I don't know about you, but I find it hard to digest and remember information when it's just a fact standing on its own. For example, the City of La Mesa's reserve fund is five percent of its operating budget. So what? Is that good or bad?

Don't head to the DMV Friday. It's one of many state agencies that will be closing as furloughs go into effect. Governor Schwarzenegger ordered all 238,000 state workers to take two unpaid days off each month to save money.

The pop music duo The Bird and the Bee have just released their sophomore effort, an energetic, retro-pop collection called Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future. We'll talk with the members of the band, Inara George and Greg Kurstin and hear some music.

Teachers union leaders are expected to sit down with San Diego Unified school district officials today to analyze a district plan that would allow more than 630 veteran teachers to retire early. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.

A summer tradition in Oceanside has fallen victim to budget cuts. KPBS reporter Katie Orr has details.

An environmental group says projects in the proposed federal economic stimulus package would reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions. KPBS Environment Reporter Ed Joyce has more.

State agencies are scrambling to figure out which employees will be working on Friday, the first furlough day ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to cut costs.

Much colder weather will bring several days of snow to the mountains and rain everywhere else beginning today in San Diego County, forecasters said.

What are the top stories coming out of the White House these days? What have been the top items on President Barack Obama's agenda this week? When is the Senate expected to vote on President Obama's economic stimulus package? Host Maureen Cavanaugh speaks to NPR White House Correspondent Scott Horsley about the latest news from Washington, D.C. We also talk to Scott Horsley about what life is like as a member of the White House press corps.

After 20 years with the NewsHour on PBS, Charlayne Hunter-Gault joined NPR as African correspondent. She moved on to CNN as Johannesburg bureau chief and eventually back again to NPR. Her beat is still Africa, and she has written a book, New News out of Africa, the Struggle for Democracy and Human Rights, in which she shares a basically optimistic view of the complex and diverse continent.

As part of our series of interviews with writers from the Symposium By the Sea, we'll talk with "The Bridge to Terabithia" screenwriter and co-producer David Paterson about adapting books to the big screen.

California has a new, dubious distinction: the lowest credit rating of any state. And that means taxpayers will be shelling out more when the state borrows money. Marianne Russ reports.

When did our nation's mentality change? What happened to change it? We once were a nation of savers. Americans knew the value of a dollar and were committed to keeping some greenbacks for a rainy day. I recall my grandfather telling me, "A dollar saved is a dollar earned." I was given a piggy bank before I started kindergarten. In first grade, I was taken to a local bank to open a savings account. We spent within our means. I had one pair of shoes for school and one pair for dress-up occasions. When I wore out my shoes or grew out of them, another pair would be bought.