June 2020

When are the Hunters going to jail already?

Who knew that the easy part of Duncan and Margaret Hunter taking the heat for their campaign finance fraud would be arranging plea agreements sending them to prison. The hard part, apparently, is for them actually to serve time in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to use over $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses. Last week, Margaret Hunter’s sentencing was moved to July…


We’re having a (minor) heat wave

A rare late spring windy Santa Ana heat blast from the east is expected to cause temperatures to rise as much as 20 degree over seasonal averages, meteorologists say. Hot temperatures are expected Tuesday throughout San Diego County amid a heat wave that will last through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. KGTV-10 News Meteorologist Megan Parry says temperatures are expected to near record…


COVID-19: SD County Farm Bureau acts

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shelter-in-place protocols and safety concerns disrupted rural communities and markets for agricultural products, according to California Farm Bureau’s AgAlert. . Around California, county Farm Bureaus responded with innovative solutions intended to help their members ensure safety of themselves, their families and their employees, and to promote and sell crops and commodities in new and rapidly changing conditions. Here are three…


Fairy shrimp are real and were at Escondido

Escondido Creek Conservancy biological surveyors recently discovered Fairy Shrimp (Branchinecta lindahli) at the Mountain Meadow Preserve near Hidden Meadows. This elusive species is fairly uncommon in San Diego County due to the loss of preferred habitat — vernal pools. And while they won’t grant you three wishes — most vernal pools in San Diego have been destroyed by urban development — making their discovery is…


Identifying surveillance at protests

The full weight of U.S. policing has descended upon protesters across the country as people take to the streets to denounce the police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others who have been subjected to police violence. Along with riot shields, tear gas, and other crowd control measures also comes the digital arm of modern policing: prolific surveillance technology on the street and…


Escondido takes a knee for George Floyd

Escondido took a knee at high noon Wednesday, June 3, 2020. That’s when Mayor Paul “Mac” McNamara, Council member Mike Morasco, Escondido Police Chief Varso, Yusef Miller of Racial Justice Coalition San Diego, Rev. Meg Decker of Escondido Together and other leaders and community members held a peaceful vigil in honor of George Floyd at City Hall. An estimated 200 people attended. With the coronavirus devil…


‘Round Town: Panache, puppies, meals, mo’

(Here are a few random items relating to Escondido, San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe and Valley Center that might have missed in the rush to societal protest and coronavirus relief…) Coronavirus be damned, time for some Panache Panache is the most important event on Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery (EAP)’s busy calendar of exhibitions, educational programming, and special activities benefiting San Diego county residents and…


Three-Dot Lounge Coronavirus Edition

We are going to consider a few outstanding three-dot items stripped from below, well below, today’s coronavirus headlines. But first, a reminder and salute about he who pioneered the three-dot way 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 vital piece…


California’s National Guard role in protests

IN SUMMARY The National Guard — now deployed to some California cities where property damage and a few incidents of violence occurred — are being welcomed by some but not all. As Californians continue to protest the death of George Floyd and what it signifies about broader racism, thus far two counties and the mayors of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Sacramento have requested —…


Police using rubber bullets on protesters that can kill, blind or maim for life

In cities across the country, police departments have attempted to quell unrest spurred by the death of George Floyd by firing rubber bullets into crowds, even though five decades of evidence shows such weapons can disable, disfigure and even kill. In addition to rubber bullets — which often have a metal core — police have used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, pepper spray gas and projectiles…