What assistance does the Marine Corps offer to deploying and returning Marines and their families with issues such as PTSD, domestic violence, anger management and financial stress?

The architect-designer of the new downtown central library explains what elements are included in the design: the tech center, the high-school, the city offices, the solar collectors.

The GI Bill, signed into law in 1944 by FDR, allowed more than two million veterans to attend college. The newest GI Bill, which went into effect August 1, 2009, provides education benefits for service members who served on active duty for 90 days or more since 9/10/01 and includes the National Guard and military reserve.

The San Diego City Council has voted to send construction of a new downtown central library out for bids. We look at why (and whether) a viable, robust central library is necessary, what it would cost, if the city can afford it and if now is the right time to go ahead with it.

40 historical, high-fashion costumes worn by San Diego women from the late 19th century to the present are showcased at the Museum of San Diego History's "San Diego style" exhibit to honor the 20th anniversary of the museum's Costume Council. The SDHS's costume collection (7,000 pieces) is the state's second-largest.

The new city council-appointed task force on medical marijuana held its first meeting over the weekend. We ask why the mayor's office, District Attorney's office and police department did not participate and find out what the task force hopes to accomplish.

El Cajon Boulevard has been San Diego's hub of prostitution for decades. Reporter Keegan Kyle, from voiceofsandiego.org, found out why and also looked into how the business of prostitution is changing.

In the fourth installment of our series on California prisons, we'll be discussing the problems with the parole system, and discussing how to reduce the high recidivism rate through rehabilitation and reentry programs.

Determinate sentencing, get-tough enhancements to prison sentences and the enactment of California's Three Strikes initiative in 1994 have combined to greatly expand the prison population, advance the age of California's inmates and produce an overcrowded, dangerous system the state can no longer afford.

More that 20 years ago, California decided to get tough on criminals. Crackdowns included longer prison sentences, the "Three Strikes" law and tougher parole restrictions. Voters decided to keep criminals off the streets and away from society for as long as possible but we seem to have overlooked what affect all that might have on our prisons.

The second season of the Inspector Lewis mysteries has just ended on KPBS’s “Masterpiece Mystery” series, and a third is already completed and waiting in the wings. At first I found the whole package delightful.

Who's allowed to sell marijuana for medical use in San Diego County and who's keeping tabs on the pot outlets springing up everywhere? Our guests discuss the confusing state law, city and county ordinances and efforts to clarify what is and what is not allowed.

The movement to openly carry unloaded firearms in public places in San Diego County is centered in Escondido. Escondido Open Carry will appear at 19 events this month. We look at what's been happening, why they do it, and find out what law enforcement thinks about it.

Culture Lust contributor Pat Finn shares a few predictions for the fall TV season.

Mark Quint is the subject of Quint: Three Decades of Contemporary Art, a retrospective at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. He talks about running one of San Diego's most influential galleries, the San Diego gallery scene, and how the current economic climate is affecting artists and galleries.

As part of our series on America's national parks, we'll talk about the importance of parks for communities.

As we celebrate National Parks Founders' Day, we'll talk about the history of America's national parks.

San Diego's only national monument, Cabrillo National Monument, is celebrating National Parks Founders' Day and San Diego County Public Lands Day with exhibitors from county parks at the lighthouse and visitors center.

It is all but certain that San Diego Unified Superintendent Terry Grier will leave San Diego to become Superintendent of Houston's school district. Why is he leaving? Why has San Diego Unified provided a revolving door for superintendents in the last few years?

All state funding for California's domestic violence shelters was eliminated by the Governor's line-item veto when he signed the state budget. We explore what this means to those shelters and the women and children who rely on them and options for restoring some funding.

Imperial County sprawls across deserts, date groves and labor camps from Julian to Arizona and from Riverside County to the border. William Vollman has written a 1,300-page portrait of this immense hot and dry land, the people who pioneered it and the people who live and work there today.

The Irving Gill-designed Marston House in Balboa Park, which was closed to the public in February, 2009, has re-opened under the operation of Save Our Heritage Organization. We discuss the house, expense of historic preservation, and George Marston's history in San Diego.

John Dean, former counsel to President Richard Nixon and arguably the star of the Senate Watergate Hearings, has written a new ending for his book on Watergate and the Nixon presidency, Blind Ambition. We ask what new information he reveals and his opinion of the Bush administration.

The UCSD Center for Criminality & Addiction Research, Training & Application (CCARTA) is holding its annual Summer Clinical Institute in Addiction Studies. The conference is open to the public and of interest to anyone interested in discovering the latest in addiction science, treatment, and social impacts.

If California is ungovernable, what can we do about it? Overhaul the constitution or tweak it here and there through the initiative process? Common Cause and the League of Women Voters are examining the alternatives, and we talk with Thad Kousser about possibilities.

Two local news organizations, VoiceofSanDiego and the Union-Tribune, have had recent run-ins with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' office over freedom of information act requests. We talk about delays in getting information, what the law says and what recourse news organizations have when public information is not turned over.

Does the city of San Diego pay its workers too much, given the current fiscal crisis? Are city workers and their unions responsible for the financial trouble the city finds itself in? Vlad Kogan of VoiceofSanDiego.org discusses his study of the pay (including salaries, fees, wages, commissions and bonuses) of San Diego's public sector workers.

