Father Joe’s Villages new villa
Speaker 1: (00:04)
Good morning. I'm Anica Colbert. It's Friday, February 11th, father Joe's village's new Villa more on that next, but first let's do the headlines. Governor Gavin Newsom says he plans to release a so-called endemic plan. As soon as next week, it's meant as a new approach for dealing with the coronavirus on the assumption that it's here to stay.
Speaker 2: (00:32)
And in that endemic plan, I think we'll be able to answer many questions that a lot of you have about what world are we living in? Are we going with this virus
Speaker 1: (00:42)
Newsom also teased updated guidelines on masks in school here in San Diego county, the number of new cases per day continues to decrease with 2,326. New cases reported yesterday. New COVID hospitalizations are also declining. Locally Inflation in the us has reached its highest level in four decades. Consumer prices are 7.5% higher than last year. That's according to the us department of labor here in the San Diego region, the inflation rate was even higher. At 8.2% in January. The rise in prices is being seen across the, from food and furniture to apartment rent, airline fairs and electricity Thursday's report will intensify pressure on the federal reserve to tighten credit. But for now the climbing inflation rate doesn't appear to have an end in sight. An unseasonably hot weekend is on tap. The national weather service extended the heat advisory for San Diego county, coastal areas and valleys from 10:00 AM yesterday through 6:00 PM on Sunday, temperatures up to 92 degrees may be expected from KPBS. You're listening to San Diego news. Now stay with me for more of the local news you need. San Diego has one of the largest populations of unsheltered people in the country and in a big step towards trying to help father Joe's villages unveiled new permanent supportive housing on Thursday KPBS reporter John Carroll has more on the new Saint there of Calcutta Villa.
Speaker 3: (02:26)
A couple of years ago, a big industrial tent sat at one 14th street in the east village. It was run by father Joe's villages, a place to get people off the streets on Thursday at that same place, the premiere of a new way to get people off the street. It's a 14th store rebuilding called Saint there of Calcutta Villa veteran, Joseph fish, and his seven year old daughter. Abigail had been living out of fish's SUV until a couple of weeks ago. Now they call a two bedroom apartment here home.
Speaker 4: (02:59)
It's been a blessing to, to me and her to have this opportunity to, to have something permanent and stable and, uh, something secure for my daughter and
Speaker 3: (03:09)
Safe. The project came in on time and on budget, a place with 407 units providing homes for about 550 people. John Carroll, KPBS news,
Speaker 1: (03:27)
San Diego state university is closer to having all of the land it needs for its mission valley expansion project. K PS, Metro reporter, Andrew Bowen says a labor dispute has been holding up a land sale. That's part of the project.
Speaker 5: (03:42)
SDSU says it needs to purchase a two acre sliver of land north of the mission valley stadium property in order to finish its stadium and campus expansion, project labor unions, meanwhile have been pushing SDSU to hire unionized construction workers for the project council member crew, as Kate says, that's not the city's business and it shouldn't hold up the sale of the land. We
Speaker 6: (04:05)
Entered an agreement for this. The lawyer spoke, uh, decisively on this. Uh, we spent numerous hours. Staff spent numerous hours, uh, developing this and trying to move this along where our we are today. Let's let's, let's get this across the finish line
Speaker 5: (04:19)
As city council committee approved the sale Thursday, but the full city council has yet to weigh in. Meanwhile, SDSU snap, dragon stadium is still on schedule to open for football games in the fall. Andrew and KPBS news
Speaker 1: (04:36)
Commercial home kitchens are about to become legal in in Diego county. K PBS speaks city Heights, reporter Jacob a says the change in policy is a huge relief for some small business owners in the region. On
Speaker 7: (04:50)
February 25th, San Diego will start accepting applications for micro enterprise home, kitchen operations, otherwise known as Migos. These are businesses that cook and sell food from residential kitchens. Corona learned how to cook nutritional meals at olive gardens as part of national city's cooking for salute program and is excited to start a home kitchen business of her own. But she does have some worries,
Speaker 8: (05:11)
But I don't know how this could apply. If you have a regular home, if you are renting an apartment or like in my case, like I live in a mobile home park. So those are this my main main concern. So if that is not a problem, that means, uh, a goal for me,
Speaker 7: (05:29)
A virtual training workshop will be held by the county's food and housing division on February 15th to help business operators understand how to legally run a home kitchen business operation. Jacob bear key, PBS news
Speaker 1: (05:44)
Coming up the San Diego opera returns to in-person shows plus it's San Diego museum month. We'll have those stories next just after the break. The San Diego opera is back to in-person productions at the civic theater, after experimenting with drive-in performances during the pandemic KPBS arts reporter, Beth Amando goes behind the scenes of Mozart's COSI found two.
