
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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San Diego’s redistricting committee’s proposed district map side steps major shakeups, but there are still changes to be made as it moves on to a final series of public meetings. Plus, with the COP26 Climate Conference over and despite the urgency of the meeting, critics have cast doubt on the political will of global leaders to actually commit to the goals set at the summit. Also, Clifton Hicks, who came from a military family, watched the events of Sept. 11 unfold on television and all he wanted to do was enlist and serve his country. But his deployment to Iraq in 2003 fundamentally changed his relationship to the military. Meanwhile, Nick Irving made a name for himself as a special ops sniper, but civilian life was far less straightforward. Irving shared how he found his calling in the military and beyond. And, every October at L.A’s Irwindale Speedway, you'll find a brutal, magnificent thing to behold — The Derby Divas, an all-female demolition derby. Finally, “Hairspray” began its life as an ‘80s campy, indie movie that was turned into a musical. Now, a touring production of the musical is returning to San Diego as Broadway San Diego reopens its doors to live performances. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando speaks with director Jack O'Brien about transforming a film to a musical.
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California public health officials are encouraging eligible adults to get their booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible to stave off a possible winter surge. Plus, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has been struggling with staffing shortages, but it’s not only because of the pandemic or the vaccine mandate — the issue is more complicated than that. And, this weekend there's brand new playwriting from San Diego Repertory Theatre, the Old Globe will be wrapping up its Shakespeare Call and Response tour, plus a wide range of visual art.
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After months of vitriol, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved rule changes that they say will make meetings more civil. Critics of the rules change say it limits the public’s right to free speech. Plus, on Veterans Day we bring you the story of the first Black female prisoner of war in the country’s history. Meanwhile, the USS Midway celebrates Veterans Day with special in-person activities after being sidelined last year because of the pandemic. Also, San Diego and Tijuana were recently announced as the 2024 World Design Capital, beating out Moscow. It’s the first time a binational region has won. And, the pandemic hit many small arts organizations especially hard, but one organization figured out how to survive and thrive. Finally, meet Tijuanauta, a Mexican artist who took the plunge and made art his full-time job after years of hiding in an office cubicle, in this excerpt of the latest episode of the Port of Entry podcast.
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The latest milestone is encouraging but there’s a growing concern in California as hospitalizations are rising in regions with low vaccination rates. Plus, the fallout against San Diego Unified’s proposal for a “mental health” day off after Veterans Day has some parents questioning whether the district is telling the truth about school staffing issues. Also, the federal government’s ban on non-essential cross-border travel was the enemy that San Diego’s political establishment needed to find its voice on border advocacy. And, from the archive, an interview with Sara Clarke Kaplan, the author of "The Black Reproductive: Unfree Labor and Insurgent Motherhood," which looks at Black freedom and the dismantling of oppressive systems through the lens of Black reproduction and Black feminist theory. Finally, KPBS film critic Beth Accomando discusses a documentary on controversial author Saul Bellow with filmmaker Asaf Galay. The film screens tonight at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival.
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The EPA is planning several different approaches to solving the decades-long cross-border sewage spills that have been plaguing the South Bay. Plus, SANDAG is working on the next transportation plan for the region just as Congress passed a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill. Also, the infrastructure bill is expected to have a long-lasting effect in California and it won't just be fixing roads and modernizing transit projects. Meanwhile, a truck driver training school in Mission Valley is helping to ease the supply-chain bottlenecks by getting more truckers on the road. And, hunger-relief organizations are expecting to benefit from a new California law aimed at reducing food waste. Finally, will the new Padres manager save the beleaguered club?
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For the first time since March 2020, Mexican citizens can cross the border for shopping, family visits or any number of reasons if they’ve been vaccinated. But proof of vaccination may be harder to obtain than expected, due to delays in official Mexican vaccine documents. Plus, the San Diego Air Pollution Control District voted unanimously last week to force local industries to drastically cut their pollution after years of spewing carcinogenic toxins at a rate far higher than elsewhere in California. Also, access to banking is an important facet of a community’s health and in Imperial County a shortage of bank branches and rising temperatures can be a dangerous mix. In addition, as the U.N. climate conference enters its second week we look at what goes on inside the conference. Meanwhile, to bring the topic home, make it more tangible, we take you to somewhere directly threatened by our planet’s changing climate. Finally, San Diego Magazine, which has been in business for more than 70 years, now finds itself under surprising new ownership — long time food writer for the magazine Troy Johnson and his wife Claire.
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Thousands of unionized Kaiser nurses and other health care workers are preparing to go on strike. Plus, after 19 months of a non-essential travel ban, the U.S.-Mexico border will finally reopen Monday, but the reopening will come with expected long waits and bureaucratic hassles. And, this weekend arts preview goes from a puppetry elephant heist, to hip hop sugar plum fairies, and some interesting places in between.
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Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules issued Thursday. Plus, Rep. Mike Levin on the contents of a $1.75 trillion dollar social benefits package being debated in Congress right now. Also, San Diego spent millions of dollars on contact tracing to fight the pandemic, but was it worth it? And, KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando has a preview of San Diego's first ever Age-Friendly Film Festival, opening Nov. 13. Finally, five songs by San Diego musicians to discover in November.
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With the CDC’s approval, kids ages 5 through 11 are able to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting today, but many parents are still reluctant to get their children vaccinated. Plus, San Diego restaurant owners react to the city initiative that will make sidewalk dining permanent. Also, a North County nonprofit is working to make reintegration back into society easier for people getting out of jail or recovery centers. And, 9 million veterans in the U.S. get medical care through the VA each year, inewsource investigative reporter Jill Castellano is back with the second of her two-part series on the federal health care system. Meanwhile, San Diego Zoo geneticists revealed two condor chicks there are the first known cases of reproduction without fertilization, called parthenogenesis, in California condors. Finally, in an excerpt of the “Cinema Junkie” podcast, guest Gary Dexter explores how the film adaptations of John Le Carré's novels offered a realistic counterpoint to James Bond.
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Last week, SANDAG announced a plan to charge drivers a per-mile tax to fight climate change. The proposal caused a strong reaction from drivers, so how likely is it to move forward? Also, as San Diego works on implementing climate action in transportation, Californians at the United Nations climate conference in Scotland are working with world leaders on tackling the global threat of climate change. Plus, San Diego public health officials are urging residents to get their flu shots as soon as possible as they warn about the potential for a bad flu season ahead. Meanwhile, Veteran Affairs administrators are overruling doctors’ judgments and preventing them from sending their patients outside the VA health care system. And as the state of California is grappling with a racist past and the idea of reparations for Black descendants of slaves, CapRadio brings us the story of a Black Sacramento family and their fight to right history. Finally, Dia de los Muertos is being celebrated by many San Diegans today and tomorrow. It’s a Mexican tradition to remember and honor loved ones who have died.
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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.