Aside from continuing to spend — illegally — campaign funds on personal expenses like donor trips to Las Vegas, add being a Russian stooge to the dubious legacy of Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-50th District). In a column posted on his congressional website, Hunter, who has repeatedly ducked another town hall following his disastrous Ramona affair in March, has put forth a hearty defense of his…
Fighting a campaign finance criminal investigation, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-50th District) still has time, apparently, to battle for a vice he loves: Vaping. Hunter introduced legislation Thursday to roll back current regulations treating electronic cigarettes the same as tobacco products. Titled the Cigarette Smoking Reduction & Electronic Vapor Alternatives Act, HR 2194, Hunter’s ode to vaping, would undo the Obama administration’s “Deeming Rule” that put…
Flowers, avocados, citrus, tomatoes and strawberries are leading San Diego County crops. But carbon? Apparently so. Carbon Farming, a whole-farm approach implementing on-farm practices that increase the rate at which plants transfer carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to the soil, is about to meet its maker at a Santa Ysabel farm. San Diego Food System Alliance (SDFSA) this week announced a grant that paves the…
Don’t tell award-winning watercolor, portrait and landscape artist Jayne Spencer that art is best executed and appreciated only by fellow artists. An award-winning creative artist and teacher, like TV’s father, knows best. “Anybody can be an artist,” Spencer said. “Anybody can learn to paint once they learn the skills and techniques. Find something that inspires you. Paint what you love. Art is subjective” Art is…
Step off Duncan Hunter, time to resign… You know the Monopoly card everybody dreads: “Go directly to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.” Hello, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-50th District). Looks like you got served. Hunter wasn’t playing with Monopoly money, unfortunately, but with $62,000 — that we know of now, it definitely was more — of campaign donor money illegally used for…
UPDATED NOON THURSDAY: “Rep. Duncan Hunter is under criminal investigation by the Justice Department over alleged campaign finance violations,” the House Ethics Committee announced Thursday. The Justice Department has now asked the Ethics Committee to hold off on any action against Hunter because of its own criminal probe into the lawmaker, according to a statement from Reps. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), the chairwoman…
In a rainy season, Lake Hodges Dam last overflowed in February-March 2011 — it also overflowed in February 2005 — but despite the record rains this season, it looks to be standing tall and holding firm. The lake was at 75 percent capacity as of last week, according to the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department that has owned and operated the reservoir and dam…
House Ethics Committee scheduled to consider Hunter financial affairs Wednesday Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-50th District) and his use of campaign funds for personal expenses is scheduled to come under review from the House Committee on Ethics at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 22. The committee announced the meeting in a Website posting Friday. However, before one gets too excited, consider that the committee previously set meetings…
Documented gang member Dionicio Crespin Torrez Jr., 24, pleaded not guilty to murder, Friday, March 17 at the Vista Courthouse in connection with the murder of an Escondido woman who drove through a violent gang turf confrontation on the way home from Bible study. Torrez could face the death penalty. Superior Court Judge Cynthia Freehand denied bail citing “the allegations and my concern for public safety.” “On…
Rancho Santa Fe resident, and fabled founder of the popular and controversial street fight and music curated-video website WorldStarHipHop.com, Lee “Q” O’Denat died of natural causes as a result of severe buildup of plaque near his heart and obesity, the San Diego County medical examiner’s office said in a full autopsy report released this week. O’Denat, only 43, died suddenly on Jan. 23 of a heart attack at…