KPBS Midday Edition

In the face of historic drought and worsening climate change, Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a new plan for the future of California’s water supply. Then, dogs are considered man’s, and woman’s, best friend - especially the sweet-spirited Beagle. However, KPBS’s reports it’s a trait that has made them more likely to be used in medical research. Finally, in our weekend preview, we take a look a...

Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina said he met Tuesday night with Baja California officials who tentatively agreed to emergency mitigation measures to address the ongoing problem of raw sewage leaking across the border. Then, monkeypox cases have more than doubled since last week in San Diego County, a virtual town hall will be held Thursday night to answer questions about the spread of the virus....

The of San Diego is proposing a $20 million fix to address flooding at a sewage pump station off Morena Boulevard which could delay the city’s Pure Water sewage recycling system project. Then, activists say a Carlsbad Community-Police Engagement Commision won’t address police accountability, biases or reforms. Plus, police departments play a key role in granting so-called U-Visa which are availabl...

Congressman Mike Levin, (D-San Diego) calls the passage by the U.S. Senate Sunday of a sweeping climate, health and tax bill, “historic.” He joins Midday Edition to talk about some of the contents of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Then, we speak to veteran journalist Bob Woodward who will be in San Diego for a talk at Balboa Theatre on Aug. 14 called “How We Got Here: Lessons From Ten Presid...

California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging state legislators to make progress on climate change before the end of the current legislative session. Then, as cases of monkeypox climb and health officials scramble to contain the outbreaks, one veteran journalist sees the similarities from covering the HIV/AIDS crisis almost four decades ago. And for our weekend arts preview, we hear about some new ar...

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria talks about the city’s updated climate action plan and a new proposal to increase housing. And, nearly half of women in California are rent burdened. A new report by the Gender Equity Policy Institute finds the greatest impacts on Black and Latina women, single mothers and elderly women who live alone. Then, from North County to South County, you may have noticed herds...

Dr. Eric Topol talks about the latest news on COVID-19 and monkeypox. Then, an updated Climate Action Plan was approved by the San Diego City Council Tuesday. Its strategy to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 includes plans to retrofit existing buildings, including whole neighborhoods from gas to electric heating and appliances. Also, the San Diego Padres shook up the baseball world...

A surprising climate deal was announced last week in the Senate and Congressman Scott Peters talks about why the passage of the climate and economic bill is important for San Diego. Then, KPBS environment reporter Erik Anderson on what local climate activists are saying about the bill. Next, a new Voice of San Diego report finds women in the military are more than twice as likely to take their own...

Veterans Village of San Diego is holding its 35th annual Stand Down event this weekend. The event provides food and medical care, legal assistance, employment support, housing referrals and even haircuts to veterans and veteran families experiencing homelessness. But it is being overshadowed by several deaths at the organization's rehab center for veterans including one this week. Then, it’s been...

Cal Fire halted the spread of the 180 acre Casner Fire overnight. The agency said the fire was started when someone was trying to clear brush from their property during the wrong time of day and during risky conditions. And, firefighters elsewhere in the state are making gains on the Oak Fire burning near Yosemite National Park, families are beginning to reckon with the devastation. Plus, the Bide...

The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to cut its losses on the downtown real estate deal that’s turned into a fiasco. Then, to pay for trash, or not to pay for trash? The question will go before San Diego voters. And, a UC San Diego infectious disease specialist helps track down the source of COVID-19. Next, there is a new home and even more hope for teenagers who find themselves locked up in t...

The results of wastewater testing are showing a dramatic increase in the presence of the COVID-19 virus in San Diego County. Then, details on a bill Governor Gavin Newsom signed Friday that would allow private citizens to sue gun makers for deaths from firearms banned in California. Next, the U.S. Monkeypox outbreak is swiftly expanding and in these early days of its spread, people can spend days...

San Diego County’s Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board or CLERB has given support to several allegations made by a transgender woman beaten while in county jail. The board also advised the Sheriff’s department to tighten its policy regarding the placement of arrestees according to their gender identification. Then, cruising bans have generated fierce debate over whether or not they unfairly tar...

