Get the story behind the story every weekday. Host Kristy Totten interviews Union-Tribune reporters about what matters in San Diego.
Over the past month, caught in the most competitive race of his political career and with his family dynasty hanging in the balance, Rep. Duncan Hunter embraced a campaign strategy that has been viewed as controversial to say the least. In addition to going after his opponent along traditional political lines in a district that has long been a Republican stronghold, Hunter has opted for a series of attacks labeling his Democratic challenger, Ammar Campa-Najjar, a “national security risk,” citing his Palestinian roots. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/sd-me-najjar-family-history-20181030-story.html
As the midterm elections near, reporters and editors at the Union-Tribune have been asking this questions: Who are we as voters? San Diego County has usually been a political anomaly. There are way more Democrats than Republicans, yet the city boasts a Republican Mayor and the County Board of Supervisors is all red. Our demographics play unique roles as well: military families, first generation Americans, a large latino base and an urban and rural divide. With the help of our data reporters, reporter John Wilkens and his editor Mark Platte have tried to answer that question of who we are. This story will go live on Sunday, Nov. 4.
San Diegans would be forgiven, perhaps even applauded, for avoiding Seaport Village. Aside from the view, the 38 year-old waterfront property’s best pitch to consumers involves chain restaurants and trinket shops, seemingly only securing the approbation of cruise ship patrons and out-of-towners. However, a grandiose plan to turn the prime real estate into a world-class destination lauded by locals and foreigners alike is currently underway. Called Seaport San Diego, the $1.6 billion project, backed in part by San Diego’s famed Jacobs family, was selected by the Port of San Diego in November 2016 to redevelop 70 acres — 39 land acres and 31 water acres — and is still in the beginning stages. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/growth-development/sd-fi-seaport-sandiego-20181104-story.html
San Diego County voters may play a role in determining the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U-T's Daniel Wheaton interviews political columnist Michael Smolens about what's at stake during Tuesday's election.
The 2018 midterm elections are set to begin a new phase in the Trump presidency, with a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. San Diegans elected Mike Levin to replace Darrell Issa. The U-T's Daniel Wheaton interviews reporters Lori Weisberg and Jennifer Van Grove on the results of Measures G and E, and then speaks to Abby Hamblin and Luis Gomez about the broader election.
San Diegans elected a Democratic supermajority to the City Council, and approved a billion dollar school bond to San Diego Unified School District. The UT's Daniel Wheaton speaks with reporters David Garrick and Kristen Taketa about what's next after the election.
When a gunman shot up a Thousand Oaks bar packed with college students late Wednesday night, 23-year-old Justin Meek was among those killed. He died trying to save others, a family member said. Meek, a 2014 graduate of Coronado High School, was at the bar with his younger sister, both working as promoters, when the shooting started, according to his mother, Laura Meek. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/sd-me-coronado-shooting-victim-20181108-story.html -- Also reporter Kristen Taketa discusses the budgetary issues at the Sweetwater school district: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/sd-me-sweetwater-budget-20181108-story.html
barren stretch of high desert in the northeast corner of Nevada is where Bitcointopia would rise. Residents would live in homes built by 3D printers, or in shipping containers. A police force would be aided by R2D2-like drones. Driverless buses would replace the need for cars. The city would be powered by Tesla and watered by the North Fork Humboldt River that cuts through middle of the land, a scene framed by the snowcapped Ruby Mountains in the distance. Here, above all else, bitcoin would rule. Morgan Rockcoons, 31, envisioned a new kind of community, one not dependent on the U.S. dollar, an experiment based on artificial intelligence and automation and technology. He has likened it to the futuristic city Walt Disney dreamed up as Epcot — Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow — decades ago in Florida. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/sd-me-bitcointopia-20181104-story.html
San Diego-based pet retailer Petco pledged Tuesday to stop selling all dog and cat food items containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives by May, throwing out millions in annual sales in the process. The decision, spearheaded by new CEO Ron Coughlin, is indicative of a broader commitment to pet health, and is meant to push the privately held business back in front of pet owners who treat — and feed — their animals as members of the family. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/economy/sd-fi-petco-pet-food-20181113-story.html
California’s recent spate of devastating conflagrations have little, if anything, to do with overgrown forests — and everything to do with climate change, drought and harsh weather conditions, according to forestry experts. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-wildfire-logging-trump-20181112-story.html
