July 2016

“Is the City Hard of Hearing or Just Slow?” – Residents Urged to Turn Out for Peninsula Planners Meeting on Showdown With City Over Height Limit “Loopholes”

July 20, 2016 by Source
Thumbnail image for “Is the City Hard of Hearing or Just Slow?” – Residents Urged to Turn Out for Peninsula Planners Meeting on Showdown With City Over Height Limit “Loopholes”

By Jon Linney

Is the City hard of hearing or just slow?

Four-story duplexes going up in the three-story zone of the Roseville neighborhood at Emerson and Evergreen created almost universal community outrage.

Citizens turned out to protest. TV stations, social media and print publications such as the OB Rag, The Reader and The Beacon took note.

Community advocates such as Elisa Brent, Babita Souza and this writer – organized a Town Hall meeting on June 27. Some 250 people attended and donated a third of the money necessary for a legal campaign in just five minutes.

The mayor heard. Kevin Faulconer issued a stop-work order on the project the very next day.

But that wasn’t enough, the broader issue of all the other potential height violations remained unaddressed.

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Police Cameras Being Installed in Ocean Beach

July 19, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

OB camera worker 7-14-16
The police surveillance cameras are being installed in Ocean Beach. And more than was originally planned.

CBS News8 reported that :

Monday evening, crews were seen making adjustments to the cameras where there is one, two or three cameras mounted to light poles or a lifeguard tower.

The original plan was 10 cameras but 12 were counted between Dog Beach and the Ocean Beach Pier and pointed in the parking lot or beach.

Photographer Adam Ewing stated on facebook:

The new cameras are going up. Looks like they’re starting at the Pier parking lot. If someone sees them installing the rest along the beach all the way down to dog beach.

Councilwoman Lori Zapf’s Communications Director, Donna Cleary, told the media that a news conference is planned for this week.

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News From Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Mid-July 2016

July 19, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

OB ACE wall side beach 7-16-16

* PB Skateboarder Not Expected to Survive After Being Struck Monday Night
* Woman says she was roofied, left paralyzed after drinking at Ocean Beach bar
* How to Protect Yourself From Date Rape Drug
* Pregnant Woman and Baby Injured in Car Crash
* Naked Man Arrested
* Navy pipeline project progressing to completion in 2017
* Kevin Gormly Loses Battle to Cancer
* Chichiuaua Dies at Dog Beach – Victim’s Owner Wants Changes

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Possible 6th Victim of Attacks on Homeless Has Emerged – He Survived

July 19, 2016 by Staff
Thumbnail image for Possible 6th Victim of Attacks on Homeless Has Emerged – He Survived

A possible sixth victim in the series of attacks on homeless men has emerged from the shadows.

Phillip Petrina says he was attacked by an unknown assailant with a rock while sleeping and he says the man who attacked him is the same man arrested by police for the murders and attacks recently.

It happened on July 7th, he said, right in the middle of the serial attacks.

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Immigration Tips And Terms From A To Z

July 19, 2016 by Source
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Editor: With all the talk about immigration by politicians these days, it’s difficult to tell whether they know what they’re talking about. Here, immigration lawyer Carlos Batara lays it all out, A to Z with tips and terms.

By Carlos Batara

1. Immigration Tips And Terms A To Z is the knowledge gained after decades of practice here in San Diego and Riverside Counties.

2. Asylum is the protection granted by a nation to an immigrant who has left their native country as a refugee. To qualify for asylum, individuals must prove they have a legitimate fear of persecution in their home country based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

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Son of Local Ocean Beach Homeless Man Who Died Christmas Day Qualifies for the Olympics

July 19, 2016 by Source
Thumbnail image for Son of Local Ocean Beach Homeless Man Who Died Christmas Day Qualifies for the Olympics

Editor: With so many terrible stories involving San Diego’s homeless lately, here is something different. Earlier this year, writers Vera Sanchez and Sunny Rey had covered a story on Craig Miller, a homeless man who lived in the streets of OB but who died on Christmas Day. They recently found out that his son, Cody Miller, qualified for the Olympics in swimming. Here is that story.

