Free Republic

(CBS/AP) An F-18 military jet crashed in a San Diego neighborhood on Monday, sparking at least one house fire. It wasn't immediately clear whether anyone was injured, said Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Television news footage showed one house and two cars on fire. Fire crews were at the scene of the crash, which occurred near Interstate 805, reports CBS affiliate KFMB in San Diego. The plane crashed shortly before noon Monday as it prepared to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. The crash occurred two...

Cabrillo was feted for reaching what today is San Diego on Sept. 28, 1542, and claiming the land for Spain. While little is known about Cabrillo's early life, he played an important role in the Age of Exploration and the beginning of globalization, said Karl Pierce, chief of interpretation for the National Park Service at the Cabrillo monument. Pierce said the annual event also is significant because it brings together the many cultures – Mexican, Spanish, Portuguese, American and native – that are connected by Cabrillo's arrival. This was the festival's 43rd year. History came alive on the shores of...

An eerie quiet has descended over the past week on Fulton Street, a stretch of weather-beaten apartment buildings in eastern Linda Vista that is home to a large number of recent immigrants, some of them legal residents, others not. Some people have skipped work. Others have skipped doctor appointments. Children are walking to school more frequently by themselves, neighbors say, because their parents are afraid to accompany them outside. “Today the migra was here,” explained Jose Cardenas, 30, one of those here legally, on a gray afternoon this week when the sidewalks were empty and the street deserted save for...

Two Navy men who used a historic government building at the San Ysidro border crossing to smuggle immigrants face three years in prison after pleading guilty last week to smuggling charges. One of the sailors worked for the shore patrol, which, among other duties, is supposed to look out for sailors in trouble in Tijuana, and was based at the Old Port building, 10 feet north of the border with Mexico. In pleading guilty May 22, the two petty officers second class, Antonio Piña, 25, and Jose Guadalupe Hernandez Valdez, 34, admitted smuggling six illegal immigrants through the building Jan....

As Latino organizations here and nationally plan Monday marches for immigration reform, widespread rumors of immigration raids have spread fear and panic in Spanish-speaking communities in Milwaukee, around the state and in other Midwest cities. Father Robert Stiefvater, the vicar of Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and others who work with the Latino community have spent most of the week answering concerned calls about rumors that caused some church-goers to leave Mass early Sunday. Some worried immigrants have not gone to work or sent their children to school, people said at a meeting this week at Prince of...

Much has changed since 1966, when Maulana Karenga founded Kwanzaa. "I remember people saying, 'Who does he think he is, starting a holiday?' " said Shirley Weber, a San Diego State University professor of Africana studies. "They questioned the right of us to determine who we are. They said, 'Ain't nobody going to do that.' " Now, 39 years later, millions of people of African descent around the world celebrate Kwanzaa. "Kwanzaa helps you every year to remind you of who you are," Weber said. Last night, about 150 people gathered to celebrate Kwanzaa, honoring their ancestors, roots and the...

SAN YSIDRO; More than 250 activists who favor a more open border between the United States and Mexico held a march yesterday to protest the activities of groups opposed to illegal immigration. The marchers banged drums, chanted and burned sage as they walked a 2.1-mile route from San Ysidro Community Park to the San Ysidro Athletic Area, crossing Interstate 5 at the Camino de la Plaza overpass, which overlooks the San Ysidro border crossing. The march, which was organized by Gente Unida, was peaceful and without conflict except for a few youths who briefly taunted the marchers, police said. Gente...

SAN DIEGO - Muslim business leaders in a San Diego neighborhood cheered Wednesday to find banners celebrating the holy month of Ramadan hanging from light posts as they drove to work. The 16 green and white banners were restored following protests over a city decision to remove them.