After 26 years in the U.S. Navy, retired Capt. Brian Drechsler will celebrate his first Veterans Day as a veteran. And, with the benefit of hindsight, he offers one major takeaway: If the American public could see what Navy SEALs do, they would all sleep better knowing that those kinds of warriors are out there […]
Madeline Yang
Madeline Yang is a reporter for The Coronado News, covering the City of Coronado, the U.S Navy and investigating the Tijuana/Coronado sewage issue. She graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with her Bachelors in Journalism with an emphasis in Visual Storytelling. She loves writing, photography and videography and one day hopes to be a filmmaker. She can be reached by phone at 916-835-5843.
Posted inNews
Tanaka concedes, Duncan to be new mayor for Coronado
After several long months of campaigning, filing donations and speaking at forums, former Mayor Casey Tanaka has conceded to current City Council member John Duncan to be the new mayor of Coronado. A vote tally update on Nov. 15 showed Duncan with a commanding lead, carrying just under 46% of the ballots. Tanaka trailed with […]
Posted inNews
Duncan appears to win mayoral race, Tanaka concedes
Still leading the Coronado mayoral race on Thursday night, John Duncan appears to claim the title of mayor after Casey Tanaka conceded. Duncan continued to lead at 46.30% after another round of results were released at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Shortly after the San Diego County Registrar of Voters updated their numbers at that time, […]
Posted inNews
A four month update on the Island Express
Coronado’s experiment with a free shuttle service has attracted about 322 passengers a day since it was launched as a pilot program in June, but city leaders have yet to determine whether the program will be sustainable. The city paid Circuit a total of around $347,000 to operate the Electric Mini Shuttle Service, also named […]
Posted inNews
San Diego Paralympic athlete opens up in documentary about mental health
On March 24, 2020, when Japan announced that it would be postponing the Tokyo Olympic Games for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jaleen Roberts’ heart sank. She had been preparing her whole life as a Paralympic athlete. Roberts, 25, is the subject of a new short documentary film, “Out of the Dark,” that […]
Posted inNews
Coronado’s nonpartisan elections don’t seem nonpartisan anymore
Coronado, known as a friendly and serene island community with nonpartisan elections, has somehow erupted into open combat between Republicans and Democrats, with both sides seemingly relying on political action committees (PACs) to wage their electoral fight. That conflict, which mirrors the partisan acrimony and cultural warfare going on nationwide, has been compounded with rumors […]
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Final campaign filing numbers for all city candidates
With elections just over a week away, candidates have been filing their contributions to their campaign fund, with mayoral candidates John Duncan and Mike Donovan receiving the two highest contributions and City Council candidate Laura Wilkinson Sinton coming in third. There are three mayoral candidates and six City Council candidates this year up for election […]
Posted inFilm Festival
Local film, ‘The Bootstrap Cafe,’ premiers at the Coronado Island Film Festival
Sam Ashdown, a 37-year-old actor from Oregon, has been working in Coronado at the Lamb’s Players Theatre for the past two years. And, for the first time ever, one of his films will be premiering at the Coronado Island Film Festival this year – “The Bootstrap Cafe,” a 19-minute movie about time travel. Ashdown has […]
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Carjacker receives prison sentence for murder of Coronado sailor
A fatal carjacking from June of last year has left the teenager responsible for the death of Navy sailor Eddie Foster in state prison, serving a sentence of 15 years to life. The driver, then 18-year-old Ricardo Vazquez-Gongora, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to prison on Oct. 11. It’s closure but won’t […]
Posted inLifestyle
Coronado Island Film Festival returns with Taste of the Fest
The annual Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) is returning for its 9th year, and it’ll commence as always with the Taste of the Festival Kick-Off Bash before film festivities begin on Nov. 6. The night will be a celebration of all forms of art, most importantly the 120-plus films that will be shown, but also […]
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Celebrate Coronado honors the city’s police officers, firefighters and lifeguards
To recognize Coronado’s police officers, firefighters, lifeguards and city employees for their hard work, the Coronado Chamber of Commerce puts on an annual event called Celebrate Coronado. The night — complete with dinner and an awards ceremony — honored police officer Grace Del Bagno as employee of the year; Nate Smith as the lifeguard of […]
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Cays Park Master Plan goes into final design preparation
The Coronado City Council tentatively approved a controversial Cays Park Master Plan at its Oct. 1 meeting, but not before trimming $4.6 million from the previous price tag of $31.2 million, and placing some items under a bid alternative – meaning there is room for change within the master plan as the new city council […]
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Navy SEAL Museum brings in one of its first exhibits: the SEAL Delivery Vehicle
The sky over downtown San Diego is just starting to lighten as a crane lifts a large black submersible from the sidewalk, elevating it two stories in the air – and into the future Navy SEAL Museum. The 22-foot-long submersible, designed to transport six combat-equipped sailors, is among the military relics to be featured in […]
Posted inNews
Why a Coronado Facebook group bans some local politicians
Editor’s note: The most recent version of this story is updated to show that both Casey Tanaka and Mike Donovan declined to comment about whether or not they knew who conducted the push polls. As of Oct. 2, it appears that John Duncan has access to Coronado Happenings. A decision by the popular “Coronado Happenings” […]
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Q&A: Council candidate Mark Warner, diving into improvements
Editor’s note: The 2024 candidates for two open Coronado City Council seats are Andrew Gade, Mark Fleming, Christine Mott, Amy Steward, Mark Warner and Laura Wilkinson Sinton. A third council member may be selected in the process depending on the mayoral result. Three current council members — John Duncan, Mike Donovan and Casey Tanaka — […]
Posted inNews
Q&A: Council candidate Andrew Gade, protecting what he holds dear
Editor’s note: The 2024 council candidates running for the two open council seats are Andrew Gade, Mark Fleming, Christine Mott, Amy Steward, Mark Warner and Laura Wilkinson Sinton. A third council member may be selected in the process depending on the mayoral result. Three current council members — John Duncan, Mike Donovan and Casey Tanaka […]