News

Escondido DUI checkpoint through midnight

Planning on going by the Escondido Police Department building at 1100 N Centre City Parkway through midnight tonight? Better have your driver’s license on hand and maintain your sobriety. Police have a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint set up in the southbound lanes, south of El Norte Parkway. Somewhat controversial, yet highly in your faces, Escondido police had promised to set up “a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint at an…


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…


Escondido police raid massage parlors

Remember when Escondido Police last closed down a local massage parlor allegedly involved in prostitution? Seemed like just last month. Or cracked down on human trafficking, this time last September? Guess what? Theeeeey’re back. Police, that is, raiding even more Escondido massage parlors allegedly engaged in illegal activity, this time of the municipal code violation or other civil miscreant kind. “Although the majority of massage…


5-hour SD Sheriffs SWAT standoff starts with murdered turtle at San Marcos mobile home

Around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, a 27-year-old San Marcos man touched off a touchy incident at Rancho Vallecitos Mobile Estates, 3535 Linda Vista Dr., San Marcos. First, he killed his mother’s turtle. Then, he threatened to kill his mother. Nearby homes were evacuated during a five hour standoff ended by the San Marcos Sheriffs SWAT Team with tear gas. After about a five hour standoff with…


State of the Union gun control proposals unlikely to affect local gun ownership

(As President Obama outlined new gun control executive orders in his final State of the Union speech tonight, the fact is these rules will have no affect on Escondido, San Marcos, Valley Center and San Diego County gun ownership. As inewsource investigator Joe Berardi found this week, local gun ownership and sales are among the lowest in the state and nation. His report follows…) Most…


Powerball sugar plums danced in their heads

Californians led the nation in Powerball sales, spending $59.1 million by 7 p.m. Saturday, when sales closed. Powerball fans: It was a good day to be a local lottery retailer, maybe not so good to be a lottery ticket buyer. Don’t tell Powerball ticket buyers that, though, because every one of them Saturday, before 7 p.m. or so, forked over their $2 for tickets, sometimes…


Wrong-way Highway 78 embankment flip near Metcalf kills driver on New Year’s Day

Just 10 days after a deadly Highway 78 crash killed four people; a wrong-way, single-vehicle crash on a nearby stretch of Highway 78 sometime before 3 p.m. killed another man, according to California Highway Patrol officers. The wrong-way 2003 Chevrolet Suburban headed west on eastbound Highway 78, presumably from Broadway, plunged off the road near Metcalf Street killing the driver, CHP officers said. Nobody called…


Four killed, three injured in fiery Hwy 78 crash near Nordahl Drive late Sunday

A young boy, a teenage girl and two women from Loma Linda died late Sunday on Highway 78 while a Fallbrook driver was arrested, then released following a fiery crash, California Highway Patrol officers said. Three other people driving with the four killed were injured. Just before 11 p.m., according to CHP Sgt. Curtis Martin, the driver of a 2014 Chevy Sonic attempted to change…



There’s a new city manager in town (Breaking News)

As expected, Escondido assistant city manager Graham Mitchell was elevated in rank Wednesday,  following last week’s resignation of long-time city manager Clay Phillips. Phillips, 58, suddenly announced his retirement last week, effective Dec. 18. His $200,000-plus city pension begins at age 60. Mitchell, 46, was hired this summer as assistant city manager following the retirement of another longtime official, assistant city manager Charles Grimm. Mitchell…