KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego is now officially off the state’s coronavirus watch list but what that means for local businesses remains to be seen. Plus, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) that requires all students at California State University to take an ethnic studies course to graduate. Also, California’s power grid manager is in the hot seat after calling for the first rolling blackouts since 2001. In addition, as the new school year starts during the pandemic, the question of how to discipline students who are attending classes virtually is a challenge for teachers and administrators. And, many nursing homes are ill prepared for wildfire disasters, we examine the regulations that are supposed to protect residents. Finally, La Jolla Music Society Summer Fest is back — the musicians will be live but the audience will be virtual.

San Diego is now officially off the state’s coronavirus watch list but what that means for local businesses remains to be seen. Plus, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) that requires all students at California State University to take an ethnic studies course to graduate. Also, California’s power grid manager is in the hot seat after calling for the first rolling blackouts since 2001. In addition, as the new school year starts during the pandemic, the question of how to discipline students who are attending classes virtually is a challenge for teachers and administrators. And, many nursing homes are ill prepared for wildfire disasters, we examine the regulations that are supposed to protect residents. Finally, La Jolla Music Society Summer Fest is back — the musicians will be live but the audience will be virtual.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said that he will suspend controversial changes he made to the Postal Service to “avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.” Plus, a Black Lives Matter counter movement called “Defend East County” has swelled to more than 20,000 followers on Facebook and has contributed to the increasingly volatile faceoffs between protesters and counter protesters. Also, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants an investigation into why state power grid operators called for rolling blackouts amid the pandemic and heat wave. In addition, a new report urges local and state governments not to ignore the threat of sea-level rise during the COVID-19 crisis. And, a new law meant to help assisted living facilities in areas with a heightened risk to prepare wildfire is falling short. Finally, a new children’s book on the “spirit” of Chicano Park is being released on the 50th anniversary of the park’s founding.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said that he will suspend controversial changes he made to the Postal Service to “avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.” Plus, a Black Lives Matter counter movement called “Defend East County” has swelled to more than 20,000 followers on Facebook and has contributed to the increasingly volatile faceoffs between protesters and counter protesters. Also, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants an investigation into why state power grid operators called for rolling blackouts amid the pandemic and heat wave. In addition, a new report urges local and state governments not to ignore the threat of sea-level rise during the COVID-19 crisis. And, a new law meant to help assisted living facilities in areas with a heightened risk to prepare wildfire is falling short. Finally, a new children’s book on the “spirit” of Chicano Park is being released on the 50th anniversary of the park’s founding.

A heat wave continues across California and Gov. Newsom is asking for an investigation into the weekend’s blackouts. The blackouts affected hundreds of thousands of households across the state as residents are being urged to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, the head of San Diego County’s Democratic party weighs in on the Democratic National Convention, which starts tonight and runs through Thursday. Also, SANDAG presented its transportation plan for the next 30-year and it's a major departure from the status quo. Then, California is ill-prepared to protect elderly citizens living in areas where wildfires present a major threat. And, San Diego Public Library is now the permanent center for the study of poet Robert Frost’s works.

Scorching heat is expected everywhere except the coast in San Diego County Friday and a brutal stretch of temperatures is not expected to relent until the middle of next week. Also, medical professionals are not only battling the intractable coronavirus every day, they’re dealing with isolation, shifting guidelines and limited ways to recharge. Plus, author T. Jefferson Parker found inspiration for his new novel “Then She Vanished” in San Diego political scandals.

For the first time since early July, San Diego County case rate fell below the threshold to fall off the state’s monitoring list. Also, a new work by a local theater company honors and eulogizes the lives lost during the pandemic. Plus, President Trump said he is against providing funding to help the US Postal Service in order to sabotage efforts to expand mail-in voting. We discuss threats to the November election. In addition, military families are still stuck in limbo as the Navy tries to contain the coronavirus. And, the Oceanside International Film Festival had big plans for its 10th anniversary, now those plans are scrapped for a virtual experience. Finally, in this week’s Summer Music Series: The Greyboy Allstars releases its first studio album in seven years.

"Como De Allstars" is the bands first album in seven years.

Sen. Kamala Harris made history by being the first woman of color on a major party presidential ticket. How local leaders react. Plus, despite a moratorium on evictions during the pandemic, more than 1,600 Californians have been evicted from their homes. Also, two new reports show not only that Black and Latino neighborhoods have the highest rate of COVID-19 infections, but also have a significant gap in access to testing and are hardest hit by unemployment. Finally, this year’s Tiki Oasis will virtually help you escape quarantine.

San Diego Unified had already planned to begin the new school year online because of the pandemic, but now the district says students may not return to the classroom for months. Plus, since March more than a quarter of American children tested positive for COVID-19. How vulnerable are children to getting this virus?. Also, census organizers are getting creative to reach hard-to-count communities during the pandemic. In addition, SDSU, UC San Diego and USD are delaying their fall sports seasons because of the pandemic. And, because we have been conserving water so well that water forecasters have radically overestimated the amount of water we would need in the future. Finally, “Hatemonger,” a new book by former KPBS border reporter Jean Guerrero, details how Stephen Miller became one of Trump’s most influential advisors.