Aztecs lose NCAA basketball championship game
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, April 4th.
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It was a heartbreaking loss for the S-D-S-U men's basketball team last night, in the championship game in Houston.
The Aztecs trailed Connecticut for most of the game.
And were down 16 points at the half.
Before getting within five points of U-Conn with five minutes to go.
But the Huskies quickly increased their lead to beat SDSU 76 to 59.
The Aztecs are the first Mountain West conference basketball team to advance beyond the Sweet 16 round.
More on the team’s historic run, coming up later in the show.
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Health care workers in high-risk settings, like hospitals and nursing homes, are no longer required by the state to wear a mask at work.
The new state guidance went into effect yesterday.
San Diego County Public Health Officer, Doctor Willma Wooten, says the county will follow the guidance, but hospitals and other medical centers are encouraged to set up their own masking policies.
“Strongly recommended is what we have on our website that again, aligns with Cdph, but also strongly recommends that acute healthcare settings continue to wear masking, particularly when they are within near patient care.”
Some hospitals are relaxing masking rules, but others are still requiring their workers to continue to wear a mask when caring for patients.
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It’s supposed to start feeling more like spring, across the county this week.
The National Weather Service says, mornings may be chilly, but temps are expected to increase as the week goes on.
Today is expected to be sunny, with temps in the high 50s.
If you’re planning to head to the beach, there’s a High Surf Advisory in effect until 11 A-M.
Waves are expected to reach up to 10 feet, causing dangerous swimming and surfing conditions.
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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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The San Diego State Men’s Basketball team’s historic season is over.
Reporter M.G. Perez was in Houston at the game.
The SDSU dream team fought hard to win one more time. But the Huskies defeated them 76-59 …winning their fifth NCDOUBLE-A Men’s Basketball National title. It was an unexpected season… Aztecs fan Mieko Sunbury appreciated. “the team did great…we’re super proud of them for getting this far. This is the best thing to San Diego Sports in a long time.” AJ Juarez is an alum who played football for the Aztecs “I’m an Aztecc for life…and I am heartbroken…I’m just glad that they made it here.” In Houston..mgp KPBS News
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Thousands of Aztecs fans crammed into Viejas Arena last night to watch their team play on the big screens in the N-C double A men's basketball championship game.
The watch party was a wild scene, with loud music and crazy crowds.
Many fans were turned away at the gates, but for those who got inside, the atmosphere was electric, regardless of the result.
SDSU Aztecs fan Colin Wilkinson was at the game with his friends … after watching the Final Four matchup in Houston.
“Unfortunately it didn't turn out the way we wanted, didn't get the W, but so much to look forward to in the future. Hopefully this brought a lot of attention to the school, hopefully some of the bigger recruits see how much of a family this is and i really hope that this drives the program to the moon.”
Despite the team’s loss to the U Conn Huskies, every fan KPBS spoke with said they were still proud of the team.
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Last night was the SDSU men’s basketball team’s first time in the championship game of the N-C double A tournament.
Reporter Kitty Alvarado tells us about the player whose winning shot at the buzzer in the Final Four game on Saturday got them there.
“It’s Butler with two seconds he’s got to put it up and he wins it, he wins it with the jumper” Lamont Butler’s last-second shot against Florida Atlantic was the basket heard ‘round the world. making SDSU Aztec history. A contrast to the player’s humble reaction after the game Once I looked up, it was two seconds left, I knew I had to make a shot. I got to a shot I'm comfortable with. Went to a pull-up; glad it went in. The grit of the young athlete who made that shot comes from California’s Inland Empire, a place where the working class live, who are often discounted and overlooked. Justin Downer, his high school coach at Riverside Poly was also in Houston to witness that shot. He says basketball didn’t come easy to Butler. He was always a past first guy in high school and growing up and, and so what you saw last night or two nights ago now, in terms of a game winning shot, like that's not someone that was born with that ability, that's someone that's put in hours and hours and worked and worked to define his skill. His toughest times have been off the court. Butler’s sister was shot and killed last year. But he takes comfort in her memory. After the game he told reporters… I think she was with me with that shot. She probably guided the ball in a little bit. SOQ.
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Media outlets from across the country were in Houston yesterday, covering the N-C-double-A championship game… including S-D-S-U’s school newspaper.
Reporter Melissa Mae spoke with the Daily Aztec’s co-sports editors.
