AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged steadfast aid to Afghanistan in talks Sunday with its Western-backed leader and vowed to pursue the war on terror "with vigor" if elected, an Afghan official said.

AP - The Pentagon's top military officer said Sunday a specific time frame for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq could jeopardize political and economic progress, leading to "dangerous consequences."

AP - Tropical Storm Cristobal dumped rain and brought rough seas to the North Carolina coast Sunday, and forecasters predicted the weakening system was headed for the open Atlantic.

The geographic line that divides Ventura and Los Angeles counties is not an especially pretty place to start what is expected to be a beautiful weeklong journey along our county's coast.

Years of rain and runoff from Highway 1 have eaten away at sand and rock, creating a gully lined with prickly pear cactus and trunks of manzanita that threaten hikers following the beach access sign. As the morning sun tried to poke through the gray haze that carpeted the sky, I picked my way down the worn path, past the beer bottles and cactus, down the eroded wash to the beach below.