KPBS Midday Edition

We look ahead at new state laws that could impact your day to day life. We revisit a KPBS piece about a local organization working to empower youth through the arts. And, for our arts preview this weekend, we're shaking things up just a little, with a guide to some works of art viewable from the outdoors.

Cases of COVID-19 are once again on the rise in San Diego County. On Tuesday, the county reported more than 3,600 new cases, the highest number of new cases in a single day since last winter. Plus, a new energy storage project is rolling out across the county, with the first two sites scheduled to break ground within the next month. Then, earlier this year KPBS met a group of women living at a ret...

It’s been a rainy week in a rainy December, and tonight another storm is expected to arrive in San Diego County, bringing even more precipitation. Plus, a new investigation by the New York Times took a closer look at the growing network of paid experts, doctors and researchers used to defend police departments when a person dies in police custody. Also, state and local water agencies are moving fo...

A small aircraft carrying four people crashed in flames near Gillespie Field last night. Plus, the CDC released new COVID-19 guidelines on Monday that have shortened the time people need to quarantine. Then, KPBS takes a look back at some of the stories we covered over the past year. Back in April, military reporter Steve Walsh had the story of one of Naval Aviation’s few openly gay pilots, who wa...

COVID-19 cases are once again on the rise in San Diego County, as are hospitalizations. Plus, this past weekend was still one of the busiest for flight travel, but it was met with trip cancellations as the coronavirus spread among flight crews. And, we revisit reporting by KPBS that showed that CalFresh regularly pushes out people who are still eligible for the extra money to help them buy food. T...

Good news from the pandemic is far and few in between, but the personal wealth of San Diegans grew in 2020, according to a recent report. Plus, from the archive, a $66 million performing arts center at Southwestern College will have an impact on the South Bay as well as the next generation of artists. And, some unconventional holiday music from San Diego bands — perfect music to get us through yet...

New congressional districts map approved by the Citizens Redistricting Commission made a big change to San Diego County — a majority Latino district, one of 16 in California. Plus, Pfizer is considering increasing the doses for its children COVID-19 vaccine to three after a two-dose trial shows disappointing results. And, a closer look at renting in the San Diego area and the growing housing right...

With a predicted surge of the omicron variant over the winter break, officials at UC San Diego decided to return to distance learning for the first two weeks of January. Both the UC and CSU systems are requiring students to get COVID-19 booster shots before returning to campus. Also, researchers are struggling to figure out exactly what kind of danger omicron poses and how to fight it. And a look...

Researchers at UC San Diego, based on the amount of virus detected in the county’s wastewater, say that a COVID-19 surge this winter is not just a possibility, it’s already here. Plus, San Diego’s Climate Equity Index is meant to guide city decision making so the communities on the front lines of the climate crisis get help first. But the tool is far from perfect. Also, San Diego could build a new...

Health care workers here and around the country are now preparing for a holiday surge in cases, as one vaccine falls out of favor. Plus, in Calexico it’s a familiar story for businesses along the U.S.-Mexico Border: financial devastation due to the pandemic and border closures; but the chamber of commerce in Imperial Valley is trying to help. Also, this weekend you can break up your holiday shoppi...

The San Diego area has new maps that determine who gets to run for which seat in government and which neighborhoods are grouped together. We’ll fill you in on the political implications of the new maps. Plus, the Alcohol Policy Panel of San Diego County is hosting its annual meeting Friday, to discuss the impacts of alcohol outlet density in San Diego. Also, California public schools will soon off...

The two finalists to be the next San Diego Unified superintendent were announced Tuesday night. They are Susan Enfield from Washington and Lamont Jackson, the current interim superintendent. Plus, newly elected San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera lays out his vision for the council as he settles into his new role. Also, two years ago, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office in...

With surging cases and a growing concern over the omicron variant, the state has reinstated a month-long mask mandate. Also, as the pandemic enters its second winter, San Diego public health officials say the outlook is a bit different this time around, but they’re also concerned about other rising health issues. Plus, state regulators have proposed new rules that could completely change the state...

San Diego is preparing for a major storm to hit the region late Monday, bringing with it much needed rain and snow, but also high winds and possibly lightning. Plus, SANDAG recently approved a $160 billion regional transportation plan, but it still faces hurdles as voters will need to approve sales tax increases to fund some of the projects. Also, California regulators could dramatically change th...

Today marks one year since San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria took office to become the city’s 37th mayor. KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen caught up with the mayor to take a look back at the year he’s had, along with the current issues he is working on as he begins his second year in office. Plus, this weekend in arts you can get your holiday events fix with some festive music and dance, but we also hav...

Gentrification is one of the major issues facing urban cities in the 21st century, and San Diego is no different. KPBS's Racial Justice and Social Equity Reporter Cristina Kim moderated a KPBS panel Wednesday on gentrification and how this process is unfolding in San Diego.

As health officials continue to learn more about omicron’s emergence, how it will affect the course of the pandemic remains to be seen. Plus, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a health advisory on children’s mental health to highlight an increased rate of depression and anxiety being diagnosed in children, mainly stemming from pandemic stress. Also, a look at the rise in catalytic converters the...

Yesterday, San Diego City Council unexpectedly ousted Councilmember Jennifer Campbell as president and elected Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera as her replacement. Plus, the city of San Diego is once again gauging whether the old Central Library could be repurposed as a homeless shelter. Also, fentanyl overdoses have more than quadrupled in San Diego County since 2018, highlighting the challenge publ...

Over the weekend, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the temporary injunction against San Diego Unified’s vaccination mandate, meaning students will need to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 24 — the start of the second semester. Plus, the omicron variant will soon or later be identified in San Diego, but hospital officials are confident that they can handle it whenever it comes. Also, the vas...

Los Angeles has discovered its first case of the new omicron COVID-19 variant in a fully-vaccinated person who recently traveled to South Africa. Health officials say the person is recovering and quarantining at home. Plus, KQED investigates the state’s failure to enforce regulations meant to protect farm workers and others exposed to wildfire smoke. Then, this weekend in the arts features an ephe...

Despite the confirmed presence of the new Omicron strain, President Biden indicated in today that new lockdowns or federal mandates will not be a part of the plan to fight the virus. Plus, scientists at UCSD are now using wastewater to detect the presence of the Omicron variant early. Then, the December nights celebration takes place in Balboa Park this weekend - but just like last year the event...

Mississippi state law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy is the biggest threat to legal abortion in decades, many legal experts say. Could the case have implications here in California? Plus, a review of death certificates in San Diego County show the wide disparities in who died from COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic. Also, when police officers shoot a suspect, those officers a...

San Diego City Council on Monday overwhelmingly reaffirmed Mayor Todd Gloria’s coronavirus vaccine mandate plan for city workers. City workers will have to show proof of full vaccination by Tuesday or face consequences. Plus, two lots being offered for redevelopment in downtown San Diego may turn an eyesore into a new model for affordable housing. Also, it’s Giving Tuesday and we wanted to tell yo...

First detected in South Africa, the omicron variant could be more contagious and resistant to the vaccine, but researchers say much remains to be learned about this latest coronavirus variant. Plus, an appeals court has temporarily halted San Diego Unified’s vaccine mandate. Also, records show there’s a vast disparity in where police shootings occur. They tend to happen more in communities where m...

There’s a new grant program in San Diego that aims to help close the racial wealth gap, and KPBS Race and Equity reporter Cristina Kim caught up with the first recipient. Plus, Comic-Con has canceled two in-person shows because of the pandemic, but today it returns to in-person events with what it is calling Comic-Con Special Edition. And, this weekend in the arts you can lose yourself in contempo...