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By Swasted, February 10, 2010 10:05 am

Jumping Turtle’s Entertainment Permit Suspended – In an unsurprising move, the city of San Marcos suspended the entertainment permit for the Jumping Turtle on Tuesday following a Saturday morning brawl that led to two stabbings and a woman being hit in the head with a bottle. The city had revoked the permit in November of last year but the venue was able to continue the live shows while the owners appealed. Yesterday’s decision will be effective immediately. Unfortunate news for all of you who were hoping to catch the “reggae/ska/surf” greatness of Mike Pinto there this Saturday.

Ryan Leaf Unable To Arrange Plea Deal – Ryan Leaf is still facing burglary and drug charges in Texas stemming from a incident in October 2008 while he was an assistant football coach at West Texas A&M. He allegedly broke into a player’s apartment and stole an unknown amount of the painkiller, Hydrocodone. Leaf has been attempting to reach a plea deal with prosecutors that would allow him to remain living and working in British Columbia. He’s been living there the last few years and working at a resort. Yep, a resort. If unable to reach a plea deal, the burglary charge alone could carry a sentence of 20 years in prison.

Scale of Zero To Tony Gwynn – GasLampBall.com is fielding a series of polls to judge individuals associated with the Padres on a scale of zero to Tony Gwynn. Here’s their official explanation, “The Zero to Tony Gwynn scale is a rating of a Padres’ importance to the San Diego Padres and their fans. The scale works to determine the relative importance of a particular Padre based on the assumption that Tony Gwynn is the perfect representation of the San Diego Padres.” Head over and place your votes, here’s a list of who’s been posted so far:

Trevor Hoffman
Dave Winfield
Steve Garvey
Jerry Coleman
Jake Peavy
Randy Jones
Ted Leitner
Nate Colbert
Benito Santiago
Heath Bell – Good to see them reference a tweet I sent them last night showcasing my disdain for Heath’s entrance music… “Heath has also decided to replace Hell’s Bells with a Voldemort. Something that should not be named for its amazing amount of suck. He also has a weird habit of saying things that I’m not sure he should be saying.”

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By Swasted, February 8, 2010 3:46 pm

A fight this weekend at the Jumping Turtle may finally be the end for the shitty place. The city of San Marcos has already revoked the bar’s entertainment permit but the owners are fighting that decision and earlier this month, the club filed a federal lawsuit against the city.

From NCTimes.com:

A long line for the women’s restroom may have sparked one of several brawls early Saturday at a controversial San Marcos nightclub and restaurant. Three people were stabbed, one person was beaten, a security guard was hit in the face with a bottle, and two women were arrested, Sheriff’s Department officials said. Every deputy in San Marcos, and some from surrounding unincorporated areas, were dispatched around 1am: 10 deputies, two detectives, two sergeants and a lieutenant.

A female security guard was taken to the hospital with injuries from being hit in the face with a bottle, Crist said. He said the guard was hired to protect a rap singer performing at the nightclub. The guard identified two women as her two attackers. Irene Cardenas, 32, of Escondido, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the bottle, and Valerie Valadez, age 32, was cited on suspicion of battery and released, Crist said.

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By Swasted, February 8, 2010 11:42 am

What a game, what a weekend! Congrats to Drew Brees and the Saints for their victory over Payton and Co. in Super Bowl #??. Danica made her stock car debut and finished 6th in the ARCA race at Daytona on Saturday and Kevin Harvick edged out his second straight victory in the Budweiser Shootout. Mark Martin and Dale Jr. will be on the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 and the rest of the field will be sorted on during the Gatorade Duels on Thursday. Here are the rest of the headlines…

San Diego Supercross – Check out TransWorld Motocross’ coverage of San Diego Supercross, where Davi Millsaps pulled off his first victory in nearly 2 years. The boys at TWMX were also nice enough to put together a gallery of the ladies of San Diego Supercross for those of us who didn’t want to sit in the rain, unfortunately it’s a pretty weak gallery. Where are the crowd shots? That’s where the hotties are. Anyway, I caught a bit of the coverage on Sunday morning and it wasn’t as muddy as I thought it would be and seemed to be a pretty good race in the final.

Local News: Thousands Visit Jade Buddha In Escondido – Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike descended upon the Phap Vuong Monastery in Escondido on Sunday to witness the unveiling of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, the largest Buddha ever carved from jade in the world. The statue is on the North American leg of its world tour. Monastery officials estimated that by 2 p.m., more than 10,000 visitors had participated in the event. The Buddha will be on display in Escondido through February 16th.

