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ESCONDIDO ¡ª When Greg Spence talks board games, he isn't referring to your Yahtzee's or Scrabbles.The board games he's passionate about can take hours to play - think Settlers of Catan, Spirit Island, or Sagrada.¡°There are so many games out there that get deep into different genres and strategies and tactics that are so much fun,¡± he said. ¡°You can get lost in the variety of board games.¡±The problem Spence discovered with in-depth games, however, is they have dozens of pieces and can even take half-an-hour to set up.That's why in 2013, he launched the company called The Broken Token - which helps gamers organize pieces. Their products include levels of wooden trays, often marked for different kinds of game pieces.The Broken Token did so well that Spence quit his day job and opened a manufacturing space in Escondido. He's now selling internationally.But last year, he almost left California for Missouri or Indiana, states that would offer more distribution flexibility and are closer to conventions. The states are also lower cost than California, which has some of the highest taxes in the nation.¡°We didn't want to leave, but we were trying to make the best decision for the company,¡± Spence said.But instead, he got in touch with the group Innovate 78, a collection of city economic officials that pointed him in the direction of a California Competes tax credit. The 0,000 credit will allow The Broken Token to move into a new facility in Vista. In exchange, the company will invest 0,000 locally and hire 14 additional people through 2023.¡°There are places out there like us that need good staff and good talent,¡± Spence said,He added the pandemic hit them in terms of manufacturing and supply. But, they're catching up - with social distancing in place. 1785

Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that they have struck a non-prosecution agreement with National Enquirer parent company American Media Inc., effectively ruling out charges for the tabloid publisher over its role in securing hush money from President Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen.As part of the agreement, AMI admitted to making a payment of 0,000 in cooperation with members of Trump's presidential campaign in order to prevent former Playboy model Karen McDougal's claims of an affair with Trump from being made public during the 2016 race.AMI chairman David Pecker is a longtime friend of Trump's, and the Enquirer was one of Trump's most reliable and enthusiastic media boosters during the campaign.Pecker met with Cohen "and at least one other member of the campaign" in August of 2015, according to the non-prosecution agreement, which was struck with prosecutors from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York."At the meeting, Pecker offered to help deal with negative stories about that presidential candidate's relationships with women by, among other things, assisting the campaign in identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided," the agreement read. "Pecker agreed to keep Cohen apprised of any such negative stories."Details of the payment to McDougal emerged in 2016, mere days before the election, when the Wall Street Journal reported about her agreement with the Enquirer. At the time, AMI insisted that it "has not paid people to kill damaging stories about Mr. Trump." The reported agreement drew wider attention earlier this year following a story published by The New Yorker, which shed light on the tabloid practice of "catch and kill," wherein a publication purchases a story purely so it won't run. McDougal signed a contract worth 0,000, granting AMI "exclusive ownership of her account of any romantic, personal, or physical relationship she has ever had with any 'then-married man,'" the New Yorker reported.The news of the non-prosecution agreement comes the same day that Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the matter.In a statement, the SDNY said, "Assuming AMI's continued compliance with the agreement, the Office has agreed not to prosecute AMI for its role in that payment."A spokesperson for AMI declined to comment. 2421

ESCONDIDO, CA (KGTV) ¡ª As we continue to live life in these pandemic times, people are eating most of their meals at home. And as the trend continues, Hawthorne Country Store in Escondido has seen a resurgence in homesteading."Homesteading is a little bit like the original McGuyvering," says managing partner Heather Thelen.She says it's a lifestyle about being self-sufficient when it comes to food and agriculture."Anything from gardening, food collection, hunting, preserving cheese, and using animals for food or for other uses," Thelen said.And because of the current pandemic, everything from chickens to pickling has become very common and popular. "To think that this is something we've been reminded about with COVID. When our supply chains got interrupted, and there wasn't availability of some of the things like meats or products, we just couldn't get because we couldn't go out," says Thelen.And at Hawthorne Country Store, they are offering and education is homesteading. And how in 2020, living off the land, can be quite simple and fun. "We're doing a few classes online, as well as YouTube videos to help people," Thelen said. "We want people to have access to local help, because the videos and the television shows that are out there, are in the Midwest. Even though that is fantastic information, it might not be the right information for Southern California."Thelen says it's a good reminder that if you can't buy it, make it."People are re-remembering that there were ways to do it, other than wrapped in plastic from a grocery store," she added. 1577

FALLBROOK, Calif. (KGTV) -- A tortoise is recovering after falling 10 feet from a wall Sunday, cracking its shell.The tortoise was found by a good Samaritan after falling from a 10-foot wall while being chased by a dog, according to the County News Center.The 70-pound tortoise was taken to a veterinary hospital where animal services were called.Officials say that¡¯s when they learned it would cost several thousand dollars to fix the 35 to 40-year-old tortoise.¡°We have a donor-driven Spirit fund that we can use for severe medical cases such as this one,¡± said County Animal Services Director Dan DeSousa. ¡°This tortoise will get the extensive, aggressive care and long-term observation that he needs to regain his health and hopefully live to a great, old age.¡±The tortoise underwent surgery Tuesday, where veterinarians put screws into the shell then used ties on the screws to hold the broken pieces together.Veterinarians then used the same paste material that dentures are made from to seal the cracks.For more information or to donate to the Spirit fund, click here. 1098

Europe is proposing a ban on single-use plastic items such as cutlery, straws?and cotton buds in a bid to clean up the oceans.The European Commission wants to ban 10 items that make up 70% of all litter in EU waters and on beaches. The list also includes plastic plates and drink stirrers.The draft rules were unveiled Monday but need the approval of all EU member states and the European Parliament. It could take three or four years for the rules to come into force.The legislation is not just about banning plastic products. It also wants to make plastic producers bear the cost of waste management and cleanup efforts, and it proposes that EU states must collect 90% of single-use plastic bottles by 2025 through new recycling programs.The European Commission estimates that these rules, once fully implemented in 2030, could cost businesses over €3 billion (.5 billion) per year. But they could also save consumers about €6.5 billion (.6 billion) per year, create 30,000 jobs, and avoid €22 billion (.6 billion) in environmental damage and cleanup costs.The Rethink Plastic Alliance -- an association of environmental organizations -- called the proposals "a leap forward in tackling plastic pollution" but criticized some perceived shortcomings.The proposals do not set targets for EU countries to reduce the use of plastic cups and food containers, it said."This could result in countries claiming they are taking the necessary steps as long as any reduction is achieved, regardless of how small," the alliance said in a statement.The proposal also faced criticism from the plastics industry.Plastics Europe, which represents manufacturers, said it supported the "overarching objective" of the proposal but said there must be more resources dedicated to "waste management" to ensure better collection of used plastic."Plastic product bans are not the solution," it said in a statement, and noted that "alternative products may not be more sustainable."On a global basis, only 14% of plastic is collected for recycling. The reuse rate is terrible compared to other materials -- 58% of paper and up to 90% of iron and steel gets recycled.Research shows there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the world's oceans by 2050, which has spurred policy makers, individuals and companies into action.Last month a group of more than 40 companies including Coca-Cola, Nestle, Unilever and Procter & Gamble pledged to slash the?amount of plasticthey use and throw away in the United Kingdom.Starbucks also announced in March it was launching a  million grant challenge to solicit designs for a cup that's easier to recycle. 2689