U.S. Rep. John Murtha, an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Monday. He was 77.

New Orleans has a lot to celebrate this month: a Super Bowl win, Mardi Gras, and the new album by five-man funk band Galactic. The album is called "Ya-Ka-May" and drops tomorrow, February 9th. You can see the band live at The Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on March 3rd. Check out a little preview of all the New Orleans musicians Galactic worked with on "Ya-Ka-May."

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman say that Manuel Garcia Simental and Raydel Lopez Uriarte, who allegedly operated in Tijuana, were detained by Mexican law enforcement in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Monday morning.

As if Mardi Gras isn't enough, New Orleans now gets to celebrate its first N-F-L title. Joining us on Morning Edition LIVE FROM MIAMI is North County Times sports columnist Jay Paris.

A 150-year-old oak tree has crushed a house in northern San Diego County. The 30-foot-tall tree began leaning against the porch of the Ramona home after the soil was saturated by heavy rains last month and the family -- a couple and their 7-year-old daughter -- moved to a hotel because of the danger.

President Obama wants to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law which bars homosexuals from serving openly in the military. We'll look at what it will take to change the law and the impact it will have on the military.

What were the highlights from Super Bowl XLIV? And, what does the future hold for the Chargers, now that we know LT will not be back with the team next year? We speak to Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton about the end of the NFL season.

As San Diegans prepare to celebrate Valentine's Day with their "one and only," there are towns in America where Valentine's Day is a lot more complicated. We'll explore the phenomenon of POLYGAMY IN AMERICA, the feature story in this month's National Geographic magazine.

In the first major step to revive his health care agenda after his party's loss of a filibuster-proof Senate majority, President Obama on Sunday invited Republican and Democratic leaders to discuss possible compromises in a televised gathering later this month.

Walking on San Diego streets could be hazardous to your health. Over the last two years, pedestrians have accounted for 20 percent of all traffic deaths in the area. That gives San Diego one of highest rates of pedestrian fatalities in the nation.

If you live in the city of San Diego and have an emergency, it may take longer for a fire truck to reach you. The city has begun rolling brownouts of some fire stations.

A member of the World Anti-Doping Agency says gene therapy is the new frontier in the fight against performance-enhancing substances.

Education advocates in California are moving forward with efforts to lower the threshold to pass a parcel tax for schools.

Remakes usually aren't worth seeking out but John Carpenter's 1982 remake of "The Thing From Another World" (1951) is definitely worth a look. Carpenter's "The Thing" plays tonight at midnight at Landmark's Ken Cinema.

In 2008, “Taken” was a surprise hit at the box office and it marked the American feature debut of French cinematographer-turned-director Pierre Morel. Now he directs “From Paris With Love” (opening February 5 throughout San Diego) and will wait to see if lightening will strike twice at the box office.

A newly released audit shows the San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office improperly withheld about $8 million in overpayments. It also repeatedly failed to fix problems in how the office is run.

Starting today, the number of fire engine companies at 13 of San Diego's 47 fire stations will be reduced on a rotating basis. The plan is part of budget cuts recently adopted by the City Council.

A major revision in the data helped push the nation’s unemployment rate down to 9.7 percent even as U.S. employers shed 20,000 jobs in January, the government said Friday, in a report that offered some encouragement that the worst of the recession’s job losses could be over.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was in San Diego Friday, but he stayed away from controversial issues.

New rebates and tax credits are making it easier for San Diego residents to use solar energy to heat the water in their homes. KPBS reporter Sharon Heilbrunn discusses the benefits of solar water heaters.