Back-To-School!

Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Monday April 12th. >>>> A Historic Back To School day, today... More on that next, just after the headlines. ###### "ground ball to short stop. he will go to first....san diego's own joe musgrove!" The first no hitter in the Padres’s history was delivered by Padres pitcher, native San Diegan, Joe Musgrove. He did it in an away game on friday against the Texas Rangers. Padres won the game 3 to zero. ######## SeaWorld San Diego will fully reopen TODAY at limited capacity with rides, attractions and roller coasters, according to park officials. Miro Copic is founder of bottom line marketing and a business commentator for KPBS. He says Seaworld animal exhibits have been open since February, but now the rest of the park is opening to tourists. SEAWORLD 1A :16 "As San Diego enters into the Orange Tier, what's great is that Seaworld, for the park, can have 25 percent capacity. And in fact their animal exhibits can have 50 percent capacity. Which is a big win for Seaworld." For now, You still have to make a reservation on-line to visit the park. ######## The United States Supreme Court has once again sided with those fighting California’s COVID-19 restrictions on religion. On Friday, the court barred the state of California from enforcing a rule that limited religious gatherings in homes to no more than three households. In The 5 to 4 ruling found that religious activities were not more dangerous than secular activities, which were allowed. ######### From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need. TODAY marks an historic back to school day for many San Diego county children. For over a year, tens of thousands of kids here have been learning through a computer screen and getting to know their teachers and classmates virtually. To get a glimpse of what teaching students online has been like, we asked a Rancho Bernardo High School teacher to record an audio diary for a week. Here’s social science teacher Tristan McCoy. That was Rancho Bernardo High School teacher Tristan McCoy. McCoy is now fully vaccinated. He’s back in the classroom. But he says only about 20 percent of students have currently opted to go back to campus, so he’s continuing to teach virtually as well. Join Midday Edition on Monday for a special program marking the first day back to in-person instruction for many San Diego students. Or if you miss it live on the radio, you can always catch it on the Midday Edition podcast on your favorite podcast app. ########## San Diego County has fully vaccinated nearly 25% of its population 16 and older for covid-19. kpbs reporter jacob aere looks at what's to come for the vaccine supply in the region as eligibility is set to expand on april 15. as of friday morning, san diego county had administered at least the first dose of covid-19 vaccine to just over 40% of the eligible population, and the county is just shy of having a quarter of residents fully immunized. but one of the big issues at the moment is the gap between supply and demand, according to sharp healthcare coo brett mcclain. “it looks like this week is going to be a little bit lower unfortunately for a couple of reasons, but then it actually will probably go up in the next few weeks.” mcclain said that vaccine allocations should pick up beginning the week of april 22nd. in the meantime, covid-19 vaccine eligibility will expand to anyone 16 years or older starting april 15. jacob aere, kpbs news. And that was KPBS’ Jacob Aere. ########## San Diego City Council meetings are likely to be back in person in the coming months as pandemic restrictions ease. But, there's one aspect of virtual council meetings that many want to keep virtual. KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen has more. AB: Before the pandemic, providing public comment at a council meeting could take the better part of a day. You had to find the 12th floor of City Hall, fill out a speaker slip and wait — sometimes hours — for your turn to speak. Since meetings have gone virtual, that waiting can be done from anywhere with a phone or internet. Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera says remote public comment has made it easier for youth, parents, working people and those with mobility challenges to engage with their local government — and that's worth keeping. 7:42 SER: We often use the phrase of breaking down the walls of City Hall to make government more accessible to the community. And when we say that, we mean making it accessible so that someone feels they can just show up and be a part of the decisions that are being made that will impact them. AB: Former councilmember and open government advocate Donna Frye agrees remote public comment should stay. But she's also looking forward to the time when people can be in the same room as their elected officials again. DF: There is value in being able to provide testimony in person and see what the city council members are doing the whole time at the meeting, because you can't really see that on the Zoom. AB: Council President Jen Campbell told KPBS she's interested in exploring options for remote testimony post-pandemic. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news. That was KPBS Metro Reporter Andrew Bowen. ########## Some may consider California to be a tech mecca, but the pandemic exposed long-term weaknesses in the state’s tech infrastructure. The California report’s Mary Franklin-Harvin has more on a new bill aimed at fixing things. ########## Coming up.... Drones were approved for use all over Chula Vista earlier this year. But the buzzing drone program has raised questions and concerns. We’ll have more on that next, just after the break. There’s a buzz in and around Chula Vista. In the sky, it’s the whirring of drones doubling as first responders by the local police department. And in headlines, the buzz is P-R driven. Chula Vista is leaning into its new found role as a pioneer when it comes to using drone technology, warts and all. Sofía Mejías Pascoe took a deep dive into the drone program and the questions it raises for Voice of San Diego. Sofia spoke with KPBS’ Claire Traegeser on The Roundtable. Here’s that interview…. That was Sofia Mejias Pascoe speaking with KPBS’ Claire Traegeser on the Roundtable. That’s it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS Midday Edition At Noon on KPBS radio, or check out the Midday podcast. You can also watch KPBS Evening Edition at 5 O’clock on KPBS Television, and as always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.