Latest news with #TheSanDiegoUnion-Tribune
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ambulance rides in San Diego just got more expensive — this is why
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — For the fifth year in a row, the City of San Diego is raising its ambulance transport fees — this time by 18% over the next three years. But city leaders insist: most patients won't be impacted. The San Diego City Council approved the increase unanimously Tuesday, pushing the total hike since 2021 to just over 32%, according to reporting from The San Diego Union-Tribune. The cost for the most advanced level of ambulance service will rise from $3,151 to $3,717. Despite the eye-popping numbers, city officials say the increase will mostly impact insurance companies, not patients. Only about 11% of ambulance patients — those with private insurance — may be affected, The San Diego Union-Tribune also reported. Patients with Medicare, Medi-Cal or no insurance won't see any change, thanks to a state law — AB 716 — that caps those charges at fixed rates. Celebrities spotted running in San Diego's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Councilmember Marni von Wilpert emphasized the hikes are tied to increasing costs from the city's private ambulance providers — Falck USA and American Medical Response (AMR) — who are billing the city $4.7 million more this coming fiscal year. 'We need to make sure we are doing the most competitive cost containment for our residents and delivering the best service,' von Wilpert said. The rising fees come as the city reconsiders how it runs emergency medical services. While a recent partnership with Falck and AMR has been financially successful, city leaders are exploring whether to bring ambulance services in-house — something cities like Los Angeles and, more locally, Chula Vista have already done. The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that Fire Chief Robert Logan said any move toward a city-run ambulance service would start slowly, possibly beginning with low-level emergency calls, while private companies continue handling life-threatening situations. In a twist, this year's rate hike — like last year's — skipped a required committee review before heading to the full council. That move appears to violate council policy, though no council member appeared to raise concerns during the vote. As the debate over who should run San Diego's ambulances continues, one thing's clear: the cost of care is rising — even if most patients won't see the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Student pilot emergency lands on CA highway, then tries to hide drugs, feds say
A student pilot whose plane made an emergency landing on a highway in California, leading to the discovery of a package of cocaine, is heading to prison, prosecutors said. Troy Othneil Smith, 36, from Oceanside, was sentenced to 2.5 years behind bars after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California said in a May 21 news release. One count was connected to the emergency landing incident and the other stemmed from a separate 2023 incident in which Smith sent cocaine through the mail, prosecutors said. Smith's attorney, Ashby C. Sorensen, declined to comment in a May 22 email to McClatchy News. Smith was flying from Arizona to California on Sept. 26, 2024, when the plane was forced to land, according to prosecutors. The single-engine Piper PA-28 touched down a little before 2 a.m. on State Route 76 in Oceanside, McClatchy News previously reported. Smith had a brick of cocaine in his backpack and tried to hide it from responding officers in the brush, prosecutors said in a sentencing memo. Prosecutors added that evidence later showed Smith 'had his sights set next on piloting his own plane for drug distribution cross country.' The flight instructor during the 2024 emergency landing 'was not knowingly involved in transporting drugs,' The San Diego Union-Tribune reported, citing prosecutors. Sorensen wrote in a sentencing memo that Smith – a disabled Marine Corps veteran with three children – is remorseful and takes responsibility for his actions. 'Financial pressures and unresolved emotional trauma' were factors, the court filing said. Oceanside is about a 85-mile drive southeast from downtown Los Angeles.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
30 years later: A look back at the 1995 San Diego tank rampage
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — It's been 30 years since a 57-ton tank from a local National Guard armory was destructively steered through the streets of San Diego. As reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, on May 17, 1995, a man from Clairemont set out on a fateful journey that would end in his death. This unprecedented incident, which left a trail of destruction, has remained etched in the city's memory for three decades. His name was Shawn Nelson, and he reportedly worked as a plumber. Reports described the man's behavior prior to the incident as increasingly strange. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Nelson enlisted in the Army after high school, later serving as tank battalion in West Germany. That was until 'multifaceted disciplinary problems' led to an honorable discharge in 1980. Nelson's ex-wife told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he began acting erratically around the time his mother died in 1988. His father's death followed just four years later. During that period, she claimed he started to abuse amphetamines and alcohol, which led her to file for divorce in 1990. Nelson reportedly had a severe motorcycle accident that same year, leaving him with back and neck trauma. A series of unfortunate events continued for Nelson from there, with reports noting home foreclosure proceedings were filed in 1995. Then, the rampage day occurred. Live Nation offers $30 concert tickets to select San Diego shows On that fateful day in 1995, Nelson reportedly entered the National Guard armory on Mesa College Drive after finding the gates unsecured. It was then that Nelson entered and started up an M-60 battle tank. The discharged servicemember then drove the massive vehicle through residential neighborhoods in Kearny Mesa, smashing cars and tearing down telephone poles. The path of destruction was caught on video by many, with the CBS evening news of 1995 detailing the berserk event on television. Local authorities trailed Nelson, with some eventually climbing atop the tank and pulling the hatch to demand he stop, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune. When he refused to surrender and tried to maneuver the tank, Nelson was shot once by police. Despite an immediate response from paramedics, the gunshot wound proved to be fatal and Nelson was pronounced dead at the scene. In the wake of the incident, then-Governor Pete Wilson ordered the California National Guard to implement a fail-safe system to prevent future tank thefts. An investigation revealed significant security lapses at armories across the state, leading to reforms and the relocation of tanks to more secure facilities, the Los Angeles Times reported. Three decades later, the 1995 San Diego tank rampage remains a unique chapter in the city's history. While the motives behind Nelson's actions remain unclear, the event prompted significant changes in military equipment security and continues to be a topic of discussion and reflection. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Southern California city lifts ban on new drive-thrus
