Ramona woman’s house saved by firefighters
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, August 11th.
>>>>
We’ll hear from a Ramona woman whose house was saved by firefighters.
But first... let’s do the headlines….
######
Train service through Del Mar is back on schedule after what is being called a “bluff failure” interrupted service earlier this week.
The North County Transit District says Wednesday night lifeguards reported the bluff failure near 11th Street in Del Mar.
And train service was disrupted until a geotechnical engineer was able to assess the impacted area and clear any hazards to the tracks.
NC-TD says the tracks are inspected twice a week for safety, and the agency continues supporting stabilization efforts, as well as relocating the tracks for rail operations.
########
Veterans and survivors who might qualify for disability benefits under last year’s PACT Act have until Monday to apply and qualify for back-dated benefits.
Veterans Affairs says errors plagued its website during the original August ninth deadline and many could not submit in time.
The PACT Act expands the number of medical conditions that will automatically qualify veterans exposed to certain toxins or their survivors for benefits.
Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan exposed to burn pits and those who were exposed to agent orange in Vietnam are among the many groups who now qualify.
The new deadline to submit an “intent to file” is 9 P-M on Monday.
########
The weather is going to feel a bit warmer today and tomorrow.
The National Weather Service says that on both days it’s expected to be gloomy in the morning, but then gradually become sunny in the afternoon.
With Inland temperatures in the low 80s, temps by the coast in the high 60s and in the county’s desert areas, temps will be in the low 100s.
It’s expected to get hotter on Sunday.
#########
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
##########
Firefighters continue to work to put out the Bunnie fire in Ramona.
The fire has burned more than 180 acres, but no structures have been lost.
Reporter Alexander Nguyen talked to a homeowner whose house was saved from the fire.
“You can't replace photos like this.” Mindy Sloan was home teaching a class on Zoom when the fire broke out. She said firefighters showed up at her doors within 10 minutes … telling her they were there to protect her home. Mindy Sloan Homeowner “Some of them took chainsaws and started working on some of the brush. Others were walking around the house, moving my wooden picnic tables away from the house. I got a sense they were serious, very professional. They had a mission.” The fire stopped just feet from her home. Sloan said she felt a debt of gratitude to the firefighters for saving her home. Crews will remain at the scene mopping up hotspots and getting the fire fully contained. AN/KPBS.
##########
More than two-million Americans are living with Hepatitis C – and don’t even know it.
A nationwide tour to provide free testing and treatment options has come to San Diego.
Here’s reporter Melissa Mae with more.
MM: The ElimiNATION Awareness Tour is at Father Joe’s Villages through Friday. Father Joe’s is San Diego’s largest homeless services provider, and this event is meant to reduce some of the barriers unsheltered individuals face when it comes to healthcare. MM: Paul Sheck is the program manager of the San Diego Day Center at Father Joe’s Villages. PS “It’s important because just the nature of our population can lead to Hep C spread. I mean it could be done through shared needles, shared razors, shared hygiene equipment, bad tattoos, things like that. So these are things that could be affecting our population.” MM: According to Father Joe’s Chief Health Officer, the combination of high risk for transmission and low utilization of healthcare services makes the homeless population especially vulnerable and likely to suffer increased health consequences - which can include liver damage, liver cancer and cirrhosis, as well as death. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
##########
This month is National Breastfeeding month.
True Care Health Centers offers education on breastfeeding, but medical professionals with the health centers also want to highlight the impact breast milk donations have on high risk babies.
Reporter Tania Thorne says the centers are holding a milk drive.
This will be the second time Cristina Davies donates breast milk at True Cares milk drive in San Marcos. For me it's really rewarding to be able to donate milk. That's because when Davies welcomed her son, she wasn't producing breast milk yet. But the hospital offered her donated breast milk. If moms aren't donating milk then there is no donated milk for the baby. A gesture Davies pays forwards and hopes more moms will too. This Saturday True Care is partnering with UC Health Milk bank for a breast milk drive and health fair. Moms can drop off any excess breast milk between 10 and 2pm at the True Care in San Marcos. No previous donation experience is needed. TT KPBS News.
##########
The fall semester is underway in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, with two newly designated community school campuses.
Education reporter M.G. Perez has more on one clear benefit they are offering students.
Free eye exams and a new pair of glasses for students who need them. The Chula Vista Elementary School District has partnered with Vision To Learn …a non profit organization that supports low-income families. This fall…the district designated Palomar and Harborside Elementary …as community school campuses…fully funded with state money and partnerships that provide support and services beyond regular school programs. 7 year old Breeza Catalan was struggling in first grade…but this semester…second grade will be different… “when I was looking at the screen to do homework…I couldn’t see and it looked all blurry…but now when I have these glasses I can look closer.” The Chula Vista District has applied to the state to fund nine of its other campuses next year…to become community schools. MGP KPBS News.
