Escondido Union School District’s circus came to Vista Superior Court Thursday, but it was no laughing matter as embattled school trustee Jose Fragozo pleaded not guilty to 13 election fraud felony counts. Subdued and wearing a dark coat, Fragozo stood in front of arraigning Judge James A. Mangione around 2 p.m. at Department 14, beginning a process that will see a readiness hearing on March…
Valley Center naturopath and “pH Miracle Living” author Robert Oldham Young was found guilty Wednesday of two felony charges of practicing medicine without a license. A hung jury, after two weeks of deliberations, found him innocent of one charge of practicing medicine without a license and didn’t convict him of six fraud and grand theft charges. Young, 63, had expressed optimism he would avoid convictions…
Redesigned city of San Marcos website A redesigned city of San Marcos website is due to launch in mid-February with several new features and an overall improved user experience, according to city officials. A tremendous amount of analytical research and user surveys were conducted prior to developing the new site to ensure it would meet the needs of San Marcos residents and businesses, San Marcos…
Oops, Chito’s Taco Shop ATM, with all due respect to Britney Spears, they did it again. Thieves for the second time in less than a month hit the mom-and-pop taco shop, just off Interstate 15 by Westfield North County mall, and this time they got what they sought — the shop’s ATM machine. When last we went Britney Spears at the Del Lago Boulevard eatery…
Waiting for Godot had nothing Saturday on waiting for Ladeau — and his APEX Fuels gas tanker. With a special promotional price of $1.99 and 9/10 cents per gallon of regular unleaded — $2.09.9 and $2.19.9 for higher grades — a line of vehicles snaked around the station and the block. Nobody moved. Pumps were dry with a third gas tanker of the day on…
Lines out Grand Avenue, tears on half-eaten cinnamon rolls, Champion’s Family Restaurant was scheduled to wrap it up Friday, Jan. 29, the future be damned. Friday was going to be a kind of Escondido Mardi Gras Day, a carnival of anticipation, regret and last hurrah before the inevitable All Souls Day and Lent. As word got out last week that the family-owned American cuisine institution…
Lights, camera. Action? What the heck was going on Saturday in the alley behind the 100 block of E Grand Avenue? A white mini-van was there. People were milling around. Sometimes the mini-van was moving, and people were running around. Weird. While word on the street is “alley-way-cul-ture” is a secret Escondido happening, this was unusual even for that. Turns out this was the master…
Palomar College has one of the top junior college baseball programs in the nation. Now it has a $10.2 million baseball complex second to none if the JUCO world. The brand spanking new baseball complex opened play on Jan. 27 with the Palomar Comets taking on the College of the Desert Roadrunners. A brief ribbon cutting and ceremony preceded the game. Baseball and Palomar sports…
Escondido’s Meadow Lake Golf Course isn’t looking like its old self anymore. It’s a new, shorter course with a new name — Boulder Oaks. When last we played through, the course ceased play in July. That was to implement a $6.2 million course renovation financed by the Metropolitan Water District’s turf removal program. It’s all part of the plan to lure hitherto non-golfing golfers since…
Several dozen protestors against immigration deportation policies rallied at Escondido’s Police Headquarters, then Escondido City Hall at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. Members of the San Diego Dream Team, sponsoring the protest, posted various real-time social media accounts, some of which are displayed here. They followed picketing with a community meeting in the evening at the East Valley Community Center. San Diego Dream Team is…