Caltrans prepares to make changes to carpool lanes
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson…it’s THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH>>>> [WILL ADDING TOLLS TO THE 5 AND 8-0-5 HELP MANAGE RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC? ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
AUTHORITIES ARE NOW ASKING FOR YOUR HELP AFTER FIFTY-TWO NEWLY INSTALLED PARKING PAY METERS WERE VANDALIZED IN BALBOA PARK
THE MACHINES WERE SPRAY-PAINTED, THE GLASS SCREENS BROKEN AND STICKY SUBSTANCES WERE PUT INSIDE AND ON TOP OF THE PAY STATION KEYPADS
THE DAMAGE LEFT THE MACHINES INOPERABLE
THE S-D-P-D IS OFFERING A ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON WHO MIGHT HAVE DONE THIS
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO ABOUT THESE CRIMES VISIT S-D CRIME STOPPERS DOT ORG
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COUNTY LEADERS JUST ANNOUNCED A NEW WAY TO TRACK OUR REGION'S PROGRESS ON HOMELESSNESS
A NEW INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD SHOWS THE RESULTS OF VARIOUS PROGRAMS RAN BY THE COUNTY OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS
THAT INCLUDES TRACKING THE OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED THE COUNTY’S SAFE PARKING LOTS
LAST YEAR, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN THE CITY DROPPED BY FOURTEEN PERCENT AND IN THE COUNTY DROPPED BY SEVEN PERCENT
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YOUR SAN DIEGO F-C UNVEILED SOME NEW DIGGS AS PART OF
THIS YEARS 20-26 SEASON
YESTERDAY THEY ANNOUNCED AND SHARED IMAGES OF THEIR 20-26 COMMUNITY KIT!
FOR THOSE NEW TO SOCCER, THAT’S THE JERSEY, SHORTS AND SOCKS WORN BY PLAYERS.
WHAT THEY’RE CALLING "THE UNPRECEDENTED [PRESSA-DENTED] UNITY KIT" SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO SAN DIEGO BEING A BORDER-REGION
THE FRONT LEFT CORNER OF THE JERSEY SPORTS THE LETTERS S-D-T-J
ON THE BACK OF THE JERSEY YOU WILL FIND THE WORDS "SIN FRONTERAS" – A TRIBUTE TO FOOTBALL AS A GAME WITHOUT BORDERS
SAN DIEGO F-C SAYS THIS IS MORE THAN A UNIFORM AND IS A
SYMBOL OF BELONGING
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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CALTRANS IS PREPARING TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE CARPOOL LANES ON THE 5 AND 805.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THE ADDITION OF TOLLING IS MEANT TO HELP MANAGE RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC.
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CALTRANS 1 (ab) 0:55 soq
AB: Congestion on the 5 and 805 is often just as bad in the HOV lanes as on the rest of the freeway. Caltrans says that's because many of the carpool lane users are actually solo drivers cheating the system. As soon as 2030, the agency plans to start converting the HOV lanes into tolled express lanes. Allan Kosup is a chief deputy director at Caltrans District 11.
AK: Part of the express lanes is to build a system that can manage the right number of people in the lane. We don't want those lanes to be empty or to be underutilized. So we're trying to manage the number of people that can actually use it. And the way we do that is by pricing.
AB: Express lanes are open to solo drivers willing to pay a toll, while carpoolers can use them for free or at a discount. The I-15 express lanes in North County can cost 50 cents to $8, depending on congestion levels. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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CHULA VISTA'S POLICE CHIEF SAYS SOME CITY LEADERS ARE TRYING TO FORCE HER OUT OVER AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED AT A HOLIDAY PARTY.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THE CHIEF IS GETTING PUBLIC SUPPORT FROM CITIZENS AND FAITH LEADERS.
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CVCHIEF 1 (:56)
One by one, pastors from around Chula Vista went to the microphone at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to speak out in support of Police Chief Roxana Kennedy.
They came after seeing news reports about Kennedy’s allegations that city officials are trying to force her out.
Amado Huizar (AH-mah-doh wee-ZAR) is Senior pastor with South Bay United Pentecostal Church.
“Its not by accident that Chula Vista compared to other cities is a safe city. It's a city where law enforcement is not an enemy, but an ally… It's a direct reflection of chief Roxanna Kennedy’s leadership, and we are grateful for that.”
KENNEDY’S ATTORNEY SAYS HE BELIEVES SOME CITY LEADERS ARE LOOKING FOR A REASON TO GET RID OF KENNEDY, TO BRING IN SOMEONE ELSE.
THE CITY SAID IN A STATEMENT “THE SUGGESTION THAT THERE IS A CONSPIRACY TO REPLACE THE CHIEF IS ENTIRELY FALSE.”
KENNEDY’S ATTORNEY SAYS SHE’S ON APPROVED MEDICAL LEAVE UNTIL THE END OF FEBRUARY. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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SCIENTISTS ARE USING SATELLITES AND LASERS TO MEASURE CLIMATE CHANGE FROM SPACE.
REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS NASA IS TAPPING A U-C SAN DIEGO PROFESSOR TO LEAD ITS NEWEST MISSION.
EDGE1 1:21 SOQ
Helen Fricker is a glaciologist. But it wasn’t a visit to Antarctica that introduced her to her field of study.
It was a measurement technique called altimetry. It’s done using a satellite orbiting the earth.
FRICKER
And it is sending a laser pulse from the satellite to the ground and back and measuring how long it takes.
Scientists use those measurements to figure out the height of the ice. Fricker says it’s like a metal detector. It tells you where to take a closer look.
FRICKER
You use the satellites to kind of find the bing, bing, bing flashing red, come and look at me, I'm changing. And then you go in with the fieldwork and figure out why.
NASA has selected Fricker and her team for a new laser altimetry mission. It’s called Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer, or EDGE.
Fricker says EDGE will be even more accurate than previous tools.
FRICKER
It's for terrestrial ecosystems as well. So forests.
Fricker says this will help scientists track two of the earth’s vital signs: how much carbon is stored in forests, and how much ice there is.
After years of meetings, presentations and questions, she got the call while on a walk last Thursday.
FRICKER
Actually saw a penny on the ground right before they called. Not that I'm superstitious, but I sort of am.
Now, work can get started on building the instrument. It’s expected to launch in 2030. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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BLACK COMIX DAY RETURNS TO WORLDBEAT CULTURAL CENTER THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO SAYS IT IS A CELEBRATION OF BLACK CREATORS THANKS TO FOUNDER, KEITHAN JONES.
BLACKCOMX (ba) 3:58 SOQ
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When Keithan Jones was in sixth grade his teacher made a dream come true by printing a copy of a comic book he created. He has never forgotten that. In 2018 he started making other people’s dreams come true by creating Black Comix Day.
KEITHAN JONES I didn't have a crystal ball, so I didn't know how successful the show would be. I just had a feeling that it was a necessary entity that needed to exist. I didn't see a lot of representation, especially back when I was a kid, right? And so we're still on our journey trying to change that narrative and also to improve the representation that currently exists.
And each year, he can measure that improvement in the artists returning to the show.
KEITHAN JONES I get to see a lot of the artists that started with the very first show, maturate into this show at a higher level from where they started as far as their career. So the excitement of seeing these artists grow in front of me, or at least their careers grew in front of me.
This year, Jones is trying something new by bringing in fine artist Bryttani Mischele.
BRYTTANI MISCHELE So I am not an illustrator or comic book artist. I am a fine arts artist. So I do a lot of painting with surreal expressionist style. A lot of my art illustrates what Black culture could mean beyond just the stereotypical things. So it's exciting to be engulfed in this world and welcomed in by the Black comics community.
KEITHAN JONES Through her art, she likes to express her personal journey through life that I think a lot of people relate to.
And while more people attend every year, Black Comix Day is still intimate, with plenty of opportunities for attendees to meet creators.
KEITHAN JONES You want to tell kids out there in the community, ‘Hey, you can be anything,’ but they don't necessarily see it. So I'm excited for children from our community to come down here and see actual representation in the flesh versus just hearing about it.
That's why Makeda Cheatom, founder of the WorldBeat Cultural Center, opened her doors to Jones and Black Comix Day.
MAKEDA CHEATOM I'm so glad that Keithan is hosting the Black Comix Day here. Having our own Black Comic-Con. So a little miniature Comic-Con. I love it.
KEITHAN JONES But the majority of the vendors here are Black-owned publishers, and that's what makes this show different from, say, San Diego Comic-Con.
Jones is thrilled to hold the event at a black-owned business that is a thriving hub for Black and African culture. It's the perfect place for young artists to come and network.
KEITHAN JONES Particularly, you artists of color, if you come on through, bring your art, show your work to these writers because they're always hiring someone to do one of their fantastic ideas they have bouncing around in their head.
Connecting with young attendees excites Bryttani Mischele.
BRYTTANI MISCHELE I work with kids all the time, so it's always exciting to show them that this is a possibility. Being able to see somebody else that looks like you do the thing that you've been wanting to do. That's such an inspiration.
Black Comix Day is a free event, but Balboa Park recently initiated a controversial and sometimes confusing paid parking policy that angers Cheatom.
MAKEDA CHEATOM We think the parking should be free for all.
Jones hopes that neither parking challenges nor the weather will be a deterrent.
KEITHAN JONES Come get your comic book, come get your art, experience the black culture. And that's another thing I want to make sure that people understand that, yes, it's called Black Comix Day, but this show's open to everyone.
You can also enjoy daily panels and food made from Cheatom’s organic garden. So spread the love this Valentine’s day weekend by celebrating Black creators.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
TAG: Black Comix Day is a free event taking place this weekend at WorldBest Cultural Center in Balboa Park.
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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 Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
