45 years later, PSA victims still seek somewhere to grieve

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, September 25th.

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Today marks 45 years since a P-S-A jetliner crashed in San Diego and there still isn’t a proper memorial for the victims.

More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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SANDAG will not consider charging drivers by the mile to fund public transit.

Board members on Friday voted to keep that policy out of future transportation plans.

But they still face the daunting task of raising billions in new funding to improve public transit and reduce driving.

If SANDAG board members can't agree on a transportation plan that meets state climate targets, they could lose access to billions of dollars in transportation funding.

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The government accountability office found unsafe conditions in military barracks across the country and concluded the Pentagon isn’t doing enough about it.

Problems include broken fire systems, mold and pests.

Inspectors toured facilities at 10 bases, including four in San Diego… Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot and Naval Bases San Diego and Coronado.

But the report does not say which installations had problems, only that seven of the 10 visited had barracks needing improvements.

KPBS military reporter Andrew Dyer asked the navy about the report’s findings.

“Navy region southwest says san diego sailors rate local barracks highly and that sailors aren’t assigned to rooms that aren’t up to standards. The gao report includes photos from a privately-run san diego barracks and says sailors told them they’re satisfied with their living conditions.”

Local marines did not respond to questions about the report.

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School is back in session for students at UC-SD.

Their fall quarter begins today.

According to reporting by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the university is expecting more than 42-thousand students this fall.

That is the largest number of students in the school's history.

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Coming up… We hear the personal stories from the day a P-S-A jetliner crashed in San Diego, and the demands to finally place a memorial.

“None of us have a place to grieve.  There’s no cemetery, there’s no headstone where I can say, this is where I can pay my respects.”

More on that story, just after the break.

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On September 25th, 19-78, tragedy hit San Diego.

A Pacific Southwest Airlines 727, just moments away from landing at Lindbergh Field, collided with a smaller plane and crashed to the ground in North Park.

144 people in the planes and on the ground were killed.

Reporter John Carroll has been looking into why, 45 years later, there is still no proper memorial to the victims.

The image of a psa 727 in flames barreling toward the ground, is forever seared into the memories of many san diegans… it’s one of two pictures of the plane on fire taken by professional photographer hans wendt who happened to have his camera around his neck as he was pumping gas a few blocks away…“psa 182 lindbergh tower. traffic 12 o’clock, one mile, a cessna.” a couple of minutes after that communication between psa flight 182 and the tower, the 727 and the cessna collided. “tower, we’re going down.  this is psa.” seconds later, a plume of black smoke was billowing into the sky over north park.  the psa jet smashed into the ground just north of the intersection of dwight and nile, killing all 135 people aboard.  seven people on the ground were killed, including two children.  both the pilot and passenger of the cessna lost their lives.  that plane crashed several blocks away. we met myra sulit pelowski at dwight and nile.  her brother michael had boarded psa flight 182 in sacramento earlier that morning.  memories of the day are still vivid. myra sulit pelowski sister of michael sulit “i was waiting for him at the airport to make sure that he could get on the plane and he came back out and said i got the last seat on the plane.  so, that was the last time i saw him at 7am.” “i was on a break between classes at st. augustine high school, four blocks down the road.” that’s north park resident michael bagnas.  he’d just started his sophomore year at saint augustine’s.  45 years later and it’s still difficult to get the words out about what he saw when he looked up. michael bagnas saw psa going down “i saw the fireball and you could see the glow of the fire into the windows…   you could feel the people screaming.  it was horrible.” seconds later, bagnas says he felt a boom… a wave emanating out from the point of impact.  then, fear of another horror overtook him.  his family home was at 33rd and dwight, about a block from the crash site.  at first, bagnas says he didn’t want to go home… afraid of what he would find.  he first went to a friend’s house… and there he saw something that wiped away his worst fears… “she had channel 10 on and jack white was reporting from the neighbor’s house across the street and that’s when i knew, oh thank god.” bagnas knew if that neighbor’s house was standing, then his was too. meantime, myra pelowski made her way down to san diego.  the coroner was never able to identify her brother’s remains, but she has something else… she keeps it in a case with her brother’s high school graduation picture…. it’s his wallet, found at the crash site, not damaged at all. “it was intact with his driver’s license and his pictures, and even a dollar in his wallet.” 10 years ago, myra, michael and several others formed a committee to finally place a proper memorial to those who lost their lives.  not that there aren’t memorials now…  one is a little plaque outside the north park library branch.  it’s under a tree dedicated to the lives of those lost, but not one name of the 144 killed is on the plaque. another, larger memorial is found in the air and space museum, part of an exhibit about the history of psa. but there’s nothing anywhere close to the crash site. now, myra pelowski, michael bagnas and everyone else who’s worked for a proper memorial for years… say they’re tired of waiting. “why isn’t there one here?  why can’t the politicians do that?  do i have to do it?  they should do it.” “none of us have a place to grieve.  there’s no cemetery, there’s no headstone where i can say, this is where i can pay my respects.” we took our questions about the lack of a memorial all these years later to someone who may be able to do something about it.  tomorrow, you’ll hear some answers from san diego city councilmember stephen whitburn.  jc, kpbs news.

