2016

The Grapevine August 1, 2016

Escondido Grapevine roars like a LION

After undergoing a rigorous application and review process, The Grapevine became part of something larger today. The prestigious 130-member LION, the Local Independent Online News Publishers organization, accepted The Grapevine into the fold as its newest member. Founded in 2011, LION Publishers is the leading national nonprofit educational group focused on local independent online news publishers, their editors, reporters and staffers. The Grapevine is the…

Courts/Law, Education August 1, 2016

Fragozo pleads guilty to voter fraud count

Facing 13 counts of election and voting fraud, Escondido Union School District (EUSD) trustee Jose Fragozo Monday pleaded guilty to one of the lesser felony counts in a plea bargain agreement. The remaining 12 charges were dismissed. Fragozo entered his guilty plea mere hours after a 55-member jury pool was brought into court. They were being interviewed about participating in a trial expected to last…

Education, The World August 1, 2016

Green Boot Camp an energetic experience

Escondido got in on the new energy wave in education as a host for Honeywell International’s 8th Annual Green Boot Camp. It resonated with educators from California to Vietnam, Russia to the Garden State of Nuevo Jersey. “It was both educational and fun,” said Susan Engelsman, grades 6-8 math teacher at Harding Township School in Mt. Vernon, New Jersey. “Honeywell filled our days with a…

Valley Center August 1, 2016

Expansion underway for Harrah’s Resort Southern California

Harrah’s Resort Southern California has begun construction on its latest expansion to include the addition of an in-house brewery, SR76; 22 new guestrooms with wellness amenities; four new meeting rooms; fresh juice and smoothie chain, Robek’s; a new dining option, KJ Chinese Kitchen; fitness center rebuild; renovations to the spa; and a pedestrian-friendly nature trail. The $14 million project is part of Harrah’s newest resort…

Columns/Blogs, Surprising and Strange July 30, 2016

Bad hair day at En Salon

This bit of Escondido-mania has blown up on social media since Wednesday. Desiree Bates of iHeartMedia sent me the “scoop” saying, “Thought I’d send this to you since it’s relevant to Escondido.” No sale. I wrote her back, saying, “Whoa, what is this thing? Don’t think our viewers are into it though.” Wow, was I wrong. This sucker has blown up all over the Internet….

Police, Police/Fire, Surprising and Strange July 29, 2016

People behaving badly, and strangely

Luckiest guy at San Marcos It’s one thing to get hit by a speeding commuter train. Safe to say, it’s a whole ‘nother thing to get hit by the train, get up, walk away and still be at large. Such was the case, and fate, of an unidentified man who was struck by a train Thursday night near Palomar College in San Marcos. Like the…

Real Estate July 29, 2016

SD homes too pricey? Try Escondido

While inventory is low, demand for Escondido is spurring development and new communities are underway. Hope still reigns for first time buyers in Escondido as the city is promulgating a first time buyer’s assistance program. — Realtor Del Phillips The economy is looking up for many and according to the Case-Shiller index tracking resales of single family homes, this trend is being reflected in home prices….

Sports, The World July 27, 2016

Escondido to Saudi Arabia to Rio Olympics

Escondido High School and Pepperdine University 800-meter sensation Sarah Attar is going back to the Olympics. A trailblazer, Attar might have finished last in her 2012 Summer Games prelininary heat, but she leads the way in bringing a modicum of women’s equality to one of the last bastions of feudal male society — Saudi Arabia. Attar, 23, was born in the U.S.A.but her father, Amer…

Escondido July 19, 2016

Total $1 million pay package for Escondido city attorney-manager tops state money list

Today, Transparent California released previously-unseen 2015 public employee compensation data — complete with names, pay, and benefits — for 379 cities and 42 counties statewide on TransparentCalifornia.com, the state’s largest public sector compensation database. Escondido city attorney Jeffrey Epp’s $521,204 and city manager Clayton Phillips’ $518,749 total compensation packages made them the state’s highest-compensated city attorney and manager, respectively, and the 2nd and 3rd highest-compensated city workers of the more than 245,000 employees surveyed….

Politics, San Diego July 11, 2016

San Diego House members travel the world with private money

Between the start of the current Congress on Jan. 3, 2015, and the end of June, San Diego County’s five representatives and members of their staffs took 31 trips that were paid for by private entities, mostly charities, think tanks and trade associations. The office of Rep. Darrell Issa, a Vista Republican, led the delegation, with 14 such trips. The office of Rep. Duncan Hunter,…