Roosevelt Middle School returns to its glory days
Scores outstanding gains in academic work and dramatic improvement in student attitudes By Sandy Pasqua When Carmen Garcia became principal at Roosevelt Middle School three years ago, she slid effortlessly into a role launched by her predecessor, Julie Martell, of leading the school into an exciting new direction. She enthusiastically agreed to guide the school [...]
Residents push protest against liquor licenses while shop owner makes the case for change
By Ruby Couglar Kathleen Mckaveney isn’t a newcomer to North Park. Her father opened his Pacific Drapery shop at the corner of North Park Way and 30th Street in 1977, she took over 14 years ago and bought the building in 2000. McKaveney has six employees who have worked for her family an average of [...]
The Boulevard’s Lafayette Hotel to get $4 million renovation
By Manny Cruz The owner of the historic, 64-year-old Lafayette Hotel, an icon on El Cajon Boulevard since 1946, has been granted a $2.44 million loan by the city of San Diego Redevelopment Agency to help pay for a major rehabilitation of the property. The loan funds will be used to renovate the historic main [...]
Online news sites come of age in the new world of journalism
By Andrea Siedsma As American newspapers become casualties of a fickle economy, new digital media has begun to transform the way news and information is delivered to the masses. Newspapers are by no means a dead industry (at least not yet) but there is a new crop of kids on the block who are making [...]
Scene 2.10
Motorists and pedestrians along El Cajon Boulevard can get a good look at a stunning mural on the eastern façade of the historic Bekin building — a work of art by Werc Alvarez and Geraldine Lozano that is a visual representation of Historic Highway 80, the first transcontinental highway from the Tybee Island of Georgia [...]
The sweet (and successful) life of Afton Miller, neighborhood real estate pro
By Donna Marganella “I came to San Diego on a gamble,” says Afton Miller. That was back in 1984 and the gamble has obviously paid off. A veritable institution in central San Diego real estate circles, Miller is now at the center of the Afton Group, a team of real estate professionals long on experience [...]
Culture Shock Dance Troupe Founder is a North Park bunch of energy
By Jennifer Kester Come upon Angie Bunch as she walks around North Park, and you’re less likely to think the blond, pixieish 50-year-old is a major hip-hop force than a diligent working mom running between stops in a busy schedule. But Bunch is a hip-hop pioneer, founding Culture Shock Dance Troupes, one of the few [...]
North Park dining spots offer Valentine’s Day and monthly specials
Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday, Feb. 14, but it’s also the start of the Lunar New Year (The Year of the Tiger), making it a doubly auspicious day to celebrate. A handful of North Park dining establishments are doing just that — either with Valentine’s Day specials or by promoting some of their best menu [...]
Providing for loved ones with special needs
By William Keesling If you’re caring for someone with special needs, you know how important it is to prepare for the future and the possibility that, one day, you may no longer be able to provide the care this person’s needs. Providing for someone with special needs involves preparing for the long-term needs of a [...]
Music Scene 2.10
By Bart Mendoza There are few San Diego-connected musicians as influential on a worldwide level as the members of The Nashville Ramblers, who appear in a reunion homecoming show at The Tower Bar on Feb. 5, 9 p.m. Led by Carl Rusk (guitar), with Ron Silva (drums) and Tom Ward (bass), the three have spent [...]
