Hey hey Escondido! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Fun Animal Friday: Dwarf Horse & Mini Goat and 1 more event.
Today's riddle: What is full of holes but still holds water? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Grape Day Festival returns to park Sept. 5: get some squishy grapes between your toes! (times-advocate.com) — Escondido's Grape Day Festival returns to Grape Day Park on Saturday, September 5, celebrating the city's agricultural roots with grape stomping, live entertainment, kids' activities, and free grapes while they last. Expect vendors, a wine and beer garden, historic demonstrations, and a strong local presence from groups like the Escondido History Center and Escondido Sunrise Rotary.
2. Authorities Seek Information In Death Of Escondido Man (patch.com) — Authorities are asking Escondido residents for help solving the death of 56-year-old local resident Jorge Soares, whose body was found in North County after he went missing in early 2025. Detectives say he lived in Escondido and often traveled to San Bernardino County, and Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that could lead to an arrest.
3. California construction company builds fire-resistant homes as San Diego County faces daily wildfires (10news.com) — An Escondido homeowner is nearly finished building a fire-resistant house near Olivenhain Dam, using materials designed to better withstand wildfires. California-based 4C Construction Systems assembled the shell in under a week, aiming to keep costs manageable while giving local residents another option for safer building in high-risk areas.
4. Piggly Wiggly on Newport Avenue: The oddly named store that changed how San Diego shopped (timesofsandiego.com) — Escondido once hosted its own Piggly Wiggly, part of a wider San Diego network of early self-service grocery stores that changed how residents shopped. This history piece traces the Ocean Beach location on Newport Avenue, explains how the brand spread regionally, and shows how its innovative self-service model became the norm in markets everywhere.
5. County Supervisors Approve Ban On ICE Using County Firearms Facilities (patch.com) — Escondido residents should know the county has voted to bar ICE from using its firearms training facilities, a move Escondido Councilwoman Consuelo Martinez publicly supported as protecting immigrant communities. The decision, narrowly approved by supervisors, has sparked debate between those citing fear and civil liberties concerns and others warning about public safety and border-security impacts.
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Ok Escondido! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A sponge (Thank you Netty W. for sending it in!)
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