"I've seen thousands of catfish,” George Scalo said, “but I have never seen a catfish look like that before.” Scalo, was talking about the piebald catfish, also referred to as a “cowfish” because of its …
October 7, 2019
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Stories by Mike Madriaga
Lake Wohlford's version of Shamu
Scratching and beat juggling like Grandmaster Flash
My dad never understood how I broke his turntable attempting to mimic parts of “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5. The 1981 song was …
October 3, 2019
The other Baja adrenalin rush
On September 20-21, a small group of off-road racers skipped the inaugural Baja 400 in Ensenada to race against one another towards the highest point on the Baja peninsula. “The San Pedro Martir Hill Climb …
September 30, 2019
Wet bandits invade Escondido
"The guy in that screen shot looks like one of the 'wet bandits' in the other video,” Mary said to me on a September 20 interview. “Multiple people believe it’s the same guy and they …
September 23, 2019
Mr. Oro’s and Zebra Knight’s rap battle collaboration
Mr. Oro sells his El Sacrificio De Oro CDs and Oro Wear brand clothing to Americans at the Tijuana/San Ysidro Port of Entry as they return to the U.S. “Here in Tijuana it’s a lot …
September 19, 2019
The problem with Rosarito's whale
Dan M. and his fellow guests at the Club Marena rentals in Rosarito, had a rude awakening Saturday, September 7. “Our bedroom window is positioned about 50 meters that way, and at 2 am, she …
September 16, 2019
How Ramona chicken lovers respond to Newcastle plague
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 …
September 10, 2019
Valley Center mountain lions on Facebook slammed
Around midnight, September 4, Joe Avila was alerted via his phone of a mountain lion lurking within their Valley Center property. “We added the Arlo Pro cameras in the orchard to see what was eating …
September 9, 2019
Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road to San Diego
Some San Diego hip-hop fans I spoke to said they didn’t like “Old Town Road” when it first dropped on local airwaves and the club scene — but what was it like for our country …
September 5, 2019
Popeyes vs. Chik-fil-A – San Diego version
On August 25 at 11 a.m., Cher M. went to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on Mira Mesa Blvd. — only to find out that it was closed. “A sign said they were basically sold out of …
September 3, 2019
Spiders and spider fear up in San Diego
North Park and North Escondido dwellers have recently reported of “more” spiders crawling around their homes. Natelle Bracken lives in North Park closer to the 805 freeway. In 2019, she has seen seven black and …
September 2, 2019
Superheroes fight trash in City Heights
Martial arts instructor Matt Armstrong and his “Trash-Vengers” crew picked up thousands of pounds of trash from their Azalea Park streets and canyons in the last couple of years — free of charge. On June …
August 28, 2019
Someone else's trash in Escondido is not your treasure
On August 6, RE/MAX realtor Carmen Cifuentes posted Facebook photos of trash and debris she just discovered. “It was a huge dump on a property that we are selling,” she told me on August 16. …
August 19, 2019
Mexican Navy seizures affecting Baja lobster prices?
On August 7, the Mexican Navy along with workers from the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries, secured 280 lobster traps and rescued and released 740 lobsters in Ejido Eréndira, a small community about 62 …
August 12, 2019
Blueface’s school of “Thotiana”
San Diego-based post millenials are hyped that Blueface will perform at SOMA on August 22. Some elders, however, are not. His joint “Thotiana” peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 list in April. …
August 8, 2019
San Diego scooter scene calms down
On August 2, Steve Taylor direct messaged me a link to a YouTube video titled Scoot Safe – Emergency Physicians’ Tips for Electronic Scooter Riders. “Dang, they gotta commercial for kids,” he said. “Notice the …
August 6, 2019
More hope for Baja's totoaba
On the weekend of July 20-21, Earth Ocean Farms released 40,000 juvenile 3-4 month-old-totoabas at Bahía de Concepción in Baja California South. “I can guarantee that the totoaba will never go extinct, because we can …
August 5, 2019
Sandcastle stomping in Imperial Beach – a tradition
On July 12 at about dusk, two kids scurried away from an upset man and woman, after the kids demolished parts of a sandcastle sculpture by the Imperial Beach Pier. IB-local Joey Bradley was coming …
July 29, 2019
The curve of death at El Mirador
In the last week, videos and photos surfaced of truck drivers that lost control by El Mirador, between the Rosarito and Ensenada toll booths — backing up north- and south-bound traffic on the four-lane Mexican …
July 23, 2019
The hazards of Balboa Park's golf course
Some North and South Park dwellers have recently come forward regarding their vehicles being struck by golf balls from the Balboa Park Municipal Golf Course; and not hearing the “fore” warnings. “The golf ball bounced …
July 22, 2019
Comic-Con – 50 years in San Diego
The real stars of Comic-ConBy Jay Allen SanfordNot long ago, few had ever heard the word “cosplay.” Nowadays, pretty much any pop culture convention will be overflowing with costumed role-players posing for snapshots and giving …
July 17, 2019
4th of July spooked Lakeside horses
On July 4, E.L. and his Lakeside neighbors and their horses were not amused by fireworks set off close by. “Idiots on Vista Camino shooting skyrockets towards horses …. anybody else sick of this shit?” …
July 16, 2019
Protect your catalytic converter
“I see about one of these cars with stolen catalytic converters a week, go through my repair shop in Rancho Bernardo,” said Justin Goen. “It pisses me off and I think recyclers need to figure …
July 9, 2019
Funeral hustlers work Palm Avenue
On June 30, Rick noticed five individuals soliciting for donations on Palm Avenue and Saturn Boulevard at south San Diego — a block west of the I-5. “I saw a young man with a cut …
July 8, 2019
Toronto Raptors’ Norman Powell creates piano-and-rap song “No Problem” with GoDaddy
When Lincoln High alumnus Norman Powell and SDSU alumnus Kawhi Leonard helped bring the Toronto Raptors the 4-2 “W” over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals (May 30 through June 13), San Diego …
July 4, 2019
I-15 and CA-76 work-arounds don't always work
On June 17, Leslie G. saw photos of a stranded semi truck and trailer on the opposite side of the road by her Valley Center home. “The truck got stuck near Pala Loma Drive and …
June 24, 2019
Peacock danger on Cool Valley Road
On June 20, at around 3:15 pm, Shirley saw white feathers scattered by the mailbox outside of her Valley Center farm. “Oh no!” she said herself, “one of my peacocks has been hit." She then …
June 24, 2019
San Diego's Seaport Village slows down
Pat and her two children noted the closure of Seaport Cookie Company at Seaport Village. “I cannot believe it’s closed,” she said, “and what happened with all of these other shops?” Pat’s been visiting Seaport …
June 18, 2019
Fiddling with Jamie Shadowlight
Pacific Beach violinist Jamie Shadowlight was ecstatic when she heard electric violinist Lindsey Stirling would headline the San Diego Fair on June 27. “Stirling has made playing violin fun and inspired so many young people …
June 6, 2019
This time Baja 500 warns the selfie takers
On June 1, Felipe M., a San Diego offroad photographer, drove down to Ensenada to cover the Baja 500 race for his Baja Sports fanpage. He found a remote spot and parked his vehicle close …
June 4, 2019
Pacific Beach sends dog owners to re-education camp
“A San Diego Police officer rolled up on an ATV and stopped us,” Steve G. said. “He told us dogs were not permitted in the park — except at certain unfathomable hours. A second officer …
June 3, 2019
Eastlake – growing pains
Peace east of Eastlake It was inevitable that there would be development. The Olympic Training Center sits on land donated by Eastlake, the sprawling development to its immediate west. Every time I pass through Eastlake, …
