quirky

Pastor hikes road to glory with heavy cross

Pastor Wes Mauch took a road less traveled through Valley Center, carrying a 38-pound wooden cross, a well-worn Bible and message all the way to Rancho Santa Fe. Mauch, 66, walked along the side of Cole Grade Road, wooden cross on his shoulder and all, “doing what Jesus asked me to do,” he said while vehicular traffic whizzed by as if he were invisible. When…


Keeping ArtBeat on Main Street beating

Vista’s ArtBeat on Main Street isn’t Escondido, but it’s close. It’s an art gallery, boutique, wine lounge and creative space that has become an important player in downtown Vista’s re-emergence, a happening that many Escondido boosters have tried to emulate. Unfortunately, it’s also run into trouble of the financing kind. ArtBeat on Main Street is in the midst of a do-or-die fundraising campaign to keep…