El Centro is in Imperial County, situated on the edge of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. But the region is at risk of becoming another type of desert — a banking desert. Meanwhile, human rights advocates delivered a letter to District Attorney Summer Stephan on Thursday requesting an investigation into secret Border Patrol ‘shadow units’ that allegedly covered up agents' misconduct. A similar letter was sent to Congress last month. Plus, we have a full fact check about kids getting covid-19 vaccines.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing uncertain job market has left many San Diego County school districts scrambling for teachers. That means good money for those willing and qualified to work as a substitute. Meanwhile, ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border are gearing up for lifting travel restrictions on November 8th. And, as vaccines for children 5 to 11 get emergency authorization, how many parents will actually choose to get their kids vaccinated?

The county hired nearly 1,000 people and spent millions on contract tracing, but the program aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 was too small to actually meet that goal. Still, experts say contact tracing can and will be effective in dealing with flare-ups of the disease. Meanwhile, local researchers are both hopeful and apprehensive about the climate conference underway in Scotland. Plus, for those getting out of jail or addiction recovery centers, transitioning back into society can be a tough journey. Reintegration works to help people find housing and employment.

The VA is preventing veterans from receiving outside medical treatments–that’s in part two of an inewsource investigation. In San Diego, the VA refused payments for ketamine treatments for dozens of veterans with severe depression because it couldn’t keep track of paperwork. Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has released its annual report on bullying of Muslim children in California schools – and the news is not good. Plus, SANDAG’s mile by mile tax proposal explained.

We have part one of a two part investigation by our partners at inewsource, that found that the Veterans Administration is preventing veterans from receiving treatment at hospitals outside the VA system. Also, community groups are hosting vigils across California for Día de Los Muertos to honor those who died at ICE detention centers. Plus, the story of one family trying to get back land they lost, and what it means for the discussion about reparations for African Americans.

Congressman Scott Peters weighs in on the never-ending negotiations over an infrastructure bill in Washington D.C. Meanwhile, Lincoln high school will not be playing Cathedral in their scheduled football game tonight. Lincoln cancelled the game and took a forfeit loss as a result. Their Coach, David Dunn, says more needs to be done towards healing the damage done after a racist incident last April. And, San Diego researchers will be traveling to Scotland next week to participate in the upcoming climate summit.

The pandemic created massive challenges for educators and doctors. So what was it like to attend medical school during the pandemic? We take a look at some med school students at UC San Diego. Meanwhile, Mayor Todd Gloria says he wants the city to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2035. And, vaccines for children ages 5-11 could be approved as early as next week. We speak with a local expert about what that means for San Diegans.

Black renters are more rent burdened in San Diego than in anywhere else in the country, according to a new study by Zillow. Meanwhile, the family of a Scripps Ranch high school student is suing the San Diego Unified school district for religious discrimination over the covid-19 vaccine mandate. Plus, San Diego’s Asian Film Festival returns as an in-person event.

A community clinic in Vista has a volunteer group going door to door to convince North County Latinos to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, 10 months after being required to post prices for every medical procedure they offer, many hospitals in San Diego and across the country have failed to do so. Plus, we’ll meet San Diego Unified School Board’s first-ever high school student representative.

The board tasked with managing some of the state’s federal COVID-19 relief funds finds the agency's work has been marred by delays and not enough monitoring. Meanwhile, California’s Board of State and Community Corrections mismanaged nearly $60 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Plus, the descendants of some of Southern California’s early pioneers are trying to save their ancestors’ crumbling home.