On this big Independence Day Weekend, San Diego County beaches are an obvious magnet for crowds to congregate and enjoy the surf and sand. But are there any local parts of the San Diego coastline that you should avoid because of sketchy water quality? The non-profit organization, Heal the Bay, monitors beaches and bays throughout California and each year releases its annual report on the water quality.

In its most recent report for 2007-2008, it's good to find out that 96% of San Diego County beaches earned either an A+ or A grade for the dry season (non-rainy) monitoring. Which bodes well for both locals and tourists wanting to enjoy our fabled coastline, and the hundreds of thousands of surf and sand worshippers hitting the beaches for the Fourth of July.

Read more about which beaches are cleanest in San Diego in my article here.

There's no more one-handed driving allowed in California. As of today, July 1, the state's hands-free cellular driving law is in full effect, which means cell phone use in a motor vehicle is only allowed if you use a hands-free device for your cell phone. These devices would be either a simple wired (plug-in) ear piece, a Bluetooth (wireless) ear piece, or a wireless Bluetooth speaker phone set up.

So, no more irritations of driving behind that person driving too slow because they're yapping on the phone while driving with one hand, or watching the driver who insists on talking on the phone as they pull out of their parking space, or the driver who swerves back and forth while trying to dial their phone. Then again, phone calls may become more of a driving distraction since drivers will be even more free to indulge themselves in conversation since their hands will be free. We shall see.

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions about the new hands-free cell phone law right here.

It's such a fitting way to celebrate Independence Day, our nation's birthday. And though it's not the case (the Chinese invented fireworks in the 12th century), it's as if fireworks displays were created just for the Fourth of July. And what better way to top off a day (or weekend) of gathering with friends, having a picnic and barbecue, hitting the beach or park than a grand fireworks display. San Diego has lots of fireworks displays to check out - some grand, all of them celebratory. Read my roundup and listing of Fourth of July fireworks displays around San Diego County.

It will forever be known for its setting in "Top Gun" where Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards sing "Great Balls of Fire" and in the most ironic sense, the Kansas City Barbecue did just that when the rib joint in downtown's Marina District caught fire yesterday and went up in smoke. According to fire fighters, the fire started in an open cooking pit and spread to the rest of the small restaurant, destroying it. It took crews about 20 minutes to knock down the flames. Many in the area initially thought the restaurant was just doing some heavy duty smoking until they saw the presence of fire crews.

Kansas City Barbecue was celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and its landmark status was cemented in its inclusion in the 1986 Cruise movie, which was shot in and around San Diego. For details about the Kansas City Barbecue Fire, read the article in the San Diego Union Tribune.