More than 130,000 people are expected to attend the four-day pop culture party which begins Thursday. It’s the first, full scale in-person Comic Con since 2019. We check in with some hard core cosplayers from the 501st Legion, a worldwide costuming organization run by fans dedicated to creating screen accurate bad guy costumes from the Star Wars Universe. Then, a current terrorism advisory from th...

an Diego county is now in the high COVID-19 tier due to increasing case numbers and hospitalizations. Everything’s on the way up and this is not a good picture because we don’t know where the peak is going to be, Dr. Eric Topol tells Midday Edition. Then, San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs was one of 17 members of congress arrested yesterday during a demonstration for abortion rights outside the...

A new city ordinance which tightens the use of surveillance technology was passed unanimously by the San Diego City Council Monday. Then, a KPBS review of nearly 500 use-of-force incidents shows it’s rare for local police officers to be fired or even suspended when they kill or severely injure people. Next, San Diego housing prices dropped in June for the first time this year, signaling what might...

San Diego has reached the CDC’s highest level of COVID-19 activity. The highly contagious BA.5 variant is driving the current surge of the disease, and with summertime activities in full swing - including this week’s Comic Con - health officials are bracing for what could be an even more cases. Next, a new book underscores the link between a lack of affordable housing and homelessness. Then, more...

New images from the James Webb Space Telescope took us deep into space and 13 billion years into the past. San Diego’s Air and Space Museum used the photos to open up the wonders of galaxies to San Diego’s children. Then, the Del Mar coastline will change as work begins on a project to shore up the crumbling bluffs. And there's a multi-billion-dollar proposal to move the train tracks on top of the...

Yesterday the FDA approved the nation’s fourth coronavirus vaccine. Unlike other previously available mRNA shots, Novavax is a protein-based vaccine. Next, this Saturday, the San Diego Pride Parade returns to the streets of Hillcrest. This and other Pride events mark the return of fully in-person festivities for the first time since the pandemic began. Plus, UC San Diego Health has opened a new he...

A limited number of monkeypox vaccines will be distributed by the county starting today. Then, KPBS Education Reporter M.G. Perez tells us about a new program to save LGBTQ lives with lessons in harm reduction. Next, the head of San Diego’s new Office of Immigrant Affairs talks about her goals for the new agency. Then, later this week, Californians who are in mental distress and thinking about sui...

As Los Angeles County inches towards a possible return to an indoor masking mandate, San Diego health officials are urging similar caution. And as San Diego struggles with yet another spike in coronavirus cases, another virus has also been catching the attention of health officials in recent months. According to CDC, there have been over 750 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the U.S., with over 130...

The United States remains on edge after its latest high-profile mass shooting on July 4th in Highland Park, Illinois, which resulted in the killing of 7 people, leaving many more injured. Stories like these beg the question - what are the motivations for these acts of violence? Plus, at least two immigrant detainees have been held in solitary confinement for about a week at the for-profit private...

A longstanding cross-border gathering place will soon be replaced with a set of 30-foot walls. Then, a technique developed at UC San Diego and Scripps to detect the Covid virus in wastewater is now being used around the world. Next, a 29-year-old Army veteran was allegedly killed by her neighbor last week at a property run by Veterans Village of San Diego. And, The death of a Navy SEAL candidate i...

In an all too familiar trend, case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise as the U.S. makes its way through another summer coronavirus surge. Next, months after a vaccine mandate went into effect for San Diego city employees, those employees who refuse both vaccines and COVID testing are starting to get Notices of Termination. Then, KPBS investigative reporter Amita Sharma tells us t...

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria joined KPBS Midday Edition Tuesday to talk about why he felt it was important to delay a city council vote on the proposed Ash Street settlement. Then, SANDAG’s long standing train track relocation plan for a 1.7 mile stretch of the Del Mar bluffs has gotten its initial funding from the state of California. Plus, a look at how a Vons closing its doors in Vista could mak...