The San Diego Unified School Board has a new board president. Trustee Richard Barrera was tapped yesterday to lead the board of education.

A group of science supporters called on San Diego Unified school trustees yesterday to make science education a priority by protecting science initiatives from budget cuts.

Today the San Diego Film Critics Society voted on the best of 2009 with "Inglourious Basterds" taking Best Picture as well as five other awards.

The Citizens Revenue Review and Economic Competitiveness Commission could help break new ground on ways to balance the City of San Diego's budget.

Gruesome drug cartel violence has kicked up again in Tijuana. At least 30 people have been killed in the last five days.

A coalition of elected officials claim the old South Bay Power Plant in Chula Vista is no longer needed. They say it should be torn down.

It's time to look back over the year in popular music. According to our guest, Chris Cantore, the best music in 2009 was dominated by indie rock bands like Grizzly Bear, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, and Phoenix. Cantore will tell us about his favorite album releases of the year.

The Tree of Life is commonly associated with Charles Darwin, though its iconography predates the theory of evolution. We speak with a local professor of biology about the perceptions of the Tree of Life before and after Darwin.

Sherri Lightner, who represents San Diego City Council District 1, talks about the past year as a brand-new council member, how she has addressed her campaign goals and what she would like to see happen for the City of San Diego in 2010.

Marti Emerald, who represents District 7 on the San Diego City Council, talks about the past year as a brand-new council member, what she considers her major accomplishments, how she feels about the recently passed city budget, and relations with the Mayor's office.

In a key step toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison, the White House is planning to acquire a rural prison in Illinois to house detainees on U.S. soil.

The governor has picked the next speaker for the California Assembly. We're joined on Morning Edition by non-partisan Sacramento political consultant Leo McElroy.

The Hollywood Foreign Press (a non-profit organization whose members are international journalists based in Southern California) just announced its nominations for both film and television. No real surprises with “Up in the Air,” “Nine,” and “Avatar” among the leading contenders in the 67th Annual Golden Globes.

A group of concerned citizens is calling on San Diego Unified to save science education and adopt a 'green-tech' focus in the process.

California’s Climate Team will hold a live video conference from the UN Summit in Copenhagen to respond directly to questions from San Diegans.