Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District must justify rate increases on San Diegans
The San Diego County Water Authority is celebrating a partial victory over the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, after a judge ruled on Friday (September 20) that Metropolitan could not exempt significant water rate hikes for 2013 …
Hundley’s homer helps Padres past Diamondbacks
Nick Hundley hit a 3-run home run to break a tie and propel the Padres to victory
At least when the Dodgers were in town over the weekend, the games were interesting because fans of baseball got a chance to see the division winner, regardless that the Padres won’t be balling in October. In what had been …
Our Star Will Die Alone: an interactive heavy metal(s) band
UCSD faculty and graduate students explore the death of the Sun through lights and sound.
Sure, 2012 was an over-hyped fail fest, but make no mistake about it: the world is coming to an end. In just 6 billion years, the Sun’s core will run out of hydrogen fuel, causing it to collapse under its …
Dodgers get serious and take series from Padres
The best two pitchers in the Dodgers rotation shut the Padres bats completely down
The Padres haven’t scored a run since Friday, and no team is going to win a game without scoring a run. In fact, the Friars managed only five hits over two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and dropped the …
Tale of two pairs of guilty brothers
One pair cheated sports fans; other pair filed fictitious documents
Twin brothers Anthony David Casias and Leo Ronald Casias Jr. today (Sept. 23) pleaded guilty to cheating sports fans through their L&T Sports Events, Inc. Clients paid in advance for flights, game tickets, and hotel accommodations for sporting events. But …
The Tacoburger: Part One
A trip to La Fuente and a brief primer on why anyone would want to dedicate serious time to the idea of taco shop cheeseburgers.
Surf the web a little. Read about burgers. It’s a bigger topic than you might think. Here in San Diego, the gold standard is obviously In-N-Out. Any chef trying to foist a $14 burger on the populace has to be …
SD hotel business up, but lagging coastal California cities
Could trail other cities through 2015
According to Smith Travel Research, August occupancy at San Diego hotels rose only 1% from July, while Orange County rose 4%, L.A. 2.3%, and San Francisco 2.5%. Year-to-date figures are similar: San Diego occupancy is up 0.8%, versus 3.3% for …
Rodeo Daze-Cowboys and Drunk Indians
Stock swindler sentenced to 15 years
His lending scheme smacked of a Ponzi
Douglas McClain Jr. was sentenced to 15 years in prison today (Sept. 23) and ordered to pay $81.7 million in restitution for his lending scheme which defrauded people in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Panama, China, England, and Belgium. According to …
Ex-Qualcomm exec vp charged with insider trading
Former Merrill Lynch broker charged; they used offshore account
Jing Wang, a former executive vice president and president of global business operations at Qualcomm, was today (Sept. 23) charged with insider trading in stock of Qualcomm and Atheros, a company Qualcomm bought. As a senior Qualcomm executive, Wang was …
How to save the world while dining out
Two chain restaurants are collaborating with non-profit organizations and asking for patrons to help raise money for these causes. Chili's is working with St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital; and Joe's Crab Shack is working with No Kid Hungry. Chili's is …
Coming this November: San Diego Indie Acoustic Original Artist Showcase
But the showcase name, says curator Donna Larsen, may be too long
Donna Larsen, a singer/songwriter, explains her long sabbatical from local stages: "Because I was a mom." She still is a mom, but the kids are older now and there's this backlog of material to deal with. "I kept writing songs," …
Billboard cash attempts mayor's race influence
Money from one of nation's biggest billboard companies flows to GOP's Faulconer and Democrat Alvarez as battle to loosen city's outdoor advertising regulations comes to mayoral campaign
The future of San Diego's restrictions on billboards could be determined by cash pouring into the current race for mayor, judging by campaign disclosures filed by two top contenders. On September 19, Christopher Tavarides of Washington, D.C. based Capitol Outdoor, …
San Diego home prices keep rising and remain very high
Values up almost 24% from year ago
In August, San Diego County home prices were up 23.7% from a year earlier -- one of the biggest gains in the country, according to Zillow.com. Of the top 30 metro areas, only 5 did better. Sacramento values rose 34.1% …
There are spoiler alerts and then there's...
Thanks to friend John Albert for slapping this on my Facebook wall. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/22/53558/ P.S.: In Safe Haven, Katie's new friend, Jo, is the ghost of her boyfriend's dead wife (I'm still crying), Teddy Daniels never left Shutter Island, and Rosebud …
Pharmacist loses license for stealing dangerous drugs
Mario Olivares caught on concealed camera
The state Board of Pharmacy has revoked the license of Mario G. Olivares, who worked as a pharmacist at Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy on Avocado Boulevard in La Mesa. Audits revealed that large amounts of Restoril (temazepam), a controlled substance used …
Former Fallbrook Klansman involved in town takeover attempt
Tom Metzger and fellow white supremacists want to occupy tiny North Dakota town
Tom Metzger, former Fallbrook white supremacist and losing Congressional candidate, is involved in an attempt by neo-Nazis to establish an all-white beachhead in Leith, North Dakota, population 24. The town is resisting. The group intends to "plant the seeds of …
Nuclear Regulatory Commission finds fault with Mitsubishi's calculations on failed San Onofre generators
Shuttered plant operator Southern California Edison downplays responsibility to oversee work of their preferred contractor
Southern California Edison, majority owner and operator of the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in northern San Diego County, announced Sunday (September 22) that the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has “identified flaws in how Mitsubishi Heavy Industries used its …
Golden Hill: Healthy brekky in the tree house
Fruit, granola, and yes, vegan donuts at Krakatoa
Bonk! The fig hits my head and bounces onto the table. Nobody even turns and looks. Anak the raccoon-striped café cat, runs around the tree-crowded balcony to smell the fruit. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/23/53582/ And to beg for scrapings of butter from customers. …
Magazine tells clearly how NFL fleeces taxpayer
Article tears apart the tax-free status of the league, and subsidies it receives
The October issue of The Atlantic magazine is "must" reading for San Diegans. Title: "How the NFL Fleeces Taxpayers," by Gregg Easterbrook, who is writing a book on the topic. The article focuses on taxpayer screwings that have been covered …