KPBS Midday Edition

Public radio fans know a thing or two about language. Especially those who listen to the weekly talk show, "A Way with Words."Co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett take calls about slang, dialects and family expressions — celebrating the nuance of words and speech. Now, Barnette is out with a new book about her career, built on a love of linguistics. It's called "Friends with Words: Adventure...

Across cultures, food traditions play a central role in family gatherings. For some Mexican American families, that gathering — along with laughter and love — may include the flavorful beef soup: menudo. For San Diego writer María Dolores Águila, this tradition became the subject of her new children’s book. Today on Midday Edition, a local author joins us to explore her new bilingual picture book,...

Around 3 in 4 U.S. adults say the future of our nation is a significant source of stress in their lives. Many are troubled by the onslaught of federal policies tackling immigration and anti-civil rights legislation. A panel of local therapists join us to discuss how this political moment is affecting their work with clients. Guests:  David Peters , marriage and family therapist with a private...

San Diego County jails have long been under scrutiny for alleged civil rights violations. In 2022, the jail system had 19 deaths — a record high for San Diego County jails. A complaint filed that year has since expanded to a class action lawsuit challenging nearly every aspect of jail operations — including medical and mental health practices. We discuss the latest insights into the legal proceedi...

Immigration detention facilities are a key part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, which pushes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to meet arrest quotas of 3,000 people a day. A new KPBS investigation looks into overcrowding within San Diego County's Otay Mesa Detention Center. Immigration lawyers report that detainees are sleeping on the floor and receiving defer...

A new KPBS investigation uncovers problems within San Diego County's animal shelters, leading to a spike in dog euthanasias. Last fiscal year, the shelters made the decision to euthanize 426 dogs. That meant canines entering the shelter system had a more than 1-in-10 chance of being put down. On Midday Edition, we sit down with the journalists behind the investigation to unpack the full story. Gue...

Each year, celebrities, creators and fans from all across the world converge in San Diego for Comic-Con to celebrate all things related to fandom, pop culture, art, and so much more. Thursday on Midday Edition, we take you live inside the convention center to discuss what makes America's Finest City a special place to host the pop culture juggernaut. Plus, hear from different creators across art,...

Comic-Con season is well underway. Two local events are coinciding with the main convention and are spotlighting comics creators and stories underrepresented in the mainstream. Wednesday on Midday Edition, we hear about the inaugural Indigi-Con , which celebrates and amplifies indigenous stories through art and comics, as well as Afrofuturism Lounge , which connects Black creators across disciplin...

On the eve of San Diego Comic-Con, we take a closer look at the local economy — and how the convention impacts it. A local economist shares insights on what a jump in unemployment means for the region, and how tourism remains a bright spot. Guest:Daniel Enemark, chief economist, San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center

Amid funding cuts for public media, stations all across the country — including KPBS — are bracing for impact of the Trump administration’s rescissions package . This includes $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — which effectively cuts all federal support for NPR and PBS programs. Marco Werman, host of Public Radio Exchange’s The World and journalist-in-residence at UC...

Basketball and skateboarding are powerful tools for building community across cultures.  For tribal communities, these sports provide a unique avenue for cultural expression and mentorship.  Tuesday on Midday Edition, we hear from the author of the new book " Rezballers and Skate Elders: Joyful Futures in Indian Country " about his research into sports culture among tribal communities. W...

A new limited podcast series " Short Wave: Sea Camp " explores the science of the sea, and how it plays a central role in sustaining life on Earth. Monday on Midday Edition, podcast hosts Regina Barber and Emily Kwong explain their approach to create stories of science that are both accessible and enriching. Guests: Regina Barber , cohost, Short Wave’s "Sea Camp" series Emily Kwong , cohost, Short...

What does it mean to honor lineage and connect to ancestral identity, homeland and cultural memory? Four artists will explore those themes and more at a one-day performance art festival called "The Land We Carry," as part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Emerging Artist Fellowship . KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans spoke with the curator and two artist fellows about what it me...

Congress last week passed a rescission package put forth by the Trump administration to eliminate about $9 billion in previously allocated funds for public media and foreign aid. That includes $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which essentially cuts all federal support for NPR, PBS, and member stations like KPBS. KPBS General Manager Deanna Mackey joined Midday Editio...

San Diego's Pride Week is well underway. It is an opportunity to celebrate the rich history of the LGBTQ+ community in our border region — a history that is well-documented by the Lambda Archives , a local archive space in University Heights. 20240819_145708.jpg (3000x4000, AR: 0.75) Local historian T.J. Tallie has spent the past year as the Lambda Archives' first ever community historian-in-resid...

From nationwide bans on gender-affirming care for minors to the shutdown of a suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation is increasingly impacting queer and transgender youth. Wednesday on Midday Edition, we hear about how anti-LGBTQ+ policies are continuing to impact young people and their families in San Diego, including access to health care and mental hea...

Research shows that during the summer, the average student loses between 17% to 34% of what they learned the previous school year. That trend is even more pronounced for economically disadvantaged students. On Midday Edition Wednesday, we speak with members of two local literacy programs working to combat summer learning loss and promote a love for reading. Guests: Jose Cruz, CEO, San Diego Counci...

Elsa Sevilla wears many different hats — journalist, filmmaker, speaker, business owner. She also hosts the award-winning documentary series, "Historic Places with Elsa Sevilla" that airs on KPBS. Now she's an author. On Midday Edition Thursday, Sevilla talks about her journey to the spotlight in her new memoir, "Camera Ready: From Hardship to the Spotlight — A Story of Determination and Rise." Th...

As immigration raids continue, it’s become more important than ever to know your rights. On Midday Edition Wednesday, we talk with two local theater groups about using improv to help educate the community and the intersection between art, law, activism and community. Guests: Annie Rios, executive director, Uprise Theater and human rights attorney/legal advocate Guillermo Mendez, organizer, Voces U...

Food support programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, are facing cuts as a result of the passage of President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill. Tuesday on Midday Edition, we hear from a local food support organization on the state of hunger in San Diego County today. Guest: Bob Kamensky, CEO, Feeding San Diego

Former National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Alex Tardy joined Midday Edition to discuss extreme weather preparedness in San Diego County following the deadly floods that hit Texas. Tardy previously worked as a warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS. He explained how weather forecasts become warnings, and how recent cuts to the National Weather Service could impact the accuracy of f...

In an effort to spur housing production, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law major changes to the state's environmental protection rules last week. On Midday Edition Monday, we hear more about the reforms made to the California Environmental Quality Act , or CEQA, and how it will likely impact housing production in San Diego County. Guest: Andrew Bowen , metro reporter, KPBS

Last Friday, President Trump signed into law his new tax and spending bill, which creates new eligibility requirements and drastically reduces funding for social safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP. On Midday Edition Monday, we hear from County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer on what this consequential bill could mean for the region's most vulnerable residents and how the Board of Supervisors...

Each year, about 150,000 students from high schools across the country compete in regional competitions for musical theatre. Only 110 of those make it to the prestigious National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards . On Midday Edition Thursday, we hear from one nominee about his Jimmy Awards experience and his musical theatre journey thus far. Snapseed.jpg (6000x4000...

A new multimedia project from KPBS looks into the challenges that come from parenting in the digital age. ScreenTime looks at evolving research on social media, cyberbullying and video games, to detail its impact on children and provide resources for parents. Guest: Andrew Bracken , producer/host, KPBS