By Vera Sanchez and Sunny Rey

It is a kid’s dream to stand on an Olympic podium and have their nation’s flag wave high as he smiles at his family. Cody Miller, of Billings, Montana, qualified on June 27th for the Men’s 100m Breaststroke coming from behind to secure his spot on the Olympic swim team. This year’s games will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil beginning August 5th, 2016. The road for Cody did not come easy. Cody was born with Pectus Excavatum, also known as a sunken or funnel chest.

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Today, July 19th – San Diego City Council Will Vote on Plastic Bag Ban

July 19, 2016 by Source
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If Ordinance Passes, San Diego Will Become 150th Jurisdiction in California Covered by Ban

Most of Following From Surfrider Foundation

Today at 2pm – July 19th – the San Diego City Council will vote on their Single-Use Carryout Bag Reduction Ordinance, or “bag ban”.

This will happen at 2 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall, 202 C St, 12th Floor, San Diego CA 92101. Activists from Surfrider San Diego are urging caring San Diegans to attend this hearing.

If the ordinance passes, San Diego will become the 150th jurisdiction in the state of California to be covered by a ban.

In the City of San Diego, 700 million plastic carryout bags are distributed each year and less than 3% are recycled. This ordinance will remove 665 million plastic carryout bags from distribution and San Diego will take a huge step in reducing plastic pollution at its source and ultimately protecting our ocean and beaches.

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Status of New Breweries on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach

July 18, 2016 by Frank Gormlie
Thumbnail image for Status of New Breweries on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach

Here’s a real brief update on the status of all the new and in-coming breweries on or very near Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach.

There’s really 5 new brew places – and so far only one is actually a “brewery” where beer is brewed on site. The rest are or will be “beer-tasting rooms”.

The first new brew taster on OB’s main drag is “Culture Brewing Co.” right next to OB Warehouse in the 4800 block of Newport. Cultures has definitely established itself, serving quality beer with little overhead in terms of furniture. Any week night, there’s plenty of folks enjoying themselves.

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Amazing Response to OB Rag Funding Appeal: Week’s Goal of $1,000 Surpassed in 3 Days

July 18, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

ben franklin press 2

It’s been an amazing 3 days for the OB Rag!

We have now raised $1,200 since Friday morning, July 15th – so in just 3 days, we have surpassed our week’s goal of $1,000. Wow! The out-pouring of support and sense of sponsorship among our readers and fans has been humbling and inspiring all at once. And there’s a definite sense of relief.

Many of the contributions have flowed in from our OB readers. Thanks so much, everyone. We’ll keep the campaign going the rest of the week, of course, …

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The Spaces We Live In – 2016 Summer Chronicle 5

July 18, 2016 by Jim Miller

houseBy Jim Miller

Where we live is who we are. Surely, the country, state, city, and neighborhoods we occupy profoundly shape us, but does not the house craft our being in the most intimate of ways?

Gaston Bachelard observes in The Poetics of Space:

“For our house is our corner of the world. As has often been said, it is our first universe, a real cosmos in every sense of the word.”

Hence, the kind of space we choose to live in has a particularly profound impact on our identity. Bachelard again notes,

“Thus the dream house must possess every virtue. However spacious, it must also be a cottage, a dove-cote, a nest, a chrysalis. Intimacy needs the heart of a nest.”

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General Dynamics, Once a San Diego Mainstay, Now Dearly Departed

July 18, 2016 by John Lawrence

The following article appeared in the 1969 print edition of the San Diego Free Press. It has been transcribed from the microfilm at the San Diego Public Library.

By John Lawrence

General DynamicsAs Frank Pace says in the Foreward to Dynamic America: A History of the General Dynamics Corporation by John Niven:

“In 1960, ours is the most powerful of nations, intimately involved in all the earth’s daily business, the major bulwark against communism and so most threatened.

From these times to the present, during our growth, from an insular agrarian society to the world’s political and industrial leader, the position of the United States in world politics has determined, almost exclusively, the flow of product research and development from General Dynamics.“

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Keep the “Conscience of Ocean Beach” – the OB Rag – Going

July 15, 2016 by Staff

OB Rag cover 7-14-16

It’s Our Summer Funding Appeal!

Michael Turko – of Turko Files – once called the OB Rag “the conscience of OB“. We love that moniker and wear it with pride.

But you know what? We’re broke. And we need help right away to keep going.

Even with our shoe-string budget, we do have costs – and occasionally we pay our writers – but right now we have practically run out of operating funds and must turn, as we do once in a while, to our readers, fans and supporters to help us ‘keep it all goin”.

