Major funding for Kpbs Evening Edition has been made possible in part by Bill Howe, family of companies providing San Diego with plumbing, heating, air restoration and flood services for over 45 years.

Call one 800 Bill House or visit Bill howe.com.

And by the Conrad Prevost Foundation.

Darlene Marcos Shively.

And by the following.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

Thank you for joining us.

I mean, it's sat empty since being damaged by heavy rain in 2024, but the Golden Hall side of downtown Civic Center Plaza maybe headed toward a bright future.

Kpbs reporter John Carroll says a new vision for the area has some major support.

Since opening in the early 1960s, Golden Hall has been at the center of San Diego civic life.

It's been an entertainment venue, and for a short time was a basketball arena for the ill fated San Diego Conquistadores in the now defunct American Basketball Association.

I want to thank you so much for being part of our analysis panel.

Of course, it served for years as kind of an election central location for San Diego Media, covering elections.

Its last role was as a homeless shelter before being damaged by rain in 2024.

So today we are reimagining how this property can better serve this community expanding access to education, creating opportunity for young people, supporting our thriving downtown, and strengthening arts and culture.

With support from the Conrad Prevost Foundation along with the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

The city is teaming up with the San Diego Community College District to chart a new future for the old place.

We're excited to reach this milestone where we transition from talking about vision to doing the due diligence, and to how we can make that vision a reality.

At the center of that vision is Mesa College's World Art collection.

The world Art collection features the largest collection of African art outside of the Fowler Museum at UCLA.

A growing collection of Asian art of indigenous art, the ability to bring that into the community so that people across San Diego, our residents, visitors to our city can engage with it, can learn from it.

Though it's not absolutely certain yet, Smith says the existing Golden Hall structure will probably have to go.

But as these artists renderings show, it would be replaced by an open, airy space that would feature the art collection, along with retail and perhaps even some housing.

Downtown San Diego partnerships Betsy Brennan harkened back to 1963, when Golden Hall and the Plaza were part of a new vision, one that was never fully realized.

We are going to finish and make it so much better than ever realized.

In 1963.

Whoa!

The big moment this morning came at the end of everyone's remarks, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the city and the community college district.

The final okay on whatever plan emerges will come from the San Diego City Council.

Chancellor Smith says if all goes well, if all the funding comes into place, the transformation of Civic Center Plaza could be complete by 2030 or 31.

In downtown San Diego, John Carroll, Kpbs news.

The June 2nd primary election is less than a month away.

Voters have already received their ballots in the mail, and Kpbs news is ramping up our coverage.

The Kpbs voter hub is being updated daily with fresh content.

We have information on local and statewide races in an easy to navigate format.

You can check your registration status before the May 18th deadline.

We also have a Spanish version with all of the same information.

You can find links to the Voter Hub on our homepage, or go to Kpbs.

Saugus vote.

Supporters of a new San Diego County sales tax increase say they have enough signatures to put the decision on the November ballot, but questions remain about where the money will go.

Voice of San Diego Scott Lewis explains for this week's edition of Why It Matters.

You might have seen people gathering signatures recently promising to fix the Tijuana River sewage crisis.

Their petition was for a half cent sales tax increase for the county of San Diego.

But if you ask them what exactly it would do to solve the biggest environmental problem that has plagued San Diego for more than 40 years, they wouldn't be able to say.

The organizers of the campaign don't really know either.

But they know it will need money, and the sales tax would deliver that signature.

Gatherers commissioned by the largest union of county employees, health care and child care advocates and other allies, turned in their signatures this week.

They say they have more than enough to make sure that the tax gets on the ballot if voters pass it.

It is estimated to bring the county $360 million per year.

It requires county leaders to set aside about $80 million of that every year, to fund infrastructure and engineering projects to stop sewage flows from Tijuana into the United States.

$80 million per year is a lot of money.

If they created a bond out of that, they could borrow up to $2 billion or more to invest in projects to stop the sewage crisis.

But the problem is a complex one, and it starts in Mexico, where millions of people live without adequate sewage systems.