June 3, 2019
Still snowing in Baja
Some of the Baja 500 and San Pedro Martir Hillclimb racers are concerned about the “weird” weather reported in Baja. On May 23, the Mexico Secretary of Environmental Protection reported 1″ snowfall at the San …
May 28, 2019
Bay Park – around long before Clairemont
Red balloon sent up in Bay Park "I am against high density,” says Johnson. “I think it’s wrong. I'm very unhappy with the way that this is going. We don't need more people [here]. That's …
May 27, 2019
On a VW Bus south of the border
On March 18, Tom Summers posted a Facebook photo of himself and his 1962 Volkswagen Bus at a crossroad more than 1161 kilometers south of his Imperial Beach homebase.Summers is a 72-year-old retired marine engineer …
May 22, 2019
The $4.6 million Mission Beach lifeguard tower
On May 9, the old wooden South Mission Beach Lifeguard Station was demolished. “It didn’t take too much effort to bring it to the ground,” Dana Vanos said. The circa 1974 temporary installment was located …
May 21, 2019
Tijuana Chewbacca fans geek out
On May 4 about 800 Star Wars fans rendezvoused on Avenida Revolución in Tijuana to geek out and pay homage to the actor that played the original Chewbacca. "Many of us Mexican fans lament the …
May 13, 2019
Encanto – snubbed but proud
On top of this little corner of the world Here on Skyline Drive, great swaths of sward stretch out below, springy and green. Here, there are vacant lots littered with possibility, within sight of a …
May 13, 2019
The 17th Street stolen bike economy
Within the last week, fashion-photographer Ron Morales and I rolled downtown to see if we could locate a stolen $1900 Raleigh iE e-bike. I drove down 17th Street and pulled over before it turns into …
May 7, 2019
Valley Center gopher snake lover gets a reaction
On April 30, Jessica Y. found a snake by her Valley Center house, picked it up, then snapped a selfie. Jessica, posted the photo on Facebook and captioned it: “Instead of killing gopher snakes: pick …
May 6, 2019
The moral dilemma of the chicken on La Rumorosa
At about 8 am on April 19, motorists ascending La Rumorosa’s windy two-lane road witnessed a truck hauling a trailer plunge down an 80-meter embankment into a canyon. La Rumorosa, a municipality of Tecate about …
April 29, 2019
Spring breakers flock to Rosarito
Any worries among local business that media reports and government warnings about violence in Mexico would scare away spring breakers were dispelled when college students flocked to Rosarito Beach in droves. “It’s not as bad …
April 24, 2019
San Diego purveyors of hip-hop gear
Local sports team gear — an SD hip-hop firstWord on the South Bay streets is much of the 619-based hip-hop movement started at the Vista Terrace Hills apartments in San Ysidro. “We’ve been repping SD …
April 24, 2019
Ghost rider in Escondido
On April 20, Jonathan W. from Clairemont saw a Facebook photo of a teenager climbing out of the sunroof of a Mercedes-Benz W210 in Escondido, while the vehicle “was going fast up a hill.” “They’ll …
April 22, 2019
F-bombs don't faze 105.7 fans
On the morning of March 23, listeners of 105.7-FM were shocked to hear “a bunch of F-bombs” on the air. “I heard maybe seven F-words,” said Dillon. “It was Twisted Sister and it was like …
April 15, 2019
Who's sleeping on the Orange Avenue bridge over 805?
On April 5, motorists traveling southbound on the 805 prior to exiting on El Cajon Boulevard were greeted by a Caltrans changeable message sign that reads “FEELING DROWSY? EXIT AND REST.” Some drivers may have …
April 8, 2019
New North Park Target starts debate on grab-and-dashes
Joan LaRose has been to the new Target store in North Park three times since it opened on March 12. She and her neighbors "love" the convenience of having a 35,200 sq./ft. "small-format" Target nearby; …
April 2, 2019
San Diego Reader 2019 Music Issue
Photograph by Matthew SuárezGuitar bands spotted in the wildHere’s a fun-fact: contrary to popular opinion, guitar-based bands aren’t on the endangered species list. They may not generate the national coverage they once did, but if …
March 27, 2019
North Park locals patrol the neighborhood
The last time there was a seemingly life threatening conflict behind Claudia’s Spanish Revival home in North Park, she didn’t swipe her smartphone to dial 911 — instead, she pumped her 12-gauge shotgun. “Expecting the …
March 20, 2019
Chula Vista police arrest three for buying minors booze
On March 9, the Chula Vista Police Department arrested three people for providing alcoholic beverages to minors. The operation was called Decoy Shoulder Tap, where a minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer …
March 19, 2019