When defending the heavy focus on curfew sweeps in neighborhoods like City Heights, a tactic we've been exploring lately, proponents often say that most violent crime happens during curfew hours.

A proposal to rename a two-block street in Hillcrest in honor of slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk will go before the San Diego City Council on May 8, council President Tony Young said today.

California Governor Jerry Brown has some blunt words for Democratic lawmakers who have rejected the budget cuts he proposed in January.

A National City psychologist, Dr. Roberto J. Velasquez, was charged with making false statements in immigration documents and applications for Supplemental Security Income disability benefits.

The rule of thumb that car owners should change the oil every three thousand miles is outdated. And with the price of crude oil at over $100-dollars a barrel, that means you could be wasting both oil and your money.

Host Mark L. Walberg welcomes viewers to Providence, Rhode Island, where he and appraiser Chris Mitchell head for the Ocean State's storied coastline and onward to Rose Island Lighthouse near Newport for a look at naval collectibles. Appraisers at the Rhode Island Convention Center encounter a fleet of admirable objects, including the 1786 diary of John Francis, son-in-law of John Brown, the prominent Providence merchant whose family name is carried by Brown University; and a rifle, powder horn and log book - attributed to Welcome Mathewson, one of the premier New England gunsmiths of the early 19th century - handed down through seven generations of a Rhode Island family and valued at $100,000 to $120,000.

The centennial of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage will be observed with special events around San Diego this weekend.

Learn more about local San Diego Hawaiian and Polynesian organizations.

Learn more about Alan Brennert, the author of Moloka'i.

Delve deeper into the book with these questions and topics for discussion.

Learn more about the themes and literary strategies used in Moloka'i.

Learn more about the setting and genre of Moloka'i.

Ruth visits Kalaupapa.

Rachel finds out more about the location of her daughter.

Rachel goes to Oahu in search of her family.

Crossen goes to trial and Rachel tries a new leprosy treatment.

Rachel and Kenji continue to get better, and try to improve Kalaupapa.

Rachels gets married and gives birth to a child.

Rachel meets a new man.

Rachel goes to new measures to get rid of her leprosy.

Rachel puts on Haleola's funeral and helps Sister Catherine.

Rachel continues to battle leprosy.

It is also one of Britain's smallest palaces and yet events at Holyrood have determined the fate of three countries - England, France and Scotland. It was also the last place where a royal prince challenged the right of an English king to sit on the throne. Fiona Bruce discovers remarkable objects from the Royal Collection that are intimately bound to the Palace's turbulent history - from the spectacular Darnley Jewel with its many hidden messages to the cat-and-mouse needlework of a doomed queen.

Rachel meets a new friend Lani and learns her secret.

Rachel is seventeen and experiences her first party and kiss.

Rachel's letters to her mother are sent back, and her father comes to visit.

Rachel runs away to find her Uncle Pono.

Rachel grapples with her first real encounter of death.

In chapter six Rachel settles in to life at Bishop home.

Rachel arrives in Moloka'i and immediately runs into difficulties.

Chapter four covers the years 1892-1894.

In chapter three Rachel is taken to the Kalihi Receiving Station.

The presence of disease in Rachel's family is introduced in chapter two.

Moloka'i is an epic novel that tells much of the history of the leper settlement at Kalaupapa on the Hawaiian island Moloka'i. The novel's main character is Rachel, who is sent to Kalaupapa as a young girl. Rachel witnesses events at Kalaupapa for over fifty years.

Rachel and Kenji's relationship proves to be very strong.

In chapter 16 Mitra returns and begins work at the University. She has lunch with Roya and tells her some interesting things about Mr. Elmi. Roya begins to receive notes from Shireen through Nasrin.

In chapter fifteen, Roya goes to see Shireen in prison.

In chapter fourteen Roya is invited to visit Shireen in Tehran. Kyan asks her a very important question.

In chapter thirteen demonstrations escalate. Roya learns the sentence for Shireen and Eemon, and attends Ali's funeral.

In chapter twelve Roya goes to see Jenab, and is kept home by her father.

In chapter eleven Roya goes to see Shireen and hears something unexpected.

In chapter ten, Roya meets Kyan, a fellow student at her school. Summer comes and she goes to the farm with her father.

