A commercial van was destroyed by fire at about 11 a.m. on Friday, August 17, near the intersection of Park Boulevard and Robinson Avenue in Hillcrest. The fire generated a plume of black smoke and …
August 17, 2012
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Stories by Shane Finneran
Van Fire in Hillcrest
Mysterious Bird Deaths Near Ocean Beach
Shawn Steele, a birding enthusiast who lives near Robb Field, was driving across the Sunset Cliffs Bridge on the afternoon of December 7 when he saw an osprey carcass in the road. “It did not …
December 20, 2011
High-Speed Chase Ends in North Park
A loud police chase ended in a quiet residential pocket of North Park on August 9. The target of the manhunt was apprehended just west of the 3100 block of 32nd Street. Area resident Brian …
August 9, 2011
Grocery Workers Geared to Strike
On July 15, more than 200 people rallied in a Vons parking lot in Serra Mesa in support of grocery workers. The local chapter of the United Food & Commercial Workers and the San Diego …
July 17, 2011
Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher’s Speech Interrupted
Protesters interrupted a discussion on education hosted by state assemblyman Nathan Fletcher outside his Miramar office on May 13. Fletcher, a Republican, started the event by saying he hoped for “a calm conversation” about the …
May 17, 2011
Winds Take Down Three Eucalyptus in Balboa Park
A eucalyptus tree measuring at least 30 feet tall fell over at the Balboa Park Horseshoe Club on Wednesday, February 2. The tree’s roots were uprooted amid gusty Santa Ana winds. Nobody was hurt, but …
February 3, 2011
San Diego Emergency Response Takes 7 Minutes
A customer waiting in line at the Rite Aid store on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard fell backward onto the ground and lost consciousness on the afternoon of December 30. According to a witness, after someone called …
January 1, 2011
Diana Gonzalez Murder Case Prompts March on San Diego D.A.’s Office
People upset with the handling of the Diana Gonzalez case plan to march silently from City College to the San Diego district attorney’s office on Thursday, December 9. Gonzalez was murdered at City College on …
December 3, 2010
North Park Resident Begins Work on Christmas Lights
"Let me show you something,” said Jeff Matthias proudly from the Christmas-light-draped front yard of his home on 28th Street in North Park on November 9. “You're just going to freak out." Matthias, a serious …
November 10, 2010
Point Loma High School’s Class of 1950 Gets Together
What makes someone in San Diego a local is sometimes debatable, but it’s hard to dispute the status of the folks who got together for the 60th reunion of Point Loma High School’s class of …
September 25, 2010
Balboa Park Lily Pond Undergoes Landscape Renovation
A rope fence installed on September 23 keeps visitors from approaching the Lily Pond in front of the Botanical Building in Balboa Park. “Landscape Renovation Project Under Way,” reads a sign on the fence. “Sorry …
September 25, 2010
Thirsty Guy
Sometime after 4 a.m. on August 15, neighbors were awakened by loud voices outside a house on Upas Street that had hosted a party the night before. One man repeatedly told a second man to …
August 17, 2010
Miscellaneous Heathens
My wife and I arrived at Ocean Beach's Dusty Rhodes Park at about 6 p.m. on July 24. A couple hours earlier, an open-to-the-public, free-of-charge dance party had gotten under way. A DJ spun energetic …
July 28, 2010
Keepin' the Vibe Alive
"Long live Bradley Nowell," said Stick Figure via Twitter on May 25, the 14th anniversary of the Sublime founder’s passing. Three nights later, Stick Figure's performance at the 710 Beach Club indicated that Nowell's musical …
June 6, 2010
Bonnie’s Bud Brigade a Bust?
Donna Lambert, facing seven felonies for selling marijuana to an undercover officer with a doctor's recommendation, accepted a plea deal on May 27 and will avoid jail time. Lambert's case is the third of three …
May 27, 2010
Brain Bucketless
Three police cars blocked automobiles from taking the Cabrillo Bridge into Balboa Park at about 3 p.m on May 24. Five more squad cars were parked in the middle of the bridge, where about a …
May 25, 2010
Feds Got Him
San Diego medical marijuana dispensary operator Joseph Nunes was sentenced to one year in federal prison on May 10. "They took him right to jail," said a medical marijuana activist who was in the downtown …
May 11, 2010
The Pits
"If they're gone, we will regret it, I promise you," said community member Frank Gormlie, urging the Ocean Beach Town Council to fight for the 185 public fire pits across San Diego, including eight in …
April 29, 2010
Knife vs. Gun
Eight to ten squad cars from the San Diego Police Department raced down Alabama Street in the minutes after 11 am on April 26. The police were responding to an incident at a residence on …
April 26, 2010
Coffee Party Pooper
The San Diego chapter of the Coffee Party drew close to 100 people to a discussion with Democratic congressman Bob Filner on April 11 at Queen Bee's Art and Cultural Center in North Park. Attendees …
April 12, 2010
Jerry Said “No”
About 75 people attended an April 10 meeting of the San Diego chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) at the WorldBeat Center. "We're going to start pushing a lot …
April 10, 2010
OB to Fight for Fire Pits
If the city can't afford to maintain the fire pits on its beaches, can community members step in? Members of Ocean Beach's planning board pondered that question at its January 6 meeting, discussing City of …
January 9, 2010
Shield for All
Protesters demanding that Blue Shield stop lobbying against health-care reform blocked an entrance to a Mission Valley office of the California insurance company on Monday, November 2. Company officials initially refused to meet the protesters, …
November 3, 2009
Billionaires for Wealth Care
A dozen protesters pretending to be ultra-rich pulled up in a stretch limo and stole the show at a town-hall meeting hosted by congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA) on Saturday, August 29. The group, whose members …
September 1, 2009
Permission to Demolish Granted
At its meeting on Wednesday, June 3, the Ocean Beach Planning Board recommended approval of the demolition of two units on a property on the 4900 block of Cape May Avenue. An architect representing the …
June 10, 2009