Cops like to tell stories. They’re good at it. They’re trained to think in specifics, to make precise observations. Atop an arrest report, right beneath “officer’s report,” it says “narrative.” On one of my first …
January 18, 2001
News & Stories
Chula Vista's Family Protection Unit goes after abusers
Rules for Your Life
"I knew Somalis who drove taxis and said I should try it.. For three months, I've been driving a cab. I live with a friend in a small house in Lemon Grove. I pay $300 a month"
January 18, 2001
Each Week Is a Great Adventure
On October 26, 1999, the county Board of Supervisors voted to approve a $644 million, seven-year contract to "outsource" the county's computer and telephone operations. The move was heralded by the supervisors as a bold …
January 18, 2001
Gifts in a basket
Members of the San Diego City Council and their staffs have filed their so-called "assuming office" financial disclosure statements required by law. Mayor Dick Murphy reports owning a couple of rental units in his old …
January 18, 2001
Is it true that the fax machine was invented before the telephone?
Hey, Matt: I seem to gravitate to people who think they know everything, and I usually buy what they say. But here's one I finally have to ask about. A friend who's right about a …
January 18, 2001
Where are all the baby seagulls?
Matt: I've lived near the ocean for almost 50 years. I have never, never seen a baby seagull. Where are they? -- John P., Coronado Yeah, you have, John. You've seen lots of them. You …
January 18, 2001
Is it true that there was once a vaudeville performer whose act consisted of nothing but farting?
Dear Matthew Alice: A friend of mine has been trying to convince me that there was once a vaudeville performer whose act consisted of nothing but farting. My friend prides himself on knowing strange facts, …
January 18, 2001
My Belly
I wait 20 minutes. It looks more like 47 inches now, but that’s mostly the soda, and as soon as I take a leak then digest my food overnight, I should be back to 46 inches.
January 18, 2001
Search for a small waterfall and grotto in Los Pinetos Canyon, near Santa Clarita.
Barely ten minutes' drive from the northern San Fernando Valley and the sprawling suburb of Santa Clarita, Placerita Canyon Natural Area nestles comfortably at the foot of one of the more verdant slopes of the …
January 18, 2001