A rabid, adult gray fox was recently found in a remote area of rural Jamul, county officials announced on November 5. Dr. Gundula Dunne, veterinary medical officer for the County of San Diego, says, “The …
November 10, 2010
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Stories by Cindy Winslow
Rabid Fox Found in Jamul
It Started Small
“I called 911 at 3:07 p.m.,” said Skip, the manager of the Pomerado Gardens Apartments in Poway, checking his cell phone. On May 26, Skip was one of the first residents to alert emergency services …
May 26, 2010
No Haggler
A man pretending to be a shopper robbed the Susie’s Hallmark store on Lake Murray Boulevard in La Mesa at approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 22. The man had entered the gift shop and …
October 24, 2009
Why Someone Would Do This
This morning, October 14, a maintenance worker at Chollas Lake discovered a Muscovy duck clinging to life — it had been shot five times with a crossbow. One of the arrows had pierced its head. …
October 14, 2009
Hot Pants
Two male transients robbed another male transient of his pants in the Best Buy parking lot on Fletcher Parkway on Sunday, October 4. “Typically, the kind of crimes we see for transients are drunk in …
October 7, 2009
What Sewage Spill?
Dog Beach was crowded with beachgoers and their dogs playing in the hazy afternoon sun on Saturday, September 26. Just a couple days earlier, signs warning of sewage contamination in the water flanked the popular …
September 28, 2009
Oxygenated Septuagenarian Robber
A man described as being 70 to 80 years old is suspected of robbing the La Jolla branch of San Diego National Bank on Saturday, September 12. Clad in a beige-and-black-checkered blazer and wearing a …
September 15, 2009
No Trucks
Nearly 200 residents packed the Point Loma Library on the evening of September 9 to discuss a city-approved methane-gas-recycling project that has elicited concern, anger, and fear among those living in the coastal community. The …
September 11, 2009
Fire Up, Power Down
Residents on Sloane Canyon Road in Jamul spent several tense hours on Friday, August 28, waiting as fire crews worked feverishly to extinguish a brush fire burning at the rural dirt road’s only entrance and …
August 30, 2009
Take It to the Canyon
Hikers, bikers, Boy Scouts, conservationists, and councilman Carl DeMaio were among the crowd of around 50 people gathered at Camino Ruiz Park in Mira Mesa on Saturday, August 8, to celebrate the opening of the …
August 13, 2009
No-wait Nuptials Nixed
San Diego County is putting the brakes on spur-of-the-moment marriages. Beginning Monday, July 6, marriage licenses and civil ceremonies will be offered by appointment only. “The walk-in marriage services are being discontinued due to budgetary …
July 2, 2009
Poachers Get Shellfish
For many San Diegans, the La Jolla Underwater Park is a tranquil place to observe marine life in its natural environment. Poachers, however, seem to view the state-protected marine conservation area as their own personal …
June 25, 2009
Fallbrook’s Mine — A Hit or the Pits?
A pristine wilderness area northeast of Fallbrook is at the center of a heated controversy, pitting local residents against a multibillion-dollar Fortune 1000 construction company. Five years ago Granite Construction announced its plan to develop …
June 24, 2009
State's TB Scare
A San Diego State University student who attended classes during the spring 2009 semester has been diagnosed with active, infectious tuberculosis. The student is considered to have been contagious between March 1 and May 21. …
June 20, 2009
Beyond Pesky Flies
On June 2, county officials announced a quarantine on areas of Mira Mesa after finding four adult Mediterranean fruit flies and 14 larvae in the neighborhood. “They were all found in residential yards,” says county …
June 5, 2009
Drive-By in the Burbs
Heading down Poway Road on Sunday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m., I heard a loud popping sound seemingly emanate from my tire. Thinking I’d run over a rock, I pulled into the nearest parking lot …
June 4, 2009
Tainted Catch
Divers take note — if you’re in Mission Bay, La Jolla, or anywhere else along the California coast, don’t move a mussel. Or, to be more specific, don’t harvest and eat a mussel. A quarantine …
June 1, 2009
SSSSnake Season
It’s rattlesnake season again. With the recent warmer temperatures and sunny afternoons, encounters between local hikers and snakes are becoming more common. Iron Mountain Trail, on the outskirts of Poway, has been host to a …
May 22, 2009
Rabbit Flu-Flu
A New Zealand white rabbit discovered last month by campers at Oceanside’s Guajome County Park has tested positive for Tularemia, or “rabbit fever,” a rare infectious disease that can cause severe illness and death in …
May 22, 2009
Pity
Visiting the San Diego County Animal Shelter in Bonita last week, it became apparent that the shelter is home to a disproportionately large number of pit bulls and pit-bull-mix dogs. According to Daniel DeSousa of …
May 10, 2009
Big Fly in the Sky
A low-flying helicopter hovered over Sabre Springs on the morning of April 29. Its mission was to kill mosquito larvae in three areas of standing water near the intersection of Poway Road and Sabre Springs …
April 30, 2009
First Swine, Now Squirrels
On April 2, a ground squirrel from the Doane Valley Campground on Palomar Mountain tested positive for plague, the “black death” disease that ravaged Europe and killed millions during the 14th Century. “The number of …
April 25, 2009
Stop Draggin' My Cart Around
At the recent March meeting of the Mira Mesa Town Council, a concerned resident stood before the group to voice her dismay on an issue that has plagued the town for years -- abandoned shopping …
April 2, 2009
Talk’s Cheap – Free
“Mira Mesa is such a diverse area,” says Lien Dao, the community’s library branch manager. “People here are very eager to learn different languages to communicate with each other.” Dao says anyone with a library …
March 28, 2009
Oh, Boil
Life is returning to normal for residents of Carmel Valley after nearly four days under a boil-water order. The state lifted the order this morning, March 25, notifying residents that their tap water was once …
March 26, 2009
The End of Mobile Counseling
Today, March 20, marks the final day of mobile counseling services for residents of the rural East County communities affected by the Harris Fire. The October 2007 wildfire burned 90,440 acres across Dulzura, Potrero, Tecate, …
March 20, 2009
Bat News
On March 3, the phrase “look what the cat dragged in” took on a whole new meaning for one Santee resident, whose pet cat brought home a dead bat. The cat’s owner promptly contacted the …
March 12, 2009
Pity for the Spanish
On Thursday, March 5, beaches at Spanish Landing and Shelter Island re-opened after being closed due to a sewage spill. The spill, which began at 10:35 a.m. on March 4, released approximately 1400 gallons of …
March 7, 2009
Where's the Sushi Joint?
During recent rains, as our nation continued to struggle with signs of a falling economy, businesses at a Poway strip mall were faced with a falling sign. Kevin Yang, a sushi chef at a nearby …
February 25, 2009
Crime Cam Stolen!
On January 21, at 10:00 a.m., upon hearing loud, repetitive knocking at her front door, a Torrey Highlands resident looked through the peephole and saw a man outside. She assumed the person might be a …
February 11, 2009