One street, one year, three deaths. Is it just a coincidence or is something wrong with a short stretch of Sabre Springs Parkway in northeast San Diego?
Traffic accident statistics in general suggest the answer is no. But residents are on guard, staying away from bike lanes and walking facing traffic while they mourn the latest victim.
It’s her death, at the hands of a car that jumped a curb, that has the community worried the street is unsafe.
In other news:
- The guy who provides your tech support on the phone is based in Bangalore. So why not the gal who takes questions about your business permit?
As San Diego ponders outsourcing, it could happen.
- There’s a new non-profit investigative journalism in town, and it’s up and running. We take a look at the people behind The Watchdog Institute and its plans for the future.
- Bubbles spell troubles. Just ask those witches in “Macbeth.” So when we heard that a big-shot real-estate guru thinks we’re in one here in San Diego, our ears perked up.
Yes, that’s right: a real-estate bubble, the kind that has to burst. Seriously? Now? Let us know what you think.
Also in housing, columnist Rich Toscano writes about an influential index of home prices that’s always a bit out of date. He found a way to predict what it’s going to say that seems to work much of the time. Not exactly a crystal ball, but maybe one made out of cubic zirconia.
- Also: Tonight, hundreds of bicyclists will ride (in some cases lawlessly and boozily) through the streets of San Diego to protest cars. Residents in central San Diego are divided over whether it’s powerful anarchy in action or a dangerous nuisance. If you go, we’d like to hear from you.
- Also: Cartoonist Ashley Pingree Lewis offers some politically minded Halloween costume ideas. And on tap (sorry) in our water forum: talk about technology to track water usage, recycled water and why Irvine Ranch’s much-ballyhooed system isn’t a cure-all.
One more thing: if you’re a paramedic, doctor or nurse, are you taking extra precautions beyond those already recommended to avoid catching swine flu at work? If so, drop me a line. I’m working on a story that could use your perspective.
Elsewhere:
- Union leaders say they’ve gathered enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot in June that would force term limits on the county board of supervisors. Twenty percent of $800 million worth of federal subsidies for solar power is coming here. And $6 million is being spent around the county to sync traffic lights. (U-T)
- Slate looks at “the strange hobby of graving” — “gravers” visit cemeteries for fun and document the dead — and mentions a bucolic Boston-area cemetery that became a tourist destination in the 19th century. As we told you earlier this week, there’s talk that San Diego’s historic Mt. Hope Cemetery could become a destination for sightseers. (I’ve actually been to that cemetery outside Boston. If visiting grand old cemeteries is wrong, I don’t want to be right.)
Finally, a journalist from Azerbaijan is visiting us for a couple weeks to get a closeup view of how American journalism works. Shain Abbasov says he’s fascinated by San Diego’s government transparency, citizen participation and open public meetings.
Yup: He’s impressed by things people think are far from perfect. Here’s hoping he continues that trend when he meets me.