Homeless encampment ban approved in San Marcos
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, July 25th.
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San Marcos approves a homeless encampment ban.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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Forecasters are warning San Diegans of dangerously hot conditions.
A Heat Advisory remains in effect until 10 tonight (Thursday), in the inland and mountain areas, where temperatures are expected to be in the high 90s.
In the deserts, an Excessive Heat Warning has been extended until 8 P-M tomorrow (Friday), where temps could reach up to 119 degrees.
By the coast, it’ll be in the high 70s.
And don’t forget, if you need a place to escape the heat, there are plenty of Cool Zones open throughout the county.
To find the Cool Zone site closest to you, visit the county’s website, or call 2-1-1.
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Vector Control crews will be hand-spraying a neighborhood in Mt. Hope tomorrow (Friday), to keep mosquitoes from spreading the dengue virus.
They’re taking action after mosquitoes were near a person who contracted dengue outside the U-S.
It’s a tropical viral disease, spread by mosquitoes, that is not commonly found in the U-S, but travelers can get the virus while visiting countries where it’s common.
From the beginning of the year through the end of last month, there have been 15 travel-related cases of dengue among San Diegans.
This week’s treatment area is about 12 acres near Hilltop Drive, 40th Street, F Street, and Boundary Street.
More information can be found on the Vector Control’s mosquito treatment webpage.
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The Big Lots stores in El Cajon, La Mesa and Oceanside will soon be closing.
According to the company’s website, sales are being offered at the closing locations.
In total, the company plans to close up to 40 stores nationwide, because sales have been dropping this year.
The date the local stores will close down has not been announced yet.
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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on homelessness is having an impact in the North County.
The ruling in City of Grants Pass vs Johnson allows cities to ban homeless encampments in public areas.
North County reporter Tania Thorne says the city of San Marcos has now passed its own ban.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, the ordinance was passed and made a city law. Council member Maria Nunez was the only vote against the ordinance. I don't think we have the resources to face this right now. As we speak so I do want us to continue to pursue options. That we actually have the ability to offer them resources. The city of San Marcos currently has no homeless shelter but does pay into regional homeless services. San Marcos mayor Rebecca Jones says the city has paid $120,000 annually for supportive services. The law goes into effect in 30 days. Sheriff’s deputies will first issue warnings to people in encampments… and if they don’t move or seek services, deputies can then issue a misdemeanor citation. TT KPBS News.
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State and local leaders are continuing their calls for the federal government to move nuclear waste away from the San Onofre power plant.
Reporter Katie Anastas says they’re considering a resolution to increase pressure.
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was shut down in 2013 after a small leak of radioactive steam. More than 3.5 million pounds of nuclear waste is still stored there. It’s currently in steel canisters surrounded by concrete. Stakeholders – including the plant’s owner – want the federal government to move that nuclear waste somewhere else. The U.S. Department of Energy is looking for places to store nuclear waste from dozens of plants across the country. California State Assemblymember Laurie Davies is asking state lawmakers to urge the federal government to come up with a storage plan. DAVIES This resolution is not here to debate the merits of nuclear energy. It is simply a tool to show the federal government that the world’s fifth largest economy is ready for them to start acting and do the job that they have been neglecting for over two decades. Davies co-authored the resolution with State Senator Catherine Blakespear, who represents Encinitas. It left the Assembly’s energy committee earlier this month. The full Assembly can take it up for a vote when the legislative session resumes next month. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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Two Navy aircraft carriers will be in San Diego over the next couple weeks as part of a planned home-port rotation.
Military reporter Andrew Dyer has more.
It’s been nine years but the aircraft carrier uss george washington is set to return to its homeport in yokosuka, japan. it’s replacing the uss ronald reagan. both ships are pierside at naval air station north island for the next couple weeks completing what the navy calls a “hull swap.” carrier strike group 5 commander rear. adm. gregory newkirk says it takes years of planning to make the operation work. rear adm. gregory newkirk, carrier strike group 5 we swap people, we swap equipment and all the things that make these amazing combat systems, work for months at a time at sea. and that's what you see going on behind us. the reagan will next head to bremerton, washington for maintenance. navy officials say traffic impacts to coronado should be minimal as neither crew have access to their vehicles. andrew dyer, kpbs news.
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The first full day of Comic-Con is today (Thursday).
Reporter Alexander Nguyen was there for the official kick off of the pop-culture celebration.
“Comic-Con 2024 is now open.” With that … Mayor Gloria and first dog Diego … dressed as Deadpool … welcome thousands of visitors to town. Todd Gloria San Diego Mayor “Every Comic-Con attendee is not just a fan, but they're also a hero for our city. They're helping our city to fix potholes and house our homeless folks with every single costume that they wear.” More than 130-thousand attendees are expected for the four-day pop-culture event … generating more than 3.2 million dollars in hotel taxes according to the city. Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer says the event has an economic impact of 164 million dollars for the region. “It's a nice impact over a short period of time.” Actors and writers are also marking their return this year since their absence last year during their strikes. AN/KPBS.
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And speaking of Comic-Con, a San Diego company is bringing science fiction to life with their bionic hand prosthetic.
Producer Brenden Tuccinardi says they’ll be at the convention today (Thursday), showing it off.
That sound is a bionic prosthetic hand waving hello. It’s called the Ability Hand and it was created by the San Diego Based company, PSYONIC. “So I've got the ability hand right over here. And the most common way to control it is with your muscles.” As PSYONIC founder and CEO Aadeel Akhtar explains, the Ability Hand has a variety of uses.“It can even switch between different grips. So if I open the hand twice, I can do a pinch. For example, if I'm at a rock concert, you know, you can, rock on. And then our user favorite is the finger wave where you can see all the fingers move, moving. It can even play the theme song to the early 90’s video game, DOOM, using its motors to create the sound. Akhtar and a few Ability Hand users are going to be at San Diego Comic-Con this year for a panel discussion on what it’s like living with a bionic hand. “A lot of people don't know how they actually work in real life and how the functional they are for people with limb differences. And so we kind of wanted to show the world, like, hey, this is how cool bionic limbs are in real life. They're real, and this is what our users can do with it. These are their their challenges. These are their limitations. But these are also some of the amazing things that they can do.” The panel is at 7:30 pm on Thursday in room 24ABC. Brenden Tuccinardi, KPBS News.
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The 20-24 Paris Olympic games kick off tomorrow (Friday).
Our KPBS web team put together a list of how to watch the games at local spots or even from home.
To see the list, head to KPBS-dot-org, and search “How to watch the Olympics in San Diego.”
The Summer 20-24 Olympics run through August 11th.
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Join us again tomorrow for the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Thursday.
