Escondido

Escondido Goodwill Industries Thrift Shop rises phoenix-like on Friday, March 4

Knocked down, but not out, the Escondido Goodwill Industries Thrift Shop re-opened for business at 550 W Washington Ave. on Friday, March 4. That’s no mean feat considering the extent of damage engendered when El Nino huffed, puffed and blew the Escondido Goodwill roof down on Jan. 6. Goodwill officials said the damage was such that the store was closed longer than any of their…


State of the City: Escondido Mayor Sam Abed likes it

Escondido Mayor Sam Abed looked over all he had made and saw that it was very good during his State of the City Address. Those sentiments, and presentations of eight civic awards arose at sunrise Wednesday, Feb. 24 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido Conference Center. Co-sponsored by the Escondido Chamber of Commerce, the event began at 7:30 a.m. with an optional $20…


Fans converge on store to meet rap star

Welcome to “underground” Escondido. The future starts now. Rapper Self Provoked was in the HypeFright house. His teenaged admirers snaked around the long building, spilling across the 239 E Valley Parkway parking lot into a well-mannered, yet energetic, line for a very special meet and greet opportunity. They were maybe 30 yards away from a staid Second Saturday Art Walk crowd trudging around the Escondido…


5,500 Palomar Hospital; 1,800 Graybill patients affected by medical data theft

An early 2014 breach at Escondido-based Palomar Health affected about 5,500 patients. The public health care district declined to comment, citing “pending legal matters surrounding this breach.” Graybill Medical Group at Escondido had a breach affecting about 1,800 patients. Officials didn’t respond to repeated calls for comment. Experts put the cost of a medical data breach at between $100 to over $360 per record compromised — more…


From climate change to road widening

Benefits of fixing climate change You think? North County Climate Change Alliance presents Dr. Tom English, a Carlsbad lecturer and scientist and Rolf Dorp, Alliance grass roots organizer discussing the benefits of fixing climate change. They’ll be at the Escondido Public Library’s upstairs Turrentine Room from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23. It’s open to the public and free. “Sponsored by The North…


Abed raising, not spending, supe race funds

San Diego County Supervisors (left to right) Ron Roberts, Dave Roberts and Bill Horn at 2014 State of the County Address. (Photo: Milan Kovacevic.) The latest campaign finance disclosures from candidates running for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors suggest an increasingly competitive race for Dave Roberts as he seeks re-election in District 3. Roberts, who was dogged last year by allegations he misused his…


End of emergency services era at Palomar Health Downtown Campus

Ending months of speculation, and anticipation, Palomar Health Wednesday said it would close its around-the-clock downtown Escondido emergency department on March 14. Once a major 319-bed regional medical center, the 555 E Valley Parkway hospital, now called the Kaiser Permanente Palomar Health Downtown Campus, opened its doors on Feb. 16, 1950. Handwriting has been on the wall ever since North County’s leading medical provider opened…


Escondido station first in SoCal with gas under $2

An Escondido gas station’s price drop yesterday (Jan. 28) means San Diego motorists can join the rest of the country in buying gas under two dollars a gallon. Story will be update later tonight. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, the APEX station at 1602 E Valley Parkway in Escondido became the first station in Southern California to lower its price to $1.99 a gallon….


Turn out the lights, Champion’s party is over

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…


Escondido ‘Dream Team’ protests ICE raids

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…