Brooke Binkowski

San Diego

Journalist at Freelance

Managing Editor at truthorfiction.com

Your friendly neighborhood debunker. Chaotic good, mostly harmless.

Articles

Man shot and killed by police in Golden Hill this week identified as Enrique Cortez, 37

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

A man who was fatally shot by San Diego police this week after leading them on a 30-minute chase from San Ysidro to Golden Hill has been identified, as have the officers who fired on him. Enrique Cortez, Jr., was 37. The incident began when a witness notified the San Diego Police Department of a man with a partially concealed rifle in his jacket near Sanger Pl. and Blanche St. in San Ysidro around 3:20 p.m. Monday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff's office seeks witnesses in Lemon Grove homicide

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

A man in his twenties was killed in Lemon Grove on Tuesday night, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office is seeking more information from the public about the incident. The sheriff’s department said they responded to calls at about 9:05 p.m. Tuesday about an assault with a deadly weapon. They arrived at the 7800 block of Broadway in Lemon Grove, where they discovered the victim suffering from traumatic injuries. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Crews rescue man who flipped camper on sand in front of Mission Bay Resort

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

Crews had to rescue a man at Mission Bay Resort on Wednesday morning when he trapped himself beneath his own truck after driving it down the sidewalk. According to reports, the man was illegally driving down the public sidewalk at the water’s edge at a high rate of speed for unknown reasons on Wednesday morning when he crashed into the walkway in front of the resort at the board dock at around 6:51 a.m. His truck flipped over as a result of the crash.
Woman who was killed when truck drove into San Diego Bay identified

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

A 53-year-old woman who was fatally injured when a pickup truck lost control and drove off the roadway into the San Diego Bay, killing two of its occupants, has been identified. Three people were in the GMC pickup truck, which was traveling southbound in the 1400 block of Harbor Island Drive last Thursday when for unknown reasons it crashed into the bay, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
More money for police, fewer library hours: Mayor's office releases preliminary budget for fiscal year 2026

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

The office of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has released a draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year amid regional and national uncertainty. The budget, which can be viewed here, is characterized as a “starting point” based on the best available economic data available at the time. A final proposal will be released in May.
City Council considers ordinance to prevent landlords from using AI to set rental prices

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

San Diegans face skyrocketing prices everywhere — including the cost of rent. The San Diego City Council is considering an ordinance that would prohibit artificial intelligence-driven software from being used to set rental housing prices.
City Hall temporarily closes after 5.2 earthquake

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook the region Monday morning also caused the closure of San Diego City Hall for the rest of the day as the building is inspected. Employees who had been working in the City Administration Building will work the remainder of the day from home or a teleworking facility, according to a statement. Other facilities in downtown have been assessed and opened for the public and city staff.
Law enforcement releases more details about Sunday freeway chase

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office has identified a man who was the subject of a freeway chase on Sunday that began and ended in North County. Matthew Alms, 43, failed to yield during a traffic stop after law enforcement had already received calls about someone behaving in a suspicious way with a possible rifle in their vehicle. “The pursuit was discontinued after several miles in the city of Vista in the interest of public safety,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Earthquake rattles region, but no damage or injuries initially reported

1 week ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

An earthquake rumbled through the San Diego — the second significant quake in two days — but there were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries. The quake was initially listed as a magnitude 5.2, with the epicenter about two miles south of Julian, and was quickly followed by several smaller aftershocks ranging from about magnitude 2 to 3.5 in the same area. It also follows a smaller but still significant earthquake in the Julian area Sunday afternoon.
Autism conference with anti-vaccine activists set for Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley

2 weeks ago | timesofsandiego.com | Brooke Binkowski

The Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley is a destination for conferences from all over the world. From April 11-13 the resort will be the site of a controversial gathering: an anti-vaccine rally billing itself as an autism health conference. “Your journey to wellness starts here!” says an ad for the Autism Health Summit, which boasts a litany of well-known anti-vaccine activists, many of whom are known for falsely linking autism to widely used vaccines.