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Stories by Ken Harrison (RIP)

"The will of the people"

For the last year, every Thursday afternoon in Encinitas, a group of 15 – 25 protesters have stood on the northeast corner of El Camino Real and Encinitas Boulevard. On March 22, to the honks …

March 26, 2018
First the styrofoam, now the straws

In the public comment period of the Encinitas city council’s March 21 meeting, the city’s Environmental Commission proposed a regulation to eliminate the use of single-use plastic straws in the city’s restaurants. Seven people spoke …

March 23, 2018
To fight strippers, no one gets to dance

In most restaurants in the city of Encinitas, when live music is offered, dancing is not allowed. After finally paying off a $3,000 fine a few weeks ago, levied in September by the California Alcohol …

Cardiff post office to get new address

After it was announced that Cardiff by the Sea’s post-office property had new owners, numerous rumors blew up on social media on February 23 over the possible eviction and end of use of the town’s …

In search of mom's death certificate

Longtime Carlsbad resident Jim Majeski thought he had it all worked out for when either he or his wife of 65 years passed on. Prepaid and preplanned cremation, he thought, would help ease the family’s …

Trash talk (and arrest) in Cardiff

In the Poinsettia Heights neighborhood of Cardiff by the Sea, a middle-aged woman, well known for her mental illness and attacks on neighbors, was taken into custody last week by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. …

Oh, say, can you play the better "Star Spangled Banner"?

Former Kensington resident Jason DeBord, a 1988 graduate of San Diego’s O’Farrell High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, did a 17-year stint on Broadway as a conductor, arranger, and musician. According to DeBord, …

Gas-tax repeal campaign prompts motorists to drive

News Radio 600 KOGO held a petition-signing event on February 5 as part of afternoon talk-show host Carl DeMaio’s Reform California campaign — an attempt to roll back the new 12-cent-per-gallon gas tax and up …

February 8, 2018
Rancho Bernardo gas at $4.19 a gallon

In the last month, gas prices have unexpectedly risen in San Diego County, up to 75 cents a gallon. Ten local stations hit $4.00 a gallon on January 30, with the Chevron station at 16998 …

So much for the bull penis tacos

One of North County’s most unique restaurant chains, has closed its last, and original location, inside Cardiff by the Sea’s San Elijo State Beach campground. “People drive up here everyday. They’re disappointed and heartbroken it’s …

Contenders list is long for Rocky's seat

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 …

Encinitas enclave resists hole in wall

Cardiff by the Sea residents to Mayor Blakespear: “Don’t tear down this wall!” That’s the battle cry from 40 neighbors on the private streets of Caretta Way and Starlight Drive, and a public street, Warwick …

January 20, 2018
PO'd to miss San Diego's big snow day

Fifty years ago yesterday, on December 13, 1967, from Borrego Springs to downtown to Oceanside, snow fell in San Diego County. Perhaps the most dramatic scene was a blanket of snow on the beaches of …

Recreational fishing under attack?

“Recreational fishing in California is under attack every day,” says Wayne Kotow, executive director of the Coastal Conservation Association – California. In a year-end report to the Oceanside Senior Anglers on December 5th, he reported …

Trout Derby drama at Dixon Lake

The City of Escondido’s 39th annual Trout Derby at Dixon Lake attracted hundreds of anglers from around Southern California on December 1–3. Even without the planting of huge Nebraska tailwalkers at this year’s opener, stringers …

One of the Kings Men down

In the 1950s and ’60s, the Kings Men Car Club of Solana Beach dominated the Southern California drag-racing scene. Most of the club’s members, at one time numbering up to 30, caught the racing bug …

Escondido trout to come from Sierra foothills

It won’t be a record-breaking trout season at Escondido’s lakes this winter, but the number of fish available for angler’s stringers will multiply greatly. Over the summer, the city received three bids from hatcheries to …

November 21, 2017
Okay, California Pacific Airlines ready again

Ninety-six-year-old Rancho Santa Fe millionaire Ted Vallas held a meeting of the stockholders and supporters of his-yet-to fly California Pacific Airlines on November 16. His announcement was the first piece of good news since 2013 …