Local News: Animal Waste Used To Ward Off Protesters – An Oceanside animal hospital is using three large bins filled with animal feces set near the edge of its property to try to ward off labor-union members who have been picketing the place for months because the hospital used a nonunion contractor in some of its construction work. “We put it out there every day to discourage them,” said Lisa Hamilton, administrator of Mission Animal and Bird Hospital on Benet Road at Highway 76. She declined to discuss the matter further, saying inquiries were being handled by veterinarian Robert Cartin. “It smells awful,” said Abraham Bustamante of Carpenters Local 1506, pointing out the bins on Friday. Bustamante said the odor is so bad, particularly on warm days, that picketers often wear masks to filter the air they breathe.

Local News: Drunk Driver In Encinitas Rams Sheriff’s Deputy – A suspected drunken driver crashed into the back of a Sheriff’s patrol car late Sunday night in Cardiff, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy Steve Johnson had stopped at the intersection of South Coast Highway 101 and Chesterfield Drive when the crash occurred, said Sgt. William Dreyer. The deputy was taken to Scripps Encinitas Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and was later released. The driver of the car, Troy Otillio, 44, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, Dreyer said. Otillio was not injured in the crash, the sergeant said.

Olympic Athletes Confused By Social Networking Guidelines – There are some restrictions on what athletes can do online during the Olympics. According to the IOC Blogging Guidelines for the 2010 Games, athletes and other accredited people must keep their posts confined to their personal experiences. “You can’t act as a journalist if you aren’t,” says Condron. “You need to do things in a first person way.” Rule 49 of the Olympic Charter says that “Only those persons accredited as media may act as journalists, reporters or in any other media capacity.” The other most significant restriction on athletes posts is a ban on references to sponsors or advertisers who aren’t official Olympic partners. – I used to enjoy watching the Olympics as a kid but after being exposed to all these guidelines set forth by the IOC, I’m growing to despise them. At work, we’re one of their media partners so we have to deal with some of their ridiculous guidelines.

Danica Adds Daytona To Nationwide Schedule, NASCAR Premiere – JR Motorsports’ general manager Kelley Earnhardt has announced Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR and Nationwide series premiere this weekend at Daytona. Patrick, the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race, had considered not competing at Daytona because of the uniqueness of restrictor-plate racing and also the number of Sprint Cup drivers in the event. But having survived a spin and moving from the back of the pack to near the front during the ARCA race, Patrick felt as if she progressed enough to make her NASCAR debut on NASCAR’s biggest stage a day before the Daytona 500. “The ARCA race was a blast, and I’m not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing,” Patrick said.

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By Swasted, February 3, 2010 9:51 am

Escondido’s Ricky Seale Going To Stanford – According to the North County Times, Escondido High football coach Paul Gomes confirmed on Wednesday that star running back Ricky Seale, a Rivals.com 4-star RB CB recruit, will sign a letter of intend with Stanford. The son of former San Diego Chargers DB Sammy Seale holds the CIF San Diego Section career rushing mark with 6,635 yards. As a senior in 2009, Ricky rushed for 2,419 yards and averaged 8.2 yards per carry. Seale had also received offers from Arizona, Cal, San Diego St., Washington and Washington St. Seale measures out at 5′ 9″, 180 lbs and 4.4 in the 40.

Plan To Move Beach Break Hits Snag – “Sorry South Oceanside. We gave it our best but the banks don’t share our vision,” is the message Zell and Gary Dwelley posted on a sign at the site of what was to have been the new home of one of the city’s most popular restaurants. The Dwelleys said their plans to relocate the venerable Beach Break Cafe were crushed last week when they got word from Wells Fargo Bank that the loan they counted on wouldn’t come through on terms they could afford. Standing outside his restaurant, Gary Dwelley said he wanted to move the Beach Break from its 1902 S. Coast Highway location because the restaurant is always jammed with seating for about 55 people inside and 20 at outdoor sidewalk tables. The new Beach Break would have been big enough for 85 to 90 people inside and about 30 on an outside patio.

