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 1-800 Bill Howe or visit billhowe.com And by the Conrad Prebys Foundation.

Darlene Marcos Shiley and by the following And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

San Diego is experiencing record highs and extreme heat warnings through Thursday.

Hello, and thanks for joining us.

I'm Jacob Aere in for Maya Trabulsi It's disrupting daily life for many people, including at places of worship.

As KPBS reporter Audy McAfee tells us, one local church had to move services outside to keep parishioners safe.

Sunday masses are usually held inside this historic church, but today it's empty.

Yesterday, Pastor Bernardo Lara made a decision to set up tents in the courtyard and set up the altar outside.

Around noon, we noticed that it was way too hot to be inside.

And that's when they hit me.

Know for Sunday mass it's going to be overcrowded.

There is no way we're going to be able to be inside.

Father Lara says their usual almost hour long mass was barely 30 minutes due to the heat, requiring him to keep things short or even remove some parts.

However, I do also think that from time to time, or in case of emergencies like this, I don't think people might.

I mean, I think they actually appreciated it just, because it's not a it's a rare thing.

It's not on every weekday.

Father Lara says the pope had made warnings in the past about how the heat will get worse, especially for particular communities.

Pope Francis always said this that climate change was going to affect people in one way or another, particularly the the, the poor communities that are those that that are the lowest income.

He also says they do have big fans installed inside, but they are noisy and at a certain point only blow hot air.

We just celebrated 120 years, all of the community and the church building.

For that reason, it's lacking in many, benefits like insulation.

AC.

So we are actually planning ahead for the next year because I think, and this is going to get worse.

It's we're not going to go back.

Father Lara says overall attendance has not been affected.

Not even the extreme heat can keep the faithful away.

Audy McAfee, KPBS news.

I'm Ariella Scalese.

Coming up tonight, we don't even get relief at nighttime.

Look at these overnight temperatures only dropping to the lower 70s under a clear to partly cloudy sky.

Still some dangerous heat on the way for the rest of the week, but I am tracking cooler air.

We'll take a closer look at when that arrives.

Coming up.

The Supreme Court kicked off a new term today.

First on the docket, one of the most important climate change cases to reach the High Court in years.

The court will also consider bans on semi-automatic weapons.

Religion in schools and likely election law in the months ahead.

Karin Caifa reports from Washington.

The first day of the new term at the U.S.

Supreme Court brought arguments and a blockbuster climate change case.

The Constitution bars the application of state law to certain inherently federal areas.

The structure of the Constitution places a residual authority to preempt state laws with undesirable nationwide effects in Congress, not the courts.

At issue whether cities and states may sue fossil fuel companies for monetary damages.

The ultimate question they're being asked to decide is not who's right and who's wrong about climate change.

It's really rather about whether state law, whether it's Colorado law, whether it's California law, can provide a remedy.

The climate case, the first of a number this term centered around hot button topics.

In December, the justices will hear challenges to specific bans on Ar15 rifles in Connecticut and in Cook County, Illinois, and whether those bans violate the Second Amendment.

This is about a very particular type of weapon that is at the heart of a lot of the, you know, more problematic episodes, more horrifying shootings that we've seen.

Another case has religion at its core in Catholic schools in Colorado that wants state preschool funding, but the right to decline LGBTQ families.

The church is saying we should be allowed to prohibit people that we want to prohibit, and that should not keep us from being part of this preschool program.

It's also possible the court will end up with election law on the docket.

Lawsuits around closely contested midterm races could end up at the court after Election Day.

In Washington, Karin Caifa, KPBS news.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta held a press conference today to reassure voters that mailed ballots will be counted as usual.

Public matters reporter Jake Gotta says it comes despite federal efforts to curtail the practice.

Attorney general Rob Bonta wants California voters to know mail ballots are still a secure way to vote.

And I know some Californians may be wondering whether everything coming out of Washington has changed how they can vote.

And the answer is no.

