U-T San Diego

utsandiego.com — It was a pageant like so many others, featuring women in tiaras, gowns and impossibly high heels. But the rolls of barbed wire, armed guards and harsh lighting gave it away: The contestants, for the most part, were criminals serving time at Tijuana's La Mesa State Penitentiary.

utsandiego.com — San Diego Padres' Yonder Alonso gets congratulations from third base coach Glenn Hoffman after his second inning solo home run against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park on Saturday. - Don Boomer Eric Stults tossed eight innings of one-run ball to lead the Padres in a sweep-preventing, 2-1 victory against the Nationals on Saturday at Petco Park.

utsandiego.com — About 82 percent of Americans think gun crime is either worse than it was 20 years ago, or mostly the same, according to a Pew Research Center survey released this month. But the numbers on gun crime show otherwise. In San Diego County, gun homicides fell about 69 percent in the past 20 years.

utsandiego.com — Take a stroll along any Parisian boulevard, and you'd be hard-pressed to find an eatery that doesn't have outdoor seating. An essential ingredient in the streetside milieu that makes the city so inviting, sidewalk cafes are equally beloved by San Diego restaurateurs - but not nearly so pervasive. That's about to change.

utsandiego.com — Though many people wouldn't recognize Damon Lindelof if he was in line behind them at Starbucks, he'd without a doubt be completely mobbed at a place like Comic-Con. That's because that guy with chunky glasses and shaved head, who could himself be confused as a barista, is behind-the-scenes famous.