You hold in your hand the first issue of the new Escondido Times-Advocate under new ownership and management. Roadrunner Publications, Inc. announced Jan. 5 that it had purchased the Times–Advocate, headquartered in San Marcos, California for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition includes the Escondido Times–Advocate and Valley Center Times–Advocate. Back in September Roadrunner Publications, Inc. purchased the Valley Roadrunner newspaper, […]
Escondido shuts down medical marijuana
The Escondido Council Chamber became a forum for a discussion of medical marijuana on the first meeting of the new year. Council members passed an ordinance prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivation and delivery of the substance at the Jan. 14 meeting. The city had already banned dispensaries, but followed the lead of the California League of Cities, which advised municipalities […]

Escondido institution, Champions, closes its doors
On its last day as an Escondido landmark, Champions Family Restaurant was packed last Friday and Annette Champion, owner, was in the kitchen putting together orders, dealing with platters of corned beef and chewing out members of her staff, including her husband Dan Hannegan, who had been pressed into service as a bus boy. Times-Advocate: How does the family feel […]

Escondido mayor to give State of the City address Feb. 24
Mayor Sam Abed will deliver the annual State of the City on Wednesday morning, February 24, at the Conference Center of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. The event is co-sponsored by the Escondido Chamber of Commerce and will begin with an optional breakfast at 7:30 a.m. followed by the program at 8 a.m. The program will include awards […]

Volunteers fundraise to help toddler with heart condition
Escondido volunteers are trying to raise $100,000 for the family of a toddler stricken with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and can’t pump blood efficiently. Emersyn Ochoa, the daughter of Maggie Haynie and Miguel Vizcarra, will be three years old on April 3. Doctors at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego have recommended a life-saving […]
AT&T upgrades cell towers
AT&T has upgraded a cell tower on its 4G LTE network in Escondido to give customers faster, more reliable wireless service. The change will help customers get the most out of their mobile devices. With 4G LTE service, customers should see better service when they’re watching videos, posting to social media or texting family and friends, according to a press […]
Bad Bean Good Coffee Brews Partnership with U-Haul
U-Haul Company of California has announced that Bad Bean Good Coffee has signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the Escondido community. Bad Bean Good Coffee at 31405 N. Old Highway 395 will offer U-Haul trucks, towing equipment, support rental items and in-store pick-up for boxes. Bad Bean Good Coffee owner Richard Ramer said he was proud to […]
Two adults cited for selling alcohol to underage kids
Escondido Police detectives conducted a sting operation on January 21, catching two businesses that were willing to sell alcoholic beverages to a minor. The Minor Decoy operation involved sending an underage person, working under the direction of a police detective, into various businesses in Escondido to attempt to purchase alcohol. The minor tried to purchase alcohol from eight different businesses. […]
We like news the old fashioned way
—Letter from the Editor-In-ChiefIt should come as no surprise that a publication that has chosen as its name a brand that has been around since the turn of the last century (yes, THAT century) believes in news written and presented the old-fashioned way. While we will be publishing all kinds of news in this paper, including arrests, developments, fires and political scandals, we […]