With a bidding process for emergency medical transportation services in San Diego caught up in litigation, a reluctant City Council on Monday approved a five-year contract extension with Rural/Metro Ambulance. The deal buys time for city officials to work through legal snags that have prevented them from opening up the ambulance contract to competitive bidding. Councilman […]
Posted inArts
White Lies and Pseudo-Jewish Boyfriends in ‘Beau Jest’
By Pat Launer How far would you go to please your parents? Would you lie? Would you hire an actor to impersonate your ideal (fantasy) boyfriend? That’s just what Sarah Goldman does in James Sherman’s 1989 comedy, “Beau Jest.” She invents a Nice Jewish Doctor that her parents will love (that’s because she’s continuing to […]
Posted inPolitics
Mayors Call for Start of Twice Weekly Outdoor Watering
The mayors of six San Diego County cities Monday called on residents to immediately cut outdoor watering to two days a week amid California’s record drought. “There is no greater challenge facing this state than the drought,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “The main point of gathering together at this press conference is that […]
Posted inCrime
DA Settles with Smoke Shop Selling Illegal Synthetic Drug
The District Attorney’s Office announced a settlement Monday in a consumer protection case against an Oceanside smoke shop that was illegally selling Spice, a dangerous synthetic drug banned by the state. In the settlement, the Aroma Avenue smoke shop agreed to a permanent injunction prohibiting the sale of Spice and also agreed to pay $23,500 in […]
Posted inCrime
Woman Missing for 2 Weeks on Way to Son’s House Doing Better
An Orange County woman who survived for two weeks after getting lost in a remote wilderness area near Warner Springs — an ordeal that killed her husband — is making good progress toward regaining her health, a lawyer who represents her said Monday. Dianna Bedwell-Knutson, 68, is staying at a rehabilitation facility in the Palm […]
Posted inBusiness
CONNECT Opens Nominations for Year’s Most Innovative Products
CONNECT, San Diego’s original startup incubator for the technology and life sciences industries, announced Monday the opening of nominations for its annual Most Innovative New Products Awards. More than 100 innovation products are developed and launched by San Diego companies, large and small, each year, and the prestigious MIP Awards — now in their 28th […]
Posted inCrime
Possibly Armed Man Robs Rancho Bernardo Bank
A man who claimed to have a concealed gun robbed a Rancho Bernardo bank Monday. The thief confronted a teller at the US Bank branch office in the 16800 block of Bernardo Center Drive about 10:45 a.m. with a hooded jacket covering his face, told her he was armed and demanded cash, according to San […]
Posted inPolitics
Grand Jury Faults SDPD Property Rooms
Updated at 8:15 p.m. June 1, 2015 The San Diego Police Department‘s evidence- and property-handling procedures fall short of standards widely maintained by other area law enforcement facilities, according to a report released today by the 2014-15 county grand jury. In its review, the panel also decried a purported lack of communication among the district […]
Posted inBusiness
SDGE: Borrego Springs Powered in May by Renewable Energy
All the electricity delivered to Borrego Springs during a nearly nine-hour period in May came from a nearby solar energy plant, in what utility officials believe is the first time in the country an entire community has been powered by a renewable “microgrid,” San Diego Gas & Electric announced Monday. The May 21 feat came during […]
Posted inPolitics
Public Hearings Begin on 2015-16 Fiscal Budget
Public hearings on the county of San Diego’s proposed $5.4 billion budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year began Monday with dozens of nonprofits and arts organizations requesting funding from the Board of Supervisors. The county’s Community Enhancement Program will distribute $4 million in the upcoming fiscal year to groups that improve the economy, stimulate tourism, […]
Posted inCrime
Suspect Arrested for Making Terrorist Threats Near Border
A 32-year-old El Cajon man wanted on suspicion of making terrorist threats and reckless driving was arrested following a pursuit from downtown San Diego to just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, National City Police reported Monday. A National City Police Officer returning from the San Diego Central Jail attempted to stop a speeding motorcyclist on southbound […]
Posted inCrime
Alleged Carjacker With Tattooed Face Evades Cops After Shooting
A carjacker with a tattooed face shot a man who had driven him from Temecula to Pauma Valley early Monday and took off in his car but abandoned it a short time later and fled. The 46-year-old victim met the suspect in Temecula and was giving him ride to Valley Center when he pulled a […]
Posted inCrime
Rollover Crash Causes Big Back Up on 805
A rollover crash on Interstate 805 in National City Monday morning caused a miles-long traffic backup. Two dark sedans collided in the northbound freeway lanes approaching Plaza Boulevard around 8:20 a.m. and one overturned, according to the California Highway Patrol. Within about 15 minutes, traffic had backed up to Bonita Road in Chula Vista and was […]
Posted inLife
Gusty Winds Forecast for San Diego County Deserts Monday
Gusty winds are expected to develop in San Diego County’s deserts Monday afternoon. A National Weather Service wind advisory for desert areas is scheduled to extend from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tuesday. “A trough of low pressure and strong onshore flow will produce locally strong gusty winds in the lower deserts this afternoon through tonight,” according […]