The biggest desalination plant in the western hemisphere is due to begin construction soon in San Diego County. Within the next four years it could be providing up to 10 percent of this region’s drinking water.

One of San Diego's most influential insiders says he wants to redevelop Qualcomm into a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers, and believes it could be done without spending public money.

Paul Simon’s "Graceland" album, an experiment in cross-cultural collaboration, was also commercially popular, selling 14 million albums worldwide and winning Grammys for “Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year” for the title track. But why was "Graceland" so controversial in 1986? Why did Simon face such vehement criticism? In 2011, filmmaker Joe Berlinger accompanied Simon on his return to South Africa to reunite and perform with several of the musicians involved in the original album, capturing Simon’s unique homecoming as he reflects on the landmark events.

San Diego's defense industry dodged a big hit thanks to the deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis' announcement of his retirement today was cause for reflection, celebration, some sadness -- and not a single mention of his role in a murder trial by two of the largest purveyors of NFL information.

The rule change will make it easier for some immigrants to legalize their status without facing indefinite separation from their families in the U.S.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been discharged from New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she was admitted Sunday for treatment of a blood clot that followed a concussion she suffered after fainting. Clinton has reportedly been taking blood thinning agents to help the clot dissolve.

Oceanside voters gave their mayor Jim Wood a third term in office, but now members of his own City Council are challenging his right to represent the city.

California’s water managers say the state has a good supply of water so far thanks to a snowy December.

The Mexican border states of Baja California and Sonora are losing the army general whose leadership coincided with a sharp decrease in drug violence there.

Two new members of San Diego's congressional delegation are scheduled to be sworn-in by Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner tomorrow.

California has the ninth largest economy in the world, its workers are staying unemployed longer and home prices are rising. These are a few of the tidbits in a new report by the state’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst.

With the approval of Congress, the bill avoiding the "fiscal cliff" is now on its way to President Obama, who says he's eager to sign it. But that raises a question: How will the president, who is now in Hawaii, sign the legislation?

Almost as soon as the San Diego City Council grew to nine members, a surprise resignation shrunk it back to eight again. The race is on to fill the open seat, but not everyone will get a chance to vote in it.

The Wall Street Journal’s list of “13 people To Watch in 2013” includes seven who were either born, educated or reside in California.

If a stranger attacks you inside your own home, the law has always permitted you to defend yourself. On the other hand, if an altercation breaks out in public, the law requires you to try to retreat. At least, that's what it used to do.

Volcanoes are among the most spectacular and powerful forces on our planet. They create new land, change landscapes and destroy civilizations, but more than two billion years ago, they also breathed life into our world. From the ocean abyss to snow-covered summits, this ambitious six-part series paints a detailed picture of the struggles and amazing intimacy required to survive around volcanoes.

The television program "Project Runway" is dedicating an entire episode to four female veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

Funeral services were pending today for singer Patti Page, a North County music legend best known for "The Tennessee Waltz.''

In a mile-long building on the edge of Ft. Worth, Texas, an assembly line is taking shape to build the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Lockheed Martin, which got the contract to build the jet back in 2001, is slowly cranking up production. It's hard to keep a plane current, when it takes so many years to develop.

While the tax package that Congress passed New Year's Day will protect 99 percent of Americans from an income tax increase, most of them will still end up paying more federal taxes in 2013.

The Marine Corps will require all of its members who aren't deployed to wear the appropriate seasonal service uniform every Friday, starting January 4. This includes Sailors assigned to Marine units, and both active and reserve Marines.

San Diego's economy continues to improve, employment numbers and home values are up and economists expect modest increases through the new year. But there are still some hurdles ahead.

The Journal News newspapers that drew intense criticism after posting an interactive map showing the names and addresses of people with licenses to own handguns in three counties just to the north of New York City has hired a security firm and placed armed guards at its offices, a competing newssite reports.

Margo Porras is on a health mission, of sorts. As a San Diego-based blogger, she wants Latinos, particularly those of Mexican descent, like her, to eat healthier.

Watchers of the Rose Parade on New Year's Day got a sneak peek at what the first national monument to military working dogs will look like. A floral replica of the monument appeared on the Natural Balance war dogs float.

Though more big battles lie ahead in Washington, Wall Street is following the lead of financial markets around the world in giving a thumbs-up to the deal that kept the federal government from going completely over the so-called fiscal cliff.

Army Pfc. Markie T. Sims, 20, died December 29 in Panjwal, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Sims's wife is pregnant with their first child.

A sergeant is suing his employer, the California Army National Guard, for alleged retaliation after he testified in the murder trial of a colleague who was later convicted of killing a pregnant recruit.

Iran's navy issued dozens of warnings to foreign planes and warships that approached its forces during a five-day sea maneuver near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a semi-official news agency reported this week.

As of January 1st, some foods prepared in a home kitchen can be sold at places like local farmers markets.

News that global warming is causing some of the runways in Antarctica to melt caused some concern among San Diego researchers.

The winter weather hasn’t hurt local crops. In fact, farmers are likely happy with the conditions.

Millions of undocumented migrants live a shadow existence in the United States. But it may come as a surprise that south of the border, Mexico has a shadow population of its own.

School board meetings, crowded with parents supporting and opposing an in-school yoga program, haven't changed the Encinitas district's plans.

Democratic and Republican members of Congress found something to agree about late Tuesday when they were told the House would not be voting this week on legislation to send tens of billions of dollars in aid to New York, New Jersey and other states slammed by October's Superstorm Sandy.

The 113th Congress will be the first one in 40 years to convene without California Congressman Pete Stark as a member.

After years on the drawing boards and in testing labs, a new fighter plane is entering the U.S. arsenal. The F-35 joint strike fighter is supposed to help the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines replace their fleet of aging aircraft.