“Hoomaka hou” means new beginnings in the Hawaiian language and represents chef Turbo Zha’s quest at Hawaiian BBQ Nishikawa Ramen in Chandler. Zha moved to the metro Phoenix area last year from Hawaii and is bringing a taste of the islands and his heritage to the Valley. “I stayed on the Big Island, Maui, and Oahu for 13 […]
Urinating students, pounding-bass music, snarky comebacks, and matching green thongs by SDSU were the last few straws pushing College and Rolando neighbors — many fellow SDSU alums — over the edge. College-area resident Cindy Sonboleh lives near a frat house. “The partying has gotten worse,” she told me over the weekend. “I looked out my […]
San Diego lifeguards locked up the partly damaged Ocean Beach Pier due to safety concerns when the January waves destroyed its railing. Now, locals say, people keep cutting the locks and opening the gates leading into the pier. “This is the fourth time this has happened,” local Jim Grant said. “Not exactly sure what the […]
Last month, San Diego’s gnarly surf kept lifeguards busy towards the tail end of January. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department lifeguards even helped rescue folks from a plane that landed on the surf. On January 19, before 8 am, Dan Schade was walking by South Carlsbad State Beach when “a plane passed me along the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Mike Madriaga On February 4, lifeguard M. DeRieux, spotted a young boy as he “slipped off of his boogie board in a rip current directly off of the Mission Beach main tower,” reported the Lifeguards of San Diego Instagram page. “DeRieux [then] ran into the water with his can and fins while yelling to […]
By Mike Madriaga I’ve seen thousands of catfish,” George Scalo said, “but I have never seen a catfish look like that before.” Scalo, a ranger specialist for the city of Escondido, spoke about the piebald catfish caught at Lake Wohlford on Sept. 14. The fish is also referred to as a “cowfish” because of its […]
By Mike Madriaga Baja Beach Fest, known to many Gen-Z San Diegans simply as “BBF,” is an annual music festival held just north of the Muelle De Rosarito fishing pier. The festival, which started in 2018, is a showcase for reggaetón — a meld of Spanish rap, hip-hop, Caribbean, and Latin music — and has […]