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Stories by Mike Madriaga

Behind the school bus scare in Jamul

San Diego County locals are growing increasingly concerned as more migrants come using unconventional transportation. This includes jet skis, UTVs, vans with FedEx stickers, construction vehicles, SUVs with unauthorized Border Patrol decals, and even a …

Hip-hop has seeped into our parents' Fil-Am gatherings, karaoke

If the scent of lumpia and the thump of bass-heavy rap tracks about Filipino culture caught your attention while driving along the 805 or 54 freeways recently, you were within earshot of the "Party With …

September 9, 2024
What does end of Chula Vista BMX mean?

Hundreds of BMX riders and their families, from parents to grandparents, wonder why Chula Vista BMX suddenly shut down just over a week ago. I reached out to the world-renowned BMX (bicycle motocross)  track via …

City buses, Caltrans trucks beset with mishaps

This summer has been tumultuous for Caltrans and MTS vehicles. On the afternoon of August 25, chaos erupted on University Avenue and 30th Street when an MTS bus traveling eastbound was forced to pull over for …

Cheech and Chong at San Diego's Four Points Sheraton

Last week, scenes reminiscent of a Cheech and Chong flick played out at the Four Points Sheraton just west of Serra Mesa, where oversized joints were passed around, and petite women casually out-smoked jovial, green-friendly …

August 20, 2024
San Diego Edra backers knock Raygun's bunny-hopping and exaggerated poses

There’s a buzz in San Diego—celebratory and argumentative—about last week’s Olympics in Paris, particularly the face-off between Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn and San Diego’s Logan “Logistx” Edra.The debate surrounding breaking (breakdancing) and its place …

August 13, 2024
The fight over dogs in Balboa Park

Recent incidents involving dogs in Balboa Park have been making headlines, highlighting the ongoing issues with friendly and aggressive canines and their owners roaming the area.Yesterday, a high-speed pursuit involving about ten police cars ended …

Selfie takers go overboard at Comic-Con and Padres game

Selfies taken in San Diego have earned us international acclaim. The most recent buzz was generated by actress Jennifer Garner, who took a selfie video while stuck in an elevator at Comic-Con over the weekend. …

San Diego lifeguards yelled into megaphone and P.A. system 24K times July 4 week

Between July 1 and 7, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's lifeguards and other staff performed 24,118 preventative acts, 1229 water rescues, and 216 calls for service — according to the San Diego Lifesaving Association. San Diego …

Tesla drivers denounce Caltrans plans for road tax

Starting in August, Caltrans is running a California Road Charge Collection Pilot program that, if passed, will tax California drivers for the amount they drive. You heard that correctly — a Road Charge for every …

Fistfight between county fair workers turns out to be an exception

Towards the end of June, a fistfight broke out between carnival workers at the San Diego County Fair, quickly captured on video by TikTok user @adan651. The incident sparked online discussions about the environment and …

July 9, 2024
San Diego summer fires cause home insurance jitters

While there were fires all over the county on July 1, including areas by and in Mount Hope, Jacumba, Lake Morena, San Diegans in other neighborhoods got more reason to worry, as many recently lost …

The vulnerability of San Diego's fire hydrants

San Diego fire hydrants have been reportedly getting hit or stolen in the last few weeks.On June 18, a semi-truck driver hit a fire hydrant just east of the UTC Mall, and more than a …

Caleb Adam – one in a line of San Diego shark victims

On June 2, swimmer Caleb Adams was the 25th victim of a reported shark attack in San Diego County since 1950.And while San Diego County has the most reported shark attack incidents in California, including …

Older wheelchair wheels cause of MTS crossing death?

Before 1 pm on May 22, a tragic incident unfolded in South San Diego when a person was struck and killed by an MTS trolley, according to 619newsmedia.San Diego MTS tweeted in part that Wednesday, …

The rise of robot use by San Diego cops

In San Diego, cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing public safety. Robots are now integral to our city's security efforts, with police, SWAT teams, the San Diego  Fire-Rescue Department, and private security companies deploying advanced robotic systems …

Critical Mass cyclists re-surface in smaller numbers

It's bad enough that bike lanes take up parking spots near San Diego mom-and-pop businesses, discouraging shoppers from driving in and shopping. Now, locals say the massive bike groups—sometimes in the hundreds—are blocking access to …

All the illegal ways San Diegans save street parking

When San Diegans don't have parking spaces on our city streets — many, out of desperation, resort to playing games and being sneaky. Street parking spaces throughout San Diego County were already scarce. But now, after …

Sneakerheads steal from Dick's, Fire Kicks, Kick Stock

In the streets of San Diego County, a shady trend is on the rise—sneaker thefts. But these aren't your average shoe burglaries; we're speaking of sneakers that cost as much as a home rental payment. …

Violence takes a turn at San Diego's surf spots

In April, San Diego County beachgoers witnessed a slew of violence. A man was stabbed at Black's Beach, and a female was busted for an assault with a deadly weapon by a beach in Carlsbad. …