Millions of fast-food customers visit drive-thru windows each day in the U.S. In fact, roughly 43% of all fast-food orders are placed from behind the wheel, according to a recent report. For the past 27 years, however, one of Southern California's most popular coastal cities hasn't allowed the construction of new drive-thrus. That's about to change. In a major policy shift, the Carlsbad City Council voted on Tuesday to lift a longstanding ban on new drive-thru restaurants, a regulation dating back to 1997. In its 3-2 decision, the council agreed to open the door for future restaurants looking to add a drive-thru option, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Businesses can submit individual proposals, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 'Business is tough,' California fast-food franchise owner says The prohibition on drive-thrus was initially enacted due to concerns about their impact on the community's character, traffic congestion, and quality of life. Carlsbad is home to LEGOLAND theme park, The Flower Fields, and several upscale resorts and popular beaches. Supporters of lifting the ban told the council that drive-thrus are especially convenient for the elderly, people with disabilities, and busy families with young children. Businesses also argued that drive-thrus can increase sales and create more jobs. 'Both sides have valid arguments,' said Carlsbad Mayor Keith Blackburn, who voted in favor of the change. 'It's about choice, business, and quality of life.' Carlsbad had allowed only the original 12 restaurant drive-thrus that predated the ban, most of them close to the 5 Freeway. Exceptions to the new policy are districts like the Village and Barrio, which fall under different zoning regulations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
New York Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Bob Filner, Mayor of San Diego Who Left Amid Scandal, Dies at 82
Bob Filner, a progressive Democrat who served two decades in Congress and then successfully ran for mayor of San Diego, promising to shake up City Hall — but whose career imploded within months amid a storm of sexual harassment charges — died on April 20. He was 82. His family announced the death. The announcement did not give a cause or say where he died, but The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that he died in an assisted living home in Costa Mesa, Calif. Mr. Filner, who was known for his brash and combative style, resigned as mayor under pressure in August 2013, after 18 women accused him of sexual misconduct in his time as mayor and during his years in Congress. The women included a retired Navy rear admiral, a university dean and Mr. Filner's former communications director, who said that Mr. Filner had told her he wanted to see her naked and asked her to work without underwear. He left office denying any wrongdoing. But two months later, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of false imprisonment and misdemeanor charges of battery involving two other women. He was sentenced to three months' home confinement and three years' probation. 'I never intended to be a mayor who went out like this,' he said. His humiliating downfall overshadowed a long record of liberal activism in which he represented largely low-income, racially diverse districts of San Diego and Southern California, and a career as a progressive champion that traced to his jailing in Mississippi as a Freedom Rider in 1961. He was the first Democrat elected mayor of San Diego in 20 years and came into office with sweeping plans for a liberal agenda for California's second-largest city, which was more conservative than other big cities in the state. He battled the city's business establishment, including the conservative editorial page of The Union-Tribune, which in a cartoon compared him to the Joker in the 'Batman' movies. A former college history professor at San Diego State University, Mr. Filner entered electoral politics in 1979 by winning a seat on the San Diego school board, which led to a seat on the City Council in 1987. He was elected to Congress in 1992 from California's newly drawn 50th district, which included most of the state's border with Mexico, with a large Hispanic population. In the House, Mr. Filner helped establish the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Over his 10 terms he rose to chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He championed labor, environmental and civil rights issues. As a sophomore at Cornell, he had volunteered in the summer of 1961 for the Freedom Rides, protests against segregated bus terminals in the Deep South. Arriving by bus in Jackson, Miss., Mr. Filner was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace and inciting a riot. Rather than post bond, he followed the protesters' agreed-on tactics and accepted a two-month jail term in the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Farm. 'The Freedom Ride changed my whole life personally and politically,' Mr. Filner later said. Robert Earl Filner was born on Sept. 4, 1942, in Pittsburgh, to Sarah and Joseph Filner. His father was a labor organizer who went on to run a series of metal trading businesses. After serving prison time in Mississippi, Mr. Filner returned to Cornell, where he earned a degree in chemistry in 1963 and a Ph.D. in the history of science in 1969. He then moved to San Diego and taught college history there for 20 years. His two marriages, to Barbara Christy in 1966 and Jane Merrill in 1985, both ended in divorce. He is survived by a son, Adam, and a daughter, Erin, from his first marriage; two grandchildren; and a brother, Bernard. In July 2013, just seven months into Mr. Filner's four-year term as mayor, he was engulfed in a blizzard of sexual harassment accusations. A former City Council member who had once worked for Mr. Filner, Donna Frye, held a news conference in which she declared that several women had accused the mayor of unwanted advances, including groping and kissing. 'Bob Filner is tragically unsafe for any woman to approach,' Ms. Frye said, calling on him to quit. Mr. Filner apologized for any misbehavior he might have committed, calling himself a 'very demonstrative person' and a 'hugger of men and women.' But he refused to step down. Within days, Irene McCormack Jackson, his former communications director, filed a lawsuit and said at a news conference that the mayor would wrap his arm around her neck and pull her 'like a rag doll, while he whispered sexual comments' in her ear. More accusers came forward, including military veterans who said Mr. Filner had used his position of authority to pressure them for dates or intimate contact. Elected Democrats and former political allies demanded that the mayor resign. The chorus included Senator Barbara Boxer of California, who published an open letter calling on him to step aside. He did so on Aug. 23 but remained defiant, suggesting that he was being pushed out by 'a lynch mob mentality.' He later pleaded guilty to a felony charge of restraining a woman and to two misdemeanor charges of kissing a woman against her will and touching the buttock of another woman. The plea deal was reached by Kamala Harris, who prosecuted the case as the state attorney general. 'This conduct was not only criminal, it was also an extreme abuse of power,' Ms. Harris, who was later the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee facing Donald J. Trump, said. 'No one is above the law.'
