100 years old and still growing

Chula Vista, once known as the lemon capital of the world, is planning a sweet 100th birthday celebration. City officials Wednesday announced a year-long series of mostly free events to mark the centennial of the second largest city in San Diego County, with more than 230,000 residents. "Birthdays are always special," Mayor Cheryl Cox said […]

Proposed budget a ‘real hardship’

California Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget cuts to health programs would deeply affect the state's large Latino population, which relies heavily on public health coverage. "This would impact Latinos, particularly those who participate in these programs," said Chad Silva, statewide policy analyst for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, a Sacramento-based advocacy group. Latinos […]

Politicians let ‘bigotry run free,’ columnist says

There's been a rush to build a storyline about the weekend shooting in Arizona that left six dead and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life. But many of the pieces don't quite fit so far, according to nationally syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette, who wrote for the Arizona Republic in the late 1990s. True, he […]

Low price for SENTRI to be temporary

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to only temporarily lower the price of a SENTRI fast- pass and the reduction will apply only pedestrians and drivers at the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Calexico ports of entery, an agency spokeswoman said. CBP officials last week said the price of a SENTRI pass would be […]

Bleak billboards target breast cancer

TIJUANA – A campaign that shows images of a mutilated nude female torso or a breast burning is helping thousands of women in the region get a timely diagnosis of breast cancer. The campaign attempts to reverse a worrying trend: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women in Mexico and the second […]

VIDEO: San Diegans share joy with ‘TJ Tots’

Tijuana – After weeks of hard work collecting toys for children living in orphanages in Tijuana, a group of young San Diegans delivered. The group, Toys for TJ Tots, started collecting items in early December and complemented their efforts with fundraisers, all to bring smiles and hope to kids living in orphanages in this border […]

SENTRI pass will soon cost $42.25

Standout player’s new goal: win at school

The new year will bring a welcome new routine for South Bay soccer players and their families. That applies to the Flores family. Joshua Flores, 16, is slated to transition from playing in an elite club to the team at Hilltop High School in Chula Vista. The move is a big change for his family, […]

Police officer shot to death in Tijuana

TIJUANA – A state police agent was shot to death Friday evening as he was driving away from his home in an eastern neighborhood. The murder sparked a police operation that led to a gun battle that left one suspect dead and two other officers gravely wounded, the state Attorney General’s Office announced. The agency […]

Sockers’ goal: end losing streak

The timing could not be better. The San Diego Sockers might just have the right opportunity to forget about its last two Premiere Arena Soccer League-Pro matches. San Diego can put behind back-to-back loses at Cincinnati and at California. Those defeats could become memories with a win against Cincinnati. The Sockers host the Kings on […]

VIDEO: Thousands share tons of tradition

Tijuana served a cake fit for a king. And the city broke its record by sharing the biggest Rosca de Reyes in the region. The rosca is a traditional sweet, round cake that Mexicans enjoy every year on Jan. 6, marking the arrival of the Three Wise Men to see the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem. […]

Chance to speak up about school cuts

The San Diego Unified School District officials are appealing to the public to help find ways to reduce spending in the district, which has faces a $120 million budget deficit next year. The district has cut $400 million from its budget during the past three years largely without layoffs or closing of schools. Proposed budget […]

10 years of ‘carving tunnels of hope’

Growing up in San Diego Abel Salas felt pressure to drop out of school and join a gang but he resisted the temptations of the streets. Reality Changers, an after-school, largely free, college-prep program based in City Heights helped him maintain a positive direction. "They helped me set my mind on getting a college degree," […]

Two accused of decapitation

Tijuana.- An alleged dealer was decapitated by members of his gang because he had not paid the drug he peddled on the streets, an official with the state Attorney General's Office said Thursday afternoon. The head of the victim, identified as 30-year-old Ramsés Jesús Mendoza Velázquez, was found hanging on Morelos bridge, in the city's […]

New Latino market to hire 150 people

Vallarta, a Mexican-style grocery chain, is opening a new supermarket in National City in March and plans to hire up to 150 people, many of them local residents. "It's a reflection that the economy is bouncing back," said Jacqueline Reynoso, National City Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer. The chamber, which is playing an active […]

Colossal ‘rosca’ will serve 6,000

TIJUANA.- A bakery will join forces with the Cultural Center to present on Thursday the largest rosca de reyes ever created on the border. The rosca, a round holiday cake with special filling, will be 1,148 feet long and will circle the center's iconic round theater, known as La Bola, on Jan. 6, Día de […]

Salvadoran gang member arrested

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a member of a brutal Salvadoran gang who was detained as he walked along Eastlake Parkway in Chula Vista, the agency announced Wednesday. The agents questioned the man, who walking just north of Olympic Parkway on Friday, and he admitted to having entered the country illegally. He was arrested and […]

Two share Mega $355 million prize

Two people are waking up today with their checking account much fatter. The two, from Washington and Idaho, will be sharing Mega Millions' $355 million jackpot from Tuesday night's drawing, lottery officials said today. They will each get $177.5 million. The $355 million jackpot was the fourth largest in the history of the United States […]

Training provides jobless fresh start

Miguel Angel Cerón didn't panic after losing his job of 16 years at a Chula Vista plastics manufacturing company. The Mexico native came up with a plan. He went back to school. And it's paying off. Cerón, 50, landed a job last summer as a nursing assistant at a La Jolla rest home. Though he […]

What would you do with $355 million?

Sure the odds are 1 in 175 million, but it’s tough not to dream about becoming an instant multimillionaire. Today’s Mega Millions lottery game has reached $355 million. If a Californian wins, it would be the largest prize ever awarded in the state. In fact, it’s one of the largest amounts ever awarded in the […]