Sentencing in Navy bribery and corruption scandal
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, November 5th.>>>>
FORMER NAVY CONTRACTOR LEONARD FRANCIS IS BEING SENTENCED TODAY (TUESDAY).More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######
Today (Tuesday) is election day!
If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, you still have time to do so.
There are more than 200 vote centers and 150 ballot drop boxes open throughout the county.
They’ll be open from 7 in the morning, until 8 P-M today.
If you’re in line at a vote center or an official ballot drop box at 8 p-m, you’ll still be able to vote.
And if you’re not registered to vote, you can visit any vote center to conditionally register and vote provisionally today (Tuesday).
For more information about the election, visit our Voter Hub, at K-P-B-S-dot-org-slash-voter-hub.
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Windy conditions are in store for some parts of the county this week.
In the inland and mountain areas, gusts could reach up to 45 miles per hour.
No rain is in store, and temperatures are expected to rise a couple degrees each day this week.
Today (Tuesday), by the coast and in the inland areas, temps. will be in the low 70s, in the mountains, it’ll be in the high 50s, and in the deserts, it’s expected to be in the low 80s.
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THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS ISSUING A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR PARTS OF THE COUNTY.
IT WILL TAKE EFFECT TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY) EVENING AND LAST INTO THURSDAY AFTERNOON IN THE VALLEY AND MOUNTAIN AREAS.
ALEX TARDY OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS THERE ARE SOME THINGS PEOPLE CAN DO TO GET READY NOW.
FIREWX 2A (:15)
“So now you can set up by making sure your leaves are picked up, that you don't have piles of brush near your house. Make sure that there's defensible space”
TARDY SAYS A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS COULD LEAD TO A RED FLAG WARNING.
CAL FIRE SAYS THEY ARE READY AND FULLY STAFFED AT ALL 42 STATIONS COUNTY WIDE.
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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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FORMER NAVY CONTRACTOR LEONARD FRANCIS IS DUE IN A SAN DIEGO COURTROOM TODAY (TUESDAY).
HE’LL BE SENTENCED MORE THAN 11 YEARS AFTER HIS ARREST ROCKED THE NAVY.
MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS DESPITE THE CASE’S TWISTS AND TURNS, THE RESOLUTION MIGHT BE ANTICLIMACTIC.
FLPREVIEW 1 (:40) SOQ
Prosecutors are recommending Francis be sentenced to about 12 years in prison for pocketing at least $35 million dollars in the largest bribery and corruption scandal in U.S. Navy history. The man better known as “Fat Leonard” has already served several years since his arrest in 2013. In 2015 he pleaded guilty to bribing Navy officials for more than a decade with lavish dinners, travel, prostitutes and cash. but Francis cooperated with the government, handing over reams of evidence used to build criminal cases against more than two dozen Navy officers and civilians. In a court filing last month prosecutors said this level of assistance is why they’re not seeking a longer sentence. Andrew Dyer, KPBS news
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MORE THAN 500 MIGRANTS DIED TRYING TO CROSS THE SOUTHERN BORDER LAST YEAR.
BORDER REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SPOKE WITH LOCAL ACTIVISTS HONORING THEIR MEMORY.
MIGRANTOFRENDA 1 (gs) 1:03 SOQ
An abandoned backpack, half empty packs of cigarettes, and dirty shoelaces. These were some of the meager belongings of immigrants who lost their lives trying to make it to the United States. Now they are part of a Dia de los Muertos ofrenda inside a horse trailer parked next to the border wall in San Ysidro. “They’re not just numbers. They were humans. They had also goals and dreams…Nanzi Muro is a San Diego activist who created this ofrenda to honor everyone who died trying to cross the border illegally.CONT …I don’t believe that a person should lose their life because they’re looking for better opportunities, a better life.” Muro says that policies like Donald Trump’s border wall and President Joe Biden’s asylum crackdown – make crossing the border more dangerous.The deaths are just one aspect of this ongoing tragedy. So far this year, more than 570 injured migrants have been admitted to UC San Diego health for injuries related to illegal border crossings.Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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SECURITY SURROUNDING TODAY’S ELECTION WILL BE TIGHT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
OFFICIALS IN THE COUNTY SAY THERE ARE NO THREATS TO THE ELECTORAL PROCESS HERE.
BUT REPORTER JOHN CARROLL SAYS, SOME VOTERS STILL HAVE CONCERNS.
INTIMIDATION 1 1:00 SOQ
Listener Arturo Toscano wrote to us asking what he should do if someone observing him voting tries to harass or intimidate him. I put that question to San Diego County Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes. “They should alert the poll worker.” Paes says poll workers are trained in de-escalating situations, but if that doesn’t work, San Diego Sheriff’s Deputies are ready to deploy anywhere in the county at a moment’s notice. Paes says everything has gone smoothly up til now, and she expects that will continue through election day. “Our elections here in San Diego County, they're open and transparent. We welcome the community to come in and observe every step of the process. That's their legal right, and it ensures the integrity of our overall elections. So it's a positive thing.” Nevada, Oregon and Washington state have all put their state national guards on standby. California has not. JC, KPBS News
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ELECTION DAY IS HERE AND THE SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT IS TRYING SOMETHING NEW TO ENGAGE BOTH STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
GLORIA PENNER FELLOW, ELAINE ALFARO, TELLS US MORE ABOUT THE “SD UNIFIED FOR DEMOCRACY” INITIATIVE.
