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Stories by Peter C. Salisbury

Who you calling a sarcastic fringehead?

With the downtown San Diego skyline and the Coronado Bridge as a background, a “Dump Trump” sign was recently posted in the fenced-off area around Pond 20, the 95-acre piece of land that falls within …

San Diego Zombie Walk turns ugly

The annual “Zombie Walk” started at Children’s Park, near the corner of Island and First avenues in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. Soon, about a block away, a …

Outasight, Daddy-o

A Toyota truck ended up on top of a classic maroon roadster Friday afternoon, June 27, in the parking lot of the AutoZone store at 1344 Palm Avenue. Shortly after 3:00 p.m., Imperial Beach sheriff’s …

House fire sounds

Flames tore through an Imperial Beach house Monday night, June 23. The fire started in the kitchen of the home at 914 Fern Avenue shortly after 10:00 p.m., quickly spread to the living room and …

$7.7 million spent, 130 jobs created

Officials gathered at the Bayshore Bikeway, where it meets Boulevard Avenue and 8th Street, in Imperial Beach on April 22 to mark the completion of the South San Diego Bay Coastal Wetland Restoration Project. Under …

Recycling robbers

Each week in Imperial Beach residents are putting out their blue recycling bins and thieves are stealing their aluminum cans and other beverage containers. Before the Edco garbage trucks arrive, many bins are picked clean …

Armed man robs KFC restaurant in Imperial Beach

An armed man used a black handgun to demand money from Imperial Beach KFC employees on Wednesday, November 6, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Uelen. The sergeant said the suspect forced store …

November 8, 2013
Street race ends in South Bay home

Early Tuesday morning, October 22, a silver sports car crashed into the dining room of a home in the 1800 block of Thelborn Way in Nestor, according to San Diego police Lt. Kevin Mayer. The …

October 25, 2013
Fugitive in custody after standoff in Imperial Beach

Fugitive Ramiro Espinoza, sought on a one-million-dollar warrant for attempted murder, was arrested by sheriff’s SWAT officers early on Friday, July 26, after a seven-hour standoff in Imperial Beach. Twenty-two homes on Elkwood Avenue were …

Trayvon Martin demonstration comes between Westboro Baptist Church protesters and the Comic-Con crowd

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church — known for picketing the funerals of American servicemen killed overseas — showed up at Comic-Con on Saturday, July 20, just as they had in 2010 to protest the …

Hostage situation averted in Imperial Beach

At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Friday, June 21, residents in an apartment complex in the 1400 block of 14th Street in Imperial Beach heard their neighbors yelling and screaming and called 911. The responding sheriff’s …

South Bay Drive-In goes digital

The South Bay Drive-In Theatres on Coronado Avenue in South San Diego recently updated its projection booths to digital. The digital conversion is being forced on all movie theaters by the major movie studios, which …

Torpedo found by dolphin in Coronado

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SPAWAR) reported that one of its Navy dolphins discovered an old torpedo last month just off the shore of the Hotel Del Coronado, during a mine-hunting training exercise. …

Imperial Beach phone booth dumped

For years, a phone booth sat on the corner just outside of the Siesta RV Park in the 400 block of Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach. Made of aluminum and glass with a light in …

King tides create salty problems in Imperial Beach

Residents in Imperial Beach were dealing with more flooding as unusually high “king tides” hit the California coast last week. Condominiums along Seacoast Drive were inundated with water on Friday morning, January 11. The high …

Imperial Beach sand project creates seawater pool near homes

Some Imperial Beach residents who own beachfront condominiums are worried. They say they have been complaining to city hall for months after high-tide water started pooling in an area of beach that was rebuilt with …

December 18, 2012
Imperial Beach Center Memorializes Boys

The Jonathan Sellers & Charlie Keever Outdoor Education Center opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, November 26, at the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located on the north end of 13th Street along …

November 27, 2012
Navy to Remove Polluted Soil in Imperial Beach

Tons of contaminated soil will be excavated from two sites at the southern border of Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach within the next month, according to Michael Pound of Naval Facilities Engineering Command …

