Nati’s Changes Owners and Will Re-Model
Julie Stalmer wrote in a Dec. 14th San Diego Reader piece about how Nati’s is getting new owners and will close to re-model. The restaurant will stay, Stalmer reported:
… Nati’s owners Dennis Kerr and Marilyn Thomas were calling it quits after more than 50 years in the restaurant business. Both Kerr and Thomas started out as teenagers working at Nati’s at a time when Ocean Beach could be accurately described as a sleepy little beach town. Kerr was quoted in the press release, saying, “It is our understanding that the business will close for about a month for some much-needed renovation and updating. Thereafter the refreshed Nati’s will reopen with the original staff and serve the consistent, Sinaloan Style Mexican food that has made it a local’s favorite for the past nearly 60 years.”
This Is 4th Fatal Shooting for Police Officer Who Shot Point Loma Suspect
Th San Diego police officer who killed an armed burglar inside a Point Loma home on Sunday Dec. 10th, has fatally shot three other men in the past four years. Officer Richard Butera shot Kyle Zahacefski, 24, of Connecticut, who threatened officers by advancing on them with a knife, a homicide investigator said. Butera fired his AR-15 rifle and a second officer fired a beanbag round. See San Diego Union-Tribune
Photo by Adam Ewing
West Point Loma Blvd Fresh Paint and Strips
Looks like West Pt Loma Blvd finally got its fresh paint and striping.
Former OBcean Marc Snelling Begins Newspaper Column in Ottawa
Marc is a writer-activist based in the Carlington neighborhood of Ottawa. He has an OSSD from ADHS, and a “PhD in Life” from the “University of Ocean Beach”. He’ll be writing a column called Sneller Says. After growing up in the Burntlands, he went on to live in Kingston, San Diego, Seattle, and Albuquerque, before returning to Ottawa. He became involved in grassroots political writing and organizing in San Diego County California, writing for independent papers the OB Rag and Indian Voices. His involvement in local planning issues includes serving in chair and secretary roles for the Ocean Beach Planning Board and Carlington Community Association. When not being a writer or an organizer he is an IT consultant and a father. He can sometimes be found around town with his mother and daughters. Marc is starting his reporting for the Millstone by contributing a series on local planning issues and his memories of growing up in Almonte. The Millstone
Big Fundraiser for OB Man Who Lost Arm in Boating Accident
Hundreds of people attended the 18th annual “Hot Cocoa for a Cure” event Saturday night to raise money for an Ocean Beach man who nearly lost his life in a boating accident. In August, Ron Schoors was tossed out of his boat and run over. The propeller severely injured his leg and his right arm, which eventually had to be amputated. He spent 10 days in a coma and has undergone at least eight surgeries. “I’m changed forever. I got a leg full of titanium. I’m going to have a carbon fiber arm,” Schoors said. Schoors said his medical bills have reached about $2 million and his prosthetic arm will cost about another $10,000. Fox5
Reckless Driver in Point Loma Leaves Trail of Damage
Neighbors in Point Loma are banding together to catch a man who nearly killed one of them and destroyed another’s car. They say driving reckless in any neighborhood is terrifying, but this one happens to be a place where many San Diegans go to look at Christmas lights with their families. “We always go up there as kids and down and there are people everywhere,” Shawn Babcock told 10News. It was Babcock’s car that was totaled and she says, she caught a glimpse of the car before it took off. “A maroon Chevy Silverado,” she said. “On probably 35-inch tires (with a) big lift.” A driver racing down Garrison Street smashed into her parked PT Cruiser. “Some crazy guy had just mowed my car down,” she said. “Had the car stuck on the bumper, backed up, and then pushed it 40 more feet.” There’s still a trail of glass on the street. … Babcock described the vehicle as a maroon-colored Chevy Silverado with 35-inch tires and a big lift. Neither she or Devries are sure if the driver was a man or a woman. If you know anything, call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. 10News
100 Years Ago Sub Rammed and Sunk with 19 Sailors Lost