##########
The Chula Vista Elementary School district also announced the winning name of its newest campus late yesterday afternoon.
The School Board received more than 100 submissions from the public.
The school located in the Montecito community of Otay Ranch will be named Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School, in honor of the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
##########
Coming up.... We hear from a San Diego drag queen, who shot to the top of the iTunes Christian music charts after a Twitter tiff with a conservative worship leader.
“If there's one thing that drag performers everywhere have in common is that we know how to capitalize on a moment, you know?”
We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
##########
San Diego drag queen Flamy Grant topped the iTunes Christian music charts last month.
Reporter Katie Hyson sat down with the artist to learn the story behind the historic moment.
Matthew Lovegood grew up in what they describe as a religious bubble in North Carolina. My church was super fundamentalist, very literal interpretation of the Bible, very patriarchal, very strict. So I did not become a drag queen until I was nearly 40. I spent a long time avoiding this fate right here. *laughs* Lovegood, now out as non-binary and gay, learned early not to explore gender. I definitely got the message from a really early age that this is not how a boy behaves, this is not how a boy dresses. You need to fit in better with the other boys. Lovegood became a worship pastor, and in their late 20s moved to San Diego to start a new church. During that time, they began to question what they’d been taught and embrace that they were gay. And so when I did, I got kicked out of that church. It was very hard. Lovegood says it was through doing drag that they ultimately decided to stay in the Christian church. When I started doing drag, it was inner child work for me . . sitting in my bedroom, painting my face . . . and talking to that younger version of myself and saying, okay, for years, for your whole life, for 30 years, you've carried this belief that something about you is broken and wrong and sinful and unworthy and unlovable. And what we're going to do now is . . . let that kid know you're okay, baby. Giving yourself the permission to believe in your own goodness A pastor friend invited them to give a sermon as their drag queen persona, Flamy Grant. Their practice video went viral on TikTok. I spent the entire day just scrolling through comments of people saying, this makes me feel seen and makes me feel safe, which was what drag was doing for me. It was the first time I had an inclination that my drag was not just for me, it was for other people, too. Lovegood saw there was a role for them to play in Christianity. I feel like it's important for some people to take up space in the church when there's no representation. Then, in July, Flamy Grant posed for a photo with several well-known Christian musicians from the 90s. Somehow that photo got to Sean Feucht, who is a conservative worship leader. Feucht took to Twitter. This is the end goal of deconstruction derek Webb, a former Christian musician collaborating with a drag queen. It's truly the last days. And I just replied back, “End goal, baby. No no no, we're just getting started.” He came back and said, “Well, good thing that hardly anyone listens to you or cares what you do.” Which is not a thing you say to a drag queen . . . Because if there's one thing that drag performers everywhere have in common is that we know how to capitalize on a moment. We know how to take something that is intended for our harm and turn it into our good. Lovegood asked their TikTok followers to propel their nearly year-old album, Bible Belt Baby, onto the iTunes Christian music charts. I rolled the dice knowing what I know about the queer community . . . that was a good bet. *laughs* The album hit #1 shortly after. Flamy Grant was soon in the headlines of Rolling Stone, Billboard and Paste magazine. There are a lot of people looking at this moment and how I'm behaving, and I want them to see that there is such a good life for you after you leave high demand, toxic religion . . . You don't have to leave your entire faith structure. You can stick around and just do it better. In a couple weeks, Lovegood and their husband plan to move back to North Carolina. You know, I'm still a southern kid at heart, and I feel like my drag will fit well in the south . . . I want to make an impact where laws are literally being passed against queer people, trans people. In one of their last local performances, Lovegood performed a song written from Flamy to young Matthew. Even though there were years we spent apart, I have always been the desire of your heart . . . Katie Hyson, KPBS News.
##########
Before you go, we have details on a festival of Filipino Punk Music happening tomorrow at the Che Cafe in La Jolla.
My colleague Julia Dixon Evans spoke with organizers of the Aklasan festival.
Here is her conversation with Carmela Prudencio and J-J Weber.
Aklasan is a Tagalog word, can you tell us what it means?
Punk and hardcore music has been traditionally dominated by cis white men, at least in the mainstream. Tell me about why it's important for you to provide platforms and space for people of color and the LGBTQ community in punk music and music festivals.
There's 9 acts performing this Saturday, Let's talk about a couple of them. Can we start with Posy? JJ, what can you tell us about this band
TAG: That was JJ Weber and Carmela Prudencio of Aklasan Fest, speaking with arts producer and editor, Julia Dixon Evans.
The festival is for all ages.
There will also be a Filipino food pop up, artists and more.
It’s tomorrow at 3-30 P-M.
For more on this and other arts events happening this weekend, visit KPBS dot ORG slash ARTS.
##########
That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by KPBS Producer Emilyn Mohebbi and edited by KPBS Senior Producer Brooke Ruth. We’d like to thank KPBS reporter and anchor John Carroll for helping the podcast team this week. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
