The recession drove the number of poor Americans in 2009 to its highest total in half a century, yet several measures indicate the impact could well have been worse.

Calling all eaters! It's San Diego Restaurant Week. Foodies and penny pinchers alike, this week take entree into San Diego's best restaurants for half the price.

Chelsea’s Law is facing its first defendant since Governor Schwarzenegger signed it into law last week. Joseph Cantorna, 55, a resident of Lakeside, has been charged with the law’s one-strike offense, and multiple felony accounts of lewd acts against a child under the age of 14.

San Diego Unified's teachers union has unexpectedly pulled its support for a school board candidate running in the November election.

Master instructor Lee Holden guides viewers through a deeper journey into the time-honored eastern healing practice of Qi Gong. This ancient Chinese tradition was developed over thousands of years, combining powerful principles from the disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and even martial arts. Now a Doctor of Chinese medicine, Lee Holden began his journey into this practice as a former competitive athlete seeking to regain his edge after a challenging injury.

A new jobs survey shows one sector of biotechnology is growing at a record-setting pace in California. Industrial biotechnology companies work to develop new and sustainable fuel sources, feedstock, enzymes and green industrial chemicals.

In 1975, playwright Ntozake Shange gained acclaim for her "chorepoem" entitled "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." Now Tyler Perry is adapting her stage production to the big screen.

San Diego may be moving forward with outsourcing some city services four years after voters approved the concept. The two affected unions have reached a tentative agreement with the mayor’s office on a managed competition guide.

A ninth infant has died from whooping cough in California. The number of people getting sick with whooping cough is also increasing weekly here in San Diego County.

You know the flu is contagious. But UCSD social scientist James Fowler would tell you that it is also socially contagious. His research into the flu is one of many studies he's done on how social networks lead to certain behaviors and, in this case, certain illnesses.

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival opens this weekend at the Museum of Photographic Arts. We'll speak to the festival director and two San Diego filmmakers whose documentary is featured as part of the organization's Youth Producing Change series.

Phoenix, Brad Paisley, The Walkmen. There's a lot of music to see this weekend as well as some arts and family festivals. Our guests will give some sage advice for your weekend plans.

Bagpipes usually conjure up Scottish highlands and traditional folk music, but not for composer Matt Welch. The multi-instrumentalist composes and performs experimental new music on the bagpipes in our KPBS studios.

GOP candidate for governor Meg Whitman has now broken a campaign spending record She faced some tough questions about that, and a host of other issues at a San Francisco campaign stop Wednesday.

Hispanics are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States, and could become the largest ethnic group in our country within the next few decades. What can be done to increase participation rates among Latinos in colleges and universities? We speak to the president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

California lawmakers are likely to reach a discouraging milestone today -- the state’s longest budget impasse.

Mexicans began celebrating the 200th anniversary of their country’s declaration of independence. Tijuana's celebrations went on as planned under the protection of soldiers and police officers.

“The Sicilian Girl” had a sold out screening at the San Diego Italian Film Festival’s Anti-Mafia Film Series earlier this year. Now the film is receiving a theatrical release. I spoke with Clarissa Clo, SDSU associate professor and San Diego Italian Film Festival board member about the film, which is based on a true story. You can listen to our discussion.