Author: Julie Watson
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Mudslides take heavy toll on immigrants serving posh town
Oprah Winfrey and Rob Lowe give Montecito its star power, but it’s people like Antonio and Victor Benitez who keep the wealthy Southern California community running. The Mexican brothers are gardeners and part of the town’s working-class immigrant population, which suffered outsized losses from the recent mudslides that killed at least 21, injured dozens and…
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California preps for pot-infused fare, from wine to tacos
SAN DIEGO — The sauvignon blanc boasts brassy, citrus notes, but with one whiff, it’s apparent this is no normal Sonoma County wine. It’s infused with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that provides the high. Move over, pot brownies. The world’s largest legal recreational marijuana market kicks off Monday in California, and the trendsetting…
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Firefighters forced to step aside as winds powered infernos
FALLBROOK, Calif. — Firefighters in Southern California were on high alert for dangerous fire potential even before the first blazes broke out. But once flames met ferocious winds, fire crews were mostly powerless to stop infernos that destroyed more than 500 buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced hundreds of thousands of people to run…
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25 race horses killed by Southern California wildfire
SAN DIEGO — Approximately 25 race horses were killed when a wildfire engulfed about eight barns at a training center in northeast San Diego County, the California Horse Racing Board said. Other horses that were in surrounding pastures remained unaccounted for. Nearly 500 horses were stabled at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in…
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Older couples unable to escape wildfires embrace a last time
Some had just celebrated marriages of half a century or longer. They spent their time volunteering and playing with grandchildren. A few had lived through both world wars. The vast majority of the 42 people found dead so far in the wildfires that have ravaged Northern California were senior citizens, most older than 70. Several…
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Vegas victims shared love of country music, zest for life
Pati Mestas was a firecracker. Victor Link a gentle spirit. Hannah Ahlers her family’s sunshine. As told by the people who knew them best, the 58 victims in Sunday’s mass shooting at a Las Vegas country concert lived their lives with passion and a love of country music. Some families took comfort knowing their loved…
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Trump directive sparks criticism among transgender troops
SAN DIEGO — Active-duty transgender troops say a policy change that puts them at risk of being removed and indefinitely bars transgender people from enlisting in the military is a step backward for civil rights that will promote inequality in the armed forces. President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to extend a ban…
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Terminally ill woman holds party before ending her life
SAN DIEGO — In early July, Betsy Davis emailed her closest friends and relatives to invite them to a two-day party, telling them: “These circumstances are unlike any party you have attended before, requiring emotional stamina, centeredness and openness.” And just one rule: No crying in front of her. The 41-year-old artist with ALS, or…
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VA sets national policy for robotic legs for paralyzed vets
SAN DIEGO — Paralyzed Army veteran Gene Laureano cried when he first walked again with robotic legs at a New York clinic as part of research sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs. But when the study ended, so did his ability to walk. Now he may get the chance to walk everyday: The VA…
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Schools increasingly check students for obesity
CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) — The Chula Vista school district not only measures the academic progress of Marina Beltran’s second-grader, it also measures her son’s body fat. Every two years, Antonio Beltran, like his classmates, steps on a scale. Trained district personnel also measure his height and then use the two figures to calculate his…