Axios San Diego
October 09, 2026
1 big thing: They're finally home
After more than 10 long months, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its 5,000-plus sailors are finally home.
The big picture: The San Diego-based aircraft carrier broke a Navy record by spending more than 260 days at sea without a port call, attracting media attention and scrutiny for conditions on board.
- The carrier lacked adequate food and supplies at times, according to multiple news outlets.
- Eight sailors attempted suicide during the deployment, which involved combat against Iran.
Driving the news: The carrier made it home yesterday and was greeted triumphantly.
- 64 fathers were among the first sailors off the ship to meet children born while they were away, per the AP.
- Among those was air traffic control officer Brent Ledbetter, who actually replaced his wife, also an air traffic control officer who was originally supposed to deploy on the Lincoln.
- Families started lining up at 6am to greet the carrier, hours before its noon arrival.
By the numbers: The Lincoln saw more than 13,000 aviation sorties, 28,500 flight hours, 72 replenishments at sea and 4 million meals served during its deployment, according to CBS8.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined the crew on Wednesday before their arrival and awarded them a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award for valor for an entire military unit.
2. 🪦 San Diego's cemetery keeper
Our very own gravekeeper loves his job because, as you might expect, it's very quiet.
The big picture: While David Noriega prefers his professional title, area manager of the city-owned Mt. Hope Cemetery, he is in fact the keeper of about 80,000 departed and their resting places.
- They include famous San Diegans Kate Sessions, the Marstons, the Hortons, the Whaleys, Raymond Chandler and Kate Morgan (who's said to haunt the Hotel del Coronado).
Now, as the spookiest night of the year approaches, he and his staff are getting ready.
- Visitors descend on the cemetery every Halloween, Noriega told Axios.
- Staff were finding candles and "voodoo stuff" the next morning, so now they hire extra security to patrol, he said.
- "To make sure nobody lights up something or vandalizes the cemetery," he said.
Staff say they see ghosts the rest of the year, too, including a young child who runs through the grass near the back.
- Noriega said it's more likely a coyote.
State of play: By the end of the year, the cemetery will probably be full, Noriega said.
- The city has a plan to add 10 acres near Market and 36th streets, potentially adding about 5,000 burial sites.
- But for now, the city is limiting "pre-needs," meaning people who want to buy a plot before they've died.
Follow the money: Burial at Mt. Hope costs $4,000, or $5,000 for two people buried on top of each other.
Mt. Hope regularly draws people visiting loved ones or just taking a walk to explore.
- One woman had visited every single day for seven years, Noriega said.
- "People grieve differently," he said.
Fun fact: You can't get a traditional standing headstone at Mt. Hope anymore. The cemetery switched to flat markers in the 1970s because they make mowing and maintenance easier.
- Now there's a special machine just for clearing grass off the flat grave markers.
Noriega started at Mt. Hope as a grounds maintenance worker in 2001 and worked his way up to running the cemetery.
- Whether he's driving the grounds in a van or sitting in his office, he appreciates the stillness and quiet.
Except maybe on Halloween.
Congratulations to reader Tom O. who very precisely guessed Claire was at Kate Sessions' grave marker for this story.
3. The Current: Trump says he'll protect us
5. 🎃 Haunted plans incoming
Axios San Diego
