
Midday Edition uplifts voices in San Diego with fearless conversations about intriguing issues. Host, Jade Hindmon, cuts through the noise with questions that give listeners a deeper understanding of themselves, people and the community they live in. Guests share diverse perspectives from their expertise and lived experience. In a city and world that's rapidly changing, Jade’s interviews inspire, inform and make you think. Midday Edition airs Monday - Thursday 12pm - 1pm and again from 8pm - 9pm. You can also catch the show anytime on all podcast apps.
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Overdose deaths in the U.S. reached a grim new record, according to new figures released earlier this week. How is this impacting San Diego County? Plus, the “godmother of air medical services in San Diego” shares what it’s like to be a flight nurse. And finally, weekend preview details visual art, experimental ballet and other arts and culture events happening this weekend in San Diego.
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A federal appeals court struck down a state law prohibiting the sale of semi-automatic rifles to people under the age of 21. The law passed shortly after the 2019 Poway Synagogue shooting. Then, a national baby formula shortage is a serious issue for some San Diego families. And, two more journalists were killed in Mexico this week bringing the total deaths to 11 this year. The murders are rarely solved and investigations often lack transparency. Next, May is mental health awareness month. UC San Diego professor emeritus Andrew Scull has a new book coming out on the subject. He says the U.S. has largely failed in treating mental illness throughout its history, calling it “a riddle we must continue to strive to solve.” Finally, the San Diego Italian Film Festival will celebrate the life of its late founder Victor Laruccia with a screening of the Italian film “Loose Cannons” at the Museum of Photographic Arts on Friday.
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An ex-caregiver and convicted sex offender pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually assaulting two women in San Diego area nursing homes. Meanwhile, the California Air Resources board has just released an updated roadmap on how the state can achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Also, COVID-19 cases seem to be on the rise again, both across the United States and here in San Diego County. In response, the Biden administration is pushing for a new round of funding to prepare for an upcoming wave of the virus that, they say, could infect 100 million Americans by fall. Then, abortion providers are hoping that the opening of the first legal abortion clinics on the Mexican side of the border will mean safer access for women seeking services. Plus, state regulators announced this week they need more time and more information before issuing new rooftop solar rules. And finally, San Diego Opera presents the West Coast Premiere of “Aging Magician,” a hybrid opera-theatre piece that combines singing, choral work, puppetry and performance art.
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The county is proposing to provide on-site homeless resources including behavioral health services and public benefits assistance to any city in the region that builds new shelters. Then, despite upgrades to the state’s power grid, California energy officials say there’s a potential for energy shortfalls that could lead to power outages this summer. Next, Assembly District 80 is up for grabs on June 7, not just once, but twice. The two-for-one special election runoff and standard primary election features redrawn district lines and four candidates looking to represent San Diego’s South Bay. And, of all the candidates running for office during primaries and general elections, voters often know the least about the judicial candidates. The San Diego County Bar Association offers a bit more solid information on the judicial candidates. Then, San Diego County is now seeking to overturn a verdict or get a new trial after the family of a man who died after a 2015 arrest in Santee was awarded $85 million by a jury. Finally, a new Comic-Con Museum exhibit celebrates the late artist and former San Diego resident Dave Stevens who is best known for creating “The Rocketeer,” a comic book that became a movie in 1991.
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Most San Diego police officers who requested COVID vaccine exemptions due to their religious beliefs gave heartfelt reasons for their requests. But were they genuine? Also, the chair of the San Diego Democratic Party is taking a leave of absence while assault allegations against him are investigated. Then, due to an increasingly severe drought that’s drastically reduced the sierra snowpack, watering will be cut back to one day a week in parts of Southern California. Why not in San Diego? And, financial justice activists want Governor Newsom to eliminate court fees associated with late payments as part of his May budget revision. The fees disproportionately impact Black and Latino Californians hardest. Next, schools across San Diego county are expanding access to transitional kindergarten this fall. Finally, in an excerpt from the Parker Edison Project podcast, host Parker Edison dives into the world of work slang and how different occupations utilize and develop their own lingo.
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State lawmakers have come out in force this week to voice their support for abortion rights in California. In addition to a package of 13 new bills aimed at strengthening reproductive rights, there’s now a push for a state constitutional amendment enshrining a woman’s right to choose in California. State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins from San Diego has been in the forefront of many of those efforts. Plus, in this weekend arts preview, we have sound immersion, the ballet and lots of photography.
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Pandemic restrictions are easing as summer approaches, a new highly infectious omicron subvariants emerge and the U.S. marks 1 million COVID-19 deaths, where are we in the progress of the disease. Plus, how raising the interest rate fights inflation and what it means for you. Meanwhile, the San Diego police union is blaming the rise in crime at city parks on police funding cuts and accuses San Diego Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe of orchestrating them. She says that’s false. Also, the number of unhoused individuals in San Diego doubled last year. An SDSU professor and his students are asking people living in the streets what they actually need to find a solution to the problem. And, an Old Town hotel that has been sheltering people experiencing homelessness for more than a year is terminating its contract early, leaving the county scrambling to find other willing hotels to house them through the end of June. Finally, in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a new KPBS docuseries “Out of the Boondocks” explores the question of Asian-American identity through the lens of San Diego’s vibrant Filipino community.
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‘When you don’t know where to go, you come here:’ California preps to be a haven for abortion rightsSan Diego Planned Parenthood officials say they are getting ready for an influx of women from other states coming to California if abortion is banned by the U.S. Supreme Court. After, while a proposal to mandate treatment for severely mentally ill people is making the rounds in Sacramento, two San Diego City Council members are proposing a local effort to mandate care for some homeless people. And, housing advocates see 48 acres of public land in the Midway District as a golden opportunity to build more affordable housing — in particular, housing for middle-income households. Then, San Diego researchers are using wearable technologies to build the largest ever research community of pregnant study participants.The data collected could be a key part of addressing the structural racism that causes Black women to be three times more likely to die during childbirth and Black infants to be twice as likely to die within their first year of life. Then, KPBS Steve Walsh reports how the Navy is banking on the film “Top Gun: Maverick,” as a recruitment tool. Finally, local band “Sure Fire Soul Ensemble,” has a new album and album release show this Saturday May 7th at the Quartyard in San Diego.
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The Supreme Court is reportedly poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. The court confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft majority opinion which reads in part, quote: “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives.'' Then, people in long-term immigration detention in San Diego County can now get free legal assistance through a new county program. After, California is now offering Medi-Cal coverage to lower-income older residents who do not have legal status. Meanwhile, military leaders say they're conducting research to learn more about “long COVID” – cases of COVID-19 where the symptoms continue for months. And, San Diegans throw away everything from non-recyclable plastics to food waste. KPBS talks to a local writer whose family has been on a path to zero waste. Finally, KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando speaks with Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm about her feature directing debut “Hatching.”
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An investigation alleges that fossil fuel companies have long known that messaging to consumers about individual responsibility for climate change is misleading and inaccurate. Next, California is now offering Medi-Cal coverage to older, lower-income residents who do not have U.S. citizenship. Then, hate incidents are on the rise in San Diego, but hate crimes are notoriously difficult to prosecute. KPBS race and equity reporter Cristina Kim reports how 911 dispatchers can help make a hate-crime case. Later, San Diego lost population for the first time in a decade. Meanwhile, San Diego author Tracy Badua's talks about her debut middle-grade novel, "Freddie vs. the Family Curse.” Finally, an Indian dish is causing a “sizzle” in South Bay.
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Midday Edition Team