November 19, 2012
Cluttered Home Hinders Firefighters in Imperial Beach

Imperial Beach firefighters were called to a home in the 1200 block of 7th Street shortly before 8:00 a.m. on March 8. Firefighters had to stretch their hoses 1500 feet to reach the nearest hydrant. …

Dry-Rotten Electric Pole Falls on Imperial Beach Apartment Building

A utility pole fell against an Imperial Beach apartment building on the morning of December 7, cutting off power to approximately two city blocks. At around 6:30 a.m., the wooden pole fell against the two-story …

December 10, 2011
Blaze at SDG&E substation in Imperial Beach

Residents living near the SDG&E substation at Palm Avenue and Thermal Avenue were blasted awake at about 6:30 on Saturday morning, December 3, by three loud explosions. Soon after, residents observed fire and smoke coming …

Gumby-Suited Would-Be Thief Fails at 7-Eleven Robbery in Rancho Peñasquitos

SDPD public Information officer/detective Gary Hassen reported that an individual in a Gumby costume attempted to rob the 7-Eleven at 9701 Carmel Mountain Road in Rancho Peñasquitos on September 7 at 12:30 a.m. Store surveillance …

Imperial Beach Burger King Closes with No Notice

It’s been over 20 years since Burger King opened their restaurant at 1180 Palm Avenue. Recently, though, all the Burger King logos were stripped off the building, and the restaurant's appliances and equipment were removed. …

September 7, 2011
Interview with a Google Maps Street View Driver

The Google Maps “Street View car” was making it rounds on Eighth Street in Imperial Beach on July 27 when it pulled into Veterans Park and stopped. The driver introduced himself as “Google Mike” and …

Will Sleep on Floor for Comic-Con 2012 Tickets

About 2400 Comic-Con attendees crowded into a ballroom at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel every morning of the world’s largest comic convention July 21–24, some arriving as early as 1:00 a.m. They were there to …

Street-Corner Vendors in Imperial Beach

In Imperial Beach, residents who park their car on the lawn or have a yard sale without a permit say they can expect a visit from a code-compliance officer. Some of those same residents object …

Teen Driver with Young Students Crashes into Fire Hydrant in Imperial Beach

As Oneonta Elementary School in Imperial Beach was dismissing students on June 16, nearby, a 19-year-old man lost control of his Chrysler PT Cruiser and sheared off a fire hydrant. According to witnesses, the driver …

Clothing Robbery Outside La Mesa Boutique

Last Friday, the only witnesses to a snatch-and-grab robbery outside the Fashion Kiss Boutique in La Mesa was a mannequin named Bianca...and a surveillance camera. Fashion Kiss owner Michella Dresselhuys installed a surveillance camera in …

June 14, 2011
Taggers Arrested After Posting Graffiti Photos on Facebook

On April 21, San Diego sheriff’s deputies arrested several members of a tagging group responsible for over $70,000 in property damage in Imperial Beach. Law enforcement officials tracked them down on Facebook, according to a …

Teen Driver Injures Border Bandit Biker

Members of the Border Bandits motorcycle club called sheriff’s deputies on the evening of Friday, March 18, after one of their own was involved in an accident with a teenage driver outside their chapter meeting …

Imperial Beach’s Miracle Shopping Center to be Demolished, Rebuilt

Save-U-Foods, part of the Save-A-Lot discount grocery chain and one of only three full-service grocery stores in Imperial Beach, is being forced to close on Friday, March 4. The City of Imperial Beach, which paid …

Boy Collides with Truck in Imperial Beach

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12, San Diego sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call to the alley between the 1200 block of 11th and Florida streets in Imperial Beach. The driver of …

Mannequin Stolen from Fashion Kiss

Michella Dresselhuys, owner of Fashion Kiss, a ladies clothing and accessories boutique on date Avenue in La Mesa, reported to police on Friday, December 4 that between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm a thief stole …

