Pat Mueller joined the ABC 10News team as a Digital Content Producer in Aug. 2022.
SAN DIEGO — Good morning San Diego!We’re starting this Wednesday with uplifting back-to-school news as Poway Unified showcases an innovative reading program delivering impressive results, plus San Diego State launches a new special education minor to tackle the teacher shortage affecting schools nationwide.
Beyond back-to-school, Meteorologist Megan Parry once again has your roundup of microclimate forecasts, while consumer reporter Marie Coronel gives you intel on 'sneakflation.'Let's dive into the 10News Wake Up Call newsletter for Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025:Poway Unified School District students returned to class Wednesday with a reading program that's showing impressive results across all grade levels.The district has implemented a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading that's dramatically improving literacy rates among its youngest students.Trenace Sevilla, Poway Unified School District's special teacher on assignment, uses unconventional tools to teach reading - whiteboards, bumpy boards, cards, tiles, and even sand on trays instead of traditional books and papers.WATCH: ABC 10News anchor Jared Aarons learns more about the effective IMSE reading comprehension program from SevillaFULL STORY: New reading program leads to remarkable literacy improvements at Poway UnifiedIn another back-to-school headline, San Diego State University has launched a new special education minor to help address the growing shortage of special education teachers in our area and across the country. The new program comes as 72% of U.S. public schools reported struggling to hire special education teachers for the previous school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.The minor will focus on the structure of special education and provide students with a general background on disability experiences. It's designed not only for education majors but also for students in psychology, speech pathology, and social work.'We get calls every semester from districts saying, 'Do you have anybody? We just need people.' We're hoping to cater to those that might have a spark in there to work with kids with disabilities that might not realize it yet,' a professor at SDSU said.The shortage is being felt locally as well. In June, San Diego Unified announced it had more than 300 positions to fill, including several in special education. The district entered into an agreement with the International Alliance Group to help fill those vacant spots.The special education minor will be offered under the Liberal Studies undergraduate program.BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday arrived in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and virtual meetings with other European and U.S. leaders ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week.Merz has convened a series of virtual meetings for Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine’s leaders heard ahead of the summit in Alaska, where Trump and Putin are expected to discuss a path toward ending Moscow's war in Ukraine.Zelenskyy and the Europeans have been sidelined from that summit. German government spokesperson Steffen Meyer said the intention of Wednesday's meetings was to “make clear the position of the Europeans.”Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later. A call between leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — will take place last.The Ukrainian leader on Wednesday said his government has had over 30 conversations with partners ahead of the summit in Alaska, but reiterated his doubt that Putin would negotiate in good faith.Writing on his official Telegram channel, Zelenskyy said there was “currently no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war,” and urged Ukraine's partners in the United States and Europe to coordinate efforts and 'force Russia to peace.”'Pressure must be applied on Russia for an honest peace. We must take the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception by Russia,” Zelenskyy said.FULL REPORT FROM THE AP: Trump to meet virtually with Zelenskyy, European leaders before Putin summitAs businesses seek to navigate the impact of tariffs, economists are cautioning consumers about a new phenomenon termed 'sneakflation.' This tactic involves various forms of hidden cost increases that may catch shoppers off guard.Alan Gin, an Economics professor at the University of San Diego, explained that businesses are employing strategies like increasing the minimum purchase required to qualify for free shipping.WATCH: ABC 10News consumer reporter Marie Coronel breaks down the issue with Gin's analysisConsumers may also encounter additional service charges at restaurants that are not included in menu prices but are added at the end of the bill.“These are not listed on the menu prices, but they're added at the end. And so, in a sneaky way, then they’ve upped the price without you being aware of it,' Gin said.Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the consumer price index increased by 0.2% last month, following a 0.3% rise in June.FULL STORY: Economists warn of 'sneakflation' amid rising consumer pricesActivity at the southern border continues to evolve under the Trump administration, but despite U.S. Customs and Border Protection releasing new data showing apprehensions hit a historic low, one humanitarian volunteer suggests those numbers don't tell the full story.All this comes after Border Patrol agents rescued two people entering the U.S. illegally in the mountains near Tecate, an unincorporated community in central southeast San Diego County.WATCH: ABC 10News Max Goldwasser follows through as new video of a 12-year-old girl's dramatic rescue in the Otay Mountain Wilderness area was releasedNew data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, released Tuesday, suggested fewer people are taking that journey under the Trump administration.It said there were 4,601 apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border in July, a record low for the second consecutive month.That number is also down 92% from the 56,400 apprehensions at the southern border a year prior in July 2024.Cordero, a humanitarian volunteer from Al Otro Lado who ABC 10News has spoken to in the past, feels that stat is misleading.“That just means they're apprehending less people, and it has nothing to do with anybody, you know, less amount of people crossing,' he said. 'That's just less apprehensions.”FULL STORY: Humanitarian volunteer challenges new border data after agents save two childrenThanks for waking up with us! If you have a story you want ABC 10News to follow through on, fill out the form below:
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