More Than $1-Million Worth Of Cocaine Seized – Two men were arrested in separate smuggling attempts over the weekend after Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 5 checkpoint near Camp Pendleton discovered more than $1 million worth of cocaine hidden in vehicles. The first seizure happened about 9:30 a.m. Saturday when agents stopped a Toyota Tercel driven by an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, Border Patrol officials said. A drug dog alerted agents to possible contraband and they discovered 15 bundles of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment in the gas tank. The 39 pounds of cocaine was valued at $392,000. Around 7:15 p.m., a drug dog picked up a scent on a Ford F-250 pickup driven by a 44-year-old Mexican man. Agents found 28 packages of cocaine, valued at $713,000, stuffed inside a spare tire.

Museums Offer Half-Price Admission In February – Visitors to 39 San Diego County museums and attractions can get half-price admission throughout February in conjunction with “Museum Month.” To get the discounted admission, participants must first pick up a “Museum Month Pass” at any Macy’s location in San Diego County. The pass is good for half-price admission for the holder and up to three guests.

Among the participating museums and attractions are the Birch Aquarium, Maritime Museum of San Diego, Mingei Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego Museum of Man, USS Midway Museum and Quail Botanical Gardens. A full list is available at www.sandiegomuseumcouncil.org

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By Logert, January 31, 2010 12:00 pm

Escondido’s performing arts center might become a conglomeration of government offices and retail businesses if city officials follow through on a budget-cutting plan that would shut down the financially struggling facility, but such proposals face a wide variety of hurdles. City officials last week suggested that huge budget deficits might force them to close the arts center and several other city amenities, including a library branch and some parks. They said the arts center might stay open on a limited basis, but the possibility of completely boarding up the center, which receives $1.9 million annually from the city, has also been discussed. – More

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By Swasted, January 22, 2010 10:12 am

North County Times Blowing It, Again – It’s pretty funny what passes as journalism these days. The North County Times posted an alert about a dangerous burglary suspect on the loose in the Escondido area. The suspect is known to carry weapons and is considered armed and dangerous. Rossman Ortega, is described as a 27-year-old Latino man with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighs about 150 pounds. Great description, how about a picture? Hmmm, there must not be one available. So I did a quick Google search for Rossman Ortega came up a San Diego Sheriff’s press release of his crimes, complete with a mugshot.

Taco Bell Founder Dies – Glen Bell, the man who introduced Mexican cuisine to mainstream America with Taco Bell restaurants, died in his Rancho Santa Fe home Sunday. He was 86. Bell was shy and didn’t reveal who he was when visiting local fast-food restaurants, Baldwin said. “There’s a Taco Bell in Escondido he liked to go to,” she said. – He used to always go to the Taco Bell on Escondido Blvd by the DMV. I went there with my dad years ago and some lady by us pointed him out to us. Not sure why he picked that one, it always seemed like a shit hole to me.

Headley Excited to Return to 3B – After a trade that sent Kevin Kouzmanoff to Oakland, Chase Headley will be returning to third base for the 2010 season. Last year, Headley had the opportunity to play 17 straight games at third base when Kouzmanoff was injured, a span in which Headley hit .303 with a homer and 10 RBIs. “When Kouz was banged up and I started to play over there consistently, after a week I was starting to feel good,” Headley said. “It’s a very reactionary position. There’s just a lot more going on, and it’s easier to be locked in. It’s not to say I couldn’t stay focused, but a lot of the time in the outfield you’re standing around for eight innings without a ball coming your way and you have time to pore over what you did wrong.”

USA Today Padres Team Report – Fifteen players made their major league debuts with the Padres last season, and 19 qualified as rookies. Most of the top prospects at Class AAA Portland finished the season with the Padres. San Diego finished the season with the youngest roster in the major leagues. It also finished on a 37-25 run. The future no longer looks bleak.

Spring Training Around the Corner – A complete list of 2010 Major League Baseball spring training reporting dates for all MLB teams. Key Dates for the Padres: Pitchers & Catchers Report – 02/18/10, First Workout – 02/19/10, Position Players - 02/24/10, First Full Workout – 02/25/10

FCC Ruling May Let More Cox Rivals Carry Padres – Hey Ryan, it looks like you’ll be able to keep that AT&T cable you love so much. Federal regulators Wednesday voted to end the “terrestrial loophole” that allowed Cox Communications to have exclusive rights to San Diego Padres games, opening the door for rivals such as AT&T and DirecTV to eventually add the games to their channel lineups. The Federal Communications Commission voted 4-1 to close the loophole, which allowed Cox in San Diego and other cable operations elsewhere to withhold local sports programming from competitors.

