{"id":114410,"date":"2025-12-31T02:23:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T02:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/114410\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T02:23:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T02:23:20","slug":"times-of-san-diego-staffers-share-their-most-memorable-2025-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/114410\/","title":{"rendered":"Times of San Diego staffers share their most memorable 2025 stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The September Coches Fire. (File photo by Chris Stone\/Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n

We had many big stories at Times of San Diego in 2025 \u2013 some of the ones that drew a lot of attention and kept people talking included ICE\u2019s response to a Catholic bishop<\/a> in court and a preview of what turned out to be a very eventful<\/a> celebration of the Marines\u2019 250th anniversary.<\/a><\/p>\n

But sometimes reporters have a soft spot for a story that shines a light on people, places or situations that might otherwise have gone unrecognized. Bringing more attention to these sorts of stories is a lot of the reason journalists got into the business in the first place.<\/p>\n

We asked Times of San Diego staffers and contributors to reflect on the year\u2019s work and share some of their 2025 favorites with you. Here goes (which, diary-style, appear mostly in the order in which they appeared this year):<\/p>\n

Grossmont Union district axes librarians<\/p>\n

Engagement producer Tessa Balc had never seen a district decide to terminate almost every librarian before. But it happened in February. She remembers reactions from parents, teachers and students \u201cwho were genuinely distraught,\u201d but some members of the school board\u2019s standoffish demeanor has stuck with her. She was privy to the closed session when the board took the vote<\/a> and she \u201cwon\u2019t forget the way I felt in that room and the way the board members conducted themselves and interacted with us, the press.\u201d<\/p>\n

Political sign posts<\/p>\n

Contributor Ken Stone, who retired this year, delved into the death of local Democratic Party chair Becca Taylor<\/a>, correcting the record about where she died while featuring an interview with the driver faulted in the crash that killed her.\u00a0He also explored the allegation that Assemblymember Carl DeMaio sought to take control of the local Republican Central Committee with a member who wasn\u2019t a San Diego resident<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Soccer takes flight in San Diego \u2013 and a legend says goodbye<\/p>\n

Contributor Mark Nero called San Diego FC\u2019s first win<\/a> at Snapdragon Stadium \u201ca historic victory against one of MLS\u2019 best teams, as well as a clear sign of the greatness that was developing.\u201d He also remembered the retirement of Alex Morgan\u2019s jersey<\/a> by the Wave FC. As the first female professional athlete in San Diego to have her jersey retired, he said \u201cshe is a source of inspiration and pride for girls and young women not just here, but everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monarch School finds a place at Comic-Con<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think of Comic-Con<\/a> as this event where nerds dress up in costumes and talk about comic books,\u201d said contributor Luis Monteagudo Jr. Sure, but he likes the moments at the Con \u201cwhere you\u2019re reminded of the power of pop culture and the shared community of fandom. That\u2019s why this story about homeless\u00a0students from the Monarch School<\/a> who compete in video game Esports tournaments was so memorable \u2026 Through video games, they have been able to build self-confidence and form the kind of family bonds they\u2019ve always longed for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strength for the fight against breast cancer<\/p>\n

Contributor Elizabeth Ireland called this \u201ca story that has stayed with me.\u201d Fine art portrait photographer Galina Semenova uses what she calls \u201cvisual medicine<\/a>\u201d to empower breast cancer survivors. Ireland said the photographer\u2019s mission \u201cresonates deeply after watching my mom and a few\u00a0friends navigate breast cancer, (seeing) how it\u00a0can reshape one\u2019s sense of self. Her work feels like an act of restoration, reflecting strength back to women when they need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Emma<\/a>Emma Elizondo, played Jay, a demon nymph in the Carnival of Chaos at SeaWorld\u2019s Howl-O-Scream, is ready to scare after the makeup artist finishes her look. (File photo by Thomas Melville\/Beach & Bay Press)<\/p>\n

Creatives face rough landscape in 2025<\/p>\n

Contributor Drew Sitton spoke to several nonprofit arts leaders who shared their struggles<\/a> with canceled funding, censorship and leading burned out staff members afraid of immigration crackdowns. \u201cWhat stood out,\u201d Sitton said, \u201cwas their tenacity and hope that together they could show the arts are society\u2019s essential truth-telling outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putting the horror in Howl-O-Scream<\/p>\n

Going behind the scenes on opening night<\/a> of SeaWorld\u2019s Howl-O-Scream and seeing all the work needed to stage the huge Halloween event \u201csurprised and impressed\u201d community news editor Tom Melville. The best part? \u201cMeeting and interviewing the fun and friendly \u2018scare actors\u2019 before and after they transformed into their menacing characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

A friend of the great Jane Goodall<\/p>\n

Contributor Dave Schwab called himself \u201cfortunate \u2014 and lucky \u2013 enough\u201d to have connected with renowned wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen. He knew Mangelsen was friends with Jane,<\/a> and when Schwab called him, he \u201crecounted some truly memorable experiences with her. His incredible photos of them together, especially the one of their enjoying a picnic, were priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

La Mesa\u2019s fallen officer<\/p>\n

Community news editor Dave Thomas called the death of La Mesa police Officer Lauren Craven \u201ca very emotional story<\/a>.\u201d Craven went into traffic after a freeway wreck to help a motorist, but an allegedly drunken driver hit her and the motorist, killing them both. \u201cShe was barely into her career, less than two years and she had a lot of potential,\u201d he said. The impact of her loss, he said, was made clear by the \u201coutpouring from the community.\u201d <\/p>\n

Remembering San Diego State dance pioneer<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of my faves because I was able to unearth a previously obscure piece of San Diego\u2019s history,\u201d said news editor Brooke Binkowski, \u201cand help give the great Danny Scarborough<\/a> the recognition he deserved all along. He is an integral part of local history, and I am proud to have highlighted him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>An undated photo of Danny Scarborough, the late SDSU dance professor , with his dance troupe behind him. (Photo courtesy SDSU\/Daniel E. Walker)<\/p>\n

Other 2025 favorites<\/p>\n

Founder Chris Jennewein noted an oddity that drew a lot of readers in \u2013 Amazon offering free tours to see their busy robots at work<\/a> at their fulfillment center near the border.<\/p>\n

Immigration reporter Lillian Perlmutter recalled her pieces about U.S. citizens arrested by ICE<\/a> and a probe of allegations that migrants were being being held for days in a downtown courthouse basement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Our resident historian Debbie Sklar pointed to some of her looks at notable figures and fun facts about San Diego County, including the era of local gold mining<\/a> and old Hollywood\u2019s connection to the region through stars like Viola Dana<\/a> and Delores Barrymore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photographer Chris Stone, who retired along with her husband Ken Stone, focused on a heroic act<\/a> by a woman endangered residents called \u201cSharon, our angel,\u201d during the September fire near Lakeside and the recollections of a Vietnam War POW<\/a> from Carlsbad who told her, \u201cI thought I was a dead man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contributor JW August cited his talk with a city commissioner about flaws in the San Diego police complaint portal<\/a>, which the department has since taken steps to address<\/a>, and how a sex trafficking arrest shed light on the \u201cpimp circuit\u201d<\/a> between Southern California and Nevada. <\/p>\n

\"Retired<\/a>Retired Air Force Maj. Neil Black, a former POW. (File photo by Chris Stone\/Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n

READ NEXT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The September Coches Fire. (File photo by Chris Stone\/Times of San Diego) We had many big stories at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114411,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[232,5282,14,11788,1703,13,74,76,75,136],"class_list":["post-114410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-232","tag-arts","tag-immigration","tag-local-law-enforcement","tag-military","tag-politics","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}