This year signaled a new era for local small-batch distillers. Assembly Bill 1295, also known as the Craft Distillers Act of 2015, went into effect on January 1, reversing archaic liquor laws that date to …
March 30, 2016
News & Stories
Law change makes difference for San Diego distillers
April's record-release roundup
This week’s new releases include the Reactants EP from Andrew Mauro’s project Transpirations, as well as the Parker Meridien EP by Parker Edison (Parker & the Numberman), and the self-titled debut full-length from Mittens. A …
March 30, 2016
Four poems by Kalpna Singh-Chtinis
A Pale Monday Morning - I I went to sleep late last night, and woke up early this morning. A very kind note to a friend wasn’t kind enough! I woke up feeling sad and …
March 30, 2016
The advantage of Wavestorms
Several years ago most new surfers at Tourmaline were groms. Nowadays most beginners appear to be adults that bought their Wavestorm boards at Costco for $99.99. A fiberglass longboard is big and heavy. Going “over …
March 30, 2016
To accept Renaissance foolery
“I just can’t tell the man I intend to marry apart from his twin brother,” said no one, ever. At least, not in real life. Nowhere is it written that comedy ought to be more …
March 30, 2016
Eat at Shady's
“I’m gonna just lose it. I’m gonna give people a reason to talk about what they saw.”
March 30, 2016
Old homes week
Far from receiving a decent burial, the La Jolla bones of San Diego’s old Copley newspaper empire have become touchstones for two wealthy San Diego powerbrokers, who have laid out big money to add them …
March 30, 2016
Crisp Fish ’N’ Chips makes dreams come true
Oh, man. Ria wants nuts and twigs. I’m dreaming of fish and chips. Splots of malt vinegar. Cocktail sauce. Greasy, crispy chunks of cod. “Ho-kay,” says Ria. “Your funeral, buddy. Know how many calories and …
March 30, 2016
If only there was a Roscoe's in San Diego
Dear Hipster: Is it true that Roscoe’s is coming to San Diego? Give me the straight dope. — Derek As of this writing, Roscoe’s has yet to publicly confirm the rumors. I don’t know how …
March 30, 2016
The Big Parade marches through Carmel Valley
“What a thing is patriotism! We go for years not knowing we have it. Suddenly...it becomes life’s greatest emotion.” The words ring as true today as when they did when they were written, over 90 …
March 30, 2016
Zappa's excellent adventure
The man who played Bill in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure hopes his next excellent adventure involves Frank Zappa. Actor/filmmaker Alex Winter is currently running a Kickstarter campaign that, if successful, will raise $500,000 to …
March 30, 2016
See more than 100 species of birds at Silverwood
There is something for every nature lover and even those who only want to get a bit of exercise at Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary. With a network of nearly 5 miles of trails, there are both …
March 30, 2016
Mind kampf
Remember, a genre mashup of four of contemporary cinema’s least desirable storylines, should represent everything we’ve spent the past three decades at the movies trying to forget. And yet... When was the last time you …
March 30, 2016
The jazz link to God
Christian Fellowship Congregational Church UCC Membership: 140 Pastor: J. Lee Hill Age: 37 Born: Chesterfield, VA Formation: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA; Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC; Emory University-Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, GA Years …
March 30, 2016
Beer, money, influence, and Accela
A downtown influence-peddling shop dear to the heart of San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer has picked up yet another controversial big-money client. Multinational beer giant Anheuser-Busch has retained Presidio Public Affairs Group to lobby for …
March 30, 2016
Cream of the L.A. pop-rock crop — the Shelters
Enough bands like the Shelters, and Los Angeles could come back to its former glory days as the bull’s eye of the rock-and-roll business. It used to be that way until the digital age scrambled …
March 30, 2016
The blackest of crimes committed against Warner Ranch Indians.
Visitors to the Indian village at Kupa were often struck by the silence. No loud voices, no sudden shouts. Even children played quietly. A stillness spread from the bowl-shaped Valle de San Jose below, past …
March 30, 2016
Opening a can of name-and-shame Facebookworms not recommended
Dear Hipster: Despite “we only serve water upon request” signs at most restaurants, I’ve noticed that compliance with water-saving regulations has slipped of late at some of my favorite spots. Servers are starting to automatically …
March 30, 2016
Forest friends
The prolific Alfred Howard has started yet another band. The new project has been christened “Cardinal Moon” and is a collaboration between Howard and singer/songwriter Dawn Mitschele. “Dawn is a tremendous songwriter and lyricist and …
March 30, 2016
Chargers release so-called financing plan
The Chargers said they would release financial plans today (March 30) for their proposed downtown "convadium" — a combined football stadium and convention center. But the team's statement is a joke. So many details are …
March 30, 2016
Qualcomm engineers get axed, then train foreign replacements
“Knowledge transfer.” It’s a scholarly sounding name for a vile practice that is stealing jobs from American engineers and forcing those soon-to-be-laid-off tech employees to train their foreign replacements. If American workers refuse to teach …
March 30, 2016
Orson Welles, restored
To call Chimes at Midnight (aka Falstaff) Orson Welles’s crowning achievement is tantamount to naming it the greatest movie ever made. The film never found a home on DVD — there’s a dupe pressing in …
March 30, 2016
Sold-out show? Grab a seat in a kayak
Located on Shelter Island Drive and tucked into the northeast corner of La Playa Cove, Humphreys by the Bay puts on summer concerts from April through October. The shows sell out often — like the …
March 30, 2016
Red light revenue
Cash from San Diego traffic-ticket fines is seriously down, says the county auditor’s office. Over the past five years, according to a March 4 report, “collections from penalty assessments fell from $13,749,562 to $7,910,885 (42 …
March 30, 2016
One big farce
Bernie as Moe Thank you for highlighting the absurdity of the 2016 Presidential follies. Instead of voters casting ballots for the candidates, Hollywood should be casting them in a Three Stooges movie with Bernie Sanders …
March 30, 2016
Piano, not keyboards
The recent passing of Keith Emerson underscores how keyboards don’t play as big a role in pop music as in the days when Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, Deep Purple, Yes, and Edgar Winter ruled the …
March 30, 2016
March 24 Crossword Contenders
Martha Awdziewicz, Clairemont, 9. Dennis Butterworth, San Diego, 9. Leslie Chase, Campo, 9. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 9. (winner!) Allan Dorfman, Del Mar, 9. (winner!) Chad Griffith, Poway, 9. Susan Haley, Chula Vista, 9. Ron …
March 30, 2016
March 24 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Bliss Beedle, Encinitas, 9. Gregory Chauncey, La Jolla, 9. Rafael Gaceta, San Diego, 9. Don Ganoe, San Diego, 9. Paula Henderson, La Jolla, 9. (winner!) Richard Johnson, La Jolla, 9. Larry Lewis, Poway, 9. …
March 30, 2016