The Coast News
THE COAST NEWS
.com VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 10, N0. 18
SEPT. 15, 2023
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
Charges weighed .comin bus scuffle
Minus funds, shelter moves temporarily By Samantha Nelson
ESCONDIDO — With a looming $1 million shortfall in operating funds, Haven House, the city’s only homeless shelter, is temporarily moving across the street to its sister recuperative care facility while its parent nonprofit searches for a long-term solution. Interfaith Community Services held a community forum on Sept. 8 to inform the public of Haven House’s move to the Abraham and Lillian Turk Recuperative Care Center, which CEO Greg Anglea said would take place in the next few weeks. Haven House is a 49bed, low-barrier shelter located in Interfaith’s Betty and Melvin Cohn Center at 550 W. Washington Avenue. Although Interfaith has been sheltering homeless individuals for more than 40 years, the shelter only operated during the winter months until 2016 when it transitioned to a year-round, overnight-only shelter. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Haven House switched from overnight-only to 24/7 care, providing access beyond just a one-night stay for its inhabitants. Prior to offering 24/7 access, Haven House’s annual operating budget was $600,000. The budget has jumped to approximately $1.1 million after the expansion. Last year, Interfaith received $400,000 in one-time COVID-19 relief funding from the city of EsTURN TO SHELTER ON 15
THE Three HS students VISTA NEWS allegedly hit driver
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By City News Service
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PHOTOGRAPHER Dan Rios pictured with his collection of photo negatives at his Escondido home in 2018, the year he donated the collection to the Cal State San Marcos library’s Special Collections department. Photo by Laurie Brindle
‘Legacy locked into the photographs’ photojournal- minister Margaret Thatch- help of students, local histoNorth County complished ist and mentor in North er’s 1991 visit to Camp rians and community memRios worked as a Pendleton. bers, library staff have been photojournalist County, photographer from 1968 Rios’s contributions to working to catalog the photo 2001 for the former Es- the community would con- tos and identify the subjects Times-Advocate tinue even into retirement they show. Rios dies at 84 condido newspaper, which became when he donated a massive As a feature writBy Laura Place
ESCONDIDO — Celebrated photographer Dan Rios, who spent decades chronicling North County for local newspapers, has died at 84. Rios passed away at his Escondido home on Wednesday evening, Sept. 6, following a long period of illness, according to his wife of 42 years, Theresa Rios. Recognized as an ac-
the North County Times in 1995. Through his camera lens, Rios documented happenings in Escondido, San Marcos and other North County cities, San Diego and Mexico. His subjects ranged from everyday scenes at parks, schools and businesses to historic events like the building of the Coronado bridge and former prime
collection of photo negatives from his time at the paper to the Special Collections department of the Cal State San Marcos library in 2018. Coined as the Dan Rios Papers, the one-of-a-kind collection includes an estimated one million images stashed in over 40,000 envelopes between around 200 boxes. Since then, with the
er and investigative reporter, E’Louise Ondash worked alongside Rios at the Times-Advocate/North County Times for 15 years. She said Rios was “an institution in San Diego journalism circles” with a reservoir of knowledge about San Diego County and a great sense of humor. “One time, Dan agreed TURN TO RIOS ON 5
CSUSM welcomes largest freshman class By Laura Place
SAN MARCOS — Cal State San Marcos kicked off the start of the 2023-24 academic year with its largest first-year class ever. There are a record 2,766 students in this year’s freshman class of Cougars, and total enrollment is over 16,000, marking a 3% in-
ESCONDIDO — Three 14-year-old girls who attend San Pasqual High School face possible criminal charges over a dispute during which they allegedly assaulted a 64-year-old school RANCHO bus driver, authorities reported Aug. 31. TheSFNEWS events that led to the alleged violence began about 4:30 p.m. Aug. 29, when students of the Escondido secondary school started creating a disturbance while riding the bus following the conclusion of classes for the day, according to police. The driver responded to the disorder by pulling over and calling his supervisor, after which the disruptive youths tried to get off the bus, police said. When the driver blocked their way by standing in the doorway, a hostile standoff ensued. The driver eventually let the youths get off the bus, but pushed a student as she and her companions walked by, according to police. One of the girls then allegedly punched the man, knocking him to the ground, and continued attacking him with at least one of her friends joining in. The fracas ended when a male student and a security guard moved in and pulled away the girls, who then fled, police said. The driver reported no injuries from the scuffle. The Escondido Police Department is looking into whether to seek criminal sanctions against the students who allegedly attacked the driver, according to EPD public affairs. The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office for possible filing of charges in juvenile court. The names of the suspects were withheld because they are minors.
crease since last fall, university spokesperson Brian Hiro said. Just under 2,000 students moved into student housing in mid-August, after the university received a record number of housing applications. The university is planning for even more growth
via a new student housing and dining complex, with construction set to kick off in early 2024 and be completed in 2026. The affordable housing complex will accommodate 600 additional residents. CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt told employees at this year’s convocation on
Aug. 24 that student recruitment, retention and success is an important part of the university’s new strategic plan, the Power of CSUSM and the Power of Us. “There are people populating committees across this campus, faculty and staff and students, to [make] that happen,” Neufeldt said.
Photo by Samantha Nelson
Grape Day fun Festival-goers celebrate Escondido’s rich heritage at annual event. 3