CALEXICO, Calif. - In the pre-dawn hours during the harvest season in the Imperial Valley, a parking lot abutting the border fence buzzes with activity. Diesel exhaust and the hum of engines fill the air as hundreds of buses idle in the dark, surrounded by farm workers waiting to be hired by labor contractors. Many are legal border crossers who have commuted from neighboring Mexicali, some rising before 2 a.m. Workers huddle outside the buses, ... [full story]

PLANTATION, Fla. - A 71-year-old ex-Marine took down two would-be thieves at a sandwich shop in Plantation, Fla., after they attempted to rob him in the bathroom. Fearing for his life the man opened fired on the two suspects Wednesday night, killing one and critically wounding the other, The Miami Herald reported. Plantation police reported that two masked gunmen entered the shop while the Marine, the only patron in the store, was finishing his meal. ... [full story]

TRENTO, Italy - Some "unusually frisky" deer led police in northern Italy to a mountaintop marijuana plantation. A university student and a factory worker, both in their 20s, were arrested on charges of growing the marijuana, the news agency ANSA reported. Defense lawyers said the deer consumed most of the evidence, which could lead to the charges being dropped. The deer first attracted the attention of forest rangers who wondered why deer, normally reclusive animals, ... [full story]

SAN DIEGO - Whole Foods said Wednesday it plans to sell the Henry's Farmers Market chain to a private equity firm if a planned acquisition of Henry's parent Wild Oats passes government muster. The potential buyer is Apollo Management, a firm that recently purchased the Los Angeles-based warehouse food chain Smart & Final for about $813 million. In addition to Henry's, which has 15 stores in San Diego County, Whole Foods plans to sell 20 ... [full story]

SAN DIEGO - If Qualcomm has its way, cell phone users won't be limited to buying ring tones, games and other applications only from their wireless providers. Instead, they'll be able to browse the Internet from their home computers to find downloads for their cell phones and have them installed directly to their handsets. The San Diego wireless technology giant Wednesday announced its new technology, called BrandXtend, which will make it easier for companies to ... [full story]

JERUSALEM - The Israeli attorney general says President Moshe Katsav has signed a plea bargain clearing him of rape charges. Attorney General Menahem Mazuz said the president, who is resigning over the controversy, will instead face other charges including seven counts of committing an indecent act using force, sexual harassment and harassing a witness, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday. "The president has accepted responsibly for his actions," Mazuz said. "The fact is, the case was ... [full story]

The key to Graham Cooper's ultramarathoning success? God-given talent, discipline, a unique training program and a cast-iron gut. About 55 miles into last year's Western States 100-mile Endurance Run, in 103-degree Sierra heat, Suzie Lister recalls watching Cooper chug a can of Campbell's condensed chicken-noodle soup. "He downed it like it was a can of soda," says Lister, who helped pace Cooper for part of the race. "I looked at him in amazement. Are you ... [full story]

SAN DIEGO - If Michael Barrett came to San Diego with baggage, it was clean enough to get through security. GM Kevin Towers, the Padres' chief luggage inspector, did a thorough search. He found no contraband. Before making the Wednesday trade that brought the catcher here from the Cubs, Towers talked to everyone but Condoleezza Rice, who was unavailable. Towers is much like Chargers GM A.J. Smith. He doesn't want jerks running around his building. ... [full story]

A little over a year ago, a very disturbing case in New York City grabbed national headlines and provoked much controversy. It was that of a white man named Nicholas Minucci accused of attacking a black man with a bat while uttering an ugly racial epithet. His defense was that the N-word had become so mainstream and so common in its usage that it was no longer a derogatory term. Now, he's behind bars for ... [full story]

I recently saw a sneak preview of Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko," and I can tell you honestly that the movie is both funny and poignant. Some of the stories Moore tells of Americans who have been caught up in the bureaucracy of the American health system are truly heart-wrenching. The insurance company bureaucrats he exposes are cruel and capricious. There is no doubt that Michael Moore is a skilled filmmaker and an effective propagandist, ... [full story]