Live from Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center, Beth Accomando gives us an update on the events, people, stars, crowds at this annual festival of popular culture.

Golden Dreams: California in an age of abundance 1950-1963 is the 8th volume in Kevin Starr's monumental history of California, Americans and the California Dream. This volume covers the time when the California we know today first rose into prominence. Starr talks about how San Diego reluctantly grew into one of the largest cities in the nation and the people who influenced its growth

PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk's new book is The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights. It is being promoted as a "kinder, gentler" approach to helping animals in trouble. We ask her about the history of PETA, the controversy that continues to surround the organization, and what this new approach involves.

Appointed India's Ambassador to the U.S. just four months ago, career diplomat Meera Shankar has a lot on her plate. We discuss somewhat prickly U.S. - India relations; the Indian view of President Obama's administration and policies; the global economy and India's concern over U.S. protectionism; Indian relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan; the U.S. - India Nuclear Deal; and India's response to terrorism.

No journalist or investigator had ever penetrated the wall around J.G. Boswell, the most powerful man in California's central valley, until Mark Arax got him to talk. He unearthed a story of power, wealth, theft and even murder that made it into the book The King of California.

The military strand of San Diego's DNA has been evident since the region was first inhabited. We look into how the military -- the Army, Navy and Marines in particular -- has shaped San Diego history and its people.

As the state budget crisis deepens and deep cuts are made to the UC and CSU systems, there is increased pressure on the already-stressed community colleges. We look at how the San Diego Community College District is coping with the stress and what it means for prospective students and their families.

The state's funding crisis will affect the University of California's programs and perhaps its standing as the nation's best public university. The question is -- how much? These Days examines what the university means to the state and the nation and the threat lower funding poses to faculty recruitment and access to qualified students.

We look into the history of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), who were trained and flew every type of aircraft the U.S. Deployed during World War II, including the massive B-29. Yet they were always regarded as volunteers and were never incorporated into the military as they were promised.

The extent of cuts which will have to be made to programs and personnel in city and county schools are coming into focus, as new information on state cuts and school enrollment comes in.

Already suffering from "after innovation erosion," where biotech firms move their manufacturing and distribution arms out of California, biotech will most certainly lose what edge it has when deep budget cuts hit state colleges and universities. Predators are already circling.

Now that General Motors has declared bankruptcy, what will happen to stock and bond holders, union workers, and dealerships of both active and defunct brands? How will the U.S. Government's ownership of 60 percent of GM play out? And what can taxpayers expect?

Before there was Bernie Madoff, there was Ivar Kreuger, the man John Kenneth Galbraith called the Leonardo of scammers. When Kreuger, an extremely successful and much-admired businessman during the 1920s, killed himself in 1932, investors discovered that his financial empire, based in the manufacture of matches, was made of sand, built out of complex financial instruments that are the forerunners of today's derivatives.

Dr. Michael Shermer, historian of science, bestselling author and founder of the Skeptics Society and Skeptic Magazine, will discuss how evolution applies to economics, whether being a scientist means not believing in god, and whether science can prove (or disprove) the existence of God.

How is the military justice system different from the civilian system? What kinds of military cases occur in San Diego and how are they handled? These Days takes a look at some recent high-profile military cases handled by San Diego attorney Jeremiah Sullivan.

Human beings have fretted about traffic since they started to do something other than walk. The advent of horses, carts, carriages, bicycles, automobiles and skateboards have all caused annoyance and accidents and a re-figuring of the complex dance we engage in trying to get from one place to another. A new book examines why we drive the way we do, what that says about us and why we are worse drivers than we think we are.

With the reality of how much cars are polluting the air, and the ever increasing gas prices, reporter Pat Finn takes a look at some of the options in choosing an environmentally friendly car.

Think of Alzheimer’s as a big mountain of a problem. If scientists could climb this particular mountain easily, none of us would slip away into the crevasse of lost memories. But we do, in ever larger numbers, and as yet, no one knows why.

Meth has been a major headache in San Diego County for 60 years. Some might say that’s long enough to figure out what to do about it. Others might reply that it’s a complicated local, national, regional, even international problem. So how can we asses our progress against meth?

65,000 people showed up at the San Diego County Fair at on opening day last Friday. The 22-day fair is a San Diego summer tradition. This year the fair is expected to attract more than a million visitors by the time the tents are folded after July 4 fireworks. Full Focus Reporter Pat Finn takes us on a historical tour of the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The work of San Diego artist Belle Baranceanu, who produced most of her paintings and murals during the 1920s and '30s, is the subject of a new exhibit at the Museum of San Diego History in Balboa Park. Exhibit curator Bram Dijkstra talks about Belle's life and art as counterpoint to this visual essay.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the New Deal, President Franklin Roosevelt's plan to put people back to work and put food on their tables. Producer Pat Finn set out to discover if there was anything left in San Diego from one famous New Deal initiative, the WPA, or Works Progress Administration.

Both tourists and locals are finding that Old Town is somewhat different this year, but not many people know why. Pat Finn investigates the changes and learns how the park is reconstructing history.