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Escondido getting fourth Latino-themed supermarket
They aren't going to pack up and leave," said Hudson. "They have every right to have things in the community that serve them."Jo Ann Case, the city's economic development manager, said Escondido officials contacted the Stein Mart clothing chain and PetSmart last fall when they found out Ralphs was closing."There were no serious talks," Case said. "We were just making them aware that the site was available."City officials also would like to see a home decor retailer, such as HomeGoods, open on East Valley Parkway, she said.Case said she did not know if there was enough demand to support another grocery store in eastern Escondido, especially with a Fresh & Easy specialty grocery slated to open nearby on Jan. 30 at Valley Parkway and Ash Street."If Vallarta thinks there is enough business, then we wish them well," said Case.Abed said the city is not in the business of propping up monopolies or preventing market oversaturation.But, he said, the East Valley corridor badly needs something other than grocers, explaining that Albertsons, Vons and Ralphs also have stores there."Six or seven supermarkets will not make that area a destination," said Abed.Abed said he has no concerns that Vallarta's arrival will jeopardize plans to put a Target store nearby on the former site of the Escondido Union School District headquarters.A deal to put a Wal-Mart store carrying groceries on that site fell through in 2003, when Ralphs complained that a "noncompete" clause in its lease prohibited adding another food store in the Escondido Village Shopping Center.Abed said the plaza since has been divided, and that the Vallarta and Target sites are now owned by different people.In a phone interview, a Vallarta official said the family-owned chain is confident the Escondido location will be as successful as its 25 others in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura, Kern and Fresno counties.The company recently began a rapid expansion that includes opening four to five new stores each year."We've been targeting Escondido for a while," said James Lodenquai, human resources director for Vallarta, which was founded in the San Fernando Valley in 1985.
Britney Spears and Adnan: ‘Classiest Couple ‘08’
Britney Spears and her paparazzi man-candy Adnan Ghalib have been embarking on daily shopping sprees over the past week. One stop was the Betsey Johnson store in Sherman Oaks where Britney apparently came out of a dressing room buck-ass naked, according to Life & Style: "I was blown away. Britney's private parts were right in front of me!" a store employee tells Life & Style.
"I grabbed a dress to cover her and she screamed, 'Get away from me! Don't you f------ come near me!' says the employee.
"Then she disappeared in the dressing room with Adnan for 45 minutes. They were making weird noises. It was disgusting." When Britney and Adnan finally came out, what followed is probably the most accurate description of how I imagine Britney talking: "I couldn't understand a word she was saying.
Combating dry skin during cold months
"Jack Frost nipping at your nose" may be a great line in a song, but the reality does little for your complexion. Add to the frost, blasts of dry, wintry wind, sun exposure and overheated office air and your skin may feel dry and even scaly.
Indeed, millions of people each winter experience redness and uncomfortably dry and itchy skin, says Dr. Rebecca A. Kazin, assistant professor of dermatology and director of the Johns Hopkins Cosmetic Center. And those who already suffer from more serious conditions such as eczema or psoriasis may find that the cold season exacerbates their symptoms.
What do you tell people who come to you complaining of itchy, dry skin?
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Early childhood education: Avoiding expulsions
Trinity Day School in Tulsa praises the work of a little-known Oklahoma program for improving the behavior of children in its classrooms and strengthening the school's curriculum.
The Child Care Consultation program fits a recommendation made by a national panel last week as a way to reduce expulsions in early childhood programs.
Allison Geary, special projects coordinator for the nationally accredited Trinity Day School, said the school has used the consultants at least seven times in the last six months.
"It benefits our school as a whole," Geary said. "Parents can have more confi dence that we are not only relying on our own instincts and knowledge, which are good, but also on the body of scholarly research to follow best practices."
The program's goal is to keep children enrolled in centers when they might be in danger of being asked to leave.
Yahoo Rejects Microsoft Bid in High-Stakes Game
44.6 billion isn't enough, Yahoo's board tells Microsoft. The Yahoo rejection makes it Microsoft's move in the high-stakes game to take over Yahoo. Microsoft could offer more for Yahoo, or Microsoft could strike at Yahoo's board in a hostile fight, giving Google a clear field as Microsoft and Yahoo battle it out. .
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