November 18, 2017
Oceanside council finalizes harbor plan

The battle for Oceanside Harbor’s sportfishing landing is over. After an open bid process concluded in 2016, it’s been over a year since the new Oceanside Sea Center was granted the right to negotiate the …

Breeders' Cup bettors' brouhaha

Just after the Del Mar Racetrack showed off its beauty to the sport’s largest worldwide horse-racing audience, a controversy has developed over one betting aspect of the Breeders’ Cup. With over 400 bettors ponying up …

November 14, 2017
Amazon Go in Encinitas no forgone conclusion

Last week, downtown Encinitas was all aflutter with news that the now-closed Whole Foods market in the Pacific Station Center would soon be occupied by an Amazon Go store. Made sense, considering Amazon recently purchased …

November 12, 2017
Feel the spike in California gas prices

The spike in gas prices on November 1st should have been no surprise to motorists. The increase comes from the state legislature’s 12-cent-per-gallon gas tax passed on April 28. The tax also raised diesel prices …

November 2, 2017
Breeders Cup horses know what they're doing

With a worldwide audience larger than America’s Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes), international racehorse breeders show off their finest on November 3 and 4. Over 45,000 fans, owners, and trainers will …

October 31, 2017
Peñasquitos Boy Scouts dropped by Greyhound at 2:00 a.m.

In 1978, three 14-year-old Rancho Peñasquitos Boy Scouts from Troop 662 planned an outing of a lifetime. On their own, the boys planned a 21-day fishing trip to the Eastern Sierra. They bought supplies, food, …

October 31, 2017
More lobster advice for locals

The local lobster pursuit is in full swing. Just prior to the September 30 opener, over 100 recreational anglers attended a pre-season seminar given by lobster hoop trap expert, Jimmie Salazar. Salazar said the bugs …

October 17, 2017
Cardiff's trashy neighborhood

Residents of the Poinsettia Heights neighborhood in Cardiff by the Sea have a trash problem. Often residents will wake up in the morning to find trash strewn on their street. The problem has been going …

Amtrak won’t stop in Encinitas or South Carlsbad

Encinitas and South Carlsbad will be losing Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train service. Both stations receive six daily Amtrak train stops — three northbound and three southbound. The move, effective October 9, ends a four-year “Rail-2-Rail” …

September 22, 2017
Encinitas council votes under legal pressure

The City of Encinitas will probably be switching to district elections for its council seats — not because it’s a good idea for democracy or to better represent the five communities that make up the …

September 21, 2017
Del Mar's race season ends with a look forward

As the 78th season of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club came to a close, I talked with two highly visible track personalities. They took a look back on the season and the future as Del …

September 4, 2017
Thanks for the gas-price hike, Harvey (big jerk)

Local gas prices jumped around 10 cents a gallon overnight on August 30, in response to the destruction and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. San Diego gas prices started rising slightly on August 25, the day …

Tantalizing chance to fish in Encinitas forbidden zone

Recreational anglers, along with a scientist from Scripps Institute of Oceanography at UCSD, got to fish where the rest of us can’t — in the Marine Protected Area of Encinitas — a no-take area for …

August 25, 2017
American Vandal mockumentary of Oceanside High doesn't ring a bell

Former Encinitas resident, Lukas Gage, credits his past as a local surfer with helping him land a leading role in the upcoming Netflix series, American Vandal. The eight-episode show uploads to the online network on …

Cardiff’s lifeguard tower project is bumping campers

Since the 1970s, Mira Mesa’s Dave Timms has been camping for a week, once a year at the San Elijo State Beach campground. Recently when he tried to make his usual reservation, he found his …

Garden State Bagels in Encinitas sees nit-picking by County Health

Steve Amster, the owner of Garden State Bagels got his Encinitas restaurant’s health rating dropped from a long-term “A” to a less-than-90% “B” rating. He was cited for what county health inspector, Diego Velasquez, reported …

