February 2008

Pedestrian Dies In Morning Accident

by The Editors on February 29, 2008

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

A pedestrian was killed early Friday morning when he was struck by a car on El Camino Real just north of Chestnut Avenue, police said.

Police said the driver was on his way to work shortly before 12:30 a.m., driving in the No. 3 northbound lane of El Camino Real, when he hit the man. Police said it was unknown if the victim was walking in the roadway or attempting to cross the road when he was struck.

The driver was not injured and police said they do not anticipate any criminal charges being filed.

Police are looking for any information regarding the crash. If you have any please call the Carlsbad Police traffic division: (760) 931-2290

[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]

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Carlsbad Company Consults On LA Metro

by The Editors on February 29, 2008

When the administrators of the Los Angeles Metro wanted to get an overview of how many people were riding their rails for free, they turned to Transportation Management and Design Inc., a Carlsbad-based company that “operates within the realm of passenger transportation, providing a spectrum of transit planning and operations consulting to public and private clients worldwide.”

What did TMD find out? They discovered that five percent of the people using the Metro during the week were riding free and that 10 percent of the Sunday riders weren’t paying. Doesn’t sound like a bad percentage to us, but based on TMD’s report Metro officials have decided to spend $61 million dollars to put in gates.

[Link: Daily News]

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Chuao Chocolatier Blows Into Safeway

by The Editors on February 29, 2008

Gi Barsallsleeve.JpgWe’re not sure this is a good thing, but Carlsbad-based chocolate company Chuao Chocolatier has announced that some of their products will now be available in Safeway and Wegman’s supermarkets.

Safeway, which operates over 1,740 stores across the United States, will be carrying the Spicy Maya, Chinita Nibs and Earl Grey chocolate bars across the country in their gourmet chocolate sets. They will also be carrying Chuao Chocolatier’s mini-bar, called the ChocoPod, in Spicy Maya and Nutmeg flavors. Wegman’s, with more than 70 stores in the Northeast now carries the Spicy Maya, Earl Grey, Chinita Nibs and Caracas Dark chocolate bars.

We were going to say “so much for boutique chocolates” but this is just the latest in a long line of major distribution plays, including Ralph’s, Gelson’s, and Cost Plus. Congrats!

[Link: PR Web]

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Batiquitos Lagoon Drowning In Muck

by The Editors on February 29, 2008

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Barbara Henry writes in the North County Times:

Day by day, a bit more muck and sand slides into Batiquitos Lagoon.

To the east, San Marcos Creek pushes mud in. To the west, ocean waves shove piles of sand toward the lagoon’s mouth. And, from all sides, murky rainwater pours in during storms.

Biologists who study the south Carlsbad lagoon and nature lovers who run the lagoon protection group say they’re worried about how quickly the sand and muck pile is accumulating, and whether that means a massive dredging operation will soon be required.

Earlier this month, the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation won a nearly $75,000 grant from Carlsbad to study the topic.

“Right now, we don’t really know how bad the situation is,” said Keith Merkel, one of the owners of a consulting company that has been doing bird and fish research at the lagoon.

Planning to make a plan. Ah, government.

[Link: North County Times]

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Carlsbad Loses Snowboard Clothing Company

by The Editors on February 28, 2008

Holden Outerwear, a snowboard clothing company that has been operating as part of the Carlsbad-based K2 Sports for nearly seven years is leaving Carlsbad for Portland, Oregon.

The company has had its design, marketing and some of its production business in Portland since it launched in 2001. But the company had a license agreement with Carlsbad, Calif. company Earth Products for sales and distribution. . . The parties announced Wednesday that they’ve decided to end the agreement.

So long, Holden.

[Link: Oregon Live]

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FOX 6 Live At The Hemlock Stairs

by The Editors on February 28, 2008

Fox6

There is nothing like starting the morning out with a live view of the beach at Tamarack. Maybe that’s why the FOX 6 News live camera was set up at the top of the Hemlock stairs this morning at 6 AM, unmanned, and pointed at the surf while the camera operator sat in the van and held hands with his barefoot girlfriend.

We don’t watch local TV news so maybe you can tell us what they were doing here other that grabbing some morning weather shots.

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High Speed Chase Ends In Carlsbad

by The Editors on February 28, 2008

A 22-year-old man and his 17-year-old passenger took California Highway Patrol on a little tour of Southern California yesterday at speeds up to 120 MPH according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Sadly, their I-5 joyride ended when the BMW crashed into the center divide near Los Flores Drive in Carlsbadistan.

A woman driving a Saturn suffered minor injuries in the wreck on southbound Interstate 5 near Las Flores Drive, the California Highway Patrol said. . . Officers had spotted a reckless driver on Interstate 5 in Irvine and attempted to stop him. The man in the BMW kept driving and reached speeds of 120 mph, the CHP said.

[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]

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The Carlsbadistan Starbucks Stops Here

by The Editors on February 27, 2008

Starbucks

Not only did every single Starbucks Coffee location in the nation close yesterday at 5:30 PM for employee reprogramming (“When customers arrive at their Starbucks store tomorrow morning, they will be greeted with the following promise: Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we’ll make it right”), but more importantly, our Starbucks is closed for a complete remodel.

And by that we mean, completely ripped up all the way down to the concrete floor. The salty-lookin’ old dudes who normally hang outside in the chairs by the window and give every woman the vertical scan have been replaced by tile cutters and saw-horses.

An inked-up worker who referred to us as “Boss,” said we shouldn’t worry because the place will be re-opened by next “Wednesday or Thursday;” hopefully, with those new AT&T Internet connections that give all pre-paid Starbucks card users two free hours of wireless a day. We’ll see.

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CUSD Prepares For Teacher Layoffs

by The Editors on February 27, 2008

Tonight, when the Carlsbad school trustees meet at 6 PM in City Council chambers at 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive, they will be trying to figure out how they are going to meet budget cuts.

Planning for a worst-case scenario, a Carlsbad Unified School District proposal lists 187 full-time jobs that could be targeted for elimination. Superintendent John Roach said Monday it’s unlikely all those positions would fall under the knife.

Let’s hope not.

[Link: North County Times]

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City Council Cans The Waterslides

by The Editors on February 27, 2008

When the Carlsbad City Council discussed the proposed Alga Norte Park last night we were worried they were going to do what many cities across the nation have done: cut funding for the planned skatepark. Luckily, that didn’t happen. Instead, they eliminated the water slides from swim complex.

Packard and Councilman Matt Hall have repeatedly argued that the water play area is a luxury that should be eliminated from the plans. Their position gained ground in recent months as state and national economic forecasts became grim. At Tuesday’s meeting, councilwomen Ann Kulchin and Julie Nygaard joined them in voting for a scaled-back project, while Mayor Bud Lewis voted against it.

Luckily, Mayor Lewis was voted down because his wacky idea was to build either the swim complex or the rest of the park but not both. We all know that if Carlsbad needs one thing it’s a quality skatepark.

[Link: North County Times]

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