It is business as usual.

Bonta said this is in spite of efforts from the Trump administration to restrict who can be mailed a ballot through the U.S.

Postal Service.

His office went to court to stop those restrictions, and to address the concern that immigration officials might be present at polling places on Election Day.

A recent UCSD survey found 40% of respondents thought this was likely to happen.

There's no role for immigration enforcement at the polls.

No role.

It's a crime to send armed federal law enforcement, including Ice, to polling places.

The federal law prohibits that right now.

Bonta also urged California voters who will be mailing their ballot to do so at least a week early to make sure their vote is counted.

California accepts mail ballots up to seven business days after Election Day.

And the Supreme Court recently held that states are allowed to continue accepting ballots after Election Day, despite concerns of possible voter fraud.

At Voice of San Diego's Politico last weekend.

U.S.

law professor Megan Schwarzschild said the threat of fraud and mail ballots is very real, but he says the country should be able to overcome that fear without impacting people's right to vote.

This is America, and the idea that, it is beyond the wit of humankind, to create it, create a situation where it is easy for legitimate voters to vote and easy to detect fraud and and election misconduct that is not beyond the wit of Americans.

Ballots are currently being mailed out and drop boxes are open countywide.

You can learn more about all the races in the San Diego area at kpbs.org/voter hub.

Jake Gotta, KPBS news.

Public matters is a partnership with KPBS, inewsource and Voice of San Diego.

You can see more of our stories at kbps.org/PublicMatters I'm Geoff Bennett.

Tonight on the NewsHour, the US Supreme Court kicks off a new term with a case about holding companies accountable for climate change.

That's at seven after Evening Edition on KPBS.

There are now new rules for who's eligible to receive Medicaid.

That's the federal program that provides health care coverage to those who qualify.

The changes took effect October 1st.

Jenn Sullivan explains who is impacted and why thousands of people are now scrambling to find new health care coverage after the federal government made changes to who qualifies for Medicaid.

As of October 1st, certain legally present immigrants, including refugees asylum is who fled persecution, and immigrants who do not hold a green card are no longer eligible for Medicaid.

To me, they're not immigrants.

They're to me, they're part of the American population.

Teresita morales is partner.

Eugene is one of the many people losing Medicaid coverage.

Morella says that he had a stroke several years ago and uses Medicaid to cover his nursing home expenses.

He is totally disabled, paralyzed, unable to speak, walk or anything on the right side.

Morales says the nursing home sent her an invoice for the costs now that Medicaid isn't covering his expenses.

The total for the month of October $10,850.

I don't think I get that almost in a year with my disability.

The changes were made under the One Big Beautiful Bill act that President Donald Trump signed last year.

Republicans argued that they are reserving taxpayer funded programs for U.S.

citizens in more eligibility changes or coming next year.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated all of the Medicaid eligibility changes would reduce federal costs by an estimated $911 billion over the next decade.

But it means groups like many Ukrainian refugees who came to the U.S.

are now without coverage.

They came to United States of America, and they were offered to come here in the program of for United for Ukraine.

So one of the, benefits was to receive, medical insurance.

Some states are doing what they can to cover people, and some impacted immigrants will likely be able to find coverage on their own, but at a much higher cost.

For consumer watch, I'm Jenn Sullivan.

It's officially respiratory virus season once again.

The US centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it typically typically runs October through mid-May.

One of the most dangerous pathogens for children and older adults is respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Mandy Gaither has more on why experts say this virus is a leading cause of hospitalization for infants.

And steps that can be taken to help prevent an infection.

Last respiratory virus season.

Preliminary CDC data estimates up to 5.8 million RSV outpatient visits, up to 340,000 hospitalizations, and up to as many as 25,000 deaths due to this virus alone.

Officials expect the current season to be similar since the time for RSV now.

Dr.

Juanita Mora with the American Lung Association says the highly contagious respiratory syncytial virus is especially dangerous for young children.

