How dry is it? Dry, dry, dry, dry, dry.
August 20, 2014
News & Stories
New blood for Sweetwater district?
Sweetwater Union High School District called an unscheduled meeting August 13 to review its “asset utilization plan” for selling district-owned property and purchasing a new administrative building. The district has three properties that it is …
August 20, 2014
Oceanside advances on affordable housing project
As ground is broken on the largest affordable-housing project in San Diego County, all that remains for the complex is to finalize the patchwork of funding. At a cost of $92 million, the Mission Cove …
August 20, 2014
Fast-track Frights
Singer/guitarist Mikey Carnevale has no idea why the Frights was nominated as Best Live Band for this year’s San Diego Music Awards. The punk trio from Poway has no dancing go-go girls, matching suits, or …
August 20, 2014
Fine international fusion at beach bum cost
You wouldn’t guess it from their island-style coffee-shop façade, but beyond the organic drip java and veggie wraps lies a top-notch wine and beer bar with selections meant to be paired with their eclectic, globally …
August 20, 2014
Grammy man
When San Diego musician Kamau Kenyatta learned that his protégé Gregory Porter had won Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards for Liquid Spirits (an album Kenyatta produced), he was momentarily indisposed: “I …
August 20, 2014
Arabs and Jews alike
Whew. Hot day out here on the La Playa Trail. La Playa Trail? Just the oldest commercial trail in the Western United States. ’Course we know it as Rosecrans Street. I notice this li’l historical …
August 20, 2014
Crime and circumstance
The Fourth of July fireworks display that caps off the poor-kids-in-the-heartland documentary Rich Hill can be viewed in a couple of ways. You can see the young’uns staring open-mouthed at the pretty explosions while chants …
August 20, 2014
Far Out Fangtooth to Creepoid
“We’re in the middle of one of our longest drives on this tour.” Nick Culp checks in by phone from somewhere up in Canada to talk about his recent move from Far Out Fangtooth to …
August 20, 2014
Boom. Just like that
With locals and tourists trying to grab in a few more days of summer, the beaches in North County were suddenly closed to all activity on August 20. Starting around 4:00 a.m., an incoming weather …
August 20, 2014
Charitable Stones
“I was blessed to meet Mick Jagger’s assistant through one of our Photocharity board members.” Jeffrey Sitcov calls the Reader to talk about his latest good fortune: a pair of electric guitars, each one autographed …
August 20, 2014
Worst. Headache. Ever.
Ben Bartel is the 29-year-old singer/guitarist for local acoustic-rockers Mayfield, a group whose sound Bartel equates to “a guy and a girl arguing with each other musically.” The argument almost came to a crashing halt …
August 20, 2014
Brian’s revenge
Mindy Fletcher, ex–White House press aide to president George Bush and wife of failed Republican-turned-Democratic San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher, has gone into business with Corinne Clark, an ex-staffer for Brian Bilbray, a Republican …
August 20, 2014
Cut the cheesy jokes
Dear Hipster: I use a lot of bathroom humor because I think it’s f@$*ing hilarious! My girlfriend (along with some of my friends) tells me I’m being too lowbrow and that I shouldn’t resort to …
August 20, 2014
Varied habitats, outstanding views
Lake Poway is a full-facility recreation area that has something for everyone.
August 20, 2014
Hard drive intact
“We thought we might get our music seized,” says Rick Elliot, whose Secondhand Smoke Band’s upcoming full-length, First Hand, was recorded in Escondido. “Lambesis Studios was the studio co-owned by Daniel [Castleman] and the now-infamous …
August 20, 2014
Robin Williams, RIP
Most everyone has had their say already about the death of Robin Williams. I don’t have anything to add about the man, except to say that he helped to shape, as much as Jack Benny …
August 20, 2014
Thanks for the dough, $hamu!
SeaWorld's stock may be down on Wall Street, but it definitely appears to be up with Democratic Governor Jerry Brown. After repeated battering by animal-rights advocates over the issue of orca captivity, the marine-animal emporium …
August 20, 2014
Reunite Like Jehu
It almost seemed like a prank, the Facebook announcement that Drive Like Jehu planned to reunite, at least long enough to play one free show on the big concrete stage at the Balboa Park Organ …
August 20, 2014
The Pickles Are on the Wall
Look up Azerbaijan on the map and one can see immediately how this Caucasus country is a confluence of cultures: Persian, Russian, Islamic, seafaring, to name a few. All of these influences contribute to modern-day …
August 20, 2014
So inescapable
Hey Hipster: Why do all hipsters start every sentence with the word “So?” The adult version of “Like.” — Matt G Maybe I’m reading too closely between the lines here, but are you suggesting that …
August 20, 2014
A Rancho Santa Fe house so extravagant, it does the boasting
Current Owners: The Waite family Listing Price: $10,900,000 Beds: 8 Baths: 10 Casa Bonito Del Rio is a Spanish-style estate encompassing nearly 13,000 square feet of living space on a 9.9-acre equestrian parcel within the …
August 20, 2014
MEK Muck-up
It may seem a bit late, but ex-San Diego mayor Bob Filner, who quit office following revelations of sexual harassment last summer, has just received a warning from California’s Fair Political Practices Commission. In a …
August 20, 2014
“Competition is a sin”
The words above are attributed to John D. Rockefeller, human template for American monopolies. We know he was rich, but few people know how rich he actually was. According to the the New York Times, …
August 20, 2014
Ways to save water and money
Landscaping and gardening in a drought is tough and expensive, so I started looking for ways to save water and money. “The first thing to do is evaluate the irrigation system,” said New Way Landscape …
August 20, 2014
Letters from our readers
Don’s Flashlight Thanks for Don Bauder’s article on the lack of corporate do-goodism (City Lights: “Do Well, Do Good”). As a 20-year Wall Streeter, it turned me into a socialist. Like Einstein said, “Capitalism is …
August 20, 2014
Rummed-up son abused his Oceanside parents
“They just said you’re not allowed to drink around us, so I just said, ‘Fine,’” Greg Foley recalled. “I just didn’t let them know that I was drinking because it would upset them.” He just …
August 20, 2014
Why They Love Us
Vanna, 1987?–1995 Dogs love us uncomplainingly because They see us in a way we never do. They don’t have sense enough to see our flaws The way we fear our lovers’ fangs and claws. Blondi …
August 20, 2014
Steakhouse wages
The San Diego Democratic Party is facing off in the fall against the GOP Lincoln Club in what is expected to be a particularly nasty electoral clash. The main battle is between Republican downtown lobbyist …
August 20, 2014
How to get the church back into the world?
Membership: 120 Pastor: Brent Ross Age: 40 Born: Albuquerque, NM Formation: Vanderbilt Divinity School, Nashville, TN; Garrett Evangelical Seminary, Evanston, IL Years Ordained: 5 San Diego Reader: What’s your favorite subject on which to preach? …
August 20, 2014