Speaker 9: (06:37)
If there's anything the pandemic has taught us it's that we need to be flexible and just roll with whatever life, hands us in a way. That's what Mozart's koi. Tuti is all about says director Tim Nelson,
Speaker 10: (06:51)
Just the moment that your heart breaks for the first time. And you realize that life is not going to be as simple or as plantable as you imagined it. I think as a particular resonance coming out of this time, where all of a sudden all of our lives were shattered in a way that we couldn't have imagined. And you, you realize how vulnerable you are and how unpredictable life is going to be.
Speaker 11: (07:13)
You know, that's one of the best things about arts is that it imitates life.
Speaker 9: (07:17)
Reginal Smith, junior sings, the central role of Don Alfonso.
Speaker 11: (07:21)
We all had our own individual plans and things are great and everything's gonna work out now. I think even still in the middle of this pandemic, we all have a heightened understanding and awareness of ourselves, of space of washing our hands, but also a greater appreciation for relationships and connections and friendships
Speaker 9: (07:44)
For San Diego. Opera's general director, David Bennett, returning to live performances needed to take into account, not only artistic concerns, but practical ones as well.
Speaker 12: (07:54)
It's a small opera. It has a cast of six, has a relatively small Chos and in our production, which is a new production. The chorus is offstage the entire time, and it has a not small, but not a large orchestra too. So all of that's part of why we chose it, right, but it's Mozart
Speaker 9: (08:12)
And Mozart serves up a story of transformation, which audiences can identify with, especially now in Kosi. And two, two sets of lovers discover that the course of true love never does run smooth prompting Nelson to take his design cue from Shakespeare's a mid-summer night's dream,
Speaker 10: (08:29)
The metaphor that Shakespeare spins out in dream, along with a lot of his place of going into the woods of going into a dark scary place where one goes through transformative experience and comes out on the other side different than the way they went into it. So the way this production will look is actually very much like a production of mid summer night stream.
Speaker 9: (08:50)
So an idyllic poppy field where we first meet the lovers transforms into a wooded forest where Don Alfonso, a confirmed bachelor tries to prove that all women are fickle.
Speaker 10: (09:01)
So every director has a decision to make as to who is the smartest character on the stage, whose show is it for me, it's Don Alfonso's show. It's a great joy to be doing it with Reggie and having someone who's able to own not, not only his role, but his show
Speaker 9: (09:16)
Smith does command the stage. As he literally steps in to direct the action.
Speaker 11: (09:33)
He is the puppet master, much like Yago in Otello. There's always this sort of, there's always a little whisper. And so he's always around. And so there's a sense of you always have to be on,
Speaker 9: (09:46)
Even when he is not singing, he's busy on the periphery of the stage, making sure things are going according to his plans to add levity to some of the action on Nelson has turned to Vodville.
Speaker 10: (09:57)
So one of the things that we've done conception wise, um, particularly in the design is to lean into stage magic old fashioned Vodville stage magic because we're, we're using as a central metaphor of the piece being in a performance being on, on stage. But
Speaker 9: (10:14)
None of these antics de cracked from the music,
Speaker 11: (10:20)
There's something about the music of Mozart that just speaks right to your heart.
Speaker 9: (10:25)
What better way to spend this Valentine's weekend than with Mozart's playfully romantic opera, which reminds us that in matters of both the heart and life, we need to be ready to roll with the punches. Beth likeand K PBS news,
Speaker 1: (10:45)
Over 45 museums, historic sites, gardens and aquariums are participating in San Diego museum month through February 28th, discount passes provide 50% off mission to all participating museums and cultural attractions. Joining me to talk more about San Diego museum month is KPBS reporter John car, John, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3: (11:07)
Thanks, Anika. Good to be here.
Speaker 1: (11:09)
Yeah. So how do you get one of these 50% off passes?
Speaker 3: (11:13)
It's the easiest thing in the world they're available at any Macy's store or in San Diego county or at, uh, one of 75 libraries throughout the county as well.