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A single student’s protest has prompted an international wave of support in the fight against a controversial ban on flags in Temecula schools.

Education reporter M.G. Perez has the story.

16-year old Moxxie Childs is defying the Temecula Valley Unified School Board…by passing out mini Pride flags at Great Oak High School where he is a junior. Childs is also transgender and opposes the school board’s recent ban on the display of any flags on campuses… other than the American and California flags. “Holding flags is different from displaying them because displaying implies they stay in one place and all the flags are being carried around by different people. So they cannot hand out discipline for the carrying around of these flags.” He used his own money to initially pass out 200 rainbow flags …that effort went viral on social media…prompting a flood of donations of flags and money from supporters around the world. At the moment, Childs says he has more than 3-thousand donated flags to continue his protest. He plans to share them with other Temecula Valley schools. MGP KPBS News. 

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If you have been charged for the updated COVID-19 vaccine, you’re not alone.

The U-S Department of Health and Human Services says it’s hearing about insurers not covering the new vaccine.

They say insurance plans are required to cover COVID-19 vaccines authorized under the federal emergency use authorization.

UC-SD social epidemiologist Rebecca Fielding-Miller says lowering the barriers to getting a vaccine is critical to public health.

“If you're worried that it's going to cost money and you don't know how to negotiate with your health care provider to get that money repaid, that's a barrier. So the more that we can remove barriers and make it easier for people to keep themselves healthy the better it's gonna be for everybody.”

If you’ve been charged for the vaccine, reach out to your health insurance provider to be reimbursed.

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Coming up.... I speak with one of the La Mesa Oktoberfest coordinators about this weekend’s event.

“It’s over five blocks, there’s four different beer gardens, and we’ve really made an effort the last few years to really increase the family-friendly activities.”

We’ll have all the details you need to know for the fest, and more, after the break.

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A biology lab at SD-SU is using a NASA grant to create guacamole for astronauts.

But it’s not just avocados.

Sci-tech reporter Thomas Fudge has the story.

The lab features vials of green liquid that contain microalgae. That’s the not-so-secret ingredient meant to bolster the guacamole with antioxidants, which protect space travelers from the high levels of radiation. The project is aimed at diversifying the diet of astronauts, and scientists chose guacamole to try to lift their spirits. They say space-guac is a fun food that makes you think of parties. PhD student Gaby Canto is part of the team. “The idea of mixing guacamole with microalgae was so interesting for me because I’m Mexican! And guacamole is part of our diet, you know (laughs)” The guacamole is still being formulated so we’re not sure how it tastes. It will be a powder that must be hydrated before it’s eaten. Biologists won’t say whether astronauts will also get tortilla chips. SOQ. 

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The city of La Mesa is kicking off the fall season with its annual Oktoberfest. But this year is extra special… because it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary! The three-day fest starts this Friday, September 29th, through Sunday, October first.

Here to talk about it, is La Mesa Event Coordinator, Laurel McFarlane.

Laurel, welcome to the San Diego News now podcast.

Can you describe La Mesa’s Oktoberfest event and its significance to the community?

It’s been 50 years since the first La Mesa Oktoberfest in 19-73. Can you tell me how things have changed or evolved over the years? And are any parts of the fest still the same?

Will this year’s event have any special activities to celebrate the milestone?

This will be the event’s third year back since going virtual during the pandemic. Do you feel the turnout is back to pre-pandemic levels?

With the start of fall we begin to see an increase in flu and COVID cases, will there be any precautionary measures in place at this year’s event?

Do people need to buy tickets for the event? VIP tickets– what do those entail?

TAG: I’ve been speaking with La Mesa Event Coordinator, Laurel McFarlane. Laurel, thank you for joining me on the San Diego News Now podcast. I wish you big success with the festival!

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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. My colleagues will be filling in for me on the podcast the next two weeks while I take a vacation with my family. As always, thanks for listening, and have a great Monday.