Articles by The Grapevine

New state regulation dogs puppy mills

Escondido always has been a hot bed in the California puppy mill world, for whatever reason. A new state law that went into effect this year has rsulted in several puppy mill busts, but some puppy mill proprietors already have found loopholes to exploit. Assembly Bill 485, which went into effect at the beginning of this year, requires pet stores to get their animals from…


Fire up: Windy, getting windier through Friday

Look around and feel the wind. It’s a blowing, and along with it, raising local fire risk to what are called “extreme” levels — a first — by state fire officials. Strong Santa Ana winds are expected again in San Diego County beginning late Tuesday night, raising the threat of wildfires through Thursday evening. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning that will be…


New state laws address health care issues

Gov. Gavin Newsom wrapped up his bill-signing marathon Sunday, Oct.13, 2019, capping the end of a legislative session that will have a big impact on Californians’ health care and coverage. Some of the most high-profile — and contentious — measures of the year were health care-related: Who hasn’t heard of the bill that spawned raucous protests at the Capitol by anti-vaccine activists? After some hesitation,…


Beer good; local beer economic benefits, better, according to new CSUSM study

A new Cal State University San Marcos (CSUSM) report released Tuesday reveals that San Diego County’s independent craft brewers produced an economic impact of approximately $1.2 billion in 2018, driving a total industry revenue of $848 million. To read the full report, visit here. In 2018, San Diego County saw its craft brewing family grow to a total of 155 independent craft brewers, bringing the…


Woodstocked celebrates hippiedom while raising funds to locate missing persons

Who: Leon Hendrix, Jocko Marcellino, Roni Lee, Greg Douglass, Thomas Alan Connor, and many more… What: live music “Hippie-fest” featuring celebrity musicians, and some of the BEST local San Diego musicians. Where: Full Circle Saloon, 8528 N. Magnolia Ave. Suite 105, Santee, California 92071. When: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. Why: To celebrate and commemorate the 50th Anniversary Of Woodstock and…


RePlanet recycling centers circle the drain

California’s largest operator of recycling redemption centers abruptly shut down Monday and laid off 750 employees. RePlanet pulled the plug on all 284 of its centers, and company president David Lawrence said the decision was driven by increased business costs and falling prices of recycled aluminum and PET plastic. The recycling center, generally operated by one or two employees in kiosks at shopping centers anchored…


People Behaving Badly — Summer Edition

Summer and its joys of passage are among us. People are frolicking. Pools are swimming. Snoballs and softballs are popping. Good stuff, but consider the fact that rust never sleeps. People are going to do what people are going to do. For your consideration then, the dark underbelly of the human condition. The Grapevine is, er, proud (?) to present the seasonal summer edition of…


‘Tap and go’ on tap for transit fare collections

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System plans to spend $34 million for a new “tap-and-go” fare collection system that will replace one that some riders find inconvenient and that the agency says is outdated. MTS will pay for the new fare system with federal money and funds from a quarter-cent state sales tax that’s dedicated to transit projects. A spokeswoman for the North County Transit…


San Diego County Fair this way comes

Strap on the fried food feed bag, bundle up the kids and get down to the Del Mar Fairgrounds — It’s San Diego County Fair go time again. “Wizard of Oz” is this year’s theme at San Diego County Fair, harkening to its origins as an agricultural fair in 1880. The location moved from place to place for several years, finally settling on the Del…


No more Thyme in the Ranch for you, or is it?

Everybody loves the iconic Thyme in the Ranch breakfast and lunch deli that has been humming along with th finest delicacies for nearly a quarter of a century at Rancho Santa Fe. The question now, however, is will the tradition continue now that owners Shane and Dawn Pursell have announced their retirement from the business of making the best lunches and baked good anywhere in…