No budget deal yet at the Capitol – but the debate is about to begin. Democratic Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg says he’s calling floor session for Friday and all through the weekend.

Marines who helped tsunami victims on a small island off the Japanese coast return to Camp Pendleton

Electric and hybrid cars require more energy to manufacture but they still save energy when all is said and done.

Some people wonder why owning a home is the American dream. Others say it goes back to Thomas Jefferson's ideal of the yeoman farmer and the beginnings of our democracy.

San Diego County avocado growers have a problem with pests. No, not insects, but thieves.

A sure sign that summer in San Diego is just around the corner is the start of the San Diego County Fair. We'll be talking about the fair and other great things to do this weekend, on our Weekend Preview.

The race to become the next mayor of San Diego is heating up. Democratic Congressman Bob Filner officially threw his hat in the ring yesterday. Filner joins a field that includes Republicans Bonnie Dumanis, Nathan Fletcher and Carl DeMaio. State Senator Christine Kehoe is also considering running for mayor in 2012. Who else could join party? And, what do each of the official candidates bring to the race? We speak to San Diego Mesa College Political Science Professor Carl Luna about the mayor's race.

When it all becomes too much and we're ready to escape the everyday world, one refuge that usually pops into mind is a South Seas island paradise. It's an image of blue lagoons, glistening beaches, friendly people and weather even nicer than San Diego's. But how did we originally get the notion that the islands of the Pacific were a gentle paradise, ready to welcome the weary of the Western world? A new exhibit at the San Diego Maritime Museum traces that history through the works of three famous men.

The San Diego City Council looked a gift horse in the mouth when it refused to support a Balboa Park renovation plan that’s backed by wealthy philanthropist Irwin Jacobs.

A 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck in Baja California today, possibly rattling parts of southeastern San Diego County.

If key power lines are hit, thousands of people in New Mexico and Texas could see rolling blackouts.

Recreational swim teams in San Diego made it through a wave of budget cuts this year. But one team could still see its funding go down the drain.

This Saturday at 4pm, the Media Arts Center San Diego (2921 El Cajon Boulevard) will host a free screening of documentary work from its Teen Producers Project. Listen to my radio feature and look for my video tomorrow night on San Diego Week.