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
No homicides in month of February for Ensenada, first without since 2005
Baja California city officially records zero homicides
The city of Ensenada, which lies 103km (64.2 miles) south of Tijuana, recorded its first month without a homicide since May of 2005. According to statistics released by the state’s attorney general, the Baja California coastal city recorded zero homicides …
Hotel/worker battle escalates as cops arrest 20
Long-running Hilton Mission Valley fight could portend more labor discord
Twenty hotel workers were arrested last night (March 1) at the Hilton Mission Valley. By one account, 250 workers, community activists, and clergy members were there to protest low wages and job insecurity. The workers represent Local 30 of the …
Oceanside couple deny holding 12-year-old as sex slave
Hearing in San Diego North County Superior Court to continue next week
An Oceanside couple were in court last week, accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old niece, and arranging for the girl to be paid for sex acts with another man. The alleged victim also claimed the pair kept her as a …
Three killed in Tijuana drug violence
Alleged drug dealers gunned down in street violence
During the late hours of Thursday, February 28th, and into Friday morning, three homicides occurred across Tijuana. According to authorities, all three are tied to local drug sales. The first victim, 27 year old Jorge Luis Ramírez Cisneros, was shot …
Psychologist surrenders license after having sex with patient
Simmone Ballinger admits to Arizona tryst
The state's Board of Psychology, Department of Consumer Affairs, has entered into a stipulated surrender of license and disciplinary order with Simmone Ballinger, PhD, who admitted that she had sex with a patient during a trip to Arizona. This is …
First sentencing in South Bay corruption scandal
Henry Amigable, program manager for bond construction at Southwestern College and Sweetwater Union High School sentenced with misdemeanor
Henry Amigable was sentenced March 1 with a misdemeanor in a South bay corruption case. The case is related to Southwestern's proposition R and Sweetwater Union's proposition O bond construction monies. Amigable will be on probation for three years, spend …
Former USD athlete gets six months for game rigging
Brandon Johnson took bribes, gamblers cleaned up in Vegas
Brandon Johnson, former University of San Diego basketball hero, today (March 1) was sentenced to serve six months in custody for conspiracy to commit sports bribery. He had pleaded guilty last November. He influenced the outcome of USD games during …
Tourism Marketing District board seeks to intervene in hospitality union's case against city council
The board of directors of the San Diego Tourism Marketing District decided in a closed session meeting on March 1 to apply for intervenor status in the lawsuit filed last week by Brigitte Browning against the San Diego City Council. …
California Border Patrol agent guilty of battery got probation
Prosecutor will not retry either defendant on two misdemeanor counts
Three weeks ago, on February 11, a jury declared a female Border Patrol agent guilty of misdemeanor battery for slugging another woman in the head, three times. Today, Kallie Lamb Helwig was sentenced to three years unsupervised or “summary” probation, …
Drug war spillover at border "highly underreported," says GAO
Report to Congress by Government Accountability Office speculates on possibility drug war in Mexico may escalate and cross the Southwest border into U.S.
Heads are rolling and bullets flying in the United States-assisted drug war south of the border, but - so far at least - stateside collateral damage has been minimal, if "highly underreported." http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40938/ And getting drug war soldiers and victims …
Majority of Tourism Marketing District board didn't even vote to renew the Tourism Marketing District
Vote results from the City Clerk's Office shows support for hotel tax came from smaller hotels.
The Tourism Marketing District isn't very popular these days. And judging by the official vote, the two percent tax on hotel guests isn't considered all that important to District board members either. The five board members who voted to file …
Hotel Circle Howard Johnson faces penalties for prostitution complacency
The Howard Johnson hotel on Hotel Circle in Mission Valley has been ordered by City Attorney Jan Goldsmith’s office to pay $10,000 in fines and over $21,000 in investigative costs to the City of San Diego as a result of …
Admitted thief asked court's permission to travel to Mexico
Maria Carmen Nater ordered to repay thousands to libraries
A Vista woman accused of stealing thousands of books from San Diego County libraries in 2011, was in court yesterday asking permission to travel to Mexico. Maria Carmen Nater, 46, was granted her probation modification appeal yesterday, February 28, 2013, …
Accreditor puts Bridgepoint on notice
It's one more concern about for-profit university's accreditation
Bridgepoint Education, the extremely controversial for-profit educational operation, posted a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today (Feb. 28) that it has more accreditation problems. The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges …
Filner sets up ballot battle committee
New campaign fund of San Diego mayor could dramatically up ante in war with San Diego's big three hoteliers demanding cash payouts from city hall
The epic battle involving San Diego's big three hotel owners, their city council ally Todd Gloria, and Democratic mayor Bob Filner and his hotel union backers may soon be taking yet another new turn. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/feb/28/40880/ As reported here Tuesday, a …
$2.1 million police vehicle purchase approved
San Diego’s City Council on February 26 approved an expenditure of $2.1 million to purchase 76 vehicles to replace the San Diego Police Department’s aging fleet of Crown Victoria cruisers. The new vehicles, at an average cost of just over …
Overnight jail fight at Chula Vista facility, Sheriff says
One prisoner went to hospital, no deputies injured
There was a fight between inmates at the Chula Vista detention facility last night, which resulted in one prisoner being sent to hospital, it was reported by the San Diego County Sheriff this morning. A little after 9 o’clock last …
Escondido man on trial for murder after head-on collision
Repeat felon was high on heroin and driving stolen vehicle, prosecutor said
An Escondido man is on trial for murder, after he allegedly caused a fatal head-on collision driving a stolen car on the wrong side of the road, while high on heroin. Jurors began hearing evidence this morning, in a trial …
Peevey, supposed to be neutral, pushed secretly for Pio Pico
CPUC head requested another agency to write a letter to help SDGE
Tomorrow (Feb. 28), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) votes on whether to permit San Diego Gas & Electric to push ahead with three gas-fired power plants. The most important is Pio Pico in the Otay area. But, it is …