Classic cars, live music and vendors as far as the eye could see drew thousands out for the Grand Summer Festival on Aug. 31.

School started back up this week, and fallout from the state budget crunch has already taken its toll on the San Marcos Unified School District, or SMUSD, forcing cuts in jobs and programs for the 2008-2009 school year. These cuts have largely been made on speculation as the state is now two months late on actually approving a budget.

With the sound of earth tumbling off five shovels and applause from city staff along with several local residents, construction on Sunset Park officially began.

National Infant Immunization week draws attention to the remarkable achievement that vaccines have made in eliminating diseases that are life-threatening for infants and children. Acknowledging the success of immunizations should not overshadow important concerns about vaccine safety and developing a dialogue between parents and pediatricians. Yet, immunizations remain one of the most significant public health advances in the past 100 years.

Anyone who drives knows the frustration of getting a green light just to have the next one turn red. San Marcos city staff submitted a $549,000 plan to City Council on Aug. 12 to renovate the traffic control system along the complete route of San Marcos Boulevard, the city’s main artery, to make that happen less often.

The Friends of the Palomar College Arboretum had a lot to celebrate at their special meeting in the park Aug. 13. The centerpiece of the event was the relocation of the James Hubbell Structure, an artistic fixture at the college for decades, to its new home in the five-acre park and nature reserve.

A 44-year-old comedic actor pleaded not guilty Aug. 13 to a violent assault on his ex-girlfriend in her San Marcos home.

There are two seats on the City Council to be filled at the ballot box this November. The two incumbents, Hal Martin and Rebecca Jones, made it clear early on that they intended to run again.

At the request of Mayor Jim Desmond, San Marcos City Manager Paul Malone gave a presentation he lightly termed “Redevelopment 101,” highlighting the successes, limitations and potential vulnerabilities of the city’s redevelopment areas to an audience of city employees, staffers and council members Aug. 6.

City Council elections are held every four years in San Marcos, and the names of those who have announced their candidacy this year thus far should be familiar. Both Hal Martin and Rebecca Jones are running for re-election, and it is not yet certain if they will be opposed.

Where there are losers, there are often winners. The recent economic downturn has produced unexpected windfalls for some of San Marcos’ more than 200 automotive repair shops, according to several storeowners.

David Lovell pleaded guilty July 21, just a day after his 20th birthday, to pimping and human trafficking charges relating to his ex-girlfriend and her friend.

A Superior Court judge granted a continuance July 16 in the sentencing of William M. Hall II, a former Palomar College student convicted of calling in multiple bomb threats to the campus last fall.

A young man burglarized the Palomar College Police Department locker room last month in part by wearing a community officer shirt, an officer with the college testified last week.

San Marcos civic and commercial leaders lambasted the controversial “Growth Management and Neighborhood Protection Act” with two formal proclamations at the July 8 City Council meeting. The initiative, which qualified in March for the November ballot, would require the approval of the majority of San Marcos residents for most zoning changes to the city’s general plan.