Vaccines and the newest COVID-19 variant

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, September first.

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Will current vaccines protect against the newest COVID variant? More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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There’s a chance of rain throughout the county today and into Labor Day weekend.

The National Weather Service says there’s a slight chance of showers through Sunday in the county’s inland valleys, by the coast, and in the county’s mountain and desert areas.

Temperatures in inland valleys are expected to be in the high 70s to low 80s today and through the long weekend.

If you’re planning to go by the beach, temps are expected to be in the high 60s.

And in the county’s mountains, it’ll be in the low 70s.

Deserts, will be in the high 90s.

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C-H-P officers will be on the lookout for people driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol over the holiday weekend.

The annual “maximum enforcement period” starts at 6:01 this evening, through 11-59 p-m Monday.

C-H-P officers made more than 900 D-U-I arrests, and gave out nearly 6-thousand speeding citations in the state, during last year’s Labor Day holiday weekend.

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All public county offices, public health clinics, family resource centers, libraries and animal shelters will be closed Monday for Labor Day.

But county parks, campgrounds and neighborhood day-use parks will be open.

Essential services, including law enforcement and emergency animal control response, will be available through the holiday.

All county offices will resume normal business hours on Tuesday.

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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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San Diego County is reporting the highest monthly covid infections since March.

Reporter Melissa Mae has this update.

MM: In August San Diego County recorded more than 4,700 COVID-19 cases and about a third of infections were in people 60 years and older.  MM: Dr. William Tseng with Kaiser Permanente San Diego says while symptoms of the new dominant COVID variant are similar to the original virus, current vaccines don’t provide great protection against it. WT “The newest variant is “Eris” and there's a new one also lingering around as well. But the key thing to know is that the Eris is also a variant related to XBB, which is a variant of Omicron. So we've seen this before. It's nothing new, certainly, in terms of vaccination response. It's something that we're looking at very closely to make sure that you are still going to be protected from the virus.” MM: Tseng recommends getting vaccinated if you haven’t yet. But he suggests waiting to get a COVID-19 booster until it includes the protection against the new variants. Those new vaccines are expected later this year. Melissa Mae KPBS News.

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If you’re planning a road trip for this weekend, you should pack some extra cash.

Reporter Alexander Nguyen says demand is driving up gas prices.

until wednesday … prices have been rising consistently for 35 straight days even though crude oil prices have remained consistent. triple a’s anlleyn venegas says several factors contributed to the spike in prices. “there was a few issues with a couple of refineries in wilmington and carson also, even though the storm hillary didn't have any significant impact on refineries. for some reason, you know, they still increase gas prices just in case there were any issues.” triple a expects prices to drop after labor day. for now, here are some tips to save on gasoline. triple a says you should: drive the speed limit on the highway, use cruise control when possible and shop around for cheap gas. costco and sam’s club’s pumps are always good options if you’re a member. you could also try the gasbuddy app where people like you and i report where the cheap gas stations are. an/kpbs.

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The Grossmont Union High School District is moving ahead with a new mental health provider for students.

Education reporter M.G. Perez has more on the controversial change in direction.

For decades, San Diego Youth Services has provided licensed therapists and other mental health programs to the 17 campuses of the Grossmont Union High School District. Two weeks ago, a majority of the school board sided with community members who objected to gender-affirming and other LGBTQ mental health programs that were offered and cancelled the long-standing contract. A specially called board meeting Wednesday night to hear from the opposition did not change the decision. Steven Jella is Chief Program Officer for San Diego Youth Services. Our services are going to be here with or without these politics and we're going to get young people in our communities, the support they Need. That new provider approved by the school board is a company called Wellness Together. The transition of services could take up to two months. MGP KPBS News.

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Fishing off the Oceanside Pier is pretty popular, but to get to the pier, you have to cross a connecting concrete bridge.

That bridge is nearly 100 years old and reaching the end of its structural lifespan.

North County reporter Tania Thorne says a renovation is underway.

Darra Woods is with the city of Oceanside. Council approved reconstructing the facility including the lifeguard headquarters and the construction of a new lifeguard support facility in between the structure where the Tin Fish facility is right now. She says structurally, the bridge needs replacing. But Oceanside lifeguards also need a bigger space. Staffing has increased over the years so they've outgrown that facility. And they’re in need of additional space. The proposed building will be three stories with room for restaurants. The cost of the renovation is $40 million dollars and funding has yet to be secured. Environmental studies will need to take place before a design is presented and are estimated to take about 2 years. Those studies will also look into the renovations of the Junior Seau Amphitheater and Beach Community center. TT KPBS News.    

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Coming up.... A dog groomer is transforming dogs into walking works of art to help them get adopted.

“So, when i hear that those guys get adopted, i’m just like over the moon.  i’m just grateful that i get to do it.”

We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.

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The San Diego Humane Society has an overpopulation problem.

