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Stories by Mike Madriaga

The effect of parking spots deleted from North Park

Since the 2.25-mile bike lane replaced over 460 parking spots on 30th Street from Normal Heights down to North Park last year — 34 businesses shut down, and some are boarded up, said Pat Sexton …

Tom Shaw and heavenly transport on Imperial Avenue

Apostolic Prayer Temple, house of exaltation I came here, to the Apostolic Prayer Temple, a storefront in between a nightclub and a fish market in Encanto, to see the Rev. Tom Shaw in the Gospel …

December 18, 2022
No DUI deaths in San Diego Thanksgiving weekend

On the recent Thanksgiving weekend, 44 driving under the influence (DUI) arrests were made and reported within San Diego County, per CrimeMapping.com. However, as this article went to print, no DUI fatality reports were made …

December 12, 2022
Brake checking on San Diego freeways

Raul Estefania was driving eastbound along the 94 after 2:30 pm on November 16 when he saw a black Scion tC sitting on its roofline on the side of the freeway. Just minutes before, "The …

Charles Crehore can't shut down his Facebook page

"I find your postings on Coronado Happenings boring because it lacks a vibrant exchange of ideals and is a quintessential example of the cancel culture. It's an exercise in groupthink, mindless and without merit." — …

November 22, 2022
San Diego buses and trolleys abound with riders

Last month drivers for the Metropolitan Transit System witnessed three accidents on their bus and trolley routes. First, on October 19, at about 4:30 pm, a black-colored vehicle collided with the trolley. Then the car …

How to deal with San Diego's Moped thieves

San Diegans are switching to mopeds and motorcycles for transport to work to deal with California's highest gas prices in the U.S. and limited street parking throughout the county. But as more locals purchase or …

Dockless bikes trashed off Sunset Cliffs and Chollas Creek

Water polluted by tossed bikes That’s a reef shelf at Sunset Cliffs and Hill Street,” Proctor said. “The area the bikes were in is inaccessible without a waist deep wade around one of the points …

October 29, 2022
Gonzo Report: Notes from Jack Harlow’s Come Home The Kids Miss You tour

It was a chill vibe heading into the September 17 Jack Harlow concert at SDSU’s Viejas Arena. Packs of students strolled to the show — part of the 24-year-old Kentucky rapper’s Come Home The Kids …

October 27, 2022
Mixed reviews for homeless in El Cajon motels

So far this past year, the El Cajon's Police Department responded to 7,379 calls for service related to homelessness which is a "massive jump compared to approximately 2,500 calls in 2014," posted the city of …

October 24, 2022
Gonzo Report: DJ Dopamine returns to Oceanside’s Super Girl competition

The 16th annual Nissan Super Girl Surf Pro contest and concert series ran from September 16 to 18, and played host to events such as Saturday’s Super Girl Sound Session, an all-female DJ competition. Booming …

October 19, 2022
IZOLA Bakery policy works for some, angers others

“IZOLA Bakery will not exploit this local artist any longer,” reads a recent Instagram post from local singer Fre3sty13, “as they expect us to art inside their shop for free; that’s modern-day slavery… You want …

San Diego firebugs ignite late summer blazes

On October 5, someone called the Chula Vista Police Department regarding a burglar alarm on 3rd Avenue and F Street, says 911 Video News on their YouTube video. The police found a fire at the …

Sierra Hubbard has 60 tattoos

When Sierra Hubbard posts up by the Surfhenge art installation at the IB Pier entrance in her red ‘68 Chevy Nova, folks take notice. The 60 tattoos adorning her 5’10” frame play a large part …

October 6, 2022
Kayakers lifted out of La Jolla Cove

On September 24, before 2 pm, Erica was eating lunch at Eddie Vs on Prospect Street in La Jolla; she noticed a fire truck crane extended over La Jolla Cove across the street. So she …

September 27, 2022
Gonzo Report: Tenelle leaves no Pacifica stranded at Island Vibe Fest

For many attendees, the annual Island Vibe Music Festival at Downtown’s Spanish Landing on August 13 radiated a hearty homeland vibe from the get-go. For others, the evocation of the islands was enough, and by …

San Diego River neighbors worry about homeless fires

On September 3, Patricia Fillét said she and her Old Town neighbors smelled and saw smoke billowing atop the Morena Boulevard and I-8 interchange. They logged onto the NextDoor and Citizen apps to warn each …

Pechanga fight tickets say San Deigo – guess why?

