Mortgage Rate Freeze

There may be some relief in sight for some California homeowners struggling to make mortgage payments. The federal government and mortgage lenders announced a plan this week to freeze interest rates for five years on certain sub-prime loans that face a rate hike. Each week, 12,000 Californians receive foreclosure notices and critics say the plan doesn't go far enough. Guest host Oanh Ha talked about the proposal with State Assemblyman Ted Lieu and Laura Pephens, a member of the board of directors for the California Mortgage Bankers Association.

Kingsburg's St. Lucia Festival

Drive a stretch of Highway 99 near Fresno, and you'll see it: an enormous coffee pot rising above the vineyards and orchards. It's really a water tower in disguise. To the 12,000 townspeople of Kingsburg, it's a proud symbol of their hamlet's Swedish heritage. The folks there rave about their Swedish coffee. We visited Kingsburg as it celebrates a festival from the old country. Reporter: Lisa Morehouse

• More: Photos from the St. Lucia festival
• More: See the coffee pot water tower at the Kingsburg Chamber of Commerce web site

Learning to Make Latkes

The Jewish festival of lights kicked off this week, and for many Jews around California and around the world, Hanukkah isn't complete without latkes. Reporter Tamara Keith recently learned how to cook these potato pancakes the right wayÂ…from her mother-in-law.Reporter: Tamara Keith

• More: Tamara's blog post on Bay Area Bites
• More: Recipe for "Poppy's latkes"

Best of 2007: Pop and Jazz

Santa isn't the only one checking his list. The California Report's pop and jazz critics, Steve Hochman and Andrew Gilbert, have narrowed down their favorite releases from this year. They share their top hits with us -- and each other.

• More: Steve and Andy's top 10 lists