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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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,” […]
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, […]