A brush fire that blackened 100 acres near Julian is 60 percent contained, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler.

Bridget Lancaster uncovers the test kitchen's secrets to a perfect lemon meringue pie with a firm, sky-high topping. Then, equipment expert Adam Ried reviews inexpensive stand mixers and reveals the best bargain for the home cook. Finally, Erin McMurrer shows host Christopher Kimball how to make easy icebox Key lime pie with perfect texture and real lime flavor.

Monitors worn by convicted sex offenders in Southern California have sent out more than 31,000 alerts this spring, backlogging authorities who are struggling to review them for potential violations, according to a published report Wednesday.

Everyone loves guacamole. And for every person you ask, there’s a secret recipe and a preferred style. In the kitchen of his Frontera Grill, Rick prepares the restaurant’s classic Mexican version, an institution since the day the place opened. But is it a classic? To answer that question, Rick goes to Mexico City, where he explains that guacamole just means “avocado sauce,” and shows us a series of equally time-honored interpretations of the term.

State regulators say they want an independent review of any future rate hikes by California's largest health insurers. The announcement comes after auditors found Anthem Blue Cross's recent rate request violated state law.

A new downtown library is closer than ever to getting built in San Diego after years of discussions. But questions remain about whether enough money can be raised the finish the project.

San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare has begun using palm scanning technology to identify patients as they check in for appointments or are admitted to the hospital, it was announced today.

California doctors could lose 21 cents on every dollar they currently earn from Medicare patients.

President Obama met with BP executives at the White House on Wednesday, a day after he excoriated the petroleum giant in a prime-time address, pledging to make the company pay for the environmental and economic catastrophe caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

What are some of the San Diego connections to the 2010 World Cup? We speak to San Diego Union-Tribune Sports Reporter Mark Zeigler about the two local players on the U.S. National team, the popularity of the Mexican National team in our region, and to find out if those vuvuzelas are as irritating in person as they seem on TV.

The San Diego Master Chorale is presenting an evening of Latin American and Spanish music with the classical guitar talents of the Romero Duo, tenor Enrique Toral, and pianist Bryan Verhoye. We'll get a taste of those performances here in our These Days studios.

Cal Trans officials, working with the San Diego Association of Governments (SanDag), have crafted a plan to improve mobility along the I-5 corridor from La Jolla Village Drive to Hwy 78 in Oceanside. The project, similar to the current expansion of the I-15 corridor, will use TransNet funds and will undergo environmental and community review. It could cost between $3.5 and 4.5 billion, depending on which version is chosen.

Why did the San Diego Unified School District delay its announcement about the finalists to become the next superintendent? We speak to the president of the city school district about the district's search for a new superintendent.

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters still has 26,000 votes to count before winners can be declared in tight primary races -- like the state senate race between Juan Vargas and Mary Salas. Mail-in ballots represent most of the votes that still must be counted.