On July 4th, there's no place like the nation's capital for America's biggest birthday party broadcast. Featuring the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere in the nation, the 29th annual broadcast of "A Capitol Fourth" airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The star-spangled party features special performances by some of the country's best-known and award-winning musical artists in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Erich Kunzel. Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits returns to host the biggest and brightest birthday party in the country, featuring for the first time ever, Barry Manilow, who will both open and close the concert broadcast with a stirring medley of hits and patriotic classics along with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Arts Society of Washington.

The explosive special "3, 2, 1 Fireworks" takes viewers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Washington, D.C. July 4th celebration, featuring one of the largest and most colorful fireworks displays in the world. Shot in high-definition, the special captures every step of the renowned fireworks production. It opens in China as the crew observes the making of fireworks and dazzling new pyrotechnic effects.

$21 million in federal stimulus funds will go toward remodeling the Otay Mesa border crossing. Officials say this will pay for land and design costs.

Public health advocates are urging lawmakers to raise alcohol taxes to help close California's massive budget deficit. Alcohol taxes haven't been increased in the state since 1992.

French novelist Colette may have been as famous for her sometimes scandalous life as for the literary works she produced. On film, the musical adaptation of her novel "Gigi" is probably the best known. But now a pair of her works have been combined to make "Chéri" (opening June 26 at Landmark's La Jolla Village and Hillcrest Cinemas) into a star vehicle for Michelle Pfeiffer.

For more than 30 years, "Nightly Business Report" has provided business news in a fast-paced format. Consistently television’s most-watched daily business news program, the award-winning series combines business and economic news, extensive financial market coverage, in-depth analysis, corporate profiles, features and commentaries by noted economists and business experts. Susie Gharib and Tom Hudson co-anchor.

“Stories form Baghdad U.S.A.” is a new documentary from local filmmakers Kevin King and Alex Farnsley, and it will have its premiere this Sunday, June 28, at 1:30pm at the San Diego County Library El Cajon Branch. The screening is free and the documentary was shot in El Cajon. Although I was not able to preview this film, I have shown works by the filmmakers at "Film School Confidential: A Showcase of San Diego and Tijuana Filmmakers," and know that they are a talented pair.

At least five of the lifeguard towers a San Diego group donated to Mexico need some rescuing. As KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson explains, the towers are stuck in a parking lot blocks from the beach.

The Director of Mexico's Federal Migration Institute says she's pleased President Barack Obama favors good policy over short term politics on the issue of immigration reform. As KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson explains, Cecilia Romero made the comments during a talk at the Institute of the Americas in La Jolla.

Next week, the new fiscal year begins and our city and county governments will be working with new budgets. How have local government spending priorities changed in the last year?

The San Diego City Council passed a resolution to support the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. Why did the city council weigh in on a national issue like "Don't Ask Don't Tell"?

Has new life been breathed into the proposal to build a new downtown library? Earlier this week, the San Diego Unified school board agreed to put $20 million toward a proposal to build a school-library combo downtown.

The last time San Diego County could rely only on local supply for all its water needs was 1946. It will never happen again. San Diego's water future will certainly be drier than most of us are used to. KPBS reporter Alan Ray talked with Dennis Cushman, the Assistant General Manager of the San Diego County Water Authority.

New research from UC San Diego shows that corals and soft-shelled creatures may not be the only species hurt by rising levels of carbon dioxide levels in the ocean.

San Diego will end its fiscal year on Tuesday spending 2.5 percent less on payroll costs than last year.

This week, San Diego State University was one of five sites around the nation testing new emergency response technologies. The exercises demonstrated tools developed for the military that are now available for civilian first responders. A lot of money is being invested in powerful new surveillance tools, but are these making us any safer?

We watched Michael Jackson grow up: He was a baby-faced boy with a captivating smile and an amazing voice who stole the show right out from under his big brothers. We saw him morph into a modern-day song-and-dance man, so light on his feet he seemed to be moving on air.