Supporters of the local tax said the money would stay in San Diego.

Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, who has been taking all of the candidates for governor to one particularly odious spot where they have to wear gas masks, says that is where she would start.

The so-called hot spot is an area in Nestor where the river spills from concrete pipes underneath a road and generates toxic air pollution.

Even the smallest of solutions within the county's control will bring relief to thousands of people.

For decades, our families have dealt with the stench of untreated sewage, toxic runoff and airborne chemicals.

After that, she said, there is a lot of study to be done and then ultimately, they hope to divert the entire river.

The tax has a good chance of being on the ballot and this promise will feature heavily in the campaign for Voice of San Diego.

I'm Scott Lewis, and that's why it matters.

The city of San Diego is presenting updates to its street improvement plan today.

Kpbs reporter Katie Hyson says the changes followed residents complaining the plan was redlining them again.

San Diego has a ten year plan to improve street pavement.

The city plan to stretch limited budget dollars by prioritizing streets that aren't as bad.

But residents in the lower income, majority black and Latino neighborhoods in district four pointed to a problem.

After ten years.

The condition of their streets would still not be as good as the current streets in wealthier district five.

Kpbs brought you that story after the city released the plan two years ago.

Since then, the city has made some changes.

Annual paving investments in what they call communities with equity needs now have to be at least proportionate to the percentage of city streets located there.

And instead of relying only on neighbors reporting potholes through the Get It Done app, the city formalized a new strategy, sending a crew into what they call underreporting communities to proactively identify and repair potholes.

These changes aim to create more equity between neighborhoods, but the city faces a huge pothole in the budget.

A $118 million deficit.

Because of underfunding, the city lowered its overall street condition goal from satisfactory to fair.

Katie Hyson, Kpbs news.

Learning how to ride a bike is a milestone for many kids, but the price of a bike, road safety and parents schedules can all be barriers.

Kpbs education reporter Katie Anastas takes us to Perry Elementary School, where students are learning how to ride in class.

We had some people last week that were going through the stop sign.

It's a Tuesday morning and Robbie de Pedro's P.E.

class.

The transitional kindergarten students each sit next to a bike.

We need to make sure that we come to a complete stop.

And I want you guys looking both ways, just like we practiced the first two weeks.

He makes sure everyone's helmets fit properly and their seats are at the right height.

Then everyone walks their bikes out to the blacktop.

The students line up for a game of red light, green light, green light.

Red light.

Quickly!

Stop!

Good.

Stop.

This is de Paros fourth year teaching TK kindergarten and first grade students how to ride bikes.

The curriculum is an eight week program from the Stryder Education Foundation.

It's called All Kids Bike.

This week's main objective is to be able to push glide stop.

Unlike other kids bikes, Strider bikes don't have training wheels.

De Paris says kids learn to balance more quickly.

Kind of like floaties with swimming.

It's almost a force effect of teaching balance and coordination.

So what I love about these Strider bikes is he really gets them, coordinated and ready.

And then we add pedals along with balance.

The course teaches students about spatial awareness and controlling your speed.

During this lesson, students can try writing over small ramps.

When you see a track, you have to go up and then down, and you have to keep on going to the to the stop sign.

Five year old Rebecca Ballard even put her feet up on the footrests.

In a week, the footrests will be replaced by pedals.

I like to ride bikes.

In 1972, the Federal Highway Administration reported that nearly half of school age kids walked or biked to school.

In 2017, 10% did.

There's another more recent change to Paro has noticed among his students.

One alarming thing is a lot of them are riding e-bikes, which is a new thing the last couple of years.

Week one of the curriculum focuses on helmet safety to Paro.

Also remind students that most e-bikes are meant for kids 12 and up.

He sent a letter home to parents about e-bike safety.

De Paro also asks kids whether they have bikes at home.

This year, less than half of them did.

Lisa Wire is the executive director of the Strider Education Foundation.

She says bringing bikes to schools makes them accessible to kids whose families might not be able to afford them.