One hundred years ago, on Dec. 17, 1917, Submarine F-1 sank about 15 miles west of the San Diego Harbor entrance after colliding with a sister submarine. Nineteen sailors lost their lives; the commander and four men on the bridge escaped. Details of the tragedy remained secret for almost 50 years. See San Diego Union-Tribune
Midway District Gets the Pie Joint
The recently opened Pie Joint aims to fix that around Point Loma’s Midway District. Originally a farmers market stand, the business opened a counter service restaurant last month, offering sweet and savory pies, either for on-site consumption or “take and bake” to-go orders. The Pie Joint at 3944 West Point Loma Blvd. Suite D-E, Point Loma, The Pie Joint opened in November. The savory pie choices were limited to four, including your standard chicken pot pie, steak and ale, and a cheesy potato and vegetable pie. The fourth sounded great — a chicken pot pie with bacon added —. San Diego Reader
Virtual Reality Games Come to OB
José, the owner of Xperience Virtual Reality in Ocean Beach (619-255-9271), offered everything from zombie-fighting games, to snowball fights, to traveling the world via Google Earth. Flying, shooting arrows, visiting Grandma’s house, fighting dragons, walking the plank…it’s all possible — virtually. Prices range from ten minutes for $5 to an hour for $27. “The smaller time-blocks let you play 3 games, but with the larger ones, you can play as many as you like — we have 11 right now. And it gives us more time to explain how it works, because there’s a slight learning curve for how to do this.” SD Reader
Vons Shoplifter Stabs Security Guard
A man attempting to shoplift from a Vons grocery store in San Diego’s Midway District Friday night Dec. 8, pulled out a knife and stabbed two security guards as they tried to stop the crime in progress. Just before 10:30 p.m., the suspect, now identified as Matthew Hoag, 22, tried to leave a Vons store located at 3651 Midway Dr. with stolen items. As Hoag exited, a security guard confronted him and a fight ensued, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said. A second security guard joined the struggle. Hoag pulled out a knife and cut one security guard’s finger and stabbed the other in the leg. Police said citizens in the store then detained the suspect until officers could arrive. One of those citizens was Mark Vargas, a retired corrections officer who used to work for the sheriff’s department. 7SanDiego
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Marc Snelling – we ‘member you. Glad to see you’re still kickin’; what are you writing about up in “Rottawa”?
“Rottawa” – that’s right, Marc was always talking about Rottawa. What ever happened to Devon, Marc’s wing man??
I know some people don’t like Natis but a lot of peeps do. Just don’t eat them beans, full of lard.
The OBRag has to call sister Judi out on that midway Pie Joint. Calling Judi!!! Go check it out dear.
So the cop who shot to death that kid had already shot 3 people dead. Some cops go their entire career without shooting anybody, never mind killing them, but this guy – holy cow! The other cop shot his taser – why couldln’t this cop? Wasn’t it obvious that the kid wanted SBC – suicide-by-cop?
1) Threw bricks at police car. That is assault on a police officer (if the brick connected with car- that was assault and battery).
2) Perp broke into someones house (when they were home – including a child) and grabbed knife.
3) Perp went towards officers with knife after repeated instructions to drop knife and stop.
Yeah- it’s the officers fault….
Sorry Christo- I totally disagree. The 911 call that was made referred to a young man that was suicidal, not homicidal. If bricks at a police car are life-threatening, then so are all the people walking around the streets with guns, licensed or not. Having broken into the kitchen of the house (with the residents reportedly upstairs and out of harm’s way), the man was holding the knife to his own throat. And just because he approached the officers, no matter what direction that knife was pointed, is absolutely no reason to shoot him dead with an automatic rifle. It is outrageous and reflects a complete lack of thought, reason, empathy and regard for life. I feel sorry for everyone involved and can only hope the officer, given this is the third time he’s shot someone holding a knife, retires. In my opinion, it is his fault, intentional or not.
1) Big difference between holding a brick and throwing one. If you don’t believe that is so- throw one straight up in the air and let it hit you.
