Debate over police chases continues
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, August 28th.
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The debate over police chases continues, following three deaths this month.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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Local leaders are joining calls to add warning labels on social media platforms.
County supervisors passed a resolution calling for social media warning labels in a 3-to-2 vote yesterday (Tuesday).
It comes after U-S Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on the effect social media has on the mental health of young people.
The resolution directs county litigators to explore legal actions against social media companies for their addictive algorithms.
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This week’s weather has been pretty calm.
And starting today (Wednesday), temperatures will drop just a couple degrees in most areas.
The National Weather Service says we can still expect normal temps for this time of year.
Today (Wednesday) in the inland areas, temps will drop into the low 80s, and by the coast and in the mountains, it will be in the mid 70s.
But in the deserts it’s quite the opposite… temps will be increasing, and it’s expected to reach 108 degrees.
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The 45th annual Holiday Bowl date is set.
It will be on Friday, December 27th at Snapdragon Stadium.
It’s the first time the game will be held at Snapdragon, the home field of the Wave soccer team.
The Holiday Bowl was played at Petco Park the last two years.
The game will match top teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference against current and former teams from the Pac-12.
Last year, U-S-C defeated Louisville, and there were more than 35-thousand fans in the stands.
Tickets for this year’s game will go on sale to the general public next month.
You can visit Holiday-Bowl-dot-com for more details.
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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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Two people were killed in a crash after a high-speed pursuit by the San Diego Police Department Monday night.
Reporter Katie Hyson says that makes three SD-PD chase deaths this month, while debate continues over the policy.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl says an officer tried to pull someone over for speeding, but they didn’t stop. The officer pursued the car before deciding the chase was too fast and ending it. But the speeding car crashed into another police car with two responding officers. The two drivers died. OnScene TV reported the speeding driver was 14- or 15-years-old, but Wahl told reporters he could not confirm the age. Wahl said the other officer was in intensive care. Due to the enormity of this situation and all the emotion that's behind it, we requested the Highway Patrol come in to conduct an independent investigation. Another SDPD vehicle pursuit killed two children in December. So the Commission on Police Practices reviewed the department’s vehicle pursuit policy. They found most pursuits start for low-level violations, like speeding. Last month, they recommended SDPD only chase drivers suspected of violent felonies. The police union called the suggestion dangerous. Last week, another person died in an SDPD car chase after losing control of their vehicle. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.
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The county has a new tool to help people find affordable housing.
Reporter Katie Anastas says applications for three North County developments will open tomorrow (Thursday).
A new interactive map shows the location, contact information and income limits for affordable housing developments built with County funds. Kelly Salmons, with the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development, says it will help potential residents see some of their options. SALMONS I think it will really help folks to say, ‘Maybe there are options in my neighborhood. I would like my kids to live in this school district, maybe there’s options for me there. My mother would love to live closer to my family and her grandkids, are there options for my mom in this part of town?’ The County Board of Supervisors is considering requiring new developments in unincorporated areas to include affordable units. This week they’ll discuss how many units would have to be affordable and what incentives could help offset building costs. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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The Olympics may be in our rearview, but the competition is far from over — in fact, the Paralympic Games are now underway.
The Paralympics are the biggest international multi-sporting event for athletes with disabilities.
One of the events is wheelchair tennis.
San Diegan Dana Mathewson is the number one ranked wheelchair tennis player on team U-S-A.
Paris will be her third Paralympic games.
She spoke to reporter Andrew Bowen.
TAG: That was Dana Mathewson, who will be representing the U-S at the Paralympics, speaking to reporter Andrew Bowen.
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SeaWorld San Diego yesterday (Tuesday) returned three sea lions to the ocean.
Two of them were fur seals, a species that bounced back from near extinction.
Sci-tech reporter Thomas Fudge was on the boat that released them.
He has this story.
Our boat carried half a dozen people and three sea lions. SeaWorld says the animals had been found near death, then examined, fed and nursed back to health. The fur seals were small juveniles. Jeni Smith, curator of the Seaworld’s rescue program says they are members of a species that almost disappeared until two were found in the 1950s. “They have a great comeback story. They were almost hunted to extinction for their fur and they had very luxurious fur. And they thought they were extinct. Scientists found a breeding pair off the Guadelupe Islands. And now there are about 31 thousand of them.” Just youngsters now, the fur seals, a male and a female, are only about 40 pounds each. When they're full grown the male will be close to 400 pounds. The animals are tagged before they’re rewilded. Caretakers are nervous and excited at the time they’re released to the wild. But they did just fine, hesitating for a moment then jumping in the ocean a couple miles off the San Diego shoreline. I’m Thomas Fudge, KPBS.
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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 again tomorrow for the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Wednesday.