You know, parents might not have the resources to either one teach their kids how to ride a bike at home because they're working two jobs or more.

There may not might not be the infrastructure.

There might not be a bike path or a safe park where they can teach their kids how to ride.

The All kids bike program comes with 24 Strider bikes, 24 helmets, a teacher bike and a rolling storage rack.

The program costs $9,000 per school and is meant to last up to ten years.

De Paro applied for a grant to pay for the program at his school.

He says after Covid, he wanted to find a way to teach his students a childhood rite of passage.

I just loved riding bikes when I was a kid.

Our older, classes here have the opportunity to learn how to swim.

I'm a big, proponent for learning how to swim and learning how to ride a bike as a kid.

It's kind of one of those staple things, he says.

Learning how to ride a bike means learning resilience.

I try to teach them that it's messy and learning is all part of it.

And you get better.

You just stick with it.

There is tears at times and Band-Aids, but, eventually they get it.

And I really do try to create an environment where the kids feel safe and they can take risks.

He says he's proud of his students for rolling with the challenges.

Kid and asked, is Kpbs news?

A parent webinar about e-bikes is happening tomorrow evening.

It's hosted by San Diego County Supervisor Tara Lawson Bremer and Scripps Health.

You can find more information on our website kpbs.org.

Katie and SS covers local schools from for Kpbs from t k through higher education.

She's also covering several school board races for the June 2nd California primary.

You can find more of her stories on all Kpbs platforms.

A fire that broke out on an offshore natural gas rig near Santa Barbara is under control and being investigated tonight.

The rig is located about six miles from shore.

The U.S.

Coast Guard shared these photos.

There are no details yet on what caused the fire.

It started around 7:00 this morning.

First responders say 26 workers had to be evacuated and two were treated for minor injuries.

Doctors in Nebraska are keeping a close eye on cruise ship passengers.

They're among travelers who are exposed to an outbreak of hantavirus.

Karen Kiefer tells us more about the response and what's next for the group.

Americans evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak touched down in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday, home to a specialized quarantine unit.

Over the next several days, passengers will undergo an initial health assessment and receive guidance on next steps from the CDC, experts and other partners.

Officials said 16 passengers remained at the University of Nebraska medical center, one in a biocontainment unit for care.

The other 15 in quarantine for monitoring.

Everyone here is asymptomatic and febrile and do not have a temperature at this time.

Two others are in a biocontainment unit at Atlanta's Emory University with one experience seeing symptoms.

Passengers who remain asymptomatic will be given an option to complete a 42 day monitoring period at home or in the medical facilities.

Health officials emphasized this is a variant that does not spread easily.

Let me be crystal clear.

The risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low.

But stopped short of a guarantee it won't spread to the general public.

There are no guarantees in life.

We're putting as many measures in place as possible to ensure that people are safe and healthy, and we keep the community safe and healthy as well.

Meanwhile, in a message posted by the cruise ships operator Monday, the ship's captain thanked the crew, passengers and others for their support.

What moved me the most was patience, discipline and, also kindness.

Kindness that you show to each other.

At least three people have died from the current outbreak, according to the World Health Organization.

In Washington, Karen Cueva, Kpbs news.

It's been a hot time, no doubt about that.

But the good news is these heat alerts, like the heat advisory from Temecula north to Riverside and the extreme heat warning over the interior deserts, they will be ending at 8 p.m.

this evening.

And the core of the heat will be shifting away to the east.

So that's some good news.

A little more comfortable in the mid week tonight we'll get down to around 61 in San Diego, Oceanside, 60 in Chula Vista, 53 to Ramona.

And in a little bit we'll take a look at the reservoir levels in that extended forecast.

I'm Jeff Bender tonight on the NewsHour.

President Trump says the ceasefire between the US and Iran is on, quote, life support.

That's at seven after Evening Edition on Kpbs.

It's been 32 years since the United States hosted the World Cup.

And now we're just 30 days from the event's return.

A lot of attention is being paid to public safety, especially when it comes to human trafficking.

