Arturo Rubio - Freelance Writer

Bordertown Patriots, self-described as a group of American patriots, militia, and political activists, were among demonstrators at Chicano Park on February 3rd. The “Patriot Picnic,” as organizers called the event, was a means to protest the lack of an American flag flying in the park sited under the Coronado bridge. Through a press release, the organizers also stated that Chicano Park should be made more accessible to other races; this in response to a September 2017 incident where members of

A car driver pulled out of a gas station and collided with a motorcyclist in the 2200 block of Palm Avenue on Friday, June 26th. The accident took place at around 5:00 p.m., a time when the area is congested with traffic coming off of I-5 and is exacerbated at times by trolleys passing through the nearby Palm Avenue trolley station. The eastbound motorcyclist was struck by the car as the latter made a quick dash out of the gas station and headed toward the freeway. A witness stated that he saw

Renovation work began at the Palm Avenue and Iris Avenue trolley stations last month as part of the Metropolitan Transit System’s Trolley Renewal Project. According to the MTS website, the $660 million project — a complete overhaul of the 30-year-old trolley system — that began in 2010 will be finished in 2015. The modifications to the system will allow for the use of new low-floor trolleys on the entire MTS network. Renovation of three stations (Barrio Logan, Harborside, and Pacific Fleet) has

With the reopening of seven northbound inspection lanes in September, commuters entering the U.S through the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry have experienced dramatically shorter wait times. According to a U.S. General Services Administration fact sheet, the reopening of those lanes marks the completion of Phase 1B of the three-phased San Ysidro Land Port of Entry Expansion Project, which is slated to be completed by January 2018. Upon completion, the world’s busiest land-border crossing will hav

Shut Down All Ports of Entry, a group that bills itself as a “representation of Americans who are unsettled and deeply concerned with the current administration, in all branches of Federal and State governments,” had promised to block access to every United States port of entry on the southern border on Saturday, September 20, at 8:00 a.m. PST. But, just hours before the event, Stasyi Barth, the lead organizer, posted on the group’s website and Facebook page an announcement to the effect that t

Hundreds of costumed bicyclists rode along South Park streets on Saturday, September 28, during Tour de Fat, New Belgium brewery’s celebration of beer and bikes. The Colorado brewery is taking this festival to 12 cities across the U.S this year. The parade began at Golden Hill Park at around 11:30 a.m. and went down Golf Course Drive on a 3.3 mile circuit. Afterward, bands and comedians provided entertainment. In each Tour de Fat city, one brave soul is selected to go onstage, relinquish his/h

People walking along the beach near Pier Plaza in the early evening of September 27 were greeted by an uncommon site: three large tan military tents erected close to one of the lifeguard towers, with several inflatable boats nearby. At least three teams of about seven men each, dressed in woodland camouflage fatigues, could be seen in the area, engaged in what appeared to be some sort of training. Some stood in formation, others stood in a tight group under the pier listening to their instructo

A man was found dead at a busy Tijuana industrial park early on the morning of May 12. Police cordoned off the area and turned away workers on their way to nearby factories. According to initial police reports, the victim had been shot multiple times by at least three different assailants. A handwritten sign was taped to a wall nearby, stating that the man had been shot because he was a car thief. Last week, another body had been found at the same spot. That victim allegedly died under similar c