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Election 2016: None came running

ESCONDIDO, CA. — Voting was brisk around Escondido, San Marcos and Valley Center polling stations in Tuesday’s general election, but with a caveat: Many voters weren’t happy to be there. “I don’t know what will happen,” Do-Art  Shoe Repair Owner Lucia Capuano said of the presidential election, “but I wasn’t happy with both of them. We’ll just see how it goes.” Capuano proudly wore her “I Voted”…


Go time for Election 2016

San Diego County is one of only 127 in the nation, according to the Washington Post, that has voted for the winner in the last four presidential elections. Headed out to vote Tuesday? Well if so, you may end up at one of these spots. Here are some of the most unusual polling stations in San Diego County: Ranch House at Del Sur in Black…


Hunter mortgages home third time to repay $49K illegal campaign spending bill

Rep. Duncan Hunter is betting his Alpine home on being re-elected to Congress. Or at least for repaying money spent from his election campaign fund on personal expenses like Disneyland trips, hotels and travel, 16 trips to Jack-in-the-Box, online video games, and more, much more. Hunter apparently is hoping that the third home mortgage is the charm as it was reported he took out a third…


Hunter repays illegal campaign spending: $49K for Disneyland, video games, hotels

Rep. Duncan Hunter spent $49,000 in campaign funds on video games, a Disneyland trip and other personal expenses. Some of the expenditures from his campaign included: a $229 charge at a Disneyland gift shop; more than $2,000 on restaurants, hotels and train travel in Rome and Florence during the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday; and $1,300 spent at the Cardiff-by-the-Sea restaurant that provides lunches to Hunter’s children…


Hunter doubles down on Trump support

What it’s like to be on the shrinking island of Donald Trump political backers — Washington Post These days, being a Republican and supporting your presidential nominee can be a lonely place. A new USA Today survey finds that more than a quarter of top elected GOP officials won’t endorse or have rescinded their endorsement of Donald Trump. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) thinks pulling away from Trump…


President’s bully pulpit bloodies Issa

Darrell Issa, you’ve been served. And by POTUS no less. Issa just found what eight years of trolling President Obama and soon-to-be-president Hillary Clinton got him — a hot seat; a very, very hot seat. As chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Issa wasted a lot of congressional time and taxpayer money on tea party and trump trolling fictions like investigations into the…


Surprise! Escondido city manager resigns

ESCONDIDO, CA. — Stop if you’ve heard this one before: Escondido city manager suddenly, and without warning, resigns. Clay Phillips, the last city manager, pulled that act almost exactly one year ago. He left office on Dec. 18, 2015. His successor, his former assistant, and city manager this year, Graham Mitchell pulled the same plug on Friday afternoon. “After serious reflection and for personal reasons,…


Court leaves most of Lilac Hills Ranch opposition ballot statement standing

San Diego Superior Court Judge Eddie C. Sturgeon Wednesday told Lilac Hills Ranch supporters to forget about changing opposition ballot statements. Sturgeon denied the request of Lilac Hills Ranch advocates that opponents alter language in their ballot statement, in effect legitimizing the right of opponents to frame their arguments as they chose fit. “The court supported our concerns about Measure B,” James Gordon of the No on B…


Krispy Kreme Tuesdays bites off more than it can chew at North County mall

 Krispy Kreme Tuesdays Burbank apparently bit off more than it could chew at Escondido’s Westfield North County regional mall last night. When the police and fumes cleared the vast parking lot and its environs, namely freeway feeder lanes and nearby exit/entrances, an estimated 1,500 to 2,500 Southern California vehicular flash mob enthusiasts were gone, if not forgotten. Not so coincidentally, the car show flash mob…


Brush fire along I-15 at Hidden Meadows (UPDATED 6 p.m Wednesday)

[Update: Cal Fire at 6 p.m. Wednesday said the Gopher Fire was 85 percent contained on what became 35 acres of torched earth. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Cal Fire had said “With better mapping the IC (Incident Commander) reports the fire at 35 acres and 40 percent contained. Next update will be 6 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday).” Cal Fire said 10 engine companies and six crews…