2017

Escondido November 28, 2017

Busy Escondido Tuesday: Library lawsuit filed, ATF country club fire inquiry continues

Two hot-button Escondido issues got all pumped up Tuesday, Nov. 28 as opponents of the controversial Escondido City Council decision to privatize the public library filed suit to stop the plans while the ATF was continuing to investigate last week’s suspicious fire at the abandoned Escondido Country Club clubhouse. Legal shoe drops on Abed’s library privatization effort Despite mass protests by residents, the Escondido City…

Duncan Hunter investigations, News, Politics November 27, 2017

Duncan Hunter is about to meet his match

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-50th Congressional District) has been a walking horror show for years, and generations if one harkens back to his dad from whom he “inherited” the once-safe Republican congressional seat. Hunter and his mentor, President Trump, actually have a lot in common. They’re blowhards. They’re caught somewhere between ineffective and impotent. They shill. They lie. They’re under federal investigation and probable indictment. Every…

Featured, News, The World November 27, 2017

LION Publishers: Net Neutrality repeal could damage local news startups

(Editor’s Note: The Escondido Grapevine is a proud member of LION — Local Independent Online News — Publishers. This article written by LION executive director Matt DeRienzo, appeared today at http://www.lionpublishers.com.) Information must flow freely for democracy to flourish Repealing Net Neutrality would allow giant chain media to work in concert with internet conglomerates to limit access to independent, alternative, and local news sites, according to…

Featured, Politics, Travel November 27, 2017

Fiscal con? Waldron posts top mileage bill

State Rep. Marie Waldron (R-75th District), who portrays herself as a fiscally responsible conservative, took the highest amount of mileage reimbursements in the California Legislature during the 2015-16 session, state records show. Nine of the Legislature’s 120 members — 80 in the House, 40 in the Senate, in all — who took over $20,000 in payouts represented almost half of the mileage reimbursements, according to…

Community, San Marcos November 26, 2017

San Marcos Youth Strings fills musical gaps

San Marcos Youth Strings is making merry for the holiday season with two performances in December. A good thing, too, considering the state of the San Marcos Youth Orchestra from whose ashes this new string effort sprung like a phoenix. The 20-member community service group has a public concert scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2 at the California Center for the Arts,…

Books, Dean Weissmann presents November 26, 2017

‘Mr. Sherman’ from Surveillance Pelicana

(Editor’s Note: I plan on publishing my creative writing on a regular basis at The Grapevine as a “public” service, and also to acquaint readers with my accumulated writings that have not seen the light of day. These will be posted under the names of dweissmann or Dean Weissmann for clarity’s sake. Enjoy!) Act begins stage right. A bell rang signifying a change of school…

Entertainment, Entertainment/Arts, Theater November 26, 2017

‘A Christmas Carol’ at Welk Resort Theater

(Carol Davis is the reviewer d-jour, proprietress of Carol’s Theater Reviews — it’s fun to go out. Visit her blog for more reviews.) Dates: Through Dec. 31st Organization: Welk Village Theatre Phone: 888.8027469 Production Type: Musical Where: 8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido, CA 92026 Ticket Prices: $59.00 Web: welkresorts.com/sandiegotheatre Photo: Ken Jacques Welk Resort Theatre at Escondido is mounting an eye popping singing dancing, beautifully…

Business, Consumer News, Retail, San Diego November 24, 2017

Don’t get ripped off this holiday season

(Editor’s Note: Every year officials from the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures inspect thousands of stores to ensure price accuracy at the checkout counter. Inspectors have discovered the vast majority of those errors were in the store’s favor. Of the 5,230 inspections by the county’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, nearly 20 percent showed price-scanning errors, according to county data….

Fire, Police/Fire November 23, 2017

Whodunnit? Escondido CC clubhouse burns

In a bizarre, and weirdly coincidental incident early Wednesday, the abandoned clubhouse at the embattled, highly controversial, Escondido Country Club burned to the ground. Karma, natural disaster, accident or even arson, the shuttered clubhouse at the property that has been the center of years of development controversy burned, baby, burned to the ground beginning just before 5:30 a.m., Escondido fire Battalion Chief Art Holcomb said. The…

Darrell Issa investigations, Politics, Vista November 22, 2017

Issa bogus IRS ‘scandal’ ends in whimper; predatory ‘payday’ lenders give Issa a bang

Congressman Darryl Issa (R-49th District) suffered humiliation as his so-called IRS ‘scandal’ investigation costing US taxpayers money and congressional time “came to a pathetic, whimpering conclusion earlier this month,” according to Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg View. And in a double whammy, as shown here, following the IRS ‘scandal’ update, examination of campaign finance filings showed Issa took tens of thousands of dollars from predatory “payday”…