At this point in the middle of July we have to steer our efforts away from being the online citizen journal for Ocean Beach and Point Loma and focus instead on fund-raising.

There’s a whole bunch of posts and articles in the works … like :

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Suspect Arrested Friday After 2 More Attacks on Homeless Men

July 15, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

From abc10News:

A man was detained and was being questioned in connection with an assault on homeless man in Golden Hill early Friday morning that investigators believe is linked to four other brutal attacks earlier this month that left three men dead and a fourth gravely injured.

Shortly before 4:30 a.m., a 55-year-old man was beaten while asleep in the area of 19th and C streets. San Diego police officers responded and found the bloodied victim with significant trauma to his torso, San Diego police Capt. Dave Nisleit told reporters in a morning briefing.

He was transported to a local hospital but is expected to survive.

A little before 5:45 a.m., a man was taken into custody in the area of Laurel and Brant streets in Bankers Hill. Nisleit confirmed the detained man was being questioned in connection with the attack. His name was not disclosed.

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Another New Brewery Coming to Newport Avenue Area

July 14, 2016 by Frank Gormlie
Thumbnail image for Another New Brewery Coming to Newport Avenue Area

Kilowatt Brewing on Cable Could Open by the Fall

There’s another brewery – or rather, beer-tasting room – coming to the Newport Avenue area of Ocean Beach.

This will make the 4th beer place on or right off Newport Avenue either having just opened recently or in the works.

Chris Calva and his partners will be opening Kilowatt Brewing in the former motorcycle shop (former skate and surf shop) at 1875 Cable Street, next to the alley, and next door to the tire shop.

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O’Bistro’s on Voltaire in Ocean Beach Has Closed and Is Moving

July 14, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

OB OBistro Truck

Popular Voltaire Eatery Had Faced Stiff Rent Increase

A popular restaurant on the 4900 block of Voltaire Street in Ocean Beach, O’Bistro’s, has closed and is moving – probably over to the bay side of the Peninsula.

It was quite a shock when I heard about it. Their Euro-beach cuisine was a favorite of good friends and north OB will certainly lose one of its more high-end eateries.

I caught John – one of the owners – on a lunch break while packing up in the interior of the now-closed establishment at 4934 Voltaire. Chairs stood on tables, boxes were taking over the floors, and the moving truck stood close by. After expressing my condolences, he reassured me they will be opening up again probably close to Rosecrans, over the hill from OB.

The rumor that O’Bistro had been hit with a rent increase was true, it turned out. John explained the background.

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The San Diego Convadium – Part 3

July 14, 2016 by John Lawrence

By John Lawrence

Part 1: 110 Pages of Gobbledygook
Part 2: Lipstick on a Pig

Section 35.0109 Additional Tax Imposed

Charger's ConvadiumThe Chargers want the City to create a separate Fund, the Convention Center Expansion and Stadium Fund, which will borrow money from Wall Street in the form of Bonds and be firewalled off from the City’s General Fund. So it’s like a separate entity for which the City is not responsible at all, but the City has to create it.

The BIG question is, “Will Wall Street go along with this?” The monies flowing into this fund come solely from an increase in the Tax On Transiency (TOT) of 4% (or is it 6% as stated in the proposal?).

If these monies aren’t sufficient to make the payments on the $1.15 billion in bonds that this “entity” (not the City, mind you) is responsible for, then what happens? Who’s left holding the bag?

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It’s Not Just Dog Owners Who Want to Keep Fiesta Island ‘Wild’

July 13, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

Fiesta Island googmap

By Frank Gormlie

Perhaps you’ve been too busy with summer to notice, but there’s been a ‘quiet’ debate going on recently in certain circles – including the op-ed pages of the San Diego Union-Tribune – over the future of Fiesta Island.

Fiesta Island – you know that flat and sandy piece of land that juts out into Mission Bay – it’s not really an island as it’s connected with the rest of San Diego by a narrow land bridge with an asphalt road – where people bike, do day-camps on the sand, water or jet-ski, or take their horses, have fires in the firepits, – oh, and who take their dogs to the great off-leash area on the Island.

The land of Island Fiesta itself is what’s left from all the sludge dredged up during the 1950’s development of Mission Bay Park.

