Even so, backers of the General Plan Update say there are a host of reasons the massive blueprint is being reworked, even if it’s not legally necessary.

The most obvious, they say, is that the county’s original General Plan is more than 30 years old and nearly obsolete. General plans outline where and how many homes, roads, businesses and parks should be established within a juridiction’s limits.

The 952-foot Carnival Splendor was towed to San Diego and docked Thursday morning. About 4,500 vacationers and crew members spent three days mostly without electricity.

A Nov. 8 fire in the aft engine room left the normally luxurious ship dead in the water about 150 miles south of San Diego and 55 miles west of Punta San Jacinto.

All Splendor voyages planned through Jan. 9 are canceled, according to Carnival Cruise Line, which said the cruise ship would set sail next on Jan. 16.

Travelers who had already booked tickets for the canceled voyages will receive a full refund for the cruise and any air-transportation costs, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. Those who were aboard the Splendor at the time of the fire will get refunds, plus a complimentary cruise equal to the amount paid for the aborted voyage.

At the time of the fire, the Splendor was on the first leg of a seven-day Mexican Riviera tour that had departed Long Beach the previous day.

CrossFit East County, a 4,000-square-foot fitness center owned by local businessman Paul Flores, relocated last month from neighboring La Mesa. Last week, Flores hosted a dedication ceremony for the new facility, located at 1411 N. Cuyamaca Street, which was attended by several local politicians and police officers.

CrossFit is a performance-based exercise program that has attracted a huge following over the last few years, and it is especially popular among first responders. Flores, 50, said 80 percent of CrossFit East County’s 155-member clientele are police officers, firefighters and military.

Flores’ facility hardly looks like a gym. It is a spacious room with high ceilings, a few free weights and no machines. Members have the option of paying for personal training, which ranges from $60-$70 an hour, or participating in group classes that start at $100 a month for beginners.

Meantime, some passengers are still making their way home, and it seems they can’t catch a break.

Now apparently the hotel they’re staying out has lost its power.

It was an eerily similar experience to what happened onboard the Splendor. What a mess. Poor people.

Exterminators with Cartwright Termite and Pest Control vacuumed and treated the sleeping quarters with insecticide during the day, and were inside the station Monday night fogging the infested areas. Twenty-five beds were propped up and electrical outlets were yanked out of the walls to give the bed bugs nowhere to hide.

The parasites were discovered Sunday morning, after first responders woke up with bug bites Sunday morning. Crews spent the day washing their gear, rigs, and vehicles.

Since July, the city has spent $46,000 to treat six other fire stations infested with bed bugs. The estimate for this latest job is upwards of $25,000.

According to the FAA, the plane took off Saturday from San Diego and was headed to Los Cabos, en route to Argentina.

A Mexican military helicopter spotted the wreckage in the mountains near Cabo San Lucas.

Rescuers attempted to reach the crash site yesterday—no word yet on what they may have found.

The FAA website shows Douglas Baker of Ukiah, California is the plane’s registered owner, but officials believe Baker may have recently sold it.

I was trying to figure out where exactly the plane left from…my best guess is Brown field, but, I’m not sure on that. Looks to small to have left from LIA.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire rose one-tenth of a cent Sunday to $3.136, the ninth increase in 12 days.

The average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties is 2.2 cents more than a week ago, 4 cents more than a month ago and 9.7 cents more than this time last year, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

The national average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline fell six-tenths of a cent Sunday to $2.755, a day after falling nine-tenths of a cent.

The national average price is 2.1 cents less than a week ago, but 3.2 cents more than a month ago and 11 cents more than this time last year.

Brian P. Bilbray, 25, who last worked as a marine engineer’s mate, will face 30-year-old Paul Brown, a criminal justice career coordinator at UEI College. They will vie in November for a two-year seat that has been temporarily filled by former Mayor Diane Rose.

When Rose was appointed to the interim seat, she promised not to run for the remaining two years of the term of Councilman Fred McLean, who died last year.

Also come November, a whole new slate of council members may be in charge. Only Councilman Jim King’s seat is secure.

San Diego lifeguards have issued a swimming advisory after two large sharks were spotted off our coast.

Lifeguards tell News 8 they received two credible large shark sightings off La Jolla shores.

They are warning swimmers and surfers to be careful if they are in the water between La Jolla cove and Scripps pier.

There have been a TON of sightings locally lately, so, I’d advise to keep a safe distance on the beach. The cool water is really bringing them closer to shore this year.