SDSU plans new dorms to house thousands more students
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, January 21st.
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S-D-S-U is planning new dorms to house thousands more students.More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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CAL FIRE IS PREPARING FOR HEIGHTENED WILDFIRE RISKS IN THE REGION…AFTER THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUED ANOTHER RED FLAG WARNING IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY.
DANGEROUS SANTA ANA WINDS WILL BLOW THROUGH SAN DIEGO’S INLAND VALLEYS AND MOUNTAIN AREAS THROUGHOUT THE DAY …WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MILES PER HOUR IN SOME AREAS.
THE HIGH WINDS AND DRY VEGETATION COULD RESULT IN FAST-MOVING AND ERRATIC WILDFIRES
CAPTAIN ROBERT JOHNSON IS WITH CAL FIRE IN SAN DIEGO.
“We staffed additional equipment, including additional fire engines, additional hand crew personnel. We've stashed additional water tenders, as well as patrol units.”
SAN DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC STARTED SHUTTING OFF POWER TO SOME HOMES IN HIGH-RISK AREAS.
MORE THAN 80-THOUSAND CUSTOMERS COULD BE IMPACTED IN THE COMING DAYS.
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A new report from the Government Accountability Office says scientists should look deeper into CLOUD SEEDING to see how effective it is at creating more rain and snow.
The technique introduces tiny particles into clouds to trigger precipitation.
Karen Howard, who led the study, says state officials who fund water programs will need more data about the technology.
The people in charge of making those decisions have to consider return on investment, and when it's not entirely clear what the effectiveness is, I think those decisions can be difficult to make.
Water managers across the arid West are often skeptical about cloud seeding.
Many point to a need to cut back on water DEMAND before looking too seriously at programs to add water SUPPLY.
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An unexpected technical equipment failure has delayed the season opening for Lamb’s Players Theatre.
The Coronado theatre will open Thursday night instead, with a revival of its award-winning production of ‘ONCE.’
The romantic musical about an Irish busker is based on the film of the same name.
The original 20-18 cast will reprise their roles.
Tickets are on sale now.
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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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SDSU IS PLANNING TO BUILD NEW DORMITORIES THAT WOULD HOUSE THOUSANDS MORE STUDENTS.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THE DEMAND FOR ON-CAMPUS HOUSING HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER.
SDSU was long seen as a commuter college. But nowadays students are less interested in driving and prefer to walk to classes. The Evolve Student Housing project would construct seven new dorm towers with more than 5,000 beds. The campus currently houses about 8,500 students. Bob Schulz is the university's architect. He says the dorms will lower SDSU's carbon footprint by reducing vehicle trips to and from campus. But there's an academic benefit as well. “Primarily we're in this business because they graduate more frequently, they have higher GPAs, they just thrive and succeed better as students when they live with us.” SDSU is holding two public meetings to gather feedback on the plans on January 27 and 30. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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THIS MONTH DIGITAL GYM CINEMA IS HIGHLIGHTING 2024 FILMS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THIS AWARDS SEASON.
CINEMA JUNKIE BETH ACCOMANDO SAYS HER TOP PICK FOR THIS WEEK IS CALLED ‘FROM GROUND ZERO.’
From Ground Zero is Palestine's official entry for Best International Feature Film at this year's Academy Awards. It’s an anthology of 22 short films, each offering a very personal perspective on what it means to live in Gaza today. The collection avoids overt politics to instead focus on the diverse range of experiences from these filmmakers. In "24," a man describes coming under attack three times in 24 hours and being dug out from rubble twice. And In Hell’s Heaven a man steals a body bag to sleep in to stay warm at night. But the story that impacted me the most was "Soft Skin." This animated film made by children depicts how their mothers wrote their names on their arms and legs to ensure their bodies could be identified if they were killed by a bomb. Despite the immense challenges of filming in Gaza, these filmmakers have created a stunning collaborative project. And perhaps most amazingly, many of the films focus on joy, hope, and beauty despite horrific conditions. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
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LAST WEEK PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CRITICIZED JOKES BY COMEDIAN SETH MEYERS ON HIS NBC TALK SHOW.
ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TRUTH SOCIAL, TRUMP THREATENED NBC PARENT COMPANY COMCAST, WRITING IT SHOULD PAY A QUOTE “BIG PRICE.”
THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME COMEDY HAS SPARKED POLITICAL BACKLASH, AND IT LIKELY WON’T BE THE LAST. VIDEO JOURNALIST MATTHEW BOWLER EXPLORES HOW SAN DIEGO COMEDIANS ARE PREPARING TO RESPOND TO THE POLITICAL CLIMATE DURING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM.
Politics can be great fodder for comedians. “They put elections right before Thanksgiving on purpose.” Stand up comedian Walter Ford is on stage at National Lampoon: The Yellow Door in downtown San Diego. He’s been making people laugh for nearly ten years now. But in 2020 and 2021 he was in the streets using his comedy to protest. “I was at all of that all, bro, I done seen everything. I was heckling Proud Boys. You right on that. I was heckling proud boys.” Police in riot gear, protesters fighting with each other and Ford cracking wise as a way of standing up for his principals. “Comedy, I feel like, is one of the few justices left on earth, and through comedy, even if it's something that's extremely serious, like talking to some Proud Boys. If I add some comedy into it, you're going to pay attention to this really serious situation and you're going to laugh at it.” That was during President Donald Trump’s first term Ford says his second term may be very different. “Conservative dream for America. You know, if we allow that, then I do think that there is a lot of, danger to my profession and people that do anything close to my profession as far as, as far as creativity.” That was Seth Meyers on his NBC show Late Night. Following that bit (insert full screen) President Trump posted on Truth Social “These are not shows of entertainment, they are simply political hits” and “Comcast should pay a BIG price for this!” “He's kind of made these promises. kind of worrisome from somebody who's already out there and like, you know, as a comic, like I think of us as a gesture. My job is to poke fun at the king. Right?” Victor Paz Jr. is a comedian and produces comedy shows around San Diego for his company Kacklez. “I'm curious to see actually how the comedy world is going to evolve in the next, we’ll know I think in the next eight months or so.” Paz says he isn’t censoring the comics in his shows but he says comedy is risky and sometimes the joke lands and sometimes it doesn’t. “I’ve seen people get super offended when we’ve gone after Trump and they’ve been Trump supporters and they’ve been super sensitive about it and I’ve seen the other side where they’re Trump supporters and they’re like keep going. That was a good one.” Paz describes what he thinks the best comedy is like. “It’s whittling dynamite. Like you don’t know how long the wick is.” Political Science professor Ric Epps says comedy can be a great way to say some very profound things. “When you look at the spectrum of how the system operates and how artists are able to articulate, through humor, for example, in this case, people can digest things a little more intently when they hear it in a humorous way.” But speaking truth to power comes with its own set of risks according to Epps. “The danger is, you know, but they may not kill you right here like they would in other countries. However, they can certainly cut you off financially and you know and that's what I call it like in political terms we call it coercive diplomacy.” Ford agrees. “I do think that there is a certain amount of cautious, caution that needs to be taken as far as making sure you don't mess up the church's money.” However through his jokes Ford aims to build bridges both inside the comedy clubs and at the protests. “At the end of the day, we're all humans. Black, white, red, purple, conservative, liberal, libertarian, and, I feel like at some point in time, comedy can be the middle ground for us to at least be able to have a conversation.” Matthew Bowler KPBS News.
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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. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
