Dear citizens and patrons of North County, consider this: what is the mark of a flourishing community but the free and unfettered exchange of truth, the illumination of events, and the celebration of voices too often left unheard? Since the year 2015, The Escondido Grapevine has embraced the noble calling to serve as this beacon of truth. We have labored to provide you with journalism…
Sept. 10, 2001 was pretty much like any other day. That is to say honored only in its passing, don’t remember what happened. Sept. 11, 2001, as we all know, was a day seared in our personal and national memories like few others. Don’t know when the carnage began, but at my Del Dios home phones started ringing way too early in the morning and…
(Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end as Cassidy’s Books closed its doors in July 2020. This story, alas, must serve as an homage to what ws once an incredible experience for those who love books.) Tom McDevitt’ sat behind the large front counter at Cassidy’s Books, in the shadow of Fry’s Electronics at a back-of-the-curve, out-of-the-way strip mall considering North…
Painted lady butterflies have found North County San Diego to their liking as they pass through from Mexico to Oregon. It’s the largest such pass-by since 2005, according to butterfly experts. You can easily identify a painted lady butterfly by looking at its orange, brown and white wings, they say. Wet winter fueled vegetation growth in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, giving caterpillars a lot…
Former San Diego High and Major League Baseball standout, and San Pasqual Valley resident, Jacque Jones discovered a pitch he couldn’t beat when he struck out on a charge of posting revenge nude photos of an ex-girlfriend. Jones was alleged to have distributed multiple photos of the woman following an argument over a sweatshirt. A 12-member jury trial Feb. 19-23 mainly focused on one nude…
Stone Brewing officials this week confirmed reports the company would consolidate Escondido and Vista facilities and re-assign some employees. The number of employees being re-assigned within North County was unspecified although Stone CEO Dominic Engels confirmed he was among that number. “We have a good amount of unused space in our national distribution facility in Vista, so that will be where most of the team…
Escondido mom Christie Donehue left her westside home the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 29 for a North County doctor’s appointment. Donehue never got there. Nobody knew why the normally reliable 43-year-old woman missed the appointment or where she was although Escondido police initially said no signs of foul play were discovered. Donehue’s family was puzzled, however, by the fact she left behind her purse, wallet and…
The tragic mass casualty shooting event occurring in Las Vegas this week tested the limits of the area’s trauma and emergency response systems. It may have raised questions in your mind about humanity and, oh by the way, how San Diego County and Palomar Medical Center Escondido, North County’s only trauma center, would respond in a similar circumstance. Palomar Health Trauma Medical Director John Steele,…
Judge ends legal fight against Mt. Soledad Cross Denying a discovery-related motion, a federal judge has put to rest once and for all a decades-long legal battle over the display of a 43-foot-tall Latin cross that will remain at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego. In what U.S. District Judge John D. Bates called a “last gasp,” Republican U.S. Reps. Darrell Issa, Brian…
The road from Rancho Santa Fe to Long Beach has plenty of foodie variations depending on the point of departure. There are plenty of freeways to take, starting with the 5, then heading into the 710, 110, and 405. North of here, it’s a better idea to stick to 5 and 405, since that leads one through Little Saigon, Long Beach, and frankly, far better…