December 2008

Thieves Smash And Grab Costco ATM

by The Editors on December 26, 2008

Xmas Wall  006At 3:41 AM this morning, December 26, 2008, four men in a white Chevrolet extra cab pickup smashed open one of the roll up doors at the Costco at 951 Palomar Airport Rd and made off with the store’s ATM machine, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Workers had the door back together this morning at 7:00 AM as a parade of live local TV news vans made stops to get video for what must be a slow news day, but then who are we to talk.

This is the second smash and grab ATM heist in Carlsbad in the last week.

[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]

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A Break In The Christmas Rain

by The Editors on December 25, 2008

Xmas Wall  004

During the break in the rain (and after opening presents) we snuck out and checked the surf. It was stormy. But the sky was blue. . . for a moment or two.

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Merry Christmas Carlsbadistan

by The Editors on December 25, 2008

Cbad Xmas

We wish all our readers a heartfelt Merry Christmas. Thanks for checking in with us every now and again. We hope you have a joyous holiday season. Thanks for making Carslbadistan the world’s best place to spend Christmas.

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Carlsbad Man Killed By Train In Oceanside

by The Editors on December 24, 2008

Santiago Piovillasenor Aganzaman, 23, of Carlsbad was riding a bike when he was hit and killed by a southbound Sprinter Train in Oceanside at 5:05 PM on December 23, 2008, according to a story on San Diego 6.

The collision occurred at the Wisconsin Avenue grade crossing in Oceanside at 5:05 p.m., according to Cpl. Mark Cook of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. . . The man . . . tried to ride his bicycle across the grade crossing as the warning system was just beginning to operate.

According to the train’s engineer, Aganzaman didn’t appear to see the train coming.

[Link: San Diego 6]

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Westfield Files Lawsuit Against Oceanside

by The Editors on December 24, 2008

A while ago we mentioned the ridiculous lengths to which Westfield (the Australia-based owners Carlsbadistan’s Plaza Camino Real) would go to stop the construction of a competitor’s mall in Oceanside.

Now, they’ve gone even farther. Westfield is suing the City of Oceanside (22-pages long) claiming that the City Council did not properly review the environmental impacts of developer Thomas Enterprises‘ planned Pavillion mall on Highway 76, according to a story in the North County Times.

[Westfield] says its tenants, patrons and employees could be affected if the Pavilion alters air quality, noise or traffic. . . . The lawsuit claims that Oceanside made numerous errors in its analysis of the project, such as underestimating its possibly harmful effects on traffic, air quality, noise, water quality and air traffic. The city also should have required the developer to build a multimillion-dollar extension of Pala Road, from Foussat Road to Los Arbolitos Boulevard, the lawsuit states.

Isn’t it nice that Westfield is so interested in the environmental health of their shoppers and not at all interested in upgrading their own mall to attract quality retailers?

[Link: North County Times]

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Convention and Visitors Bureau Upgrade

by The Editors on December 23, 2008

We’ve been a little rough on the Carlsbad Convention and Visitors’ Bureau over the past couple years, but it looks like we haven’t been too far off, according to a story in the North County Times.

No one really knows what a “convention and visitors’ bureau” does and the one in Carlsbad doesn’t even organize conventions even though that word is part of its name, Nayudu said. The new name in all likelihood will be the one the bureau already uses on its Web site —- visitCarlsbad.com —- she said.

Now that executive director Kurt Burkhart is gone the organization has the chance to reinvent itself, with the help of a six-month $350,000 contract with the Irvine, California based consulting company MindGruve.

$350,000 for six months? We are definitely in the wrong business. . .

[Link: North County Times]

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Mako Steel Opens Washington DC Office

by The Editors on December 23, 2008

Mako Steel is a Carlsbadistan-based company that “designs, supplies, and installs steel buildings for the self-storage industry” recently opened a sales office in Washington, DC, according to a story on Inside Self-Storage.

Mark Colwell [will be] the lead as Northeast sales and project manager. Colwell has worked with the company for more than five years.

Just another nationwide Carlsbad company we never knew existed.

[Link: Inside Self-Storage]

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Carlsbadistan Has The Hanta

by The Editors on December 23, 2008

One mouse trapped in Carlsbad has tested positive for hantavirus, according to a story in the North County Times.

The virus, carried by wild rodents, can spread to humans in the form of a rare and potentially fatal illness, county health officials said. So far this year, 11 mice trapped around the county have tested positive for hantavirus. Routine tests usually confirm between two and eight cases a year, officials said.

We sincerely hope that Santa doesn’t catch the hanta.

[Link: North County Times]

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Victoria’s Secret Manager Working Overtime

by The Editors on December 22, 2008

VictoriasecThe manager of the Victoria Secret store in Carlsbadistan’s Plaza Camino Real doesn’t seem to care about the rules as long as she gets her job done. Police were called when she refused to leave the business at 2:46 AM on December 20, 2008 claiming she had “some paperwork to do.”

According to the Carlsbad police log: A mall worker reported that “she is not allowed to work past midnight without a work order, which she did not have.”

She eventually left. Can someone give this dedicated employee a raise? Or at least a holiday bonus.

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Vons Evacuated After Bomb Call

by The Editors on December 22, 2008

A phone call cleared the Vons supermarket at 985 Tamarack Ave. on Friday December 19, 2008 at approximately 7:07 PM. A male caller reportedly said he “heard” that there was a “bomb in the back of the store.”

According to the police log “The caller was not definitive and seemed he was merely passing on info.” The store was immediately evacuated to the front parking lot.

After searching the store and the perimeter Carlsbad police reported that there was “nothing unusual” found.

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