For months, they’ve been over capacity, especially when it comes to dogs.

But one San Diegan is doing what he can to help.

Reporter John Carroll introduces us to a dog groomer who brings an artistic touch to help pooches find loving homes.

At the san diego humane society’s el cajon campus, dog groomer gabe feitosa is making his monthly visit…he’s in a dog grooming room with his assistant - transforming a three-legged little guy named minnow into a tiger! feitosa’s passion for this work began years ago… when he was a boy, growing up in challenging circumstances in the favelas of sao paulo, brazil. gabriel feitosa dog grooming artist  “even before i started doing dog grooming, i thought i was going to be an artist.  i love to draw, i love to paint.” feitosa also had a passion for dogs… he started helping a dog groomer in his hometown… eventually the grooming and the artistic spark came together. he made his way to san diego in 2014… and now has his own dog grooming business in university heights.  there - he charges anywhere between 500 and 17-hundred dollars to transform dogs into walking works of art. he appeared on an abc show called pooch perfect in the summer of 2021 and quickly gained national attention.  then last december, he had an idea. “i was trying to find a way to give back.  so i reached out to the humane society and said, hey guys, what if we transform your guys’s dogs and bring attention not only for the dogs who are getting to get adopted right away, but to the cause.” more on the cause in a moment, but first… a look at how this all works. a humane society team selects a dog or dogs that would typically get looked over, like our friend minnow… and a big beautiful girl named nyla.  her family had to give her up. feitosa employs a dazzling array of colors.  all the dye is vegan and non-toxic.  it doesn’t harm the dogs in any way.  but, it’s a challenge… how many artists do you know that have to contend with a canvas that moves?!  nyla is white, so feitosa decided to give her rainbow colors on her ears and on her big, bushy tail! after the dog gets their color, they get a bath…then, time for blow drying…  and finally a trim.  at that point, the canine spa treatment is finished,,, the transformation - complete. after the feitosa treatment, the artist always takes pictures and videos of his subjects. on the day we were there, he was capturing nyla on camera in the outside play yard.  it’s worth the effort… you see, feitosa has huge numbers of people following him on social media - more than two million on tiktok and another half million on instagram! in addition to donating his time, feitosa also pays for adoption and any other fees for dogs that have gotten his special treatment.  he wants to remove any barriers that would keep someone from adopting one of these furry friends.  he says it’s all worth it when he finds out the dogs have been adopted. “it fills me with joy, especially because we focus on transforming the dogs that actually need more attention, with the big dogs, they have a hard time getting adopted, dogs that are dropped off here like when they’re nine or 10 years old, they have a much harder time than a puppy or a small dog, so we really focus on doing those guys.  so, when i hear that those guys get adopted, i’m just like over the moon.  //cut to  43:28//  i’m just grateful that i get to do it.” so far, feitosa’s batting average is - almost - a thousand.  we shot this story in early august and unfortunately, nyla has yet to be adopted.  but all the others are now in loving homes. still, there are so many more waiting for that special person or family. the san diego humane society has never been more crowded with dogs than it is now… they’re at 170% of capacity across their campuses.  so, if you’ve been thinking about bringing some canine love into your life - there’s never been a better time. jc, kpbs news.

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Not many horror films are made by oscar-winning directors.

But “Final Cut” has that distinction.

KPBS cinema junkie Beth Accomando reviews the french zombie film running for a week, starting today at Digital Gym Cinema.

Michel Hazanavicius won an Oscar for directing the French film “The Artist.” So I’m not sure what possessed him to take on the dual challenge of doing a remake and a zombie film, neither of which gets much respect. But the result is a blood-splattered valentine to the passion and teamwork it takes to make a movie. “Final Cut” is a nesting doll of reanimated corpses. It’s a French remake of the Japanese zombie film “One Cut of the Dead,” which was about a movie crew whose horror shoot is disrupted by real zombies. The gimmick in both is that the opening sequence is a 30-minute single take of gory mayhem followed by a replay of the sequence from a hilarious behind the scenes perspective. So the very meta end product is a film within a film… within a film. “Final Cut” is ultimately a delight but I urge people to be patient with the bad zombie makeup, stupid script, and dubious acting of the one-shot opening. Trust me, it all pays off deliciously in the end, and you’ll leave the cinema inspired to get your friends together to make a ridiculous blood soaked zombie film of your own. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.

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And before you go… arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans has some other suggestions on how to get your arts and culture fix this weekend.

She shares the details with my colleague Jade Hindmon.

Julia, what else is going on in town? 

Before we go, let's talk about live music. Give us a couple of shows on your radar for the weekend.

TAG: That was KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans, speaking with KPBS Midday Edition host, Jade Hindmon. 

You can find details on these and more arts events, at KPBS dot ORG slash ARTS.

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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 editor Joe Guerin for helping out the podcast team this week. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening. I’ll be back on Wednesday. Enjoy the long weekend!