping regular hours and served nine different beers ...
Nancy won’t leave
Eighty-nine-year-old mom fears her adult daughter
Grace knew she wasn’t supposed to have guests stay longer than one week, at the retirement place where she lives in Vista. But she wanted to help her daughter. Sixty years ago, she named her ...
Man whose home is metal box in Vista park admits drug sales
Sixty-five-year-old man began career at 20
A man living in a metal shipping container in a Vista park was arrested this month after he sold drugs to undercover officers. James William Harris, 65, was reportedly living in the graffiti-decorated container located ...
Latitude 33 distributed to 38 states
Beer-of-the-month subscriber service sends Vista brew far and wide
A new, national beer-of-the-month service launched this summer, featuring a San Diego brewery in its inaugural shipments. Two beers from Vista's Latitude 33 Brewing were offered for the June delivery of CraftX, a Los Angeles–based ...
Vista sisters fighting ends in arrest
One spit at officer who responded with mace
“Christine said, ‘I’m going to stab your pretty little face,’” according to a deputy who testified in San Diego Superior Court yesterday, June 26. Sheriff’s deputy Adrian Moses arrived at a home in the 1600 ...
Henebery brings production home
Legacy whiskey brand opens tasting room and distillery in Vista
Producing whiskey requires fermented grain, a still, a barrel, and patience. Henebery Spirits has shown plenty of the latter. Jesse Fanning launched Henebery in 2013 with his wife Natalie and her family, including parents Annette ...
Tased again and again in Vista parking lot
County pays $3 million for deputy's aggressiveness
The County of San Diego has agreed to pay $3 million in damages to a man who suffered a severe brain injury and multiple amputations after a Sheriff's deputy repeatedly fired his taser at him ...
Vista makes new wireless tower rules
First choice is city land, then business and industrial property. Schools — up to them.
Vista planners wants to make it easier, or in some cases harder, to operate cell towers and antennas. On March 21, the planning commission held a public hearing to discuss two proposed zoning ordinances (see ...
Belching Beaver’s change of art
Brewer renews logo, makes case for old one’s non-sexist origin
With a March 12 party at its Vista brewpub, Belching Beaver Brewery celebrated a brand refresh that includes a cleaner redesign of its can and bottle labels; also the punny new slogan, "Dam Good Times." ...
