Let me set the scene. Dozens upon dozens of fans, some of whom have been waiting since eleven o’clock the morning before, have finally been led into the theatre where their hours of vigilant persistence against the elements will finally be rewarded in a mere matter of minutes when the rousing score of John Williams, set against the Warner Bros. opening logo, unveils the first Harry Potter film in two years. As the fans take their seats, one eager Potter-phile brings himself to the front of the auditorium, dressed in a full black cape, a black witch hat, a yellow foam finger sporting the words, “Harry and the Potters," and his very own wooden wand, as he announces that he wants to lead the entire audience in singing the Harry Potter theme.

Two weeks after a Navy seaman was found shot to death in a guard shack on Camp Pendleton, the Navy still has not decided if the case is serious enough to go before the military equivalent of a grand jury.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the disbursement of more than $8.7 million in federal funds -- primarily to San Diego County and Chula Vista -- to fight crime and drug trafficking along the Southwest border.

San Diego city officials are worried that Kinder Morgan Energy isn't going to meet deadlines to cleanup the groundwater underneath Qualcomm Stadium.

Chef Keller serves up two very unique, mouth-watering ways to prepare salmon, starting with an exquisitely slow-roasted recipe that is all the rage at his San Francisco restaurant Fleur de Lys. He finishes with a one-of-a-kind salmon burger injected with a silky smooth sauce. Slow-Roasted Alaskan Salmon; Double Salmon Tartare Burger.

Unless Judge Sonia Sotomayor commits a monstrous gaffe during her final hours of grilling as President Barack Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee, she will replace retiring Justice David Souter when the next court session begins.

A Mexican law enforcement official says the renegade drug trafficker who declared war on Tijuana's Arellano Felix Cartel last fall is behind the recent series of attacks on Tijuana and Rosarito police.

The San Diego City Council has until mid-August to respond to a Grand Jury report that says the city should charge residents for trash pickup. But if a council committee meeting held Wednesday is any indication, formulating a response might not be so easy.

A key committee of the University of California on Wednesday approved a budget plan that would force most of the system's 180,000 employees to take unpaid leave and pay cuts to offset a steep drop in state funding.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he and top lawmakers have the will to close California's $26.3 billion shortfall by the end of the day. The governor cautioned reporters during a Wednesday news conference that several difficult issues still must be resolved. Negotiations are scheduled to resume later in the afternoon.

Home sales in San Diego County jumped by 20 percent in June, compared to the same month a year ago, but prices dropped by 15.1 percent, a real estate information service reported today.

PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk's new book is The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights. It is being promoted as a "kinder, gentler" approach to helping animals in trouble. We ask her about the history of PETA, the controversy that continues to surround the organization, and what this new approach involves.

Sotomayor confirmed that neither President Obama nor any other White House staff asked her position on abortion before nominating her to the high court. "I was asked no question by anyone, including the president, about my views on any specific legal issue," she said.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (opening July 15 throughout San Diego) is the newest installment to the "Harry Potter" series. Unlike the previous movies based on the J.K. Rowling books, this movie was somewhat of a disappointment.

Authorities say dozens of immigrants being held at San Diego's Otay Mesa detention center are being quarantined because of fears over the swine flu. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say two cases of the H1N1 virus have been confirmed at the facility since last month. The individuals were treated and recovered.

What can you do to prevent rats and mice from invading your cupboard? How can you make your yard mosquito-proof? We speak to Chris Conlan, a vector ecologist for the County of San Diego, about the most common vector-borne diseases in our area and which animals carry them.

Despite the state's current economic problems, the fundamentals of California's economy are strong, according to a new report by the PPIC. We speak to PPIC Researcher Jed Kolko about the strengths and weaknesses in the state economy. We also talk to Kolko about a report he did on who's moving out of California, and why.

Critics of US Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor say they have concerns about her ability to render impartial legal decisions. Are those concerns valid or are they just playing politics?

California is a mess financially, and one of its huge burdens is its prisons. The state spends $10 billion a year on its prison system, which once was a model for states to follow but now is a model of what to avoid, NPR's Laura Sullivan tells Renee Montagne.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor returned to the hearing room of the Hart Senate Office Building on Wednesday morning for her third day of Supreme Court confirmation hearings. She will try to reveal little more than she did in her first day of questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The San Diego Fire Department is losing more personnel than usual this year. KPBS reporter Katie Orr says changes to the city’s retirement plan prompted a lot of firefighters to take an early retirement.

The Port of San Diego controls more than 5,000 acres of tidelands and 10,000 acres of the bay. The port is governed by seven unelected commissioners. They decide what to build on the waterfront, how to promote trade and how to keep the bay clean. Critics say that’s too much power with too little oversight.