The largest earthquake to hit Haiti in more than 200 years rocked the Caribbean nation Tuesday, collapsing a hospital and heavily damaging other buildings. U.S. officials reported bodies lying in the streets and an aid official described "total disaster and chaos."

Family members of the hundreds of people who have disappeared in Tijuana during the last many years want to know if Teodoro Garcia Simental recognizes their relatives. Garcia Simental was arrested in La Paz Tuesday. Mexican federal police say he killed hundreds in Tijuana and was in charge of a man who dissolved bodies in acid.

Baja California's Attorney General says Tuesday's capture of Teodoro Garcia Simental will end the bloody drug gang turf war that's left about 1,000 people dead in Tijuana during the last two years.

Culture Lust contributor Seth Marko explores Edgar Award-winning author Jess Walter's latest tome, "The Financial Lives of Poets," which offers caustic wit and a modern eye in a riotous (and oh-so-relevant) glimpse at one man's post-crash solution to life.

"Passing Strange" is the story of a young African American man on a journey of escape, exploration and self-discovery. Recorded for television at the end of its Broadway run in July 2008 by Spike Lee, the musical is the semi-autobiographical story of a young black man who leaves behind his middle-class, church-ruled upbringing in mid-70s Los Angeles to travel to Europe in search of his artistic and personal identity, or what he calls "the real."

One of the most wanted drug gang leaders in Tijuana and San Diego has been arrested in Mexico. Mexican authorities say the man, Teodoro Garcia Simental or "El Teo," is tied to hundreds of murders and kidnappings.

Stephen continues his journey across America in a taxi to explore each state. In addition to making an uncomfortable trip underground to learn about West Virginia's coal-mining industry, he flies over North Carolina in a hot-air balloon and spends Thanksgiving in Georgia, before resting in Alabama to enjoy a college football game.

California's latest tobacco policy report card from the American Lung Association is nothing to brag about. The state earned a "D plus" overall.

Its first victory could also be the last gasp for a California bill to tax and regulate marijuana in the same way alcohol is controlled. The state Assembly's public safety committee voted for the bill, 4-to-3, Tuesday.

Uniquely human abilities — to think in symbols; recombine those symbols into infinite meanings; invent a technology to disseminate the message; ponder the past; speculate about the future; imagine the unknown; build cities; compose music — constitute the “human spark.” In this three-part series, host Alan Alda searches for the origin and nature of this spark.

The third nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be assigned San Diego as its home port has left the east coast.

San Diego’s Center City Development Corporation wants legal authority to collect more money; it's about 13 years away from reaching its financial cap and officials say they'll run out of money before they can pay for everything they've promised. The organization is beginning the process of trying to get that cap raised.

Tsunami hazard warning signs are now posted in several San Diego coastal neighborhoods. The signs are part of a county and city effort to prepare for the seismically-generated waves.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to close a $20 billion budget gap is overly optimistic because it relies too much on additional federal aid, according to California's nonpartisan legislative analyst.

I wanted to give a shout out to a great FREE program that starts tonight in New York: Korean Movie Nights, Tuesdays at 7pm at the Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick Street) beginning with "Daytime Drinking."

Volunteer members of community parking boards in the City of San Diego will have to file conflict of interest forms, under a code adopted by the City Council.

One of the most wanted drug gang leaders in Tijuana has been captured. Both U.S. and Mexican federal authorities say Teodoro Garcia Simental, also known as 'El Teo', has been arrested in La Paz, Baja California.

What are the effects of technology such as Facebook, Twitter, texting and email on social interaction and etiquette? We speak with technology etiquette expert, Elaine Swann and experts on social networks, James Fowler and Noah Arceneaux about the relationship between new technology and social behavior.

The first federal trial to decide the constitutionality of states banning same-sex marriage began Monday in San Francisco. We discuss the details of Perry v. Schwarzenegger including the decision, just hours before the trial began, to block a delayed broadcast of the proceedings on YouTube.com.

The last decade brought about madness in the San Diego housing market. So, how are things now, at the start of 2010? We speak with a local real estate expert.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would seem to need friends as he tries to resolve yet another budget crisis. But he's facing battles with entrenched opposition on three fronts.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a case that tests the federal government's power to keep convicted sex offenders behind bars after they have served out their prison terms.