When we were growing up, barbecue meant chicken that was burned black as coal on the outside (the result of applying the sweet barbecue sauce too early), served half-raw inside, and perfumed with the scent of lighter fluid. If this sounds familiar, listen up. Here are three great fail-proof ways to grill chicken-yakitori-style, herb-scented game hens on the rotisserie, and Malaysian-style spatchcocked chicken.

A streak of soot on a rock. Singed bark on a tree. Charred plants and grasses. Even in a landscape blackened by wildfire, clues abound for investigators following the path of a blaze back to its point of origin and trying to find out how it started.

Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla have discovered two new antibodies to HIV that they plan to exploit in the development of a potential AIDS vaccine, it was announced today.

Five Californians are among the wealthiest members of Congress, including San Diego Congressman Darrell Issa, who ranks second on the "rich list."

Two of America's biggest health insurers have been asking their employees to lobby members of Congress about health reform. The non-profit group Consumer Watchdog is asking California's attorney general to investigate.

California's high-speed rail authority has delayed a decision about whether to award a $9 million contract to a public relations firm that has political ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The last big travel weekend of the summer is almost here, but the Automobile Club of Southern California says fewer people will be hitting the road this year.

California Corrections officials are reviewing the cases of undocumented immigrant prisoners to see who can be deported. About 6,000 up for consideration have more than one felony.

Find out if the Silversun Pickups can play their own song on Guitar Hero, plus their thoughts on art and music.

Saturday's football game between San Diego State University and UCLA will be played as scheduled at the Rose Bowl, despite earlier concerns about poor air quality due to the Station Fire.

Firefighters brought a sprawling wildfire near Los Angeles under greater control Thursday, despite a flare-up in a remote canyon that prompted about 25 nearby residents to be evacuated.

A man has admitted letting hundreds of feral dogs and cats roam his Riverside County property and kill each other.

The 5th annual Art of Photography Show features 111 winning photographs that emerged from an international pool of 16,000 entries. It is one of the largest juried photography competitions in the US and by far the largest juried exhibition in San Diego history. We'll talk to the woman responsible for selecting the winning photographs.

Mad Men is one of the most popular shows on television and a multiple Emmy award winner. Three episodes into the latest season and the men and women of Sterling Cooper are still drinking, smoking, and living double lives. Over at Slate, three writers are hashing out each episode in the Mad Men TV Club. We talk to two of those writers about about the show.

The 5th annual Art of Photography Show features 111 winning photographs chosen from an international pool of 16,000 entries. It is one of the largest juried photography competitions in the U.S. and the largest juried exhibition in San Diego history. You can view some of the winners as well as hear an interview with the contest's judge, Charlotte Cotton.

Is the local real estate market starting to turn around, or is the worst yet to come? We speak to real estate broker Matt Battiata, and real estate economist Gary London about what's happening in the residential and commercial real estate markets.

The new documentary "Afghan Star" (opening September 4 at Landmark's Ken Cinema) looks to an "American Idol" style show that attracts some ten million viewers with each episode. You can listen to KPBS film critic Beth Accomando's radio review.

Mexico's new drug law intends to recast the possession of small amounts of drugs as a public health issue, instead of a public safety problem. Under the new law, the first two times people are caught police will direct them to treatment centers.