The biggest pop culture convention in the world is only 22 days away! Comic-Con International happens right here in our sunny backyard and KPBS is gearing up for some great coverage. & We'll inlcude videos of some of the panels, and cover television, gaming, comic books, graphic novels, artists, movies, and toys...all those wonderful toys! & One of the things that we'd like to do is follow someone through the process of designing and creating a costume for the annual Masquerade. If you live in San Diego and plan to enter the Masquerade, please contact us! (um, have you noticed that Comic-Con brings out the exclamation points in me?)

The San Diego Port District is defending a 60 thousand dollar ad campaign that opposes plans to redevelop the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal downtown. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

Crews have broken ground on an Imperial Beach project that will help keep polluted stormwater from reaching the ocean. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has more.

The uproar over Blackwater Worldwide's new Navy training center in Otay Mesa has flared up in Washington. Virginia Senator Jim Webb wants more details about the facility. And he's stalling approval of four defense officials until he gets it. KPBS Reporter Amita Sharma has more.

A bill that would reinforce restrictions on the use of public tidelands has passed the California Legislature. The California State Senate approved the bill Wednesday. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has details.

A disclosure before proceeding: I am an omnivore, preferring my animal flesh charred over an open flame though I seldom eat red meat since a little round of prostate cancer and radiation a few years back. I also believe responsible research using animals has probably saved my life and the lives of many other humans, and I have no objection to that.

Increased demand for diesel in Tijuana is causing diesel shortages again in the border city. Baja California’s Governor says demand from locals is to blame, not U.S. drivers looking for a bargain. KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson has the story.

This month, the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library hosts its 10th annual Summer Festival featuring pianist Gustavo Romero. Romero will perform works by the seven composers he has featured over the years, as well as a few new favorites.

It's summer in San Diego, so it must be time for for the annual Old Globe Summer Shakespeare Festival. This year's selection includes the classic comedies All's Well That Ends Well and The Merry Wives of Windsor, as well as the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. Join us on These Days as we talk to the directors of the festival plays about all things Bard.

A survey of nonprofit mortgage counseling agencies in California suggests more homeowners are losing their homes to foreclosure than receiving loan modifications and other payment workarounds from lenders.

How can we fix the sewage pollution problems that have plagued the San Diego-Tijuana border region for decades? What can be done to improve Tijuana's sewage runoff problems, and who should pay the bill? Now that the proposal to build the Bajagua water treatment plant has been killed, the conversation about how to fix our region's cross-border sewage problems has been renewed. Host Tom Fudge speaks to representatives from a few of the many organizations involved in the cross-border pollution conversation.

Iran talks tough, drivers reduce their mileage, car sales fall off the table, and gasoline prices around the US continue above $4 a gallon. As we head into the 4th of July weekend, we're joined on Morning Edition by Phil Flynn, a Senior Market Analyst at Alaron Trading in Chicago, and a Fox Business News contributor.

A new study out of UCSD suggests our genetic makeup influences how much we get involved in politics. The authors claim these are the first results to link specific genes to political behavior. We're joined on Morning Edition by one of the authors, Dr. James Fowler, Associate Professor of Political Science at UCSD.

The Iraqi Ambassador to the United States will be in San Diego later today to meet with members of San Diego's large Iraqi community. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.