Ivan Rodriguez tells us more about the work being done by law enforcement.

Human trafficking doesn't begin or end with a sporting event, but experts say mega events like the FIFA World Cup create a surge in demand for commercial sex and forced labor.

When the traffickers see an event like the World Cup, they see dollar signs.

And it may be that the people who are paying for this commercial sex have no idea that the person they're with is being trafficked.

The Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists has been holding events in every host city, bringing together banks, law enforcement and tech companies to share information.

They know how to cover their tracks, both in the trafficking itself, but also the money movements.

And so they are they are very sophisticated groups.

And to meet that challenge.

And that's why working together, that's why collaborating is so important, because they are so sophisticated.

In 2024, the FIFA World Cup 26 Human Rights Framework was released for host committees to examine.

When it comes to fighting against forced labor and trafficking.

Guidelines say targeted actions may include due diligence for potential high risk procurements using a survivor inform approach to identifying, combating and remedying forced labor trafficking, and confidential procedures for reporting incidents of such prohibited conduct in Atlanta.

Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations have spent the last two years preparing.

We come together collectively so that we have the resources in place when we encounter victims, because we are expecting, with this type of large scale event, that we will encounter victims of sex and labor trafficking.

Authorities say the cross-border structure of the World Cup adds an extra layer of complexity for law enforcement.

I'm Ivan Rodriguez reporting.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the US.

In US women accounting for about one inch three cancers every year.

Early detection signifies improves chances of survival, but some experts worry that conflicting guidance on mammograms may lead to confusion.

Mandy Gaither breaks down the recommendations.

In 2026 alone, nearly 322,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in U.S.

women.

While the disease mainly develops in middle aged or older women.

In recent years, there's been a slight uptick about 1.4% new cases seen in women younger than 50.

Some worry there's confusion over mammogram guidance.

There is a different recommendations out there depending upon what literature you're citing.

Doctors use those recommendations to guide their decisions on when to suggest patients to start those screenings.

Right now, the U.S.

Preventive Services Task Force recommends women start at age 40 and screen every other year.

The American Cancer Society suggests women at average risk have the option at age 40, to start annual screening at age 45, have mammograms every year and at 55, start screening every other year, or choose to continue annual screenings based on our guidelines for the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging, we recommend starting at age 40 every year.

Doctor Alyssa Cuthbertson with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says the conflicting guidance may lead to delays in screening and cancers being detected at a later stage.

When it's harder to treat.

She says some women also put off screening because no one in their family has had the disease.

Most women that are diagnosed with breast cancer have no attributable family history of breast cancer.

Covington suggests taking a risk assessment survey with a doctor around age 25.

Knowing this can help.

Know at what age it's most appropriate to start screening for Health Minute.

I may be Gaither.

Well, the good news is at the core of the heat is gradually drifting east across the Rockies and into the plains away from us.

So the heat will gradually ease, will be a little bit breezy Tuesday and Wednesday, but much more comfortable at midweek.

And the reservoirs, by the way, are looking pretty good into the dry season.

We'll take a look at those California reservoir cars coming up, but some low clouds will return tonight near the coastline.

Those marine layer, low clouds 61 your expected low.

And again the heat advisory from Riverside and Temecula and also the extreme heat warning Coachella Springs and points southeast.

They'll be ending at 8 p.m.

tonight.

We could put this most recent round of significant heat generally behind us.

It will still be pretty steamy in the deserts on Tuesday, but the core of this heat, the ridge gradually shifting away to our east.

And again, the Great Basin is going to be heating up the most Tuesday.

Still hot in the interior, but we're intentionally not filling in the coastal areas in red as again, the heat easing a bit.

So here we are 69 for your high in Chula Vista and San Diego.

Certainly cooler than we had been 72 into Escondido 76 Ramona not as warm 98 Borrego Springs back to the double digits.

That's an improvement compared to where we had been.

And then Wednesday we look good.

You could see some showers way to the north and also some thunderstorms into parts of Utah, but generally nondescript, comfortable weather.