2) Someone breaks into your house and grabs a knife- you are in danger. What if the owner walked into their kids playroom before the police arrived?
3) The Prep is the one with a complete lack of thought, reason, empathy and regard for life. He threw the brick. He broke into the house. He grabbed the knife.
And you have no need to be sorry. We can disagree and still be civil.
Ok, here we have it: a brick, a knife and a gun. Sort of like stone age, iron age, and (I guess, to put a Jared Diamond spin on it) gun age. And I don’t need to hit my head against a brick wall to understand potential injury. So where do the taser and the bean-bag gun fit in this scenario? Are they only used for people who look or act funny but keep their hands in their pockets? Or are they just for show and tell?
I would think someone licensed to carry a gun and trained to protect the public would also be skilled in using a firearm to deter or maim. If a rifle is absolutely necessary, why not shoot someone in the foot? Or shoot the knife out of his hand?
He wasn’t heading straight for the children’s room, and the police were there. He was presumably about 30 feet away in the same room. So there is no “what if”. But you are right on one point- he was without reason, he was mentally ill at the time. So let the body-cam footage show just how imminent and life-threatening, with two trained police officers in the room, the danger was. Who knows? Maybe the man was a skilled knife-thrower.
It just descends into a debate about gun control, and every debate lately seems prefaced by the unnecessary death of someone, followed by the ‘thoughts and prayers” mantra.
So what’s the saying? Guns don’t kill, people do. Certainly applies here.
Skilled enough to shoot him in the foot or the knife out of his hand? You clearly have no experience with firearms. That is unrealistic. You shoot center of body mass. Generally twice.
The threat of death is the control aspect when a weapon is pulled. Not injury, not incapacitation. Death.
I got pulled over for speeding this morning on the way to work. When I got pulled over, I actively de-escalated the situation. Opened the windows, took off my sunglasses, turned off the car, pulled the keys out of the ignition, put them on the dash and put my hands on the wheel at 10 and 2. Said good morning to the officer, replied back to his request for license and registration with EXACTLY what I was going to do and did it. Told him he had a stressful job that I appreciated him doing and that it was my responsibility to actively de-escalate the situation.
If I would have gotten out with a weapon in my hand- what would be the expected outcome? He would have shot me.
Instead, I got a warning to slow down.
Active de-escalation.
See the difference?
Haha, oy!
First, thankfully, I have zero experience with firearms and have never even held one.
Second, if every time a gun is brandished, its always about shooting the center of the body mass- that is, go for the heart or the brain and kill something, then God help us all, we might as well be deer.
Third, I take it you aren’t mentally ill and therefore can respond adequately to given instructions?
Fourth, are you suggesting that because you were pleasant and “de-escalating” you got a warning instead of a ticket? God help us all.
Fifth, if I’d been the officer I would have given you a ticket. You broke the law…so you should be allowed to rise above that because you were “nice”, took of your sunglasses, and put your hands on the wheel? Almost sounds like the proverbial ‘chick” move of flashing some leg…but then, assuming you’re male, if you’d flashed him some leg, he might have been offended and shot you. So slow down already, then you don’t have to worry about getting shot for speeding! What an analogy!
He responded with an ar-15 really? Yeah, that’s not disproportionate. Oh my, hope there’s not another bedroom behind the wall.
Fire at Midway auto-repair: “A fire of unknown origin gutted a Midway-area auto-repair shop Tuesday, causing an estimated $1 million worth of damage and sending a thick column of black smoke into the air near Lindbergh Field. The non-injury blaze at Diko Auto Repair in the 4000 block of Pacific Highway erupted shortly before 8:30 a.m., according to the San Diego Fire- Rescue Department.
Firefighters arrived to find flames shooting from the roof. A water- dropping helicopter was called in to help battle the intense blaze along with fire engines and water tankers.
It took the personnel nearly two hours to fully subdue the fire. ” http://www.cbs8.com/story/37100445/midway-area-auto-repair-shop-fire-causes-1m-worth-of-damage