By Mike Madriaga When Lando Martinez returned to his south San Diego home on January 20, his 1995 Honda Del Sol was missing. “I parked the car in front of our new house on the 16th,” he said, “and we flew out to Texas to visit family. When we came back the following Monday, I […]
By Mike Madriaga On February 2, there’s a handful of San Diegans that will be on the Hard Rock Stadium field in Miami for Super Bowl LIV. “As a lifelong 49ers fan here in North County, I know we have three members of the team from here,” said Richard J., “Dan Brunskill, Fred Warner, and […]
By Mike Madriaga Baja residents are saying the Obamas continued celebrating the former first lady’s 56th birthday in Baja California Sur. A photo of former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, posing next to three others in Loreto, surfaced online on Jan 20 – three days after the former first lady’s birthday. Two days later, […]
By Mike Madriaga Over 200 people attended the “peace gathering” at the Church’s Chicken parking lot in Otay Mesa on November 16. The gathering was in honor of the restaurant’s three employees — Mario Rojas, Humberto Ruiz and Maribel Ibañez — who were shot on Nov. 6. Ibañez, 28, was killed in the shooting, and […]
By Mike Madriaga On December 13, a Wendi and Steve posted on Facebook that Skate San Diego “is closing” and “we are liquidating everything”; the two posted photos of a large stereo system, “thousands of” roller skate and rollerblade wheels, and fixtures. I called the skating rink, which is located at Denny Way west of […]
I didn’t think I was ever going to see my $6000 bike again,” said Scott S. “But I did, thanks to the law enforcement agencies collaborating, and to ‘Bob’ for initially messaging me.” At 2 am on September 29, Scott, who resides in both Coronado and Scottsdale, Arizona, noticed the text messages on his phone. […]
By Mike Madriaga In 1979, Kurtis Blow was the first rapper to sign with a major record label: Mercury Records. They released “Christmas Rappin’” and then “The Breaks,” which in 1980 became the first rap record to receive a gold music recording certification. “‘The Breaks’ is an ode to all of the b-boys,” Kurtis Blow […]
By Mike Madriaga Every year about this time, Vinnie Wood wonders if he’ll be able to attend Comic-Con International: San Diego. He’s been attending since 1980. “I never met another homeless comic book fan,” he said on June 10, “until I met one of my best friends, [Peter S.], who took me in his home […]
By Mike Madriaga Martial arts instructor Matt Armstrong and his “Trash-Vengers” crew picked up thousands of pounds of trash from their Azalea Park streets and canyons in the last couple of years — free of charge. On June 5 at about noon, I rolled with Armstrong and his buddy Cindy Lapio — half of the […]
By Mike Madriaga “I see about one of these cars with stolen catalytic converters a week, go through my repair shop in Rancho Bernardo,” said Justin Goen. “It pisses me off and I think recyclers need to figure something out to help stop this.” Recyclers pay good money for certain catalytic converters because of the […]
By Mike Madriaga When Lincoln High alumnus Norman Powell and SDSU alumnus Kawhi Leonard helped bring the Toronto Raptors the 4-2 “W” over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals (May 30 through June 13), San Diego sports fans and hip-hoppers rejoiced. Lemon Grove rap-artist Rob Stone posted on his Instagram: “NBA CHAMPION !!! DAYGO PROUD OF YOU BRO @normanpowell4.” […]
By Mike Madriaga Pacific Beach violinist Jamie Shadowlight was ecstatic when she heard electric violinist Lindsey Stirling would headline the San Diego Fair on June 27. “Stirling has made playing violin fun and inspired so many young people to break out of the classical form,” she said. “Her cinematic videos are captivating and creative with […]
By Mike Madriaga On March 18, Tom Summers posted a Facebook photo of himself and his 1962 Volkswagen Bus at a crossroad more than 1161 kilometers south of his Imperial Beach homebase. Summers is a 72-year-old retired marine engineer who lives out of one of his buses for much of the year. He owns two […]
South Park woman’s anti-scooter crusade South Park resident Marie, who stands about five feet tall, likes to stroll her neighborhood carrying a big stick. “I yell at them motorized scooter and bike riders to get off the sidewalk,” she said, “I have been known to stand in the middle of the sidewalk, hook my cane […]