KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / Associated Press Taylor Hicks, a 29-year-old with a lively personality and a raw singing style, celebrated after he was named the winner of “American Idol” last night.

The television tribe has spoken, and the new “American Idol” winner is ... Taylor Hicks! Whether you see this as fabulous news or the biggest bummer ever, the fact that you actually have an opinion says everything about this television phenomenon that anyone needs to know.

Developer Doug Manchester has significantly revamped his proposal for the 15-acre Navy Broadway Complex site downtown, boosting the amount of office, hotel and retail space planned on the prime bayfront site. The new proposal drew sharp criticism from officials at the Centre City Development Corp., the San Diego downtown redevelopment agency that reviewed the new plan in a meeting yesterday.

San Diego's 3-year-old affordable housing law was thrown out yesterday by a Superior Court judge, putting in jeopardy more than $9 million in fees the city has collected from home builders. The decision, a setback for City Attorney Michael Aguirre, is a victory for the San Diego County building industry, which sued the city not long after the City Council approved the “inclusionary housing” ordinance in 2003.

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court yesterday reinstated the state high school exit exam as a graduation requirement for this year's senior class, leaving tens of thousands of students who failed the test unlikely to graduate.

WASHINGTON – A Senate bill that would toughen border security and put most illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship emerged intact yesterday after more than a week of impassioned debate, setting up a showdown with the House over the most substantial overhaul of immigration law in 20 years.

SACRAMENTO – When Phil Angelides strides onto the tennis court, he concedes nothing to his opponents. Despite his unorthodox game, Angelides, an avid player, is extremely intense and tenacious. “It's winning ugly. There's no give-up in that guy,” said Bill Cody, a tennis rival and a friend for more than 45 years.