There’s been for years an ongoing debate between dog owners who have formed a group Fiesta Island Dog Owners (FIDO) and others who want to see Fiesta Island developed with “improvements”. And the now the debate is ramping up ….

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Homeless Man Attacked With Hammer in Downtown San Diego Wed. Morning

July 13, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

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A homeless man was brazenly attacked with a hammer Wednesday morning, July 13th, around 6 a.m. in downtown San Diego.

The victim was walking on the sidewalk when a stranger ran up to him and hit him on the head with a hammer and then took off. This happened at 10th Ave. and G Street in the East Village.

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How I Learned to Keep the Peace at a Hippie Festival With No Rules

July 13, 2016 by Source

Rainbow gathering livia gershon

When 10,000 people camp out together at the Rainbow Gathering, staying groovy can be a challenge.

by Livia Gershon / Atlas Obscura / July 11, 2016

When I wandered into an internet forum for members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light and started asking about going to their long-running national gathering, the responses were friendly, but a little unnerving. In the midst of a series of messages about Rainbow etiquette, one person briefly noted that “some bad things have a potential 2 happen. If ya ever have trouble just yell ‘shanti sena’, & some help will be on the way.”

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Did You Get Your Invite to the Rancho Santa Fe Trump “Victory” Fundraiser?

July 12, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

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Hey, did you receive your big invite to the really big Donald Trump “Victory” fundraiser? No?

It’s only $25,000 a seat.

It’s over in Rancho Santa Fe – Wednesday, July 13th – at some private homes, and it’s being chaired by Jenny Craig, Geniya and Papa Doug Manchester and other bigwigs apparently in the Trump column.

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Bernie Endorses Hillary

July 12, 2016 by Staff

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders stand together during a campaign rally where Sanders endorsed Clinton in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S., July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder - TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

“Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.” – Sen. Bernie Sanders

Today, Tuesday July 12th, Sen. Bernie Sanders has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

At a rally in New Hampshire, Sanders said:

“Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process, and I congratulate her for that.

She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States.”

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Artificial Turf Wars

July 12, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

artificial turf online pet

Some parents at Silver Gate Elementary School in Point Loma are leading an uphill battle against artificial turf that is supposed to be installed on the school’s playing field next Fall. And other beach area activists have been fighting the artificial turf wars for a few years now.

Writer Ashly McGlone, in a fairly exhaustive piece in Voice of San Diego published June 27th, captured the highlights of one of those battles in describing efforts of some parents at Silver Gate.

McGlone focused on Point Loma resident Erika Lundeen, who became concerned to hear that the school her kids attend, Silver Gate, was getting a new artificial turf field called “crumb rubber”.

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“The best biscuits I’ve ever had – and they’re right here in Ocean Beach”

July 12, 2016 by Source
Thumbnail image for “The best biscuits I’ve ever had – and they’re right here in Ocean Beach”

OB Local Emery Renner Wins Praise for his Culinary Delights

By South OB Girl

In June at the First Responders Appreciation BBQ an ambitious young college student by the name of Emery Renner was handing out his resume looking for a summer job.

I was sitting at the table of attendees that he handed his resume to and we began to ask him some questions — What was he studying? Where was he going to school? What year in school was he? What sort of job was he looking for? What were his interests?

His answers were impressive – he is majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance at San Francisco State University. He likes to play music, read, write, swim, camp, and walk his dogs.
And bake biscuits.

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Barrios Against STAdiums! to Protest Chargers Pro-Stadium Speakers

July 12, 2016 by Brent Beltran

stadium

By Brent Beltran

On Friday, July 15 from 11:30am to 1pm the San Diego Chargers will be bringing their pro-East Village stadium campaign to Barrio Logan for the Family Health Center’s Spirit of the Barrio luncheon.

B.A.STA!, Barrios Against STAdiums!, will be outside the event holding a silent protest with signs and banners opposing the Chargers efforts to build a stadium one block from Barrio Logan. A press conference will also take place.

Barrio Logan is undergoing a transition due to land speculators buying properties ,,,

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Anti-Parks Caucus Seeks to Remove Protections for Public Lands

July 12, 2016 by Source

Parks

How Republicans Celebrate the National Park Service’s 100th Anniversary

By Susan Grigsby / Daily Kos

In 2015, the two million annual visitors to California’s Joshua Tree National Park spent almost $97 million in the surrounding communities.