December 7, 2010
Imperial Beach Stop Sign Gets Mixed Reviews

Imperial Beach residents living along Connecticut Street on the south side of Imperial Beach Boulevard have been concerned for years about vehicular traffic. They complained that cars traveled too fast and something needed to be …

November 26, 2010
Little Girl Strays From Imperial Beach Daycare Center

Shortly before sunset on Tuesday, November 16, a couple responding to a Craigslist ad about a “free trailer” found a small child wandering at Florida Street and Grove Avenue in Imperial Beach. They immediately notified …

November 17, 2010
Search for Home Invasion Suspect Leads Police to Imperial Beach Home

San Diego police and sheriff’s deputies surrounded a home in Imperial Beach early on October 24, in search of a home-invasion robbery suspect. According to San Diego police Sgt. Steve Shaw, “At approximately 9:30 this …

Imperial Beach Boy Starts House Fire

San Diego firefighters rushed to a fire in the 800 block of Granger Street shortly before 9:30 a.m. on September 5. Battalion chief Dennis Clay confirmed that a young boy was responsible for the fire …

September 5, 2010
Sucker Stab

The text messages that the parents of 18-year-old Tiffany began receiving on July 24 were chilling: “i think someone was stabbed,” she texted from Comic-Con shortly after 5:00 p.m. “They have locked down hall h,” …

Time to Call Batman?

Pastor Fred Phelps and members of his Westboro Baptist Church, out of Topeka, Kansas, plan to picket San Diego Comic-Con on opening day, July 22, starting at 1:15 p.m. The religious group has made headlines …

Illegal Dryer?

Shortly after 3:40 p.m. on July 6, firefighters responded to a 911 caller who reported flames coming from a dryer on a balcony at 642 Ocean Lane. After they learned what they were up against, …

Oh, Sheet!

Imperial Beach artist Kelly Tracy was driving the 5 freeway north on the afternoon of May 29. “I was in the slow lane, and about eight to ten car-lengths ahead I notice a full sheet …

Drive-In Laundromat

Shortly after 1:15 p.m. on Monday, January 11, a Dodge Durango was driven into the Sombrero Mexican Food Restaurant at 189 Palm Ave. and the laundromat next door. According to Sombrero owner Maria Gomez, a …

Thanks, Grinch

About a hundred families at the Hollywood Palms Apartment Complex on Home Avenue may have a dismal Christmas thanks to a real-life Grinch who broke into a storage area at the complex sometime this week …

December 13, 2009
Repeat Thief?

The North Island Credit Union at 1101 Palm Avenue was robbed at about 10:20 a.m. on Wednesday, December 2. A sheriff’s deputy at the scene acknowledged that the robber who fled the scene on foot …

Rowdy’s End Point

At around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday, November 29, sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call about a shooting at an apartment complex on Holly Avenue in Imperial Beach. Inside an apartment, police discovered a 21-year-old …

I'm a Hero!

When they heard the smoke detector going off in a vacant condo unit, neighbors called the fire department to the Bayside Villas in the 600 block of 13th Street on Saturday morning, November 7. Ten-year-old …

Crazy Crime

On Wednesday, October 27, a shirtless man attacked a green waste container full of palm fronds in the 1100 block of Grove Avenue. An 11-year-old boy walking home from school with his 10-year-old cousin witnessed …

Girls from Spring Valley

Shortly after 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, San Diego Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a 911 call from an apartment house at the corner of 13th Street and Grove Avenue in Imperial Beach. Three patrol …

Motorcycle Sisters

Two young women riding a new Kawasaki motorcycle and a woman driving a Toyota Camry were involved in a traffic accident in the 1300 block of 13th Street on Thursday evening, September 24. The Camry …

September 26, 2009
Stove on Fire

In Imperial Beach Thursday morning, September 24, a fire at 1325 Grove Avenue destroyed two apartment units and displaced six adults and three children. Fire engines from Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, and San Diego …

September 25, 2009

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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