Relocation notice!
Effective October 17, 2013, News Ticker has moved out of the blogs and into the News & Stories section.
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Entries
Hawaiian surfer Malia Manuel wins Oceanside championship
Female surfing pros dominated the waves in San Diego County this weekend
Female athletes slashed the surf over a three-day contest, with Hawaiian invader Malia Manuel taking the title of champion female surfer on Sunday, August 4, 2013. The Ford Supergirl Pro competition is advertised as the largest all-women’s surf contest in …
Female surf competition in Oceanside this weekend
Lady surfer Sage Erickson of Ventura defends her win from last year
California surfer Sage Erickson is defending her champion title in Oceanside, from last year, against women from Hawaii and Japan and Argentina – in fact, competitors have come from all over the world. Twenty-two-year-old Sage Erickson was not able to …
Reports: Rural/Metro ambulance service near bankruptcy
Wall Street's Warburg Pincus, which controls Bridgepoint, bought out, piled debt on Rural/Metro
Rural/Metro Corp., an ambulance operation serving San Diego County, is near bankruptcy, media are reporting. (This blog, quoting the San Jose Mercury News, reported the deep financial woes July 18.) The Wall Street Journal, quoting knowledgeable sources, reported July 31 …
Oceanside police report arresting two drunk drivers at overnight checkpoint
More than three hundred drivers contacted over five hour period
Police arrested two persons suspected of driving under the influence, during an overnight checkpoint in Oceanside last night. More than three hundred drivers were contacted between 9:20 p.m. Friday night and 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, August 3, 2013. Police reported …
Manchester fails to corral Boston Globe
Paper, once purchased for $1.1 billion, goes for $70 million
The New York Times announced today (Saturday, Aug.3) that it has sold the Boston Globe and other New England media properties to John W. Henry, principal owner of the Boston Red Sox. Henry paid $70 million. The Times had bought …
Another offshore penny stock scam
John Rizzo pleads guilty on iTrackr caper
John Rizzo, chief executive of iTrackr Systems, admitted yesterday (Aug. 1) that he defrauded investors in the Florida company. He peddled penny stock in the company through offshore boiler rooms. investors didn't know that only 20% of the money would …
FTC stops work-at-home scam
Christopher Andrew Sterling won't pay fine for lack of funds
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) went to federal court in San Diego in a work-at-home scam case against Christopher Andrew Sterling. The government said that on his websites (sterlingvisa.com, rebatedataprocessor.com and creditcardworker.com) he falsely promised that people could earn $1000 …
California rocker accused of hiring hitman wants his cash back
Timothy Lambesis also wants return of other items seized by investigators
There was a hearing in San Diego County Superior Court for the lead singer of a heavy metal rock band, Timothy Peter Lambesis, this afternoon, Friday, August 2, 2013. The singer and co-founder of the band As I Lay Dying …
FDA warns doctor selling herb-based diabetes treatment
Agency questions claims for Glucosil
The Food and Drug Administration has warned Lee Zhong, M.D., Ph.D., that his company, Neuliven Health, 10171 Pacific Mesa Blvd., could be selling a diabetes treatment that violates federal law. From its website, the company sells the Glucocil product for …
Another 50 tons of debris removed from site of former A-8 anchorage
The Port of San Diego announced progress yesterday (August 1) on another phase in its ongoing effort to clean up the bay floor around the notorious former A-8 free anchorage. A-8, the last of the long-term free anchorages to be …
Jan Goldsmith's Office refuses to release transcripts of closed session meetings
Goldsmith denies transcripts exist despite invoices and Executive Assistant's testimony
It was a bold accusation: Mayor Bob Filner, a longtime civil rights activist ordering Executive Assistant City Attorney Andrew Jones to the back of the room during a closed session meeting earlier this year. “To me it was tantamount to …
Mobster's associate Molasky fuels DeMaio's dreams
The FBI, Obama's U.S. Attorney, media, government informants, drug war, the mob, and cold cash all have mentions in "Day of the Locust"-style San Diego recall spectacle
When it comes to the mob, media, and law enforcement, San Diego has long been a town of dirty little secrets. Throughout the city's history, the three have often been linked in a murky alliance of cops, bad guys, informants, …
Edison: San Onofre losses could top $4 billion
Edison International, parent company of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s former operator, Southern California Edison, booked a loss of 29 cents per share in the second quarter of 2013, the company reported yesterday (August 1), largely due to the announcement …
Police to conduct motorcycle safety crackdown
El Cajon Police are conducting a “motorcycle safety enforcement operation” today throughout the city, targeting both riders and drivers engaging in behaviors that put motorcyclists at risk. After a steady drop in motorcycle-related accidents and deaths from 2008-2010, incidents have …
U.S. adds disappointing 162,000 jobs in July
But unemployment rate falls to 7.4%
Economists were expecting the U.S. economy to generate 180,000 new jobs in July, but the total only came in at 162,000, the government revealed this morning (Aug. 2). However, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.4%, down from 7.6% in June. …
Filner imbroglio is all about greed
Business community reveals it plans to pick your pockets
A story in the Aug. 1 Union-Tribune tells all that has to be known about the Filner slaughter. First, the city attorney's office issued two dubious opinions to smooth the way for a recall. City Attorney Goldsmith, a toady for …
Insurance agents, attorneys charged in $50 million fraud
Feds say they caused insurance companies to issue policies to the unqualified
Insurance brokers Byron Frisch and Kristian Giordano, along with attorneys Kasra Sadr and Brenda Barrera Merriles, were arraigned today (Aug. 1) for fraudulently inducing insurance companies to issue more than $50 million in policies to unqualified people who had no …
74 United States fugitives arrested in Baja California in 2013
Number 74 was a highly wanted fugitive from Los Angeles accused of multiple rapes
According to Baja California authorities, 74 United States fugitives have been arrested in Baja California so far in 2013. Alfredo Arenas Moreno, the chief of the state police international unit, commented on the number while declaring another arrest. Number 74 …
Public Utilities Commission proposes legal framework for amateur cab drivers
Just weeks after the Metropolitan Transit System issued a warning about the dangers of unlicensed cab services, the California Public Utilities Commission appears set to implement a new proposal to legitimatize such “ridesharing” services as Lyft and Uber, which allow …