SCHOOL DEMOCRACY (ea) 3:12 SOQ
Students gather in the theater at Crawford High School to interview each other about democracy and their role in it. They have a variety of responses ranging from excitement to timidness… 12th grader Salima {mah-lawn-juh} Mlonge’s takeaway is the power of her voice. Salima Mlong | 12th grader at Crawford High School: “I liked the experience because it just made me like kind of open myself to share a little bit about how I feel about just the voting and the elections and just political and just, and to just say things in hopes of like sending a message somehow.” Her message will be featured in a comic book page created by her group... Brian Black is a visual art teacher at Crawford and says teachers are trying to think of creative ways to engage students in the election. “We wanted them to get to think about voting and registering…[butt together clips] I think there's a lot of graphic novels that are out now that really serve like this, this entry way into getting kids interested in reading.” There were about 50 students at this event, and the district is doing several more before the election. Interim superintendent Fabiola {bag-goo-la} Bagula says it starts with hosting nonpartisan discussions for students and families. Fabiola Bagula | San Diego Unified School District Interim Superintendent: “Our aspiration was civic discourse and and an engaged electorate – like those were two big pieces, like how do we start thinking about how children can actually start engaging in that kind of talk?” Elsewhere in the district… both family members and the public gathered for an event about identifying misinformation. Lina Frueh| League of Women Voters: “One of the reasons we're talking about misinformation, specifically, is to help people find tools to navigate through the sea of information out there and find solid factual information that's pretty neutral, free of bias” That was Linda {Froo} Frueh from the League of Women voters. The league partnered with the district to create these presentations. Veronica {Pray-grr} Prager attended that event at her son’s elementary school. Veronica Prager | Parent at Spreckels Elementary School: “I consider myself a savvy consumer of media, but there's always room for growth, so I thought, why not attend and see what they have to say?” She says talking about voting decisions with her son isn’t always easy. Veronica Prager | Parent at Spreckels Elementary School: “He asks questions and we try to give him real answers where we say, you know, some people feel this way, but this is what we feel. We're not trying to indoctrinate him, but it we're trying to give him real information so that it's not so emotionally charged.” While her son is far from voting age…At Crawford, some students are casting their vote for the first time. Zackary {Flur-ray} Fleuret, an eleventh grader, won’t be voting age this year… but he’s hopeful for continued discussions about the election. Zackary Fleuret | 11th Grader at Crawford High School: “I'd like to hear/see more students having more student to student peer discussions, but not in just a friend on a friend basis, on a bigger scale where we have like all the students listen to some students talk about their feelings politically or whatever.” And 12th grader Salima Malonge, like many soon-to-be voters, isn’t sure what will happen after the election. Salima Malonge | 12th Grader At Crawford High School: “I think we're still kind of in the midst of just trying to figure out what to actually do for the future.” She’s hoping to see a better economy..and better quality of life. Until her first time casting her vote, she’s grateful for a chance to have her voice heard. Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
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A YOUNG SAN DIEGO ARTIST IS COMBINING ACTIVISM WITH ART TO GET HIS PEERS INTERESTED IN DEMOCRACY.
ARTS REPORTER JULIA DIXON EVANS TELLS US HOW ALLIANCE SAN DIEGO’S YOUTH PROGRAM IS WORKING TO GET OUT THE VOTE.
YOUTHVOTEART 1 (1:12) SOQ
"My relationship with art has always been political." Christian Arreguin is the youth artist in residence for Alliance San Diego, a nonprofit that engages the community in the democratic process. He wants his art to inspire young people in his Chicano community to vote. "So for me, it's about wanting to paint the people that I know, the faces that I see." According to recent California state data, young voters aged 18-25 make up 11.9 percent of San Diego county registered voters. Alliance San Diego’s civic engagement director Itzel Maganda Chavez says reaching young voters requires a tailored approach. "I think there's definitely a need for organizations to step in and make their content digestible for young peoples." Arreguin is 18, and this will be his first election. He says many of his peers are interested in politics, but not everyone feels their voices matter — yet. "The mantra that I keep saying to myself is OK, It doesn't matter if you feel seen or heard, this is part of a bigger picture, like you're claiming space in these areas so that you'll be able to be seen and heard. And not just myself, but on a larger scale, younger people in general." Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS news.
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SAN DIEGO BEER WEEK IS IN FULL SWING.
THE 10-DAY CELEBRATION PROMOTES THE MORE THAN 150 INDEPENDENT CRAFT BREWERIES IN THE COUNTY.
IT RUNS THROUGH SUNDAY, WITH EVENTS HELD THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY AT PARTICIPATING BREWERIES, BARS, RESTAURANTS AND MORE!
FOR A LIST OF EVENTS , GO TO S-D BEER DOT COM.
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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 tomorrow for the latest updates from the election. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.
