Padres going to playoffs?

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, July 20th.

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Will the Padres make it to the playoffs this year? More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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Congresswoman Sara Jacobs was among 35 people arrested yesterday (Tuesday), during an abortion rights protest outside of the Supreme Court.

17 of the people arrested were members of Congress.

Jacobs represents San Diego County’s 53rd district.

U-S Capitol Police said the demonstrators were arrested for blocking the use of a street.

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A top executive at Veterans Village of San Diego has stepped down following an investigation by our media partner inewsource.

Their reporting uncovered widespread drug use and unsafe living conditions at the nonprofit’s renowned rehab center on Pacific Highway.

The search for the COO’s replacement is underway.

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Gas prices have been steadily decreasing this month.

Have you noticed a difference?

The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in San Diego County dropped to five-dollars-and-85-cents yesterday.

That’s the lowest price since the beginning of May.

But prices are still high.

This time last year, regular gas cost around one-dollar-and-54-cents less than it costs now.

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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

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Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, played last night, is the halfway mark of the season for the sport.

And it came as Padres fans have reasons to worry about their team's prospects for reaching the playoffs.

Sportswriter Jay Paris spoke with KPBS’s Jade Hindmon about the Padres fortunes.

And that was KPBS Midday Edition host Jade Hindmon.

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Home buyers won’t catch a break when it comes to mortgage rates, but they may get a better deal in their home price.

KPBS reporter Tania Thorne gives us the latest on the housing market.

New data shows the median home price in San Diego County dropped by 2.9% last month… to 825-thousand dollars. JEFF TUCKER, a senior economist with Zillow, says this is a trend they are also seeing. JEFF TUCKER/ZILLOW this is the first time that we're actually seeing some of that kind of month to month cool down and that's reflecting a really rapid change in the dynamics of supply and demand in the market, He says rising mortgage rates, prices, and little inventory from a couple of months back caused many buyers to press pause on their plans to buy a home. But sellers didn't get the memo. So when it comes to inventory, Zillow senior economist Tucker thinks current conditions favor Buyers. He says the better question is if they can afford the still considerably high prices. TT KPBS News

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Coming up.... BIG waves at some of San Diego beaches. We’ll have that story and more, next, just after the break.

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Solar industry supporters rallied outside of Sempra’s downtown San Diego headquarters yesterday (Tuesday), complaining about proposals to charge solar customers a fixed monthly fee.

KPBS Environment reporter Erik Anderson has details.

Solar advocate Carter Levin didn’t get inside the Sempra building to deliver a petition with 15-thousand signatures, so he read the message aimed at SDGE’s top official Carolyn Winn. thousand people are asking san diego gas and electricity, very nicely, to cut it out. The protesters are speaking out against utility backed plans to charge rooftop solar owners steep monthly fees while slashing the value of the electricity they generate. They say a climate emergency is the wrong time to make solar energy more expensive. A utility backed group responded, saying solar subsidies already make electricity more expensive for those who don’t own solar panels and that needs to be fixed. Regulators reshaping the solar market are expected to unveil new rules sometime this year. Erik Anderson KPBS News

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Surf’s up - way up on San Diego County’s southwest facing beaches.

KPBS reporter John Carroll says it’s due to an unusual mix of atmospheric conditions.

"Yeah, it was pretty nice. Caught a few waves.” 14-year old Fin Rohnow giving his opinion of the surf off Ocean Beach on Tuesday. Waves were reaching eight feet at times, pounding the recently repaired OB Pier. These waves have actually been making their way to San Diego for about a week. They have their origin in a storm off New Zealand. National Weather Service Meteorologist Alex Tardy… “It appears we had a combination of a southern hemisphere storm, a winter storm which sounds weird I know, and a hurricane - Darby. Both of those had a big impact on Hawaii on Sunday. They had reports of up to 15 feet on the big island.” Tardy says the high surf might last until Thursday. JC, KPBS News.

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There is a major merger underway for San Diego-based National University.

KPBS Education Reporter M.G. Perez tells us how many more students will benefit.

National University is merging with Northcentral University…an exclusively online institution.The merger means 15-thousand more students can be accepted than currently attend National online and in-person. Students will also have more access to Northcentral’s well-established master’s and doctoral programs with one-on-one learning. The merger is part of a master plan …according to National University’s Interim President Dr. Michael Cunningham. “we aim to become the best teaching university in the world…I know that’s a big statement…but it’s one we can fulfill in the next five years we will get there.” The new school under the National University name expects to serve more than 45-thousand eligible students through online classes across the country. MGP KPBS News

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Comic-Con went virtual for two years and then tested the waters last November with a smaller show called Comic-Con Special Edition.

Finally, people who bought badges in 2019 will be able to attend a full scale show in person.

KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando spoke with Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer about what to expect.

That was Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer speaking with KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando.

Comic-Con preview night is today (Wednesday), with the show continuing through Sunday, at the San Diego Convention Center and its extended campus.

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KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando has been attending Comic-Con for more than four decades and explores why the pop culture convention has some dedicated fans.

That was KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando.

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.