MM: When The Daily Aztec co-sports editors got approved to cover the Final Four, they were extremely excited to cover the biggest sporting event of their academic careers. MM: Morgan Prickett and Justin Cox have been in Houston following the team since Friday. MM: They’ve raised over 2,000 dollars through a GoFundMe campaign to help with expenses. MM: Cox says everything has been happening so fast, but he is grateful for the experience. “Just this tournament, this run has been incredible. I’m so happy for the players and happy for all the fans that got to be here and experience this for the first time. I know the San Diego sports scene has had a very rough few years and a rough history, but to be able to do this on this stage is great!” MM: Prickett says the fans at the tournament have really brought the energy and are almost as electric as “The Show” at Viejas Arena. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
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Coming up.... We have some spring break ideas for you and your kiddos. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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There’s a new reason to visit one of San Diego county’s many museums… a very big reason.
Reporter John Carroll traveled out to Campo - to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, to see the museum’s newest piece of railroad history.
A little over an hour east of San Diego lies the sleepy little town of Campo and the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. The museum is only open on weekends, but museum president Stephen Hager and the museum’s conductor Colin Atwood were nice enough to meet us on a weekday to show us around… Hager talked about what the museum has been all about for its 62-years. “Our mission out here is to preserve and interpret railroads and railroad history in the pacific southwest of the United States with a focus on railroads in San Diego County.” There are a couple of buildings on the museum grounds, including the historic Campo railroad depot… but we interviewed Hager outside… and right behind him… a major piece of recent railroad history in the county. “The technical term is an F-40 PHM-2C commuter locomotive.” The F-40 PHM… what he said… powered Coaster commuter trains between San Diego and Oceanside from 1995 until 2021. It’s unique among American-built locomotives.“The North County Transit District, which operates the Coaster service, custom ordered this locomotive and four sister locomotives just for that commuter train service. There’s no other locomotives exactly like them that were ever built.” The Coaster locomotive takes its place among the museum’s extensive collection, everything from box cars to hand carts… passenger cars to cabooses - many parked outside - waiting for the day when funds are available to restore them… Hager says even the Coaster locomotive needs a little TLC. But it’s inside where you find this museum’s crown jewels. Museum Conductor Colin Atwood can tell you all about them. “We have a lot of living history here in this museum that we love to share with everybody.” One piece of that living history - a little red fire engine… built by Ford… but this fire engine… runs on rails. “It was able to get to places that your traditional fire truck couldn’t get to. So, if there was a tunnel fire somewhere between wherever the road was and the next connecting road, this would be able to get in between to handle that fire.” Here, you can see how railroads invented signaling technology, later adapted for automobiles. This is where you can get up close and personal with Southern Pacific 2353… a huge oil-fired locomotive built in 1912… and there’s a Santa Fe railway post office car… you can walk through it… and see how the country’s mail moved after the Pony Express galloped off into history. “It’s always good to know where it is that you’ve come from as a country and where we have gone and where we’re going. So, this is a perfect place to come and actually look at living history.” Back to recent history, the Coaster locomotive - museum management had to work their way through four-and-a-half years of governmental, logistical and financial hurdles before the process of moving it to Campo could begin… and that process… well, let’s just say it wasn’t easy or quick. “Right now, we have no rail connection from the outside world here to Campo. So, the only option to get locomotives and cars here is to put them on a truck. It started its journey on a train in Anaheim where the museum was storing it. “Was taken out to La Mirada, got on a second train which took it to Barstow, then got on a third train to San Diego and then finally one fourth train that brought it down to National City.” From there, it was loaded onto two huge highway dollies and trucked out to the museum… a process that took about a month. But for Stephen Hager, Colin Atwood and the rest of the volunteers who make this museum go, it was worth it. A new addition, relatively speaking, to a special place that rolls out the history of railroad travel - a place, like any good museum, that tells a story of where we’ve been, how we got to where we are today, and perhaps where we’re going next. JC, KPBS News.
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It’s spring break season! And KPBS staffer Natalie Dudas-Thomas rounded up some ideas for things to do with your kids over the break.
Natalie, welcome to the San Diego News Now podcast.
I hear your little ones are on spring break right now, tell me about your kiddos.
And what are your spring break plans with them?
So you helped to compile a list of ideas for parents to do over spring break. Were you in search of a list like this? Where did the idea come from?
What are some of the activities on the list that stood out to you?
Yeah, the weather is expected to be clear this week, so those outdoor options are great. And how about some indoor options?
And where can our listeners find the full list of ideas?
TAG: Well Natalie, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you for all the ideas. I hope you have a wonderful spring break with the kiddos. And thanks for joining me on the San Diego News Now podcast.
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You can find more spring break ideas and of course more San Diego news at kpbs.org. That’s it for the podcast today. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.
