Heat wave puts pressure on the grid

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, August 16th.

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The heatwave in the state could soon lead to a flex alert for San Diegans.

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

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Yesterday was the last day for voters to submit their ballots in the special election for the District four seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

For the latest results visit sd vote dot com.

The unofficial results will be updated on Thursday at 5 p.m.

But, we won’t have final results until they’re certified.

The deadline for that is September 24th.

If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the top two will participate in a runoff election November 7th.

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Tijuana’s little league All-star baseball team will be playing in the Little League World Series on Friday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

It’s the first time the Tijuana little leaguers have made the World Series since 20-13.

The team of 10 and 11 year olds won the Mexican national tournament last month, securing their spot in the World Series.

The first four matches in the series kick off today.

And Mexico’s opponent on Friday will be based on the winning teams in today’s matches.

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The heat continues across the county.

So much, that a heat advisory has been issued in the county’s mountain areas.

And an excessive heat warning for the deserts goes into effect at 10 this morning.

Both are in effect until 8 P-M tomorrow.

Temperatures are expected to reach 98 in the mountains and up to 115 in