SDSU: crime abounds
San Diego State ranked America's 7th most dangerous school
The publication Business Insider ranks "The 25 Most Dangerous Colleges in America." The data look at violent and property crimes from 2008-2011 in schools with more than 10,000 in enrollment. San Diego State is 7th with 29,187 enrollment, 27 violent …
Romney gossip
Defeated candidate seen at movie theater, pizza joint, gas station
Amateur paparazzi seem to be tailing Mitt Romney as he and wife Ann move around San Diego County. One of their homes is in La Jolla. According to Yahoo!, Romney and Ann were seen at a movie in Del Mar …
Jack disappoints
Jack in the Box earnings drop sharply.
Fourth quarter earnings of Jack in the Box were 39 cents a share, down 44.9% from a year earlier, and below analysts' expectations. Revenue dropped 2.5%. The stock dropped 9 cents to $26.17 on the day.
Pennies from hell
New Jersey trader pleads guilty to manipulating SD penny stock
Mark Allen Lefkowitz has pleaded guilty to conspiring with an as yet unnamed chief executive of a San Diego company to manipulate the company's stock. The news release doesn't mention penny stocks, but this is almost certainly one -- probably …
New director
UCAN names USD law grad as director
Troubled Utility Consumers' Action Network has named Donald M. Kelly, a University of San Diego law graduate, as the new executive director. He is the third to take the post within a few months. It is not known now whether …
Joblessness ticks up
Local unemployment nudges up to 8.6%
San Diego County's unemployment rate rose to 8.6% in October from 8.5% in September. The county added 7,000 jobs in the month, 4,000 of them in local education, according to the California Employment Development Department. The county gained 23,500 jobs …
"Oh, my aching backtesting"
Arbitration filed against media investment personality Ray Lucia's former firm
White Law Group has filed a $250,000 arbitration claim against First Allied Securities, the former firm of radio/TV investment personality Ray Lucia. The complaint alleges that First Allied put an investor in non-traded real estate investment trusts, controversial vehicles that …
Bad Customs customs
Customs broker pleads guilty to avoiding payments
Gerardo Chavez of International Trade Consultants, president of the San Diego Customs Brokers Association, pleaded guilty today (November 15) in federal court to importing goods into the United States without paying import taxes. According to court documents, Chavez would import …
Fewer gurgles
Percent SD homes underwater declines
In this year's third quarter, the percentage of San Diego County homeowners underwater (more debt on the property than it is worth on the market) dropped to 30.6 from 33.9 in the second quarter, according to Zillow.com. San Diego was …
Jock itch
Pro basketball player says San Diegan put him in Ponzi schemes.
Longtime San Diego money manager William "Billy" Crafton Jr. is among those sued in Philadelphia for putting Boston Celtics guard Jason Terry in dubious investments, some of which were Ponzi schemes. According to Courthouse News Service, Terry says that Crafton …
Did Sanders trade his DeMaio support for chamber job?
It's now strictly a rumor that Sanders got top chamber post as payoff for DeMaio endorsement
Eyebrows are arching and tongues wagging over Mayor Jerry Sanders's belated endorsement of Carl DeMaio for mayor, followed by Sanders being named head of the Chamber of Commerce. Remember, at this point this is only rumor, although I have reliable …
Issa committee used taxpayer funds to attack Obama, says reform group
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, Republican of North County, made a one-minute video unfairly slamming President Obama, according to publicintegrity.org. The video criticized Obama for the cost of state dinners. It went on …
Qualcomm stock soars after-hours on dismal day
On a day in which the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 2.36%, stock of telecom superstar Qualcomm is soaring 7.71% in after-hour trading. (The stock was down 3.72% during the day.) The wireless chip maker reported fourth quarter revenue and …
Rancho Santa Fe among 10 most expensive neighborhoods
Rancho Santa Fe is among the nation's 10 most expensive neighborhoods, according to MarketWatch.com. "The Ranch," as it is called, "boosts some of the highest earning families in the nation," says MarketWatch, and that makes it attractive to such people …
Lynch in default, but says he is paying up today
John Lynch, chief executive of U-T San Diego, says that today (Nov. 6) he is paying a penalty amount to clear up a default on property taxes. San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector records show that the Lynch Family Trust has …
Publisher pursuing remedies after U-T San Diego pulls out of contract
Dallas-based A.H. Belo, which publishes the Dallas Morning News, Riverside Press-Enterprise and other papers, says it is pursuing multiple remedies against U-T San Diego after it pulled out of a printing contract, according to newsandtech.com. The move on Oct 15 …
Bridgepoint earnings take a hit
Shares of controversial Bridgepoint Education are down 4.36% this morning (Nov. 5) following the for-profit university company's release of weak third quarter earnings. Third quarter net income dropped to $31.4 million from $43.8 million in the same period of 2011. …
Ad seeking Manchester hotel buyer not real, says attorney
Grand Del Mar loan OK and no receivership, says Papa Doug attorney
An ad has shown up on Craigslist seeking a partner or buyer for "Papa Doug" Manchester's $300 million Grand Del Mar luxury hotel. Experts in the hotel industry wondered why such an ad would show up on Craigslist, of all …
UCAN: More damning emails surface
Evidence of further financial irregularities proving worrisome at ailing watchdog.
Further disquieting emails have surfaced internally in the case of nonprofit watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), whose financial missteps are under investigation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to documents recently unearthed, Michael Shames, UCAN's co-founder who was …
Jobs expand more than expected but unemployment rate up
The nation gained 171,000 jobs in October, beating economists' estimates of 120,000, but the unemployment rate rose to 7.9% from September's 7.8%. The report will probably be politically neutral: Republicans can point to the rise in the unemployment rate, Democrats …