These were the most-read stories for the week of Aug 6-12.
1. Where Borrowing $105 Million Will Cost $1 Billion: Poway Schools
After putting together a bond that will cost taxpayers almost 10 times what they borrowed, the Poway Unified School District has become California’s poster child for a form of exotic financing.
2. A Creative Borrowing Boom: Poway Not Alone in High-Interest Financing
The school districts in San Diego, Oceanside and Escondido all have their own versions of the expensive capital appreciation bonds.
3. Where San Diego’s Poorest Live: Map
Check out this map to see which San Diego neighborhoods have the highest concentrations of poor residents.
4. City Not Sure U-T Car Museum Is Street Legal
The newspaper built a car museum in its headquarters, but won’t allow a city investigator into the building to see if it has the proper permits. Its CEO doesn’t want to talk about it.
5. The Trouble With the San Onofre Nuclear Plant
Replacing four of San Onofre’s biggest components took 10 years and cost almost $700 million. It’s been a disaster. And the repercussions will extend far beyond the threat of rolling blackouts.
6. Obama’s War on Marijuana Turns to Public Employees
Are Del Mar employees in real danger of going to jail if residents vote for the medical marijuana ballot measure in November? In a word, no.
7. Kudos to Michigan Journalist on the Poway Bond Story
Responding to criticism of our Poway Unified reporting.
8. Teachers Story Contained Major Errors: Fact Check
We screwed up. Our July 20 story about student-to-teacher ratios at San Diego Unified cited incorrect statistics. We explain what happened and what we now know.
9. Find High-Interest School Bonds in Your District: A Five-Step Guide
Want to find out if your local school district has borrowed money using expensive capital appreciation bonds? Follow our guide.
10. Counting Military Jobs in San Diego: Fact Check
It’s often said that San Diego is home to the highest concentration of military personnel in the country. We’re trying to figure out if that’s true.
Dagny Salas is the web editor at Voice of San Diego. You can contact her directly at dagny.salas@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5669.
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