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Where Weed and Wrestling Meet

By Mike Madriaga Pro wrestler “Grand Slam” Watson was on a good trip at the recent Cannaval music festival and cannabis expo at the Phoenix Events & Entertainment Complex. Not because the Phoenix-raised 5-foot-11, 205-pound Arizona Wrestling Federation (AWF) Tag Team champion just smoked a fat blunt. But because reality had just kicked in. “I’ve […]

3 weeks ago

Study: Pot Draws More Than Booze in 2021 Tax Revenue for Arizona

By Mike Madriaga Last year, Arizonans spent more money in sales tax on pot than booze, a new study shows. In 2021, adult-use cannabis excise taxes in Arizona reeled in $105 million, surpassing alcohol excise taxes of $92 million, according to an Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) report. ITEP, a nonpartisan and nonprofit […]

2 months ago

Peek Inside Phoenix’s Next Affordable Housing Project, Old Shipping Containers

By Mike Madriaga When the cost of a single-family home hewn from wood and traditional construction materials is out of reach for many low-income Phoenix residents, and hell, some middle-income earners too — the concept of what constitutes a suitable house is likely to change. And some residents might be more willing to live in […]

3 months ago

Bait bikes work in Coronado; But would they in San Diego?

By Mike Madriaga On January 28, before 10 am, the Coronado Police Department noticed their bait bike moving away from where it was initially locked. So they sent an officer down the Silver Strand near Leyte Road, north of the Coronado Cays, and the officer saw a 49-year-old man riding the bait bicycle heading northbound […]

4 months ago

San Diego truckers in People’s Convoy – photos from New Mexico and Oklahoma

By Mike Madriaga Lisa H. from Valley Center wishes she could’ve joined her fellow semi-truckers when they left for Altadena, California, on February 23, to caravan with The People’s Convoy en route to Washington DC. “What an awesome experience to be a part of,” she said to me on February 25 as the convoy approached […]

4 months ago

Surfers and others not scared away by Jan. 15 tsunami

By Mike Madriaga On the morning of January 15, Carol Niotta and her Yorkie, Pebbles, walked out on their La Jolla home’s balcony to check if the tsunami emergency alert at 7:03 am, affected the surf scene below. “No lifeguards were on duty,” she said to me on January 30. “One woman was down at […]

5 months ago

What to make of the January 1 Old Town Trolley murder

By Mike Madriaga “On New Year’s morning, UFCW Local 135 union member Martin Andara was senselessly killed after being pushed into an oncoming train at the trolley station in Old Town San Diego,” reads the union’s January 7 online post. “Martin worked at Ralphs 207 in Pacific Beach and was a member of our union […]

5 months ago

San Diegans learn a few lessons from December flooding

By Mike Madriaga In December, San Diego accumulated 2.58 inches of rain at the San Diego International Airport, almost an inch higher than our city’s 1.6″ December average. “Widespread heavy rainfall and mountain snow is forecast this week, with the heaviest precipitation occurring Wednesday (December 29) afternoon through Thursday (December 30) morning,” warned the US […]

6 months ago

Boy Pablo

By Mike Madriaga Bedroom pop fans can post a thank-you emoji to the algorithmic cupids of YouTube for reuniting Boy Pablo and Cuco at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall on Monday, Nov. 1. Los Angeles is the fifth city to host Boy Pablo’s Wachito Rico North America Tour. “‘Wachito Rico’ is Chilean slang for […]

8 months ago

Unexpected pain caused by Covid-19 Tenant Relief Act

By Mike Madriaga Bonnie Anderson is a 76-year-old business and property owner from Webster. Like many San Diegans, she’s rented part of her house near Federal and Euclid to pay for bills and the balance of her home’s mortgage . “The rent is only $1,200 a month, and I pay all utilities,” Anderson said to […]

8 months ago

Writerz Blok knocked down

By Mike Madriaga When word reached me that the walls of Writerz Blok, the first legal graffiti art park in the United States, were knocked down, I had to hear it and see it to believe it. On October 9, I pulled up to the Walgreens on Euclid and Market and parked my car. Writerz […]

8 months ago

700 gallons of used oil found in Otay Mesa

By Mike Madriaga On the morning of July 12, workers in the Otay Mesa area called the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to check on an abandoned, white-colored, Isuzu flatbed truck that contained about 700 gallons of used motor oil. “[It’s] a truck leaking what appeared to be motor oil, leaking possibly into the storm drain,” […]

9 months ago

Why Vespa theft in San Diego now?

By Mike Madriaga On June 2, the San Diego Police Department Facebooked a photo of a stolen red moped. “A community member notified us of a man parking a moped and then running away, which [the man who reported it] thought was suspicious,” SDPD captioned the photo in part. “After tracking down the registered owner, […]

9 months ago

Blue Frida Kahlo house southwest of San Diego State draws comments

By Mike Madriaga A day or so before June 24, an anonymous person living by the El Cerrito neighborhood enclosed a hand-written letter in an envelope that read “Why?” and “my gosh …. how sad,” — poking fun at the owner of a “bright Frida Kahlo blue color” painted home. On June 24, the owner […]

9 months ago

San Diego skate parks rule Tokyo

By Mike Madriaga North County athletes are sendin’ it from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games — including Bryce Wettstein, Jordyn Barratt, Cory Juneau, and Heimana Reynolds. Per their Olympic Games’ profiles, Bryce Wettstein, who is 17, was born and still resides in Encinitas; Barratt is 22 and dwells in Oceanside; Juneau, 22, was born in […]

9 months ago

Redefining Media

Mike Madriaga is an award-winning multimedia journalist who has created content for various media outlets, including newspapers, television, magazines, radio stations, and blogs.

Mike is a writer, photographer, videographer, reporter, social-media editor, and video editor. In 2017-2021, his Mike Madriaga byline was attributed to over 400 articles worldwide.

With society’s demand for instant gratification at its fingertips, Mike has the knowledge and experience to document an event or subject and create a professional and timely multimedia package for your audience.

Where Weed and Wrestling Meet

Study: Pot Draws More Than Booze in 2021 Tax Revenue for Arizona

Peek Inside Phoenix’s Next Affordable Housing Project, Old Shipping Containers

Bait bikes work in Coronado; But would they in San Diego?

San Diego truckers in People’s Convoy – photos from New Mexico and Oklahoma

Surfers and others not scared away by Jan. 15 tsunami

What to make of the January 1 Old Town Trolley murder

San Diegans learn a few lessons from December flooding

Boy Pablo

Unexpected pain caused by Covid-19 Tenant Relief Act

Writerz Blok knocked down

700 gallons of used oil found in Otay Mesa

Why Vespa theft in San Diego now?

San Diego skate parks rule Tokyo