Jets Online Shop Taking Pre-Orders For AFC Champs Gear – Via Deadspin.com, the NY Jets online shop has started taking pre-orders for AFC Champions gear. Someone should’ve told them that they’ll need to roll into Indy and beat Peyton and Co. first. They’ve since taken it all down and replaced it with, “Win and We’re In” gear.

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By Swasted, January 13, 2010 2:45 pm

The NC Times confirmed what many of us old school Escondido residents already knew, the speed limit on Centre City Parkway is 65 MPH. To prevent the parkway from becoming a dangerous racetrack through the center of town, they have chosen not to post speed limit signs on the four-lane road, which runs from just north of the Westfield mall to the city’s northern limit. “When you post a speed limit, people tend to drive that speed or a little above,” said Ed Domingue, the city’s director of engineering services. “The last thing we’d want to do is post it at 65 mph.” The city’s decision to leave the eight-mile parkway barren of speed limit signs has been vindicated by drivers, who typically travel about 40 mph, Domingue said Tuesday. – NCTimes.com

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By Logert, January 12, 2010 2:56 pm

The Jumping Turtle Restaurant and Grill’s owners on Monday appealed a Dec. 31 ruling that upheld San Marcos’ decision to revoke the business’ entertainment permit, paving the way for the matter to go to the City Council.
The Jumping Turtle can continue hosting live music shows pending the council hearing’s outcome, she said.
The business attracted little city attention until last May, when San Marcos officials added new restrictions to The Jumping Turtle’s entertainment permit.
The new rules limit the business to two live shows per week, restrict it from charging a cover fee, and ban people under 21 from the premises when alcohol is being served and a band is playing, among other things.
City officials have said underage drinking, noise and other problems at the establishment led to the stricter rules – allegations that Hall and Mouradian say are untrue or exaggerated. – More Turtle

**UPDATE** – Check out the Jumping Turtle vs. City of San Marcos

2/3/10 – The Jumping Turtle Bar and Grill and its owners filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday that accuses San Marcos of harassment, deprivation of civil rights and other harmful actions and seeks injunctions to stop them, the business’ attorney said Wednesday.

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By Steve, January 8, 2010 8:46 am

The hum at Escondido’s legendary Del’s Barber Shop didn’t come from clippers yesterday but from a film crew shooting a Miller High Life commercial.

The four-chair barbershop on South Escondido Boulevard could end up in television ads — speculation is it may appear on Super Bowl Sunday — for the beer that markets itself to regular folk, which seems fitting for the 50-year-old community fixture.

Del’s, you see, is down-home America. It’s where generations of gentlemen have gotten their first, and last, haircuts and paid at a 1955 cash register.

“It’s like the old Mayberry,” said Escondido police Officer Jeff Seltmann, who happened to pass by the filming.

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By Swasted, January 5, 2010 4:00 pm

adidas and FIFA Unveil World Cup Ball – Yesterday adidas and FIFA unveiled its Jabulani ball, the Official Match Ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Comprising only eight, completely new, thermally bonded 3-D panels, which for the first time are spherically moulded, the Jabulani is perfectly round and even more accurate than any ball ever before. The newly developed “Grip’n’Groove” profile provides the best players in the world with a ball allowing an exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions. – Full Story

[View with PicLens]

Vote For the Chargers Fan to Attend Super Bowl – Via GasLampBall.com, a member of the Pad Squad, Amanda Cameron, is in the running to represent the fans of San Diego at the Super Bowl next month. She’s currently in 3rd place, vote for her now here!

Jed Hoyer Interview - In this interview with Coach John Kentera, Hoyer says the Padres need to sign a utility guy who can play shortstop and confirmed Khalil is a name that could be on that list. – Audio

Kevin Towers & Jed Hoyer – Transaction History Since ‘95 - Downloadable .XLS File

North County Transit District to Consider Naming Rights Proposal – I think we need to throw a fundraising party so we can raise some dough to rename the Nordahl Sprinter stop to Good Time City. – NCTimes.com

Late Holiday Greeting From Erica Hosseini – Pro surfer and Body Glove rider Erica Hosseini took some time off from igniting the Weekly Grind for Ball Park, to wish all of you Happy Holidays…yes, please!

The video is on auto-start but you can check it after the jump… Erica Hosseini Video