Speaker 1: (11:23)
Now I understand that this year there are area guides for museum month. What can you tell me about those?
Speaker 3: (11:29)
So this is a cool thing that the San Diego museum council did. They're the umbrella group that, uh, brings this whole thing together. Every year they've been doing or 33 years now, um, this year they did create these neighborhood guides so that you can see which cultural institutions are closest to you. There are ones for Balboa park, obviously downtown San Diego, um, coastal north county, inland north county, east county, Liberty station point Loma LA Jolla, south bay Corona, and the university Heights old town area.
Speaker 1: (12:03)
Were there any lesser known museums that stood out to you?
Speaker 3: (12:07)
So I had heard about the California surf museum and Oceanside. I'm not really a surfer, so I hadn't really driven up to Oceanside to see it, but it sounds like a really cool place. They have a permanent collection, which Chronicles the history of surfboards and wave riding. Uh, the museum also offers, um, some revolving exhibits each year. One of those revolving exhibits currently on display Chronicles, the evolution of boogie board and the boogie board. That's the device for those of us who would like to surf, can't really surf, but you can get kind of close with the boogie board. So, um, one of the most unique museums, places I've ever been to this one, I've been to several times because I can almost walk to it. Uh, it's the Ja Cooley museum in university Heights. It's just on park Boulevard right before you get to El Cajon Boulevard. And it is the most eclectic thing you've ever seen. It really celebrates the spirit of innovation through a very diverse collection of antique automobiles. They've got over two dozen of those as well. Cameras, photographs, clocks, trains, typewriters, household appliances, telegraphs, telephones, and then this big kind of Calliope music making machine. And it is just fascinating if you like sort of the history of mechanical stuff, that's a definite one to check out,
Speaker 1: (13:33)
Wow, those all sound like really unique experiences. Um, so I imagine, you know, people wanna go out and they bring their families along. What museum stood out to you as being good for families?
Speaker 3: (13:44)
Um, well there are a number. Um, I might, first of all, uh, highlight the living coast discovery center in south bay. You know, the way the museum council, um, describes this is it's museums and cultural institutions. So they're not all, you know, specifically museums, you might call the living coast discovery center. One of those cultural institutions, it is just the coolest place. Um, if you love animals, whether they are in the water or in the air, this is a good place to go. It's located a on Sweetwater marsh, uh, national wild refuge down on San Diego bay. It focuses on animals native to Southern California, including endangered sea turtles, sharks, rays reptiles, and a very impressive range of birds, including owls, Hawks, Falcon, shorebird, and they even have an American bald Eagle. I have to tell you, when you go down there, I've done some stories over the last couple of years down there, and there's just such a lovely, peaceful feeling. Um, not only being around all of the animals, but just the setting in the marsh. It's, it's really worth your while to go see it. Uh, and it's just a very calming place. I think
Speaker 1: (14:55)
I also know you, you recently did a story about the children's museum. Can you talk to me a little bit about
Speaker 3: (15:00)
That? Yes, there is this place called the new children's museum, which is hard to miss if you're downtown, because the architecture of it is very modern, very striking. It was designed by the, the same, uh, firm that designed the main library downtown. And it is a place where children explore life through contemporary art, uh, interactive art. I did talk to their deputy director, Carrie Fox, and I asked her, Hey, what would you tell somebody if they asked you what is the new children's museum? And here's what she had to say.
Speaker 13: (15:34)
We commissioned contemporary artists to create full scale room size art installations that children can touch and play in and on.
Speaker 3: (15:43)
I kind of asked her to elaborate on what that means and what art does for children. And she had a very interesting answer through
Speaker 13: (15:52)
Art children, think a different way. Uh, they are more creative. Uh, we believe it gives them optimism, collaboration, critical thinking skills, uh, resilience.
Speaker 3: (16:03)
And, uh, it's just a beautiful way for children to kind of, um, figure out different things on how to col collaborate together, develop resilience. And so if I was a parent, I would love to be along for that and see my kid, uh, learning those things.
Speaker 1: (16:18)
And I've been speaking with K PBS reporter John car, John, thank you so much.
Speaker 3: (16:23)
Thank you. Anica
Speaker 1: (16:24)
Museum month runs through the end of February. You can find all of the information about museum month, including all of the neighborhood museum guy at San Diego museum, council.org. And that's it for the podcast today. As always, you can find more San Diego news online@kpbs.org. I'm Anica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a wonderful weekend.