Just days before UFC Fight Night at the Pechanga Arena last month, Nathaniel Fox, who lives in North Park, had his own bouts — online. "I fell victim to a scam from a Craigslist listing," …

Imperial Beach sandcastles avoided using ocean water

Local fishermen recently spotted and photographed the red tide near Imperial Beach, according to an August 27 619newsmedia report. Besides the red tide's picturesque neon blue-colored waves at nighttime, the red-orange-tinged water affects beachgoers, boaters, …

Traffic signal headaches in Peñasquitos, I.B., and Imperial Avenue

In 2022, there were 5417 traffic signal reports made on San Diego's GID (Get It Done) app; over a dozen of those reports were made on August 20-21 about a particular set of Peñasquitos traffic …

Monarch butterflies in San Diego up against the wall

The monarch butterfly was added to the IUCN Red List as "now endangered" last month — for many reasons. The insect is eaten as an egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, or bright orange and black colored butterfly. …

DJ Bassassin thugsteps to Step Brothers

Dubstepping to Step Brothers: Much of the 140 beats-per-minute dubstep and hip-hop-fused stomper “Riddim And Blues,” by Tyler “DJ Bassassin” Williams was created on a computer in his Poway studio. It’s where he pulls beats …

August 11, 2022
7-11 beer runs and now Blind Lady's fermenter tank

On July 22, the Blind Lady Ale House, referred to as BLAH in the Normal Heights neighborhood, recovered its stolen fermenter tank. It's worth $5,000 and is a large piece of steel equipment used to …

Comic-Con covid protocols spark debate

Over the weekend of July 21-24, Comic-Con International returned to the San Diego Convention Center for its first full-blown four-day show since 2019. But it did so without at least one long-time attendee and vendor: …

San Diego's weird pet rescues in 2022

On July 11, Camo, a five-year-old veiled chameleon, escaped from his indoor and outdoor cage in a Mission Hills home. "I live next to a row of Juniper trees, so he will likely climb to …

Does the crash at Swift and Meade show roundabouts are unsafe?

"About two weeks ago, there was an accident where a person drove up on the rocks in the middle median on the roundabout just down the street from ours on Swift Avenue," Kira Hawkins said …

PurpleAir fire sensors dotting San Diego's North County

On June 25, Steve Sedio noticed a fire blazing in Carlsbad about 30 miles west of his Valley Center home. "An arsonist started the brush fire in Carlsbad," he told me on July 9. The …

K-9 dog Jester stabbed in head, but survives

About 4 am on July 4 — the sheriff's department, police department, and the police department's K-9 unit — were called out to a Lemon Grove home where a gun was shot, lodging into the …

Skateboarders annoy, inspire downtown San Diego

At about 2 pm on June 21, Amanda Vazquez Defran heard a peculiar noise below her Banker's Hill home balcony. "I work from home, so I get a front row seat to a lot of …

Souped-up cars eyed warily by Vista cops

On June 18 — a $5.8 million vehicle, an SUV carrying $1 million cash, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens, Lotuses, Bugattis, Porsches, and a 2012 BWM 135i — were not given special "pedigree privies" in the city …

June 21, 2022
Golf carts – a San Diego trend but so easy to steal

On May 24, a person snuck into Hotel Del Coronado and stole their "Safety & Security" golf cart. The navy blue electric cart had custom wheels and a unique red-colored old-school pinstripe design on its …

San Diego graff artists confess

KAHLEE I rock a dark hoodie when I walk these streets. A scribe with streaks, no heat. My steps discrete. Brass knuckles for these suckas with beef. I need graffiti in cities surrounding me to …

