Ramona Stories
Most neighborhood conflicts over live music involve loud bands that drive the neighbors nuts. But an unusual battle has been brewing in Ramona for over a year now, one involving …
Video:BLURT: Play "Name That Tune" with The Beard and the BirdJon Hasz met his future wife, Cathryn (Cat) Curry Hasz, at a music store in Ramona when they were both …
It’s the rarest oak species in the U.S., it’s endangered, and 93 percent live right here in San Diego. In the 1840s German doctor George Engelmann, studying plants along the …
I tend to chide myself for going back to the same handful of coastal neighborhoods time and again in my efforts to dig up Unreal fodder. Then, once I’ve finished …
Ramona Stories
Grassy Heaven Broad, open grasslands in the topography of San Diego County are the exception to the norm, which is chaparral-covered mesas and barrancas. And most of the natural grasslands, Mission Valley for example, have …
Antique stores and malls are fast becoming antiques themselves. The famed “Antique Row” along Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, which at its peak numbered 25 stores — and gave the stalwart Antique Row Cafe its …
The bus you see here being readied for a new paint job is Red Rover, or at least, it will be. That’s Gina Tang, Creative Director of Little Shepherds Nature Lab, applying some tape before …
“I’m repping my shirt today: San Diego State, baby!” exclaimed Kyle Turley to me on April 1. The Aztecs’ men’s basketball team had just come back from 14 points down in the second half against …
Some bands can count their lineup shifts on one finger, like ZZ Top or R.E.M. (one each). Then there’s San Diego skamaniacs The Amalgamated. “About ten years ago,” explains guitarist/singer Reggie Costa, “I made a …
First Christian Church of Ramona Contact: 1970 Vermont St., Ramona 760-789-2371 www.fccoframona.org Membership: 45-50 Pastor: Johnny Diaz Age: 38 Born: Santa Ana Formation: Vanguard University, Costa Mesa Years Ordained: 5 San Diego Reader: How long …
When Arizona native Ashley E. Norton moved to Nashville, she landed an interesting gig hosting “songwriter rounds,” gatherings which featured groups of three or four songwriters on a stage. They rotated down the line, not …
As early as the end of next month, some housing projects in the backcountry would be able to skip a step on the road to approval. The San Diego County Planning Commission has made its …
As Lakeside fades in my rearview and Ramona’s foothills loom in before me, I inhale my surroundings. Despite 20 years of living in San Diego, my Midwestern heart has yet to normalize the Western movie …
The other night at dinner, the Young People asked the Old People, “How do you know when you’re an adult?” Your humble Editor’s answer: “When you realize that life is no longer play that gets …
Throughout San Diego County, there was an increase in coyote sightings in the last month. Ramona Facebookers reported coyotes attacked their ducks and chickens. Rabbits near the Tijuana Estuary in Imperial Beach were mauled. My …
April 1 will see the release of the sixth studio full-length from the Greyboy Allstars, Get a Job: Music from the Original Broadcast Series Soul Dream, released via the band’s own Knowledge Room Recordings label. …
Bluegrass beginnings: Mandolinist Randy Hanson first met guitarist Mark Miller in 2012 at Cliff Keller’s San Diego Songwriters MeetUp. At the weekly gathering, the two were paired up and given a song title, “Every Second,” …
On February 1, animal services were called on a black-colored Vietnamese potbelly pig as he roamed by Hacienda Drive, south of the 76 in Oceanside. The San Diego Humane Society in Escondido refers to the …
Americana fiddle rockers Lexington Field specialize in punked up versions of classic traditional Celtic tunes like “The Wild Rover,” “The Old Black Rum,” “Pretty Irish Girl,” and “Molly Malone,” as well as original songs such …
Facing the watchful eye of environmental groups, county planners last week presented several options to guide development in San Diego's backcountry. Since more than 99 percent of the unincorporated area depends on cars, development is …
On a sunny day in September 2020, a 45-year-old public school teacher drove to the Stater Bros. grocery store on Main Street in Ramona to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy he had …
"Regarding the pest control industry as a whole, we've seen a spike in calls and workload, particularly in residential areas," said Joshua Crowl of SteadfastFalconry.com. "It's because most of the people are at home, and …
Emmanuel Cafferty is not a white supremacist. If he were, he would subscribe to a doctrine wherein he admits his own inferiority, as Cafferty is of mostly Mexican descent. But during a June 3 drive …
Last night, I placed an order for delivery from the restaurant Tender Greens. Dinner was good, but what will help sustain me in the week to come was the grocery box I ordered. For $33, …
Was Helen Hunt Jackson's Ramona real? During late winter and early spring of every year, a bit of confusion reigns up north in the town of Ramona. The folks at the chamber of commerce there …
There are two types of diners in the world: those who would absolutely never, under any conditions, order food prepared in the back of a liquor store; and those who will pull over their car …