Sessions marijuana lounge looks to fall opening in National City

As the national cannabis holiday of April 20 passed over the weekend, Sessions by the Bay, a soon-to-be National City cannabis consumption lounge and dispensary, is one day closer to opening in the fall of …

Aftermath of 99 Cents Only shut-down

Shortly after 99 Cents Only Stores announced last week that they were closing down, hundreds of San Diegans scrambled for alternative places to bargain shop.Charger Steve, founder and organizer of the Cajon Classic Cruise car …

The hopeless resistance of a cash user against Tender Greens

When D.D. Smith and his girlfriend first went into Tender Greens, a cashless restaurant in Mission Valley, "I didn't want to get anything," he said in a recent phone interview with me. "Every time I …

Axe wielder in Normal Heights and Hillcrest, machete man in La Mesa stir uptick in Ring videos online

Recently, axe and machete wielders have been terrifying San Diegans—a change from last year's swords. Some neighbors are capturing videos on their Ring, Blink, and phone cameras and posting scary videos on social media to …

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Those living in Kensington have been up in arms online about their neighborhood trees in the last week. Trees are falling apart, others are destroying their surroundings, and some have a contagious and deadly disease.Those …

March 25, 2024
Mexican border area after the flood – dead sea lion, birds, flooded horse stables, emerging rattlesnakes

On March 19, Cristbel Adams was shaken to see a sea lion lying motionless in the sand by the Imperial Beach Pier. Since the December and January countywide floods, animals near the Tijuana River Valley …

Serra Mesa locals paint over graffiti when Get It Done couldn't

Nearly 7,000 graffiti reports have been logged onto San Diego's Get It Done app since the start of the year—many of which were spray painted at places where young children with their parents and guardians congregate. …

TikTok sends Boyz to steal Kias all over San Diego

On February 15, the El Cajon Police Department announced that they've received more than 60 reports in 90 days of Kia and Hyundai cars either being stolen or broken into and damaged. The distress calls …

After San Diego floods come the worst

The aftermath of the recent storms and floods is still festering within our countywide ecosystem; it will be part of the county's estimated $14 million mitigation of risks related to invasive agricultural pests and diseases."We …

Love and hate on San Diego's bike lanes

Video:NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS: Motorcyclist on 30th passing on the right in North ParkThere's love and there's hate toward the hundreds of million dollars spent on the 1,700 miles of bikeways laid out throughout San Diego County.And …

February 20, 2024
Are San Diego's Prius owners bad drivers?

According to social media posts and news outlets, January was bad for Toyota Prius drivers in San Diego County. On January 26, a driver of a Prius crashed into a local Chevron; a week before, …

San Diego public parking subverted by floods

During the recent heavy rainfalls and floods in San Diego County, cars were swept away and moved to other locations, parking meters were not correctly functioning, and streets and city parking lots were inaccessible, losing …

Two examples of why Walmart leaving Parkway Plaza and Sherman Heights

On January 23, a female entered the Walmart on Fletcher Parkway and packed her shopping cart with different products, according to the El Cajon Police Department. Around 6 pm that Tuesday, the woman pushed the …

Buskers face off at Little Italy farmers market

A January 13 video of a filmed confrontation between known buskers — a local tap dancer and a rapper — at the Little Italy Farmers Market went viral.The clip starts with Pat the Tap Dancer kicking …

Sunset Cliffs December collapse part of a series

Right before Christmas Eve, 619newsmedia shared a video taken at Sunset Cliffs of a cliff that had just split. The footage was terrifying for some of its 62,000 viewers, as the person filming approached the …

San Diego stolen bikes fenced on Offer Up and Facebook

Before New Year's Eve, Joy Boe's black-colored Retrospec Beaumont bike was stolen from her yard in Hillcrest."It has Pee Wee Herman stickers on it and a Pee Wee-inspired lion ornament on the front handlebars," she …

What desperate San Diegans resort to for parking

San Diego was proclaimed the worst city in the U.S. for parking in November by a Finn.com study..How does that play out for ordinary people?"My wife has a condition that makes it difficult to walk …

How thieves get San Diego Teslas

San Diego County Teslas are still at risk of being stolen, despite Teslas reportedly being the least stolen vehicle in the U.S. "Has anyone seen this suspect who broke into my white Tesla and stole it with all …

Fleeing Prius driver crashes into Tower Bar – third hit for punk venue

On November 29, a person driving a white Toyota Prius crashed into the Tower Bar in City Heights. The 90-plus-year-old punk rock concert venue was struck so hard that the bar inside moved a couple …

December 11, 2023
La Jolla drowning corpses pile up

Yearly, in California, over 400 people die from drowning, and more than 1,200 are involved in non-fatal drowning incidents that need first responders' assessments or hospitalization — according to a July report on the San …

December 4, 2023
Best way to fight San Diego steep cost of living?

As the holidays near, San Diegans feel the financial crunch more than ever — some are part of a 1.6 million group moving across the border, and others are also part of a growing mobile …

November 27, 2023

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