Executives at SeaWorld San Diego considered Friday how to respond to a California Coastal Commission ruling that the park may expand the tanks housing its killer whales but must not breed more whales to fill them. The ruling by the commission at a meeting in Long Beach Thursday throws the future of SeaWorld’s orca attraction into […]
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Heat Advisory Issued for San Diego Coast, Valleys
Portions of San Diego County will be under a heat advisory Friday as a mini heat wave sends temperatures in the region up to 20 degrees above average. A National Weather Service heat advisory for coastal areas and the valleys is scheduled to remain in effect from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. as offshore flow […]
Posted inPolitics
Rep. Issa Suggested as Possible Speaker of the House
Rep. Darrell Issa, who represents north coastal San Diego and south Orange counties, is being mentioned as a possible candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Hill, a national political website, quoted sources Thursday as saying Issa was weighing a bid for the key position following the decision of Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfied […]
Posted inCrime
Carlsbad Woman Convicted of Killing Schoolteacher Husband
A Carlsbad woman who shot her schoolteacher husband in their North County home more than three years ago was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder. After deliberating parts of two days, jurors found Julie Harper, 42, guilty of murder and the use of a gun. It was the second trial for the defendant, who was led away […]
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West Nile Virus Claims Another Life in San Diego
The county of San Diego on Thursday reported the area’s second death this year due to West Nile virus, and two other deaths as suspected cases. The confirmed WNV victim was a 73-year-old El Cajon man who died Sunday. The county did not release his name. His was among five new cases confirmed by state laboratory […]
Posted inBusiness
SeaWorld Wins Bid to Expand Killer Whale Tanks, But Breeding Is Barred
Updated at 11:30 p.m. Oct. 10, 2015 A state panel Thursday approved SeaWorld’s plan to nearly double the size of its killer whale enclosure but sentenced the San Diego theme park’s famed Shamu show to eventual extinction by prohibiting the breeding of the mammals. By a 12-0 vote, the California Coastal Commission blessed the Blue […]
Posted inPolitics
Governor Vetoes Bill Restricting Civic San Diego Development
A bill designed to strengthen oversight of organizations that make land use decisions for cities, like Civic San Diego, was vetoed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown. AB 504, authored by Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez from San Diego, would have given city councils more power when local governments rely on the planning, zoning or permitting expertise of […]
Posted inArts
Cygnet Theatre Offers Double Bill Noel Coward ‘Yin and Yang’
A scene from Cygnet Theatre’s production of “The Vortex.” By Pat Launer Cygnet Theatre is calling its repertory pairing of two Noël Coward plays its “Coward Yin and Yang.” The plays themselves are disparate — but so are the productions. In the opening-day double bill, “Hay Fever” came first, though it post-dated “The Vortex” by a […]
Posted inLife
Safari Park Hand-Raises Steenbok Calves to Save Species
Animal care staff at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are hand-raising a pair of African steenbok born during the summer in an effort to increase the species’ population. The young members of the antelope family are among only 16 in North America. While the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the steenbok population […]
Posted inCrime
Woman who Drove Into Cyclists Convicted of Drugged Driving
A methamphetamine addict who drove the wrong way on Fiesta Island and plowed into a group of cyclists, critically injuring a lead rider, was convicted Thursday of felony and misdemeanor drug charges. A jury deliberated about four hours before finding 50-year-old Theresa Lynn Owens guilty of driving under the influence of drugs and a misdemeanor charge […]
Posted inCrime
Suspect Named in 2001 Encanto Slaying
A man already jailed on unrelated charges will be tried for murder over an Encanto-area gang killing that went unsolved for almost 15 years, authorities said Thursday. Enrique Palomino, 37, is scheduled to be arraigned next week in connection with the death of 19-year-old Alexander Ceballos of Imperial Beach, gunned down behind the wheel of […]
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South Bay Teen Battling Flesh-Eating Bacteria Undergoes 10th Surgery
A Chula Vista High School student who contracted the flesh-eating bacteria known as necrotizing fasciitis last month remained in critical condition Thursday at Rady Children’s Hospital and is about to undergo his 10th surgery. Giancarlo Gil, 14, began feeling sick Sept. 19. Doctors later had to amputate his right leg up to his hip to stem […]
Posted inCrime
Fight Leads to Man’s Death Behind Dick’s Sport Goods in Midway
A 47-year-old man collapsed and died Thursday following a scuffle with another man at a Midway-area strip mall. San Diego police got a report of a fight in progress behind a business in the 3500 block of Sports Arena Boulevard about 9:30 a.m., Lt. Mike Hastings said. Shortly after officers arrived, one of the men “went […]
Posted inTech
Ex-Homeland Security Boss Rips Hillary Clinton on Email Scandal
The first director of the Department of Homeland Security has criticized Hillary Clinton’s judgment for using a private email account, and her own server, to communicate as secretary of state. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who advised President George W. Bush and led the agency in the wake of 9/11, told an Internet security conference […]