Valencia Park, Golden Hill offer some help to homeless with vacant lots

Many San Diegans living on the street were not accounted for in the May 19 report released by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness. During the count, some of the unaccounted San Diegans lived in …

The May 18 Sunset Cliffs sink hole rescue

On May 18, a photographer was stuck inside the notorious Sink Hole below Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach. The unidentified man wearing a long sleeve grey shirt, green shorts, and a camera equipment bag entered …

2022 Summer Fun Issue

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 …

Kite flyers okay with new Mission Bay playgrounds

On May 23, David Corning and his wife drove to Mission Bay Park to scope out the new playground the city of San Diego spent part of its $8.3 million budget to build. "It looks …

Media and public cut off from Calls for Service page

On the evening of May 16, the San Diego County Sheriff's department was called to San Marcos to assess a few incidents. There was a hit and run on the 500 block of Grand Avenue; …

Some neighbors wary of Adams Avenue Theater

Last month, Normal Heights neighbors posted photos of the Adams Avenue Theater on social media, wondering what would be moving into the near-100-year-old building. Then, on April 15, Devyn Randolph posted a picture of a …

San Diego city workers clean up homeless bikes

Hundreds of Twitter and NextDoor app users are outraged with city employees after an April 14 video tweet captioned, "Perfectly good bikes being crushed by the @CityofSanDiego" went viral. About 10 am that Thursday, Michael …

May 3, 2022
Mars highrise opens Normal Heights to SDSU students

Normal Heights inhabitants are throwing shade on The Mars Project development coming into their neighborhood. According to artists' renderings, the art deco-inspired building will have a sheet-metal facade and tower seven stories high on Adams …

Van lifers find ways to get around San Diego's hostility

On April 16, van lifers from around the U.S. trekked into San Diego County as National Park Week kicked off a weeklong, presidentially proclaimed event. For the following seven days, 400 national parks throughout the …

San Diego's pro wrestling fueled by marijuana

Perhaps you know that the official beer of the National Football League is Bud Light. The NBA has Michelob ULTRA. Major League Baseball’s official beer is Budweiser, but its official cerveza is Corona. And wrestling? …

Orbeez shooters invade El Cajon

On the evening of April 3, Brenda B. "heard gunshots" outside of her El Cajon home. "Then I called my mom, who lives on my street," she said. "I told her to don't go out …

April 11, 2022
When the Tesla jumped the wall in Kearny Mesa last week

A Tesla that recently landed on top of an ambulance in Kearny Mesa stole the thunder from a flying Tesla in Los Angeles days before. Above the Falck Ambulance Service headquarters, before 10 am on …

Bike vigilantes get back Kona taken from front of Tribute Pizza

"I had a wooden baseball bat, a Louisville Slugger, in my car. And the plan was we both walk up, Patrick grabs the bike, and I watch his back just in case this guy is …

San Diego tow truck, Uber, semi drivers watch their gas prices

Courtney and Leon Copeland of San Diego Scoop Squad, a pet waste removal company, felt the highest spike in gas prices over the weekend. "We are spending about $60 more per week on gas between …

Costly fire behind Home Depot off Palm Ave.

As Pamela Sophia exited the Home Depot on Saturn Boulevard in the morning of March 10, she noticed people in the parking lot gazing up at the sky behind the home improvement store. She then …

Coyotes proliferate from Ramona to Imperial Beach

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 …

San Diego truckers in People's Convoy – photos from New Mexico and Oklahoma

Lisa H. from Valley Center wishes she could've joined her fellow semi-truckers when they left for Altadena, California, on February 23, to caravan with The People's Convoy en route to Washington DC. "What an awesome …

Mission Valley and Valley Center ATMs attacked

On February 7, the San Diego Police Department posted on Facebook about a January 23 break-in at a Chase Bank ATM at 5111 Mission Center Road in Mission Valley. SDPD said one of their police …

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