After a little summer vacation (slide show and narrative available on demand), we're back in business with the blog.

Here's what we're looking at for tomorrow's A1 for The Star:

Did you have a quiet Fourth of July? In most neighborhoods of Ventura County, the answer would be a loud no. We'll take a look for tomorrow at the number of calls police got last night for neighborhood fireworks; number of citations (if any); and whether the ban on fireworks is at all effective.

Also for tomorrow's A1, we'll update you on the annual death of sea lions on Southern California beaches, poisoned from domoic acid. This year, the rehab centers in San Pedro and Santa Barbara are full, so sea lions beaching themselves in Ventura County are being left to die.

And we're following developments today on the state budget. It may ... or may not ... be resolved today.

Off the wire, we're looking at stories on the president's trip to Europe, an advance on tomorrow's selection of the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympics and an analysis of the president's Supreme Court choices.