2017

Seaside Courier (of Encinitas) bites the dust

Another attempt to bring local independent news in the form of a print newspaper failed at Encinitas as the 2-year-old Seaside Courier announced that’s all folks, quietly fading into the dust bin of history last month. Thomas K. Arnold, who also has contributed stories to The Escondido Grapevine reported the news to another Grapevine friend Roman Koenig, who worked with us at North County Times…


Issa, Hunter vote to give away federal lands

San Diego Republicans Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa joined with the House Majority in voting for a rules change would allow giveaway of federal lands to states, local governments, or tribes. Potentially, such giveaways could include national parks such as Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. It also encompasses all other public lands; here in San Diego these include Cleveland National Forest, federal recreation areas and…


‘Art Critic’ Hunter rips down HS student art posted at Capitol by Missouri congressman

Battling House ethics charges for illegal spending of campaign funds, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-50th District, found time Friday to rip down a high school student’s first-place award-winning art piece posted at the U.S. Capitol complex by Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo. Clay represents St. Louis and Ferguson, Mo., where the infamous Michael Brown slaying took place. The painting was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol complex…


Poverty in San Diego County higher than during Great Recession

When Jim Floros started his job as president and CEO of the San Diego Food Bank at the beginning of 2013, he says the nonprofit served about 330,000 people a month. The divergence between poverty and employment points to deeper problems in the San Diego region’s economy. That number has since grown to 370,000. That might seem odd given that San Diego County’s unemployment rate fell…


Bunnygate: Hunter down rabbit hole, votes to abolish Office of Congressional Ethics

Quite the contrast this week between Rep. Darrell Issa, R-49th District, and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-50th District, concerning the walk-back on House Republicans’ initial attempt behind closed doors to fill the swamp by way of demolition of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. And Hunter’s press rep says a bunny rabbit is the reason why he voted to gut the independent committee that recently has investigated…


73-year-old Escondido man suspect in Fontana triple homicide

A long-simmering family feud over money boiled over early Wednesday when a 73-year-old Escondido man killed three relatives and critically wounded a fourth, according to police. Ali Zafar, of Escondido, was arrested on suspicion of homicide shortly after the shootings inside an apartment in Fontana, police Sergeant Kevin Goltara said. The 73-year-old shooting suspect surrendered to authorities at the property, police said, adding that the…


Tale of the Toppled Hurler: A Peter Hartwell Story (Part 8)

Tale of the Toppled Hurler: A Peter Hartwell Story by Bruce A. Kauffman c 2017  All rights reserved. For full story to date, visit: https://escondidograpevine.com/a-the-tale-of-the-toppled-hurler-a-peter-hartwell-story/. Last we looked, intrepid journalist Peter Hartwell had been abducted at the Back Bay railroad station in Boston and brought to the Charles River, where he’s thrown into the back seat of a sleek late-model two-door Infiniti. A corpulent fellow jiggles…