On October 14 former San Diego city councilman Carl DeMaio, former congressman Darrell Issa and state enator Brian Jones joined congressman Duncan Hunter at Mission Valley’s Town and Country Hotel for the San Diego Republican …
Nancy Nunke says she was the first person in Ramona that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) called after the Virulent Newcastle Disease infected bird was confirmed on Griffith Rd. on August 30. “Shortly …
After nearly three years of planning, paying and preparing to build a trail on Orosco Ridge, the San Diego Mountain Biking Association was stunned to learn their work with the U.S. Forest Service was cast …
That was the unstated sentiment as Ramona’s third medicinal cannabis dispensary Releaf Meds held its grand opening with a live concert and an official community meet-and-greet in January. The local love was there, but the …
San Diegans have been shocked by skyrocketing electric bills over the last two months, with many customers being told by San Diego Gas & Electric they owe two or even three times as much as …
We’ve all heard the joke that someday a natural disaster will plunge California into the sea and turn Arizona into beachfront property. But if recent trends continue what would be more likely — the landslide …
Every time the San Diego brewery count starts to creep toward the 160 mark, word breaks that another local brewery or two are closing. Sure enough, even as a handful of new beer companies have …
The Pamo Valley is situated to the north of Ramona. It is part of the Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest. The region is bookended by Lake Sutherland to the east, and Rancho …
In 2002, Ramona contractor Orrin Day bought his home town’s only movie theater, built in 1946. Ten years ago, after spending what he says was over $1 million, Day reopened it as Ramona Mainstage, a …
Clairemont resident Danny Smiechowski says he's being bullied by local Democrats and shunned by the media. He is an official candidate for San Diego city council in district 2. He’s running as a Democrat, but …
It doesn't make moonshine, but no distillery in the county better reflects the history of the backyard still than San Diego Sunshine Craft Spirits. Sunshine opened to the public two years ago this week, in …
The road to Sharon’s Worm World is in turn blacktop, gravel, then finally Ramona dirt. Sharon McLaughlan, the worm farm’s founder and namesake, is waiting at the crest of the dusty lane that ends at …
Just east of Ramona in a section of the Cleveland National Forest, one can hike high above the San Diego River Watershed along an old fire road to a dramatic viewpoint overlooking Dye Canyon, where …
A pet-friendly bill hit the governor's desk on September 21. The bill (AB 1137) would mandate that new multi-family housing developments allow tenants to have pets if those developments receive financing through state programs. @media …
Called scum suckers and worse. In January it was announced that ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) had sued Jolt’n Joes in La Mesa and the Ramona Mainstage because they hosted musicians without …
Membership: 700 Pastor: Eric Clarke Age: 58 Born: Long Beach Formation: Eastern Oregon State College, Portland, OR; Western Seminary, Portland, OR; Masters International University of Divinity, Evansville, IN Years Ordained: 10 San Diego Reader: What …
Brewer Mike Nelson is starting the small company with longtime girlfriend Natallie Phillips. The San Diego natives both grew up on the coast but moved to Ramona about 20 years ago. "We moved up here …
Louis Joseph Vadino of Ramona was sentenced today (April 19) to 102 months in federal prison for evading federal taxes, then vamoosing right before his trial, stashing money in an offshore bank (in Greece), and …
While he worked at it several years, Neil Kennedy never considered himself a great homebrewer. "I was always really mediocre at making beer," he says, and being an Escondido resident meant he couldn't exactly talk …
“Are we anticipating ketchup tonight?” This may be the most delightful phrase I’ve heard spoken by a server so far this year. The beauty of it is in the anticipation of the ketchup itself, rather …
After hours of public testimony and discussion, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted on Wednesday (April 27) to freeze the status of several proposed or approved medical marijuana dispensaries, potentially for as long …
Some of you may remember that a while back I undertook an epic journey throughout the county in search of barbecue. I found good and bad in ample amounts, but the ordeal was so strenuous …
On December 11, Jeffory Fry filed a suit in federal court, claiming members of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department kicked, punched, and stomped on him, causing a trip to the hospital, because he was …
“Dolan Brotherhood has a strong capacity for harmonies that wasn’t possible in New Day Mile with just one singer,” says singer/guitarist James Brady, whose new band features latter-day NDM members Dave Garcia and Raul Guzman. …
Clevenger Canyon is part of the Coast to Crest Trail of the San Dieguito River Parkway, a 70-mile trail that will eventually connect Volcan Mountain with the ocean at Del Mar. The Clevenger Canyon North …
As dangerous as Highway 67 is for drivers, it is even trickier for the wildlife that live in the rich habitat on either side, so when Caltrans looked at placing barriers down the middle for …