August 3, 2017
Speed limits to be lowered on La Costa Avenue, Quail Gardens Drive

Some major streets in Encinitas are scheduled for speed limit changes, mostly downward by five miles per hour, but some will be increased, based on a little-known California law. Last week, although some residents protested …

Rancho Peñasquitos' Andy Wiess reviving Crown Books

A long gone, but once familiar nationwide business has reappeared in Encinitas. Back in the 1980s, a lanky Robert Haft went on TV with the his three-piece suit and heavy New Jersey accent, to tell …

VG's is not leaving

When it opened in 1968, Joe Mettee started working in his dad’s Cardiff-by-the-Sea donut shop when he was 14. VG’s, with its morning customers lining up out the door, has grown to become an icon …

Dems pass retroactive bill to block recall of state senator Newman

San Diego’s AM 600 KOGO’s radio talk show host, Carl DeMaio, appears to have Governor Brown and the Democratic-controlled state legislature nervous. DeMaio’s Reform California campaign, and his attempt to recall State Senator Josh Newman …

June 23, 2017
Del Mar's parking fail

Over the winter, the city of Del Mar widened and repaved its northern boundary, the busy Via de La Valle, between Coast Highway and Jimmy Durante Boulevard. They also added a bike lane and a …

June 13, 2017
Del Mar Fair opening — here for the piggies

The iconic bronze statue of Don Diego, dressed up in cowboy garb, overlooked the main gate of the San Diego County Fair, as hundreds lined up for opening night on June 2. And like the …

June 5, 2017
Eastern Sierra trout can go at it again

After six years of stocking non-breeding trout, next spring the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin raising and stocking little breeders in the Owens River and Mono Lake basins. Stopped in 2011, lawsuits …

San Dieguito High honors classmates killed in battle

During the Vietnam War, Del Mar resident 1st Lt. Jimmy Mitchell, a member of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, landed at Chu Lai in South Vietnam. On an August 31, 1965 patrol, the Marine from …

16 acres of coastal bluff above Del Mar's dog beach finally sold

For the first time in almost 100 years, the public recently got a look at 16 acres of coastal bluff top, probably the largest piece of undeveloped beachfront property in private ownership in San Diego …

May 26, 2017
16- and 17-year-olds to get a fishing license break?

In an effort to increase interest in fishing, 75th District assemblymember Marie Waldron (R – Escondido) has written AB478, which would eliminate fishing licenses for those teen anglers age 16 or 17. Last month her …

May 23, 2017
DeMaio faces off against Jerry Brown

Late last week, San Diego’s AM 600 KOGO talk host, Carl DeMaio, along with John & Ken from L.A.’s KFI AM 640, joined forces for a live broadcast from a Fullerton ARCO AM/PM gas station. …

May 19, 2017
Coastal Commission to Encinitas — No!

After a 13-hour meeting, the City of Encinitas’ attempt to increase bike and pedestrian safety and mobility along the Highway 101 corridor was dealt a big blow. Despite unanimous city council support for a proposed …

Oceanside McDonald's uncovers electrical outlets

The Oceanside McDonald’s at 3794 Plaza Drive just went through a 76-day complete remodel. The old play structure was completely removed; a new interior, signage, and outside façade were added, along with redesigned drive-thru lanes. …

Two more nonstop flights to Europe from San Diego

As most major U.S. airlines are making money for the first time in decades, and the U.S. dollar's strength is adding value overseas to Americans, two foreign carriers are welcoming San Diegans aboard. Starting May …

May 8, 2017
A wider road from Bonsall to I-15

Caltrans has quietly opened up the four finished lanes of the long awaited, and final leg, of the Highway 76 widening project. The last 4.3-mile stretch from Mission Road in Bonsall, to I-15, completes the …

Eastern Sierra opening day: no snowstorm, few fish

For the first time in four years, anglers attending Merry Fishmas – opening day of trout season in the Eastern Sierra were not greeted with an early spring snowstorm. But while by the afternoon of …

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