A little breezy for us, but nothing too disruptive.

Here's a look at those reservoir levels for some of the key California reservoirs.

And overall, we're in good shape.

You can see everybody actually is above average, above where we typically would be at this point on the calendar.

Castaic very close to the norm, but Folsom Reservoir, 128% of average is 28% surplus.

Very good news there.

As we look at the coastal forecast, you could see we're dealing with temps back in the low to mid 70s over the next five days and nothing too disruptive out there.

It will be a little bit breezier in the interior Tuesday and Wednesday, temps in the low to mid 70s.

We'll be back in the upper 70s on Saturday.

Into the mountains we go here you could see a little warm Tuesday.

The cooler, the ridge still sliding east cooler than Wednesday.

And then we're going to be bouncing close to 60.

Thursday, Friday we will turn a bit warmer on Saturday.

And in the deserts.

Here's the theme.

Upper eight or upper 90s, I should say Tuesday.

But we're back at double digits.

We bottom out on Wednesday.

That's the coolest day at 92.

And then back into the mid 90s, subtly warmer into Saturday, but it won't be ridiculously hot.

So that's your accu weather forecast?

I'm AccuWeather meteorologist Jeff Cornish for Kpbs news.

America 250 celebrations will include new collectibles.

This is the California entry to the American Innovator Coin program.

It features Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

The coin will be available to the public starting tomorrow.

California is one of four states that the U.S.

mint is featuring on the $1 coins.

You can expect more coverage of America 250 from the Kpbs newsroom.

Our reporters are working on special features on our shared history and culture.

Some of them are already available, including Andrew Dyer's recent series on San Diego's military history.

There's More to Come on all Kpbs platforms.

Fin whales, blue whales and other marine mammals make sounds that humans can't hear.

At UC San Diego, scientists and musicians are coming together to help us listen in an immersive concert.

The work is called The Inaudible Ocean.

Kpbs environmental reporter Tammy Rocha attended a rehearsal today.

Where we can now hear what the world sounds like at some of the most inaccessible places to human beings, because humans cannot live there.

This microphone that records underwater calls, hydrophones and the hydrophones being dropped 300m below sea surface and just lays there.

In the next year, they send out the boat and they retrieve the instrument, and then we go to the lab and hear the data that we captured.

The only way we can actually hear them is to slow them down, transpose them lower so that they're brought to the human hearing range.

Just imagine if you hear the Arctic sea ice.

Yes, we can hear the ice formation and all that.

But when you slow down to 1% of its original speed, it becomes a totally different world because you're hearing ice formation at a microscopic level.

We do something other than just playing some music in a concert hall, and I think that's behind everything that we're trying to do here is to find a new importance of sound.

Camilo is hearing me play dinosaurs, whales or narwhals, and he come up with this incredible solution.

What if you just use.

Use a pair of chopsticks on the surface of the timpani and make all these different interesting sounds that are pro that are inspired by the clicks of these whales.

It's always.

Sometimes I have a moment where I would look at, say, Corey Smyth, sitting in his piano and responding to these sounds, and it's almost like it's almost like he's sitting on the seafloor.

And in a way, it's sort of like it makes a sound more real in a, in kind of a, a real way than just looking at it and analyzing it as data you hear to rediscover some of these things that didn't exist before.

They might be there, but it's only because artists and scientists are working together.

Now that we can finally reveal the beautiful world that this.

Is amazing music in unexpected places.

And Kpbs reporter Tammy Murga and video journalist Mickey Dameron produced that story.

The Inaudible Ocean premieres on May 20th at Conrad Prevost Concert Hall.

You can find tonight's stories on our website, kpbs.org.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Mike.

We'll see.

Let's get right.

Major funding for Kpbs Evening Edition has been made possible in part by Bill Howe, family of companies providing San Diego with plumbing, heating, air restoration and flood services for over 45 years.

Call one 800 Bill House or visit Bill Halcombe.

And buy the Conrad Prevost Foundation.

Darlene Marcos shyly.

And by the following.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.