Articles by dweisman

Convicted pH Miracle naturopath Robert Young faces additional charges, civil suit

A bad trip through the U.S. legal system got even worse this week for former Valley Center naturopath Robert Oldham Young. Author of the well-known “pH Miracle” books, and philosophy, Young already was placed in prison Feb. 3. following being found guilty of two charges of practicing medicine without a license. However a hung jury, after deliberating two weeks, found him innocent of one charge…


New Escondido assistant city manager named, salary set at $164,390

Former Escondido assistant city manager turned-city manager Graham Mitchell said Thursday, March 17 that Jay Petrek would become the new Mitchell, i.e., new assistant city manager. Petrek is Escondido director of community development. His new salary will be $164,390. Mitchell, for example, also received benefits including 20 days of management leave with the ability to convert 15 of those days to salary, auto allowance of…


Indiana Jones meet them bones, fossils and rocks of Roynon Museum

Don’t look now Indiana Jones, but Keith and Judy Roynon and their highly eclectic, totally jaw-dropping Roynon Museum of Earth Sciences and Paleontology is gaining on you. The Roynon’s’ huge, private collection of fossils from around the world along with rocks and pre-historic artifacts once filled their South Escondido home. It brought in school groups by the busload for about 15 years. Museum official Jeannie…


Borrego Health helps fill Downtown Escondido urgent care need

Competing emergency services providers swept into downtown Escondido Wednesday to fill the void left by the closure of Palomar Health’s emergency department. Expected since last June, announced last month, Escondido’s only downtown emergency room closed its swinging doors after a 65-year run. A few departments — labor and delivery, inpatient rehabilitation and behavioral health — remain at the 555 E Valley Parkway hospital that once…


Two fires in two days on same block fuel arson-suspicious minds

“We’re caught in a trap I can’t walk out Because I love you baby” — Elvis Presley The 1100 block of North Escondido Boulevard went all “Suspicious Minds” early Monday, March 13 as the second of two fires that broke out within 24 hours of each other at two residences was knocked down. The first fire — “We can’t go on together” — broke out…


Tweens and teens tech up and read ‘Wonder’ at Escondido Public Library

Take the Teen Tech Challenge at the Escondido Public Library March may come in like a lion, but it goes out like a techie as in Teen Tech Month running through March 31. “This is an annual celebration raising awareness about how libraries extend teens’ learning beyond the classroom by enabling their exploration and creation of content utilizing non-print resources,” Escondido Public Library teen librarian…


It’s a butterfly jungle out there

(Editor’s Note: To order tickets, go to the Butterfly Jungle sidebar ad to the right and click.) San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Butterfly Jungle is roaring back into life through April 10. Immerse yourself in a flutter of delicate wings. Each spring, Hidden Jungle gets an added dose of color during the Butterfly Jungle event, when thousands of colorful butterflies hatch and add their fluttering…


Meet the new Vons, same as the old Vons

Forgive the deja vu feeling at Rancho Santa Fe Road and San Marcos Boulevard, but Vons is back in town. The once-and-future store has made a dizzying and stomach-returning journey from Vons to Haggen to Albertsons and back to Vons over the course of two years. Blink, and blink again, at 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 16 as the old Vons re-opens as — ta-da —…


Scott Peters — “Noteworthy Martian?” 52nd Congressional District turns extraterrestrial

The 52nd Congressional District race got curiouser and curiouser this week, what with candidates “passing” as Hispanic and allegations of “hypersexual noteworthy Martians.” Firstly, one of incumbent Democrat Scott Peters’ possible Republican opponents came out with a kind of Rebecca Dolezal scenario. You remember Dolezal, the NAACP official who turned out to be passing as an African-American, even though she turned out to be extremely…


Puhleeze: DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint, Sheriff’s drones, county homicide rate

DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint deja vu March 11 When exactly one alleged DUI driver is stopped out of 1,393 vehicles at the last Escondido DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint, but you have a $309,726 grant to set up DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints, what do you do? Obviously, set up another DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint. That’s going to be the case on Friday, March 11. The checkpoint will be set up…