In chapter nine school ends and Roya takes her university exams. She and Shireen start university and Shireen gets married. Roya notices a change in her friend.

In chapter eight Roya finds out why Shireen was gone for so long and receives a gift from her.

The campgrounds at Palomar State Park opened today after being closed for six months due to state budget cuts. A fundraising campaign launched by Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park allowed the park to open.

School starts again in chapter seven with SAVAK attacks escalated, and no sign of Jenab.

In chapter six, Roya spends her summer at the family farm.

In chapter five, Shireen has a suitor is trying to convince her father to give his approval. Jenab teaches a harsh lesson, and school ends for the year.

Things starts to escalate at the school in chapter four. The controversy surrounding Mr. Elmi is causing a ruckus.

Jenab discusses "The Little Black Fish" whcih causes a heated discussion. Roya learns more about Shireen, and is worried by Pedar's opium smoking.

In chapter two Roya and Shireen start to get to know each other as they connect over poetry and literature. The Persian New Year, Norooz is celebrated.

In chapter one, we are introduced to Roya, her family, and school life. We also begin to learn about the SAVAK and their role in Iranian society.

Think and discuss further about Sky of Red Poppies

Learn more about the Themes and Literary Strategies in Sky of Red Poppies.

Learn more about the setting and genre for Sky of Red Poppies.

Learn more about the author of Sky of Red Poppies.

Discover more about the available Persian and Iranian resources within the San Diego Community.

Check out some local Persian and Human Rights Organizations.

These are some of the many local Latino oriented organizations in San Diego.

Discover more about the available Mexican American resources within the San Diego Community.

Delve deeper into the book with these topics and questions for discussion.

Multiple themes are covered and discussed in "Into the Beautiful North."

Learn more about the genre, backround, and setting of Into the Beautiful North.

On their bus ride back, Nayeli and Tacho meet Agent Arnie Davis again. Pepino, the town simpleton, sees something in the distance.

Nayeli and Tacho board a bus back to San Diego.

Nayeli gets help finding her father.

Tacho and Nayeli arrive in Kankakee.

Nayeli and Tacho make their way through Kansas, Missouri and finally into Illinois.

The group back home is amazed by how many people show up as applicants for the job as warrior.

Nayeli and Tacho reach Colorado and are welcomed by some, and ignored by others.

Chava and Irma are reunited once again.

The duo continue on their journey and recieve a less than warm welcome in Utah.

Nayeli and Tacho start the first leg of their journey making their way through California and into Las Vegas.

Irma arrives in San Diego to take over Nayeli's mission while Nayeli goes on her trip to Kankakee.

Nayeli goes with Chava to meet Angel and gets into an altercation with some less than friendly thugs.

In chapter twenty four, Tacho finds his way to San Diego.

In chapter twenty three we learn about the history of Chava and Irma.

In chapter twenty two Vampi meets El Brujo and Nayeli and Yolo call Chava Chavrín.

In chapter twenty one we rejoin Tacho as he is released from the border patrol and tries to find a way into San Diego.

Chapter twenty introduces us to Ma Johnston and the girls finally see Matt again.

In chapter nineteen the girls finally make it successfully across the border.

In chapter eighteen the girls arrive back in Tijuana and rethink their plan.

Nayeli is processed by Agent Davis and Tacho has a misunderstanding with the Border Patrol agents.

In chapter sixteen the group is caught by border patrol and Nayeli meets Agent Arnie Davis.

In chapter fifteen Atómiko finds the girls and Tacho a coyote to get them across. He decides to come with them and they being their journey across the border.

In chapter fourteen, Nayeli meets Atómiko, the greateast warrior of all.

In chapter thirteen our protagonists arrive in the dump town of Tijuana and are treated to the hospitality of Don Porfirio and Doña Araceli

Surrounded by the spectacular marine life of the Georgia Aquarium, host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser David Lackey examine some 19th-century examples of the shockingly realistic aquatic, amphibious and reptilian-themed plates and vases known as Palissy ware. Highlights include a decorative egg with a Faberge mark, purchased for $15,000, that may not be all that it seems; a 1787 land grant signed by Benjamin Franklin; and a New York Chippendale corner chair, circa 1760, purchased as part of a large collection for $750-$800, but actually valued between $250,000-$300,000.