It can lead to dehydration and take a toll on their still developing lungs to protect against infection, she says.

To teach children to wash their hands often, sterilize toys at home and daycare and at school.

If your child does get sick with a fever and cough, keep them home to stop the virus from spreading.

And, she says, to protect those most vulnerable to severe RSV infection through vaccination.

It gives this protective coat so the babies see the virus.

They already have some protection built in.

They're less likely to be hospitalized or get sick.

Those who are pregnant during respiratory virus season can receive an RSV vaccine between pregnancy weeks 32 and 36.

For all infants who didn't receive that maternal protection and some children ages 8 to 19 months at high risk for severe disease and RSV antibodies available for protection at people ages 75 and older and adults 50 to 74 with an increased risk can also receive an RSV vaccine.

It's important that we protect ourselves and protect the kids as much as we can.

For Health Minute, I'm Mandy Gaither.

People living with certain lung diseases like COPD are at increased risk for severe respiratory disease.

The American Lung Association says an infection can worsen symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing and excess mucus production, and it can increase the risk of hospitalization.

Heat related 911 calls are on the rise in the region.

San Diego County data show emergency calls for the first nine months of this year have already exceeded totals from all of last year.

KPBS environment reporter Tammy Murga says first responders expect calls to continue climbing during this current heat wave.

No air conditioning during this heat wave makes Francisco Canseco worry about his young daughters.

My oldest daughter would wake up from her sleep at night.

He wants to make sure they stay fresh during the hottest hours of the day.

The Central Library downtown is our favorite place to stay cool.

I asked when I was like, hey, what do you guys want to go?

I offered to splash pad and I said, let's go to the library.

The record breaking temperatures are leading to a spike in 911 calls in the region, according to county data.

The numbers are highest in March and September during heat waves as of September 17th.

The county says it has received 378 heat related 911 calls.

Last year, it received a total of 247 calls all year.

Willy Melendez is the city's deputy fire chief.

He says the totals could be undercounted.

They're already climbing after this weekend's record breaking temperatures.

Unless they're very specific on the 911 call, they're heat related and they can come in in many different forms, such as headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness.

He says in anticipation of this week's heatwave, the city has additional ambulances on the streets and extended cooling center hours.

The city designates certain recreation centers and libraries for San Diegans to seek relief from the heat.

Most 911 calls are coming from neighborhoods in the city of San Diego, and most of the calls came from people between the ages of 15 and 44.

Dr.

Sayone Thihalolipavan says that may be because we have a lot of folks who are working in San Diego outdoors.

We have folks who are playing, you know, sports and things like that outdoors.

The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures will drop below 90 degrees starting Friday.

Tammy Murga, KPBS news.

With temperatures soaring across the county, air conditioning use is putting a strain on the power grid.

There's also concern for wildfire risk, with the combination of offshore Santa Ana winds in the region.

Today, SDG&E website showed there were no public safety power shutoffs planned.

It was welcome news to some customers, including residents of Descanso.

Last week, the utility shut off power in some areas of the community to reduce wildfire risk.

I don't have an air conditioner, so I go to work and I get my air conditioning there and I work till midnight, so I beat most of the heat during the day when I'm at work.

The grid is always taxed, and this extreme heat, it usually is such that they they mandate they had they almost have to SDG&E at one point warned about 35,000 customers across this East County that their power could be turned off.

But by Sunday, the company said customers were no longer at risk of having their power cut.

The extreme heat warning remains in effect in the region until Thursday night.

Families from across California gathered in the state's capital for a ceremony this weekend honoring 37 firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Robbie Reynold was there and has this report.

Lafayette E. Burns.

Auburn one by one.

37 names are read out loud.

Joshua Hostetter, Salinas 37, California firefighters who died in the line of duty.

Tim D. Marrison, Los Banos and 37 families honoring their loved ones at the California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony in downtown Sacramento on Saturday.

Having this beautiful memorial and he seen his name.