Jade Hindmon
Host
Jade Hindmon is the host of KPBS Midday Edition. She connects San Diego through fearless conversations that inform, inspire and make you think. Prior to Midday Edition Jade was a reporter and fill-in anchor in the KPBS newsroom covering everything from politics to policing and the economy. Her award winning work spans network affiliates across the southeast and midwest. As a very proud Rattler, Jade studied broadcast journalism and political science at Florida A&M University. She takes a special interest in topics about democracy, accountability, racial justice, science and wellness.

Brooke Ruth
Senior Producer
Brooke Ruth is the senior producer for KPBS Radio News. She previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

Andrew Bracken
Producer
Andrew Bracken, KPBS Midday Edition and Roundtable producer & host of podcasts "My First Day" & "San Diego Conversations," made "Facing North," a docu-web series on San Diego-Tijuana ties, released on PBS in 2017. He's a San Diego Foundation Creative Catalyst fellow & a San Diego Film Award winner. He drums in his spare time.

Ashley Rusch
Producer
Ashley Rusch is a producer for KPBS Midday Edition. Before joining KPBS, she was an associate producer at LAist 89.3, where she worked on AirTalk with Larry Mantle, Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. At UC Santa Barbara, Ashley led KCSB-FM’s news coverage through the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also a news intern at KCBX in San Luis Obispo. Ashley grew up in South Pasadena, California.

Julianna Domingo
Producer
Julianna Domingo is a producer for KPBS Midday Edition. Before joining the station, Julianna worked at CalMatters as a College Journalism Network Fellow where she reported on higher education across the state. She got her start in journalism at The Triton, an independent student newspaper at UC San Diego. Julianna graduated from UC San Diego with a major in political science and a minor in communications.

Brandon Truffa
Media Production Specialist
Prior to joining the KPBS Midday team in 2024, Brandon worked as a board operator and producer with The Mighty 1090 in San Diego, and executive producer and sound editor at FOX Sports Radio in Los Angeles. He's a San Diego native and graduate of San Diego State University. In his spare time he enjoys watching sports, going to comedy shows and hanging out with his cats and dogs.

Ben Redlawsk
Media Production Specialist
Ben Redlawsk is a media production specialist for KPBS radio. He provides technical direction for KPBS “Morning Edition” and assists with “KPBS Midday Edition” and “KPBS Roundtable” through audio editing and recording. He got his start in radio as head audio engineer at KSDT, UC San Diego’s student-run radio station. Ben graduated from UC San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary computing and the arts with an emphasis in music technology.