Alison St. John

The transfer of nuclear waste to storage canisters at the San Onofre nuclear power plant in southern California has been put on hold, after a near accident last month. The plant closed in 2013.

Marines belonging to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment — one of the hardest-hit units to deploy to Afghanistan during the war there — last weekend held their first reunion outside San Diego.

National Guard soldiers live in two worlds: They can be deployed in a crisis, but must support themselves and their families with civilian jobs. That's made harder by the guard's unpredictable needs.