I think it just means a lot to our family.

And, you know, it just helps honor his sacrifice.

Ryan Eads father, Mark was a captain in the Kings County Fire Department.

He says his father died responding to a fire in February of 2025.

Ryan says it means so much to him to see other firefighters come out to pay their respects.

I feel support.

I feel the love.

It feels like a brotherhood and a family.

The ceremony started at the convention center before hundreds marched to the California Firefighters Memorial near 13th and End Streets.

There's now more than 1600 names on the memorial.

Officials with the California Fire Foundation say it's had to be expanded recently, and there will be more construction over the next few years.

But this memorial means a lot to everybody's in the heart of California and our capital, Sacramento, and it's a real focal point for everybody to come together.

Three firefighters from the Sacramento area have been added to the memorial.

Lafayette Burns of Auburn, who died in 1953, along with Michael Fenn of Sutter County and Christopher Bell of Fairfield, both died last year.

Each family was given an American flag and a plaque honoring their phone line.

Everybody gets that moment where you really feel the impact and the importance of recognizing that person, recognizing their sacrifice.

Well, hopefully you're finding ways to stay cool because this heat has been intense and we are still in the midst of this long duration heatwave.

It could become dangerous, especially for those without access to a cool place to stay.

Making sure you're staying hydrated as well as in triple digit.

He will continue inland.

Of course, the desert is hot as well, but cooler air will arrive as we head into the weekend.

All right, the extreme heat warning that's been in effect through late last week does continue through Thursday, 8:00.

So we have the heat still baking us through much of the week.

So continue to find those ways to stay cool and beat the heat.

Even the overnight temperatures at times can be quite warm for those.

Maybe without access to air conditioning.

We only dropped to the 70s in San Diego and Chula Vista.

Oceanside, though, will be cooler and then with some drier air.

Mount Laguna 54, in Borrego Springs down to 68 degrees.

As we go into the day tomorrow.

Look at this.

Escondido 103, El Cajon 104.

Borrego Springs 101 Chula Vista, San Diego, Oceanside well into the 90s.

So even along the coast, we can't catch a break as this October heat continues.

Highs triple digits into the valleys and deserts.

Little relief at night.

And this is increasing the risk of heat related illnesses, especially because of the duration of this event.

Now, you may be heading to the beaches to try to escape the heat, but we do have some rough surf.

This has been really the case through September, and now as we go into the first week of October, continuing to watch those issues with dangerous surf and even some beach erosion and coastal flooding.

All right, let's get you to the coast the next couple of days.

90 stick around.

Still quite warm, but we are on the downward trend as we head Friday into the weekend.

All right.

Same is true here.

It's going to be hot though the next couple of days.

Even Thursday and Friday.

We may not be into the triple digits, but still hotter than the historical average.

The coast stays into the, the mountains.

I should stay stays into the lower 70s and across the desert locations will still be well into the triple digits until Saturday.

For KPBS news, I'm Ariella Scalese.

It's officially spooky season, but the biggest scare this Halloween may not be in a haunted house.

It could be in the candy aisle.

Ivan Rodriguez explains what's behind the creeping candy costs and what might went, what might wind up in this year's Halloween haul.

That bag of Halloween candy may look sweet, but the price might make you scream.

Everybody's feeling the pinch today because of the inflation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found candy and chewing gum prices rose 32% from December 2019 to November 2024.

The materials used to make that candy rose even more.

87.6%.

Collapsing cocoa production.

Weather disruptions to sugar crops.

Keeping candy prices sticky even as inflation for sweet treats has slowed this year for retailers like Stu Leonard Junior.

Some familiar favorites become a harder sell and has driven chocolate prices up.

But you know what?

Everybody still loves the little snicker bars and the Milky Way.

And you know, those things are just like a tradition.

But prices aren't scaring everyone away.

A survey from the National Confectioners Association says 81% of Americans plan to participate in Halloween this year.

