About David Ross
Dr. Nick Yphantides: a man on a “very passionate mission”
Dr. Nick Yphantides, San Diego County’s Chief Medical Officer, is one of the most recognizable faces of the County’s response against COVID-19. Residents see him at the County’s daily updates on the progress of the disease, and know him as “Doctor Nick.” Dr. Nick describes himself as a “man on a very passionate mission and I feel extremely blessed to […]
Palomar Hospital is prepared for the coming viral storm
In TV’s “Game of Thrones,” characters bleakly observe: “Winter is coming.” In this county a viral storm is coming that has only just begun to materialize—even though for two weeks we have been sheltering-in-place awaiting its arrival. President Trump solemnly declared Tuesday afternoon, “I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. This is going […]
The city gets by and the council will have its first remote meeting
“Our most important task was to keep all critical City services full functional,” said Escondido City Manager Jeffrey R. Epp when interviewed earlier this week about how the city is carrying out its jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom. This week will include an historical first for the city: a city council meeting held online using […]
We’ve been here before
“For it is the doom of men that they forget.” The character Merlin from the film “Excalibur.” We’ve been this way before. Although it may strike many people that the coronavirus is a unique event in the history of the United States or of the world, it is not. It isn’t even uniquely trying. But we tend to forget the […]
Work of hospice continues under challenging conditions
The job of the Escondido-based Elizabeth Hospice continues unabated in the current coronavirus crisis—just under more challenging circumstances. The Times-Advocate Tuesday spoke to Sarah S. McSpadden, President/Chief Operating Officer of the Elizabeth Hospice, which, she said, has started to operate like a virtual business. “We have patients all over San Diego county. We’re not like a hospital” said McSpadden. The […]
Stylist struggles to make ends meet in lockdown world
Danielle Klein, who has been a hair stylist for 15 years is “trying to avoid going stir crazy” in a lockdown world where her livelihood is not considered an “essential” one, where she is making “zero” money right now—and can’t apply for unemployment insurance because she is a contractor. Klein works at Rock’n Hair in the Center of Escondido, (the […]
Coronavirus and the Center: The show must not go on
We’ve all seen the tale of the beleaguered theater company on the verge of disaster. Just when things look their darkest, one of the actors declares, “The show must go on!” For the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, things appear to be getting darkest right before they go totally charcoal. The two big theaters are going to be […]
How do we conduct ‘business as usual’?
Daniel Defoe wrote his “A Journal of the Plague Year” about the 1660’s in London and Gabriel Garcia Marquez chronicled, “Love in the Time of Cholera” which is set in Columbia in the 1890s. All of which points to the fact that, eventually, this too shall pass, although as far as we know, no one has yet published the “Coronavirus […]
County orders bars closed, restaurants closed social distancing; seniors to self-isolate
Note: Things are changing by the hour. This article was written Wednesday morning with a few updates since. The County of San Diego Monday afternoon issued sweeping orders designed to limit the numbers of people congregating almost anywhere. While public meetings of 50 or more are prohibited, the public is being strongly advised not to hold any kind of […]
Farm Bureau fights for growers to be considered “essential”
As new emergency coronavirus regulations were falling from on high like citrus blossoms in the spring, farm advocates, such as Hannah Gbeh, of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, were battling to earn farmers some respect for the essential work they do feeding people. With the Farm Bureau office in Escondido closed and employees working from home, Gbeh has been […]