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Stories by Gloria Ciprian

Bumblebees wage war on Lake Murray

Lake Murray is being bombarded by bee attacks. As early as July 2, the bees attacked people near the two-mile mark on the service road that ends at the 3.2-mile marker at the closed fence. …

Advantage Towing ruled against in Mission Valley accident case

On March 21, at the small claims court at 330 W. Broadway, there were about 22 cases on the roster, but Mr. T., a homeless, thin 80-year-old, was number six on the list. He appeared …

March 31, 2017
Eyesore for the birds at Lake Murray

Beginning in late 2016 and continuing through mid 2017, the City of San Diego's water department started the Pipeline 4 Project, which entails relining pipes at Lake Murray. Along with construction crews, cement trucks, and …

Trump cutout lugged to Potato Chip Rock

At about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (January 21), some hikers spotted a muscular young man in running shorts carrying a large wrapped package up Mount Woodson. The rainy weather seemed to make the almost-two-mile trip …

January 23, 2017
Inadvertent off-roader vanishes from crash scene

A La Mesa motorist expressed surprise on Wednesday (January 18) when he saw a burgundy-colored truck on the side of a hill on the south side of Parkway Drive. The truck had crashed through a …

January 20, 2017
Mission Trails witch’s tale

Hikers at Mission Trails Regional Park have noticed the yellow spidery moss that covers the tops of lots of plants in the park. Bridgette and Rachel wondered if the moss was spreading and perhaps dangerous …

Lake Murray rebel has a short run

On November 16, at about 2 p.m., a 20-year-old Caucasian male started screaming and verbally threatening Lake Murray walkers near the 1¾-mile marker along the road that runs around the lake. According to a few …

November 18, 2015
Fishy paint job for La Mesa catwalk

When school started on August 13 at Maryland Avenue Elementary in La Mesa, students were pleased to find that a nearby formerly unkempt walkway had been changed into a work of art. After City of …

August 14, 2015
Computer bandit strikes La Mesa Starbucks

La Mesa residents need to guard their computers more carefully. On July 21, between the hours of 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., activity at the La Mesa Starbucks (located on the corner of Kiowa Drive …

July 23, 2015
A roll down the catwalk

On Thursday (June 18th), a La Mesa walkway running east to west from Tufts Street to Maryland Avenue was made ADA compliant following a family's request to make that walkway wheelchair accessible. After the request, …

June 19, 2015
Nature and nurture

On May 9 at about 7 a.m., a baby osprey was spotted at the two-mile mark on the Lake Murray service road. It looked dazed but healthy as it sat there looking at the small …

May 12, 2015
Mystery foam on Lake Murray

On April 24, a small crowd of hikers stopped to observe sudsy, white foam stacked up about a foot high near the two-mile marker on the running trail around Lake Murray. The onlookers were all …

Begging becomes a bloody business

On February 11 at about 2:45 p.m., a car hit a panhandler at the Jackson Avenue and Fletcher Parkway intersection in La Mesa. The La Mesa Police Department responded with three motorcycle cops, a police …

February 15, 2015
Are you out of your gourd?

Jon Berndes, a telephone repairman by trade, decided that he wanted to try and grow the world’s largest pumpkin when he read a newspaper article 20 years ago about…the world’s largest pumpkin. Last month, Berndes …

A book is a treat in prison

Emerald Oil, a gas station on the corner of Lake Murray Boulevard and Baltimore Avenue, not only boasts about having the lowest gas prices in La Mesa, but it also has a wide variety of …

August 26, 2014
Baby osprey takes flight before falling

At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, May 18, one of the two baby ospreys in a nest at Lake Murray took a fall. Last year, two baby ospreys fell out of the same manmade nest …

May 22, 2014
La Mesa Planning Commission favors 18-unit complex

On February 4, the disapproval of a proposed City of La Mesa condominium development was demonstrated by a local family’s door-to-door collection of signatures on a petition against the project. The family, residents of Wheaton …

March 7, 2014
Alpine teachers protest in La Mesa

Two schoolteachers were carrying picket signs in protest of the Alpine Union School Districton the corner of Jackson Drive and Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa on January 29. From about noon to 5 p.m., Kim …

January 31, 2014
Beautiful girls give away free milk at Lake Murray

Marketing reps for Muscle Milk set up their camp in the Lake Murray parking lot for only about ten minutes on January 13 at 2:30 p.m. The two pretty girls who came to the lake …

January 15, 2014
Furries descend on Lake Murray

On January 4, LMFAO arrived at Lake Murray between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to have their monthly meeting, which they hold on the first Saturday of every month. In this case, …

January 6, 2014
Rabbit rescue at Lake Murray

At 10 a.m. on December 27, Chris and Dave, two Lake Murray runners, discovered five tame, domesticated rabbits wandering around the edge of the service road near the 2 ¼ mile marker of the trail. …

December 31, 2013
Three-car collision in La Mesa

On December 17 at 6:45 p.m., a three-car collision on the corner of Fletcher Parkway Drive and Baltimore Drive in La Mesa drew six police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance. The destruction was …

December 22, 2013
Catch and cash-in trout at Lake Murray

On December 5, Lake Murray was stocked with a load of 1/2- to 1-pound trout. The day before, Lake Murray management gave trout fishermen a new incentive to fish at the park: orange-tagged trout that …

December 10, 2013
Vehicles crash into La Mesa car dealer’s lot

On November 21 at approximately 2:30 p.m., a truck and SUV crashed into parked cars at the Truck & SUV Center, located on the corner of Lake Murray Boulevard and Parkway Drive in La Mesa. …

November 23, 2013
Velomobile on the Lake Murray running trail

A different kind of transportation made its debut at Lake Murray on October 14 at about 2:30 p.m. A long, hot-dog-shaped, bright red car/bike rolled along past joggers and walkers as they stared. As it …

October 15, 2013
Seal threateningly follows man at La Jolla Cove

A seal decided to join human beach activity when it swam ashore at La Jolla Cove at 3 p.m. on September 28. No one could believe that the seal would come so close to people …

October 1, 2013
Little girl who lied takes public punishment in La Mesa

At 6 p.m. on September 26, people driving on Lake Murray Boulevard in La Mesa were slowing down to see a small, cute girl, about ten years old, holding a big yellow sign that declared …

September 28, 2013
Dog collapses on Lake Murray trail

On September 25 at 2:30 p.m., a dog named Chase collapsed at the two-and-a-half-mile mark on the Lake Murray running trail. Luckily, a kind woman was on hand to help the dog and his owner. …

September 26, 2013
Lake Murray baby ospreys’ welfare report

Lisa Culver, the CEO of Project Wildlife, has reported the condition of the two baby ospreys that fell out of their nest at Lake Murray on June 5 and June 21. The manmade nest is …

June 28, 2013
Discarded fishing line injures Lake Murray’s baby osprey

On June 21, at about 2:30 p.m., the second baby osprey at Lake Murray fell out of its nest. (Its sibling had fallen out on June 5 and was taken to Project Wildlife to be …

June 22, 2013
A Lake Murray baby osprey’s bittersweet rescue

At about 8 a.m. on June 5, a baby osprey fell out of its nest, situated near the two-mile mark on the path that goes around Lake Murray. A more-fortunate sibling managed to remain in …

June 6, 2013
Buddhists’ Pet Release Ceremony Interrupted

At about 2:45 p.m. on April 18, a group of Buddhists came to Lake Murray to release four pet animals at the lake. The three women and one man, who were dressed in robes, explained …

April 22, 2011

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