Articles by Special to The Grapevine

San Marcos, Travel January 7, 2026

Escondido Creek Conservancy adds Elfin Forest acreage

Hundreds of acres of land in North San Diego County are now protected in perpetuity by The Escondido Creek Conservancy (Conservancy) following the recent acquisition of two key properties: the White-Atterbury property, extending from Harmony Grove into San Marcos and Elfin Forest. These acquisitions represent critical components of the Conservancy’s Connecting Conservation Corridors Campaign, which aims to link fragmented native habitats so wildlife can survive…

Community January 3, 2026

SDWP pledges $4M to expand county youth services

Thousands of young people across San Diego County are looking for a pathway forward, whether that’s finishing school, landing their first job or building skills for a career. Too many, however,  face barriers that make those goals feel out of reach. Stark regional disparities are revealed in a recent report conducted by the San Diego Workforce Partnership to understand the workforce needs of youth ages 14-24 across…

Lifestyle, Lifestyle/Society, Surprising and Strange December 21, 2025

Why are so few people born on Christmas Day, New Year’s and other holidays?

Christmas and New Year’s are days of celebration in many parts of the world when people gather with family and friends. One thing many typically don’t celebrate on those days is a birthday. That’s because Dec. 25 is the least popular day in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand to give birth. In England, Wales and Ireland, it’s the second-least popular, behind Dec. 26, when…

Media December 7, 2025

Fake is Real: Tips for separating fake news content true

It’s happened to all of us. You’re scrolling through your social media feed and see a link to what appears to be a news story, with a startling headline about something happening in your state or community. The text is formatted like a news article, and the website has the name of your town followed by some newspaper-y suffix — the “News” or “Post” or…

Media, The World December 2, 2025

Local journalism can upend ‘fake news’

“For the first time media is the least trusted institution globally,” Edelman, the global PR and marketing firm concluded in its annual worldwide study on trust in institutions like the media, business and government. These international findings are in line with recent data coming out of the U.S. A 2016 Gallup poll reported that just 32 percent of Americans trusted the mass media, while an…

Consumer News November 19, 2025

Penny for your thoughts no mo’ as of this week

By now, Americans know the strange math of minting: Each penny costs about 4 cents to make. Chances are you have some in a jar, or scattered among pockets, purses and car ashtrays. As small as it is, the penny punches above its weight culturally. If it ever disappeared, so too might the simple kindness of “take a penny, leave a penny,” alongside timeless classics…

Fire, Police, Police/Fire November 18, 2025

People Behaving Badly: Thanksgiving 2024 Edition

As Thanksgiving Day 2024 dawned over San Diego County, the holiday’s veneer of tranquility was marred by a series of unsettling events, each unraveling the threads of peace. In the heart of Spring Valley, a domestic disturbance escalated into a fatal encounter. Deputies responded to a trespassing call involving a 34-year-old man, Victor Rendon Jr., reportedly armed and erratic. After ensuring the safety of children…

History, San Diego, Surprising and Strange, Weather November 11, 2025

The man who made it rain, rain, rain in 1916

It rained a lot this past winter. However, as we all know, that hasn’t always been the natural state for the arid San Diego region. It took Charles Hatfield to make it rain 109 years ago in San Diego. The only problem was he couldn’t make it stop. A deep dive through the San Diego Historical Society archives courtesy of the OB Rag reveals the…

History, San Diego, The World, Tourism November 8, 2025

Hail Estonia! Wait. What? La Jolla?

Hail Estonia! Wait. What? Estonia opened an honorary consulate at La Jolla on January 24, 2019, later moving it to downtown San Diego. The Estonian honorary consul in the San Diego area is Dr. Michael Corey Chan, and the address of the consulate is 330 13th Street #2111 San Diego, CA, 92101. Give him a shout-out at 858-717-6379. “Honorary consuls with their energy and network…