Midday Edition

veiled a mobile app to allow asylum seekers to schedule appointments for entry. Then, for our weekend arts preview, we have some "blue sky" artwork, a poetry reading, harp music and a few options to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released their plan this week for Friendship Park, taking community input into account, and revising a plan that caused a public outcry. But park advocates are not satisfied, and said it furthers the border wall plan set forth by former president Donald Trump. And, Imagine: You are at the grocery store, ready to check out. You put your card in the reader. It is declined. And you have no other way to pay. That is what is happening to thousands of San Diego residents who have had their EBT cards hacked and drained of funds. Next, some people give birth at home by accident. But increasingly, mothers are choosing midwives and home births over doctors and hospitals. And, Leonardo Da Vinci may be better known for painting the Mona Lisa than for writing thousands of pages of journal entries. But, playwright Mary Zimmeman was so intrigued by his writing that she took his words and crafted a play around them. “The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci” opens at The Old Globe in Balboa Park on Saturday. And, finally, a San Diego author shares her new young adult novel, “This is Not a Personal Statement.” Tracy Badua’s book follows 16-year-old overachiever, Perla Perez, whose life is thrown into disarray after she is inexplicably rejected by her dream college.

The University of San Diego held its 39th Annual Economic Roundtable to take stock of where the national and local economies may be headed in 2023. Next, the U.S. military is struggling to meet recruitment goals. With fewer young people enlisting, now the Navy is allowing older people to join. Then, new research from the UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy suggests that salary transparency can lead companies to close their gender wage gaps, but not for the reason you might think. And, while it feels like winter outside, spring training, and the return of Padre baseball, is just a month away. Finally, a young San Diego theater company launches it’s first full season with a play about a campus sexual assault.

A pair of San Diego-based companies were recently awarded federal grants for their efforts to improve electric vehicle batteries. Next, we talk to LA Times reporter Sammy Roth about Imperial County farmland being used to generate solar power. Then, some of the most popular New Year's resolutions are ones about getting in shape. KPBS Health Reporter Matt Hoffman takes a look at how some are getting it done and talks with fitness instructors about how goals can help people stick to their resolutions. And, the Chula Vista Elementary School District is moving ahead with plans to convert two of its campuses to Community Schools. Next, The California Report Magazine spoke with journalist Sam Anderson about his podcast telling the story of a 2016 murder in Mendocino County. Finally, San Diego writer Marissa Crane talks about their new novel “I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself.”

The 35th Annual All Peoples Celebration on Monday was centered around Dr. King’s words, “Let’s build bridges, not walls.” We hear from keynote speaker, bestselling author and columnist, Steve Phillips. Then, court transcripts show San Diego County Public Defender Randy Mize admitted under oath last month that he signed off on an investigative report knowing it contained false statements.KPBS Investigative Reporter Amita Sharma joins us to talk about her reporting. And, this Wednesday some San Diegans will put out their shiny new green bins. And for the first time they will include food waste. It’s part of the city's new organics recycling program which began rolling out last week with the delivery of thousands of new kitchen pails and green bins to local residents. Finally, the Museum of Us in Balboa Park is reimagining one of its core exhibits, “Race: Are We So Different.” The goal is to shape the new exhibit through the perspectives of our local communities.

While the recent rain wreaked havoc across the state, there is one small silver lining - California’s drought conditions are improving (slightly). Then, almost daily, weapons, equipment and other supplies depart the U.S. to support the Ukrainian military and civilian authorities. And finally, in our weekend preview, we have an Edgar Allan Poe musical for kids, a special visual art and classical music collaboration, a blues musical and clothes made out of sauce packets.

We speak with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria about the commitments he outlined in his 2023 State of The City Address. Then, this year’s flu season has so far been a doozy. By the time November was over, it might have felt like everyone you know had the flu. But is it as bad as we think? And, the Colorado River, a central source of water for much of the Western United States, is drying up. We hear about a new podcast from The Los Angeles Times documenting the history of the river and how so many people have come to rely on it. Then, portions of California are seeing record amounts of rainfall this winter with a lot of that water going straight down storm drains on a path to the Pacific Ocean. But some communities are capturing what they can and storing it in underground aquifers. Finally, the root causes of homelessness are often attributed to drug addiction, mental illness or poverty. But research points to housing affordability as the most significant factor that leads to homelessness.

After a long series of votes and political wrangling to select the new House Speaker, the new Congress got underway this week. San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, who represents California’s 51st Congressional district, also became the youngest member in the democratic leadership in this new Republican-led House. Then, Bob McElroy, CEO of the Alpha Project, has worked with homeless residents for more than three decades. Of what he’s seeing as the number of people living unsheltered in downtown San Diego soars he said, “It’s tragic, my first time in 35 years I've been discouraged.” Next, Dr. Eric Topol talks about XBB.1.5, a new COVID variant generating cause for concern across the nation. Then, an update on efforts to bring a four-year university to Chula Vista. Finally, recent improvements in non-alcoholic beer and spirits makes this "Dry January" a little brighter.

Governor Newsom’s proposed budget plan for 2023 into 2024 includes cuts to programs to close a projected $22.5 billion deficit. Among those cuts are 20,000 new child care slots intended for California’s neediest families. New reporting from The San Diego Union-Tribune looks at how California’s child care subsidies have fallen short, leaving many unable to afford child care at all. Then, the need for housing is impacting small businesses in a once popular hub for dining and entertainment in San Marcos. And, the state is setting aside $100 million to help Native American tribes buy back their ancestral lands. But once a tribe gets their land back, how do they restore and preserve it? Next, the American Academy of Pediatrics is changing its guidelines for how doctors should address obesity among children. They include early and aggressive treatments like surgery. And, sports journalist Jemele Hill is known for telling hard truths. In her memoir, "Uphill," she shares the story of her successes, failures and family. Finally, this year's KPBS One Book, One San Diego selection for teens is "The Magic Fish," a graphic novel by writer and illustrator Trung Le Nguyen. We speak to the author, also known as Trungles, about the novel about a second generation Vietnamese American teenager who uses fairy tales to help his mother learn English.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service are calling it a “relentless parade of cyclones” as more severe weather threatens Northern and Central California. An atmospheric river with high winds will dump another 1.5 inches of rain over the next two days in San Diego. Then, border officials anticipate that the PedWest pedestrian crossing reopening will help ease congestion at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Business leaders, on the other hand, are hoping the increased foot traffic will provide a much needed boost for local commerce. And, Imperial Beach has long had a reputation as a scruffy beach town. But it's been gentrifying in recent years. Now city officials unveiled a new plan to make it a destination city. Finally, Lee Herrick is California’s first Asian American poet laureate. His work has touched on some of the experiences Californians share, including our diverse culture and food, as well as questions of identity. Herrick shares some poems and his plans to spread his love of poetry across the state.