Those same visitors created 1,341 job,s which had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $128 million, according to an April 21, 2016 statement from the National Park Service.

And still, knowing how much his constituents rely on the existence of a National Park within his congressional district, Republican Rep. Paul Cook has done everything within his power to hinder any growth of the Park Service, which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in August.

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Suspect in Homeless Killings Released from Custody – No Charges Filed

July 11, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

homeless attacks Lt Nisleit 7-11-16

In a stunning turnaround, the man police had arrested as the suspect in the killings of 3 homeless men and the attack on a 4th, has been released from custody and has had no charges filed against him.

At a 3 pm news conference today – Monday – police explained that they did not feel confident in the evidence they had against Anthony Padgett, the man police had arrested last Thursday, July 7th on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and arson.

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Updates on Major Stories from OB, San Diego, the Nation

July 11, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

Here is a series of updates on major stories that have enveloped those of us who have paying attention:

3rd Victim Dies from Series of Attacks on Homeless – Suspect Is Now an Alleged “Serial Killer”

Another victim of the vicious attacks on San Diego’s homeless has died. Dionico Derek Vahidy, 23, died at a San Diego hospital just before 1 p.m. Sunday.

Sunset Cliffs Are Still Dangerous

Coming less than a week after a man fell to his death off Sunset Cliffs, a woman on Sunday afternoon, July 10th, was found at the bottom of the cliffs and had to be air-lifted by helicopter off the beach. Lifeguards and other first responders had to climb down the cliffs to get to the as yet unidentified person and administered CPR.

Her condition is not known. And authorities haven’t figured out yet whether she fell from the top or was climbing up. This occurred in 800 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. abc10

Black Lives Matter Supporters Marched in San Diego on Sunday

If you were in downtown San Diego on Sunday, July 10th, you could very well have seen or heard Black Lives Matter supporters marching around Petco Park. Nearly a hundred people held a rally …

Protests Continue Nation-Wide

COME INSIDE FOR DETAILS …

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Bush League Nation – 2016 Summer Chronicles 4

July 11, 2016 by Jim Miller

The Modesto Nuts. Now THAT's baseball!

By Jim Miller

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is in San Diego and despite the glaring lack of Padres on the team, many local and visiting fans will be taking in the pricey spectacle in all its corporate glory (confession: I will be there). With a huge Fan Fest, the Home Run Derby and the main event itself, San Diego will be baseball central for the week, at least on paper.

But if you really want to get to the heart of the game, I suggest you go bush league.

One of my favorite places to see a baseball game is in Arcata, California up in the Redwood Empire where the Humboldt Crabs have played in the same collegiate summer league since 1945.

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Locals Help Displaced Homeless People During the All Stars Game – a Call for Volunteers

July 11, 2016 by Staff

City Cracks Down on Homeless While Most of San Diego Stands by Silently

By Jeeni Criscenzo

Photo by Adam Jones, Ph.D. - Global Photo Archive This is what happens when those in authority disparage a particular group of people.

Whether they mean to or not, their public expressions of contempt and disrespect give permission, and even encouragement, to those looking for an excuse to manifest their anger and hatred in violent actions against the most vulnerable.

I predict that future history books will call this the Trump Effect.

Every Monday our City sends out a team of a half dozen squad cards, sanitation vehicles, fire engines and ambulances to uproot our poorest neighbors.

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America at Crossroads: Time to Act Before Spiral of Racial Violence Increases

July 8, 2016 by Frank Gormlie

American flag upside down

Words are difficult to come by today in trying to describe what has just happened, and where we, as a city, as a country, as a nation, are right now.

What we have collectively experienced – as a nation – over the last 3 days – is very difficult to digest. Other stories, other tasks fall by the wayside as irrelevant and inappropriate.

We’re filled with sorrow from all the shootings, killings, and violence that we as a society have experienced just recently.

Dallas, of course, where so much blood was spilled last night, but also St. Paul, Minnesota, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana – and also right here in San Diego where we just went through a horrible period of nearly a week with the vicious attacks by a serial killer of homeless men.

There is also a sense of relief – relief that there was only one shooter in Dallas and he is no longer a threat as he was killed by a police bomb.

Relief because the suspected serial killer right here in San Diego has been caught.

Yet, there is heart-break and there is anguish.

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