Independent online journalism from the Escondido Grapevine is important to residents of Escondido, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos, and North County San Diego for a variety of reasons. Here are some key benefits of this type of journalism: Local focus: The Escondido Grapevine provides in-depth coverage of the issues and events that directly affect the lives of residents in these communities. This type of journalism…
This is a followup to an article of mine published on 12/13/18, and was inspired by a recent measurement of the likely ingestion of microplastics by typical Americans through diet and inhalation. The findings are of real concern, given the risky chemicals associated with plastics and new data showing that, once microplastics get into our tissues, they can translocate to other organs and are even showing…
Cathy Ketchum is flying down Grand Avenue on a wig and a dream. “I just love the work I do with chemo patients,” Ketchum said. “I want to go over and above making them feel good about themselves.” Ketchum has a lot of experience helping cancer patients although she isn’t a medical professional or health care worker. In some ways, though, her work sometimes can…
John Elway sent me to the Pro Bowl. Guess who is my favorite all-time NFL player. The Pro Bowl generally is a laid-back affair, past and future, played for most of its years at Aloha Stadium. It features special rules such as no blitzing, no zone defenses, no trick offensive formations. The 2020 Pro Bowl is 12 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 26 at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium for the…
As a 25-year veteran of California’s 50th Congressional District, we’ve seen a lot of the strangest political stuff possible. This ain’t your standard issue power to the people kind of place. It’s been more like a political cesspool represented by the worst bottom feeders imaginable. Think about it. Dear old Randy “Duke” Cunningham, top gun and top corruption felon, who parlayed his 50th stewardship into…
Fire incident calls tied to homelessness are on the rise in San Diego. Last year, they made up nearly 13% of all fire-related calls. “We’re addressing it as best we can,” said Assistant Fire Chief Chris Webber, who added that the growing homeless problem is “no secret.” While the number of all fire calls has fluctuated over the past five years, fire calls that mentioned…
Veteran homelessness has been cut nearly in half in the last 10 years, but tens of thousands of vets remain on the streets, and a program intended to help is short-staffed and thousands of housing vouchers are going unused. On Tuesday, members of Congress heard the story of a veteran known simply as “Mr. Brown.” Brown received an other-than-honorable discharge because of alleged drug use during his…
One of these centuries soon—but really, soon—Congress has got to come to grips with the problem of its errant members. So far, for the crimes you commit, you can be ordered to stop voting on bills, you can be deprived of all committee assignments, and of course you won’t be held accountable for any number of absences from Congressional sessions, you can be expelled, you…
When San Marcos city officials were looking for guidance on how to proceed with their plan to install public art in the emerging North City neighborhood, they knew just where to turn. They went to their trusted community partner in Cal State San Marcos and tapped into the collective brainpower of 25 Art, Media and Design majors. Last month, members of the upper-division class Art and…
It’s a new year and with that comes new laws. Hundreds of new laws emerged from the California Legislature’s 2019 session, changing the landscape for data privacy, law enforcement practices, evictions and more in 2020. Among the notable laws expected to affect a variety of businesses is Assembly Bill 5, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, to codify a 2018 California Supreme Court decision on workers’ rights. The bill makes…