Americans are incredibly enthusiastic about the Halloween season.

They are looking for reasons to celebrate and to incorporate chocolate and candy into their celebrations.

Their survey also finds 94% of parents planning to celebrate Halloween with their children, and the industry says it's responding with more options to make it affordable and respond to consumer demand.

The confectionery industry is known for innovation, and what that looks like is not just exciting treats, but also offering a range of options for people, whether that is a dietary need or preference, a flavor preference, a candy type preference.

I'm Ivan Rodriguez reporting.

The San Diego Padres are back in town fighting to stay alive in this year's playoffs.

The team lost the first two games of the National League Division Series on the road to the Milwaukee Brewers in heartbreaking fashion.

Game one featured a deep fly ball that hit off the roof late in the game.

It was ultimately caught and called an out due to stadium rules in game two.

Hardly any heroics from the Milwaukee hitters against Padres star closer Mason Miller.

Today, the team was working out at Petco Park, preparing for Tuesday's game.

The Padres Game three starting pitcher will be Nick Pivetta.

First pitch begins at 6:30 p.m.

tomorrow, and if the Padres can pull off a win, game four of the series will continue at Petco Park Wednesday evening.

The team says both games will be sold out crowds, and the Padres will need to string together three consecutive wins to advance to the next round.

A Division one swimmer is diving right past a debilitating diagnosis.

Juvenile arthritis affects about 300,000 children and teens in the United States.

The swimmer at University of the Pacific got it when she was just a baby, and has never once let it stop her.

Ashley Sharp has her story.

I would say the water is my happy place from the time she suits up.

Sophomore Macy Coad ready to go is making a splash.

Swimming her second year at the University of the Pacific.

I really wanted to try and accomplish swimming at the highest level I possibly could.

And that is D1 But as the saying goes, it's different strokes for different folks around here.

One more round.

Macy deals every day with a hidden diagnosis.

Sometimes it takes a lot more active communication with my coaches.

What am I capable of?

What feels comfortable?

What can my joints do?

At just 18 months old.

She was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Managing the pain, swelling and stiffness meant a childhood of infusions, steroid joint injections and physical therapy.

A path she walked alone among her peers.

They kind of are like, kids don't get arthritis.

That's what my grandma or my grandpa has.

Growing up, that was definitely something I struggled with, was telling my classmates or my friends that I had arthritis because kids will be kids.

Other sports were too much on Macys joints until her mom signed her up for something lower impact swimming.

And she found her stride.

Today it's a diagnosis she manages daily through medication and specialized treatment.

If anything, it's made me proud of myself that I was able to overcome that in order to get to the level that I am today.

Third group.

If you have one, surrounded by coaches, her friends and her backstroke endurance, eager to make a new lane for Macy, we really like went into the season with an open mind and found ourselves just like kind of navigating those flare ups, as they came and having a plan for the Arthritis Foundation.

Macy is an inspiration.

It's a huge, significant feat.

And she's definitely not letting her diagnosis hold her back in any way.

She spent most of her life advocating for arthritis research, raising more than $300,000 for the foundation, hoping to inspire other young people to just keep swimming.

She's really making a groundbreaking difference in our Northern California community and in the eye of this tiger.

She's set on never slowing down.

Macy is studying to become a doctor one day, and in light of her advocacy, she landed a $20,000 scholarship for athletes with chronic disease.

She says without it, she wouldn't be swimming at her university.

Here's a look at what we're working on for tomorrow in the KPBS newsroom.

Election day is four weeks away, and people are already voting in the 2026 midterms.

Democrats are feeling optimistic.

But what challenges lay ahead for their party?

That's NPR's Morning Edition and on KPBS Midday Edition.

The latest on El Nino on how both the city and county of San Diego are preparing.

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

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Jacob Aere.

Have a wonderful evening.

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 1-800 Bill Howe or visit billhowe.com And by the Conrad Prebys Foundation.

Darlene Marcos Shiley, and by the following.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.