2019

Vigil held at mosque hit by hate arson (Video)

A Sunday night vigil attracted at least 100 Escondido residents to the downtown mosque that was hit by hate arson earlier that morning. For more on the attack, see story below. Benjamin Martinez posted video of the event held at Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque at 318 W. Sixth Ave. in downtown Escondido. The one-hour vigil featured support and prayers from the community on behalf of the mosque. ….


Escondido mosque scorched in ‘hate crime’

A ticking time bomb of hate went off around 3:15 a.m. Sunday as Escondido’s only mosque was torched by a suspect who left a note referring to the New Zealand mosque killings earlier this month. “During the early morning hours of March 24, 2019, the Escondido Police and Fire Communication Center received a 911 phone call from the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque on (318 W. Sixth Ave)…


Hold the avocado as Henry Corp. recalls fruit

Escondido-based Henry Avocado Corp. has been forced to recall avocados distributed to six states due to possible listeria contamination. “Henry Avocado is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution due to positive test results on environmental samples taken during a routine government inspection at its California packing facility,” reads the company’s statement. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the recall…


Flower Fields blooming big-time through May

El Nino rain in February should mean magnificent Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch blooms beginning March 1 through May 12. Mellano & Company of San Luis Rey is the production arm and onsite grower. The Ecke family owns the land. Over 50 acres are devoted to raising the ranunculus bulb crop; approximately five acres are used for other specialty flowers. Rains that have pummeled San Diego…


Ellen Neufeldt named CSUSM’s 4th president

After an eight-month search, the California State University Board of Trustees announced Wednesday it has appointed Ellen J. Neufeldt, Ed.D., to serve as the next president of California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). Neufeldt currently serves as vice president of student engagement and enrollment services for Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. CSUSM when President Karen Haynes announced her retirement on June 30 of last year….


Newsom’s death penalty hold and the nation

Both celebration – and ire – followed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement of a moratorium on the death penalty in California. California’s 737 death row inmates constitute more than a quarter of the national number. Keeping them on death row costs $150 million a year more than sentencing them to life without parole. California’s death penalty has been at an impasse for decades. The state has…


A little action on a new Escondido action plan

(Margaret McCown Liles started blogging about the Escondido City Council following the demise of the North County Times as a public resource. Please visit her blog at http://ablueviewescondido.com.) “There’s definitely a new atmosphere in the city hall now. It is much more of the people, by the people and for the people.” — Margaret McCown Liles I arrived, promptly, at 11:50 am, last Wednesday, March…


Welk Resort Theater 2019 season begins

Welk Resorts Theatre today kicked off its 2019 season this week with San Diego theatre royalty starring in “Menopause the Musical.” The 29th season of the famed Welk Theatre, which underwent a lobby remodel in 2018, also features Tony Award-nominated “The Addams Family,” which will run Sept. 6 to Nov. 10, and Larry Raben‘s new “Welkome Home for the Holidays!” running Nov. 22 to Dec….


Milk, cow manure, and beer trucks

Lessons from the Last Surviving San Diego Dairy “My family has always been in the dairy business. It’s a…different sort of business,” laughs Frank Konyn of Frank Konyn Dairy. Established in 1962 by his father, Konyn’s 250-acre dairy farm is nestled on the San Pasqual Valley floor 35 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. With over 800 cows, he estimates his monthly feed bill to…


Introduction to Herb Caen’s three-dot lounge

Anything following an ellipsis is a friend of mine for the night. It’s code for ‘you didn’t hear it from me, but. … ‘” —  Mark Pargas, “A Visit to the Three-Dot Lounge” It’s been over 20 years since famed San Francisco journalist Herb Caen (1916-1997) died. For journalists and San Franciscans, Caen was a superstar. Known as “Mr. San Francisco,” his columns were a…