The four discover the border fence and make some new friends who invite them to their home.

In chapter eleven the group spend the night at a hotel and have some unwanted visitors.

In Chapter Ten the four finally arrive in Tijuana, worse for the wear. Nayeli calls Chava Chavarín.

In chapter eight the girls find out that their mission is not as going to be as glamorous as they thought.

In Chapter Eight the girls prepare for and begin their journey.

Chapter seven sparks the beginning of the girls' journey north.

The election for mayor is held in Chapter Six.

Chapter Five sheds light on the parallels between the United States and Mexico.

In Chapter Four the girls goes crab fishing and come to an important realization.

Read about the author of "Into the Beautiful North", Luis Alberto Urrea. This is one of Urrea's many novels, but one he considers to be his funniest.

Embattled Camp Pendleton Marine Sgt. Gary Stein, recommended for discharge from the service for writing Anti-Obama Facebook posts, lost his bid today in federal court to have that discharge halted.

An adaptation and completion of Charles Dickens’ last novel, left unfinished at the halfway mark at his death, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is a psychological thriller about a provincial choirmaster’s obsession with 17-year-old Rosa Bud and the lengths to which he will go to attain her. Cast includes Matthew Rhys (“Brothers & Sisters”) and Julia MacKenzie (“Miss Marple”).

Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr., the Camp Pendleton Marine shot and killed by an Orange County Sheriff's deputy on February 7th, will be laid to rest today in Illinois.

Chapter Three introduces us further into the minds of Nayeli and Tacho, and brings in two more characters, Yolo and La Vampi

Pastor Rick Warren, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Sheik Yasir Qadhi — clerics of three different faiths — all have complex family histories that profoundly shaped their religious beliefs. Research of their roots unearthed a story about the spiritual foundations of this country, an unrelenting struggle to achieve the ideal of religious freedom and tolerance, but also the difficulties sometimes of holding onto one’s faith and still feeling like an “authentic” American.

As news spread that over half the funds have been raised for a permanent, bronze version of "Unconditional Surrender," comments on the web and social media reflect a divided public.

UCSD has reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education over racially-charge incidents that happened on campus two years ago.

As the sun set on the chilly evening of March 23, families from the surrounding neighborhood walked with snacks and blankets to Teralta Park. They met their neighbors and settled in to watch a family-friendly movie outdoors.

The 19-year-old Camp Pendleton Marine accused of savagely beating to death Lance Cpl. Mario Arias will be court-martialed for the crime.

The two Marines killed April 11th in the crash of an MV-22 Osprey operating off USS Iwo Jima in Morocco have been identified as Cpl. Robby A. Reyes of Los Angeles and Cpl. Derek A. Kerns of Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Family members say Camp Pendleton Marine Lance Cpl. Ramon T. Kaipat, 22, was one month away from leaving the service to attend college, when he was killed in Afghanistan on April 11.

The Metropolitan Water District plans to raise rates by 5 percent in both 2012 and 2013, in spite of attempts by the San Diego County Water Authority to cap the increases at 3 percent; the three top candidates for the County's 3rd District seat square off; and has Mayor Sanders really balanced the budget?

A cold front associated with a winter storm will move across Southern California today, bringing moderate to heavy rain, gusty winds and a chance of thunderstorms and snow to San Diego County, forecasters said.

A satellite launch North Korea had hailed as a moment of national pride ended in failure Friday when the rocket disintegrated over the Yellow Sea, earning Pyongyang embarrassment as well as condemnation from a host of nations that deemed it a covert test of missile technology.

Now that Mitt Romney has the Republican presidential nomination all but officially won, he has two main challenges. The first is to energize a Republican base that has been cool to him. The second is to win back moderate, independent, swing voters who voted in 2008 for Barack Obama.

This summer, a small park in Imperial Beach will be dedicated to the memory of two young boys. Their abduction and murder 19 years ago brought together two mothers who shared fond memories of their sons.

A new report from USC hints 2012 will be a better year to be a landlord than a renter.

San Diego Theater Company Circle Circle Dot Dot is producing its third play in less than 2 years. It receives far less press than veteran companies like the Globe and the Playhouse. But with its latest production, "deconstruction of a Drag Queen" (running through April 21 at Tenth Avenue Theatre), it finds its inner diva.