Midday Edition

This Earth Day, we discuss what federal attacks on environmental nonprofits could mean for local efforts.

As the Trump administration considers removing the nonprofit status of environmental groups nationwide, local nonprofit leaders predict far-reaching impacts for San Diego’s environmental projects and protections.

We meet with three local leaders to dive into work stoppages, environmental justice and the changes we may see in our neighborhoods.

• Luis Olmedo, Comite Civico del Valle
• Franco Garcia, Environmental Health Coalition
• Nicole Capretz, Climate Action Campaign

The first annual Southern California Indigenous Culture and Art Festival is this weekend in Escondido, featuring everything from storytelling to fashion with Indigenous designs.

We discuss the importance of highlighting Indigenous art with two artists involved in the festival.

Then, Pacific Arts Movement will host the 14th edition of their Spring Showcase next week. We get the details from the artistic director and a featured filmmaker.

Plus, the weekend preview with arts and culture happenings around San Diego.

• Johnny Bear Contreras, Kumeyaay sculptor and cultural bearer of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians
• Siyowin Peters, Indigenous artist bringing awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous people
• Beth Accomando, KPBS Cinema Junkie
• Brian Hu, artistic director for Pacific Arts Movement
• Jota Mun, filmmaker
• Julia Dixon Evans, arts reporter and host of "The Finest," KPBS

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This Saturday is the 55th annual Chicano Park Day commemoration. Organized by the Chicano Park Steering Committee, it commemorates the activists and community members who fought for the park to be built, and the younger generations who are picking up the fight.

Also, what does it mean to be Chicana? The anthology, "Somos Xicanas" edited by Luz Schweig, explores the breadth of the Chicana experience by featuring stories and written work from over 80 writers from across the country — including two San Diego poets, who will be reading their own work at this year's Chicano Park Day commemoration.

• Josephine Talamantez, co-founder of Chicano Park and the Chicano Park Steering Committee, founder of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center
• Brenda Vaca, writer and founder of Riot of Roses Publishing House
• Natalia Rivas, poet
• Gaby Moreno, poet and hip-hop artist

By many metrics, young men today are struggling — in school, in the workforce and with their mental health. The share of young men attending college is in decline, while the share of men participating in the workforce is also decreasing. Men also face greater risk of death from overdose and suicide.

Meanwhile, many young men are being exposed to content online that often presents a very specific, often toxic, view of masculinity.

On Midday Edition Tuesday, we feature a conversation on the challenges young men face today and the important role mentorship can play in their success.

Joe Sigurdson, co-founder, Boys to Men Mentoring

On Monday, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook San Diego. The epicenter was located about 2 miles south of Julian.

It didn't cause major damage and no injuries were reported.

But, it was the biggest earthquake in our region since the 2010 earthquake near Guadalupe Victoria, which was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

On Midday Edition, we make sense of the earthquake with a seismologist. Plus, we hear some practical tips on how to prepare for the next quake, whether or not it's "The Big One."

• Alice Gabriel, seismologist and associate professor at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Jacob Margolis, science reporter for LAist and host of "The Big One: Your Survival Guide"

More than five years after the pandemic began, many San Diegans are still living with the long-term effects.

Long COVID has left lasting impacts on individuals' health and daily lives, but for many, it's still an invisible struggle — undiagnosed, untreated and often misunderstood.

On Midday Edition, we speak with KPBS health reporter Heidi de Marco about her recent reporting on long COVID.

Guest:

• Heidi de Marco, health reporter, KPBS

On Monday's Midday Edition, we're exploring solutions to San Diego County's housing crisis.

We'll talk about a rental subsidy program in San Diego County that's trying to keep older residents in their homes.

Seniors are especially impacted by homelessness. According to the 2024 Point-In-Time Count, around one third of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County are 55 and older.

We're also talking with a local nonprofit that helps people at risk of homelessness find successful shared housing arrangements.

Guests:

• Dijana Beck, director of the Office of Homeless Solutions, San Diego County
• Melissa Peterman, executive director of Townspeople

Resources:

• San Diego Shared Housing Collaborative
• Contact email: [email protected]
• San Diego County Office of Homeless Solutions
• For information and/or assistance, please call (619) 980-4168 or email [email protected]

A new children’s book by a San Diego author uses plants to promote messages of self love and body positivity.

And, a preview of the Old Globe's premiere of "Regency Girls," a comedy about reproductive rights in the time of Jane Austen.

Plus, KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans sits down with the director and actor behind "The Hot Wing King" at Cygnet Theater. Then, top event picks for the weekend.

Guests:

• Mara Altman, author of "A Little Shelf Love"
• Beth Accomando, arts reporter, KPBS
• Jennifer Crittenden, Emmy-award-winning screenwriter and film producer
• Gaby Allan, Emmy-award-winning screenwriter
• Kian Cline Chilton, artistic producer and director of "The Hot Wing King"
• Tristan J. Shuler, actor in "The Hot Wing King"
• Julia Dixon Evans, arts reporter, KPBS

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The National Institutes of Health continues to cut research funding. One UC San Diego professor was one of many researchers impacted by the cuts after the NIH defunded a project focused on intimate partner violence and maternal mortality.

Also, April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. We check in with local groups about how they are supporting survivors of sexual violence in San Diego, and the role of community resilience and prevention education.

Guests:

• Rebecca Fielding-Miller, assistant professor, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego
• Jessica Valencia, training and education specialist at CARE at Sexual Assault Resource Center, UCSD
• Vale Magaña, school-based coordinator, Center for Community Solutions
• Andrea Mapula, advocate for sexual assault services and justice specialist, Center for Community Solutions

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would cut funding for libraries and museums across the country.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has since joined a coalition of 21 attorneys filing a lawsuit challenging the executive order.

On Midday Edition Monday, we check in with local library and museum leaders about how they are bracing for the possible impact.

• Patrick Stewart, CEO of the San Diego Library Foundation
• Jessica Hanson York, CEO of Mingei International Museum and chair of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership