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Bio
Diane Bell's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Fax items to (619) 260-5009; call (619) 293-1518; e-mail to diane.bell@uniontrib.com ; or mail to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Box 120191, San Diego 92112-0191.
Latest stories
Fair advice: Hold on to your hat, purse and dentures
Published: Jun 27, 2011, 5:26 p.m. | Tags: 2011 County Fair, Diane Bell, ImportedAfter taking the county fair Sky Ride across the midway, a woman frantically reported a dropped purse. She had watched helplessly, from 70 feet in the air, as it had landed on a roof behind the cinnamon bun stand.
Final chapter of a World War II mystery unfolds
Published: Jun 24, 2011, 5:31 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedWorld War II pilot Richard S. Ryrholm, Jr. was laid to rest last Saturday, nearly 68 years after his plane crashed on patrol in remote New Guinea.
Hugh Hefner’s ex to lead unveiling of downtown club
Published: Jun 22, 2011, 7:05 p.m. | Tags: Diane BellHugh Hefner’s runaway bride is resurfacing in the San Diego spotlight. La Jolla High graduate Crystal Harris is hosting the June 24th grand opening of the Gaslamp’s newest nightclub — super chic hip-hop F6ix (at the corner of F and Sixth). The subterranean spot is the latest offering from the RMD Group that operates FLUXX, Side Bar and Ciro’s. It’s a sure bet that Playboy playmate Harris, 25, who got to keep her ring and her Bentley, will be singing her new pop single. After all, it seems named for the occasion: “Club Queen.”
Tourists receive unexpected message of love from Iran
Published: Jun 20, 2011, 7:40 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedA surprise awaited two San Diego travelers on their recent sojourn in Iran: an outpouring of love everywhere they went. “We were besieged, mobbed almost, by whole classrooms of up to 50 or 60 individuals who would come up to us and smother us with hugs and kisses,” reports Caroleen Williams, of Coronado. “‘Are you Americans?’ they asked. ‘We love Americans.’ Women walking down the sidewalks in full black burqas would wave to us and tap their hearts.”
Sadie sings her way to Vegas, at age 8
Published: Jun 17, 2011, 4:10 p.m. | Tags: Diane BellSan Diego 8-year-old, Sadie Duca, didn’t seriously start singing until last October. By January, though, the home-schooled La Costa youngster was auditioning for NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Her spirited performance Tuesday won over “AGT” judges Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan (who asked if she was really 55 years old) and earned her a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the next round of the TV contest.
New life springs out of student memorial
Published: Jun 17, 2011, 2:41 p.m. | Tags: Diane BellIn a postscript to my June 14 column item on the story behind UC San Diego’s Revelle Plaza flagpole, Robert Smith remembers well the self-immolation there in 1970 of anti-war student activist George Winne, Jr., a day after a huge demonstration downtown protesting U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Gleeful preschooler is YouTube sensation
Published: Jun 15, 2011, 5:17 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedOn June 5, Kellen Sarmiento was like any other 4-year-old Mira Mesa boy — attending preschool, playing basketball, loving his Nintendo Wii and singing karaoke. At midnight, his mother Emily posted a video on YouTube of Kellen parroting a “Glee” performance and messaged two friends.
Flag Day on the flight deck of the USS Midway
Published: Jun 14, 2011, 10:21 a.m. | Tags: Diane BellSeveral historic flags will be on display as the USS Midway Museum offers free admission to a 1 p.m. ceremony on its flight deck in tribute to Flag Day today...
Local couple stumbles upon their missing ring
Published: Jun 13, 2011, 9:30 p.m. | Tags: Diane BellAfter returning from a Mainly Mozart concert last Tuesday, Robert Cain and his wife, Linda, discovered his wedding ring was missing. The Kensington couple, about to celebrate their 15th anniversary next month, spent Wednesday and Thursday searching the house and yard — moving furniture, vacuuming carpets, pulling sink traps, even raking the garden and sifting the debris — all to no avail. On Thursday evening, the couple, Mainly Mozart Festival season ticket holders, returned to their seats at the Neurosciences auditorium for another concert. Their program dropped beneath their seats. When they simultaneously reached to retrie
Window washer says he is once again touched by an angel
Published: Jun 10, 2011, 9:30 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedWhen I wrote recently about Sean Welby’s encounter with “an angel,” I hardly expected a Chapter Two. Welby is the Clairemont window washer who was at a check cashing agency paying his overdue water bill when a woman simply handed him two $100 bills, and said: “I’m your angel today,” and “Pay it forward.”
San Diegans get entree to White House with iPhone app
Published: Jun 9, 2011, 9:30 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedLooking for a game of pickup basketball has taken San Diegan Aaron Royston, 26, to the White House. But, in between, there was the birth of a computer app, a business partnership, and a company, Sportaneous, that is attracting venture capital interest.
Jacobs suspends work on Balboa Park plan
Published: Jun 8, 2011, 8:59 p.m. | Tags: Growth & Development“I will hold back and wait and see what happens," Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs said about his park plans.
Rock ‘n’ Roll had politicians on the run
Published: Jun 6, 2011, 9:30 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedTwenty-four hours before announcing his candidacy for S.D. mayor, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher sent a provocative tweet to his followers: “I’m running…” then he added, “the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon.” Fletcher’s half-marathon time of 1 hour, 36 minutes put him in the top 50 for his age division…
Legislator's dog gets to Sacramento the hard way
Published: Jun 3, 2011, 9 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedAs the weeks passed after state Assemblyman Ben Hueso’s 9-month-old terrier disappeared from his Logan Heights back yard last March, he was convinced he would never see Coco again. Until, that is, the former S.D. city councilman got a call from Fresno last week. Coco had been turned in to a dog shelter there.
Gabrielle Giffords’ brother to run here in her honor
Published: Jun 1, 2011, 9:30 p.m. | Tags: Diane Bell, ImportedAlejandro Giffords, brother of wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, is running in Sunday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon. He is dedicating his 25th marathon to Gabrielle, shot by a would-be assassin at a Jan. 8 political gathering in Tucson, along with the six people killed and 12 others wounded. Alejandro, 50, a half brother to the Congresswoman, lives in Mexico City. He says he’ll wear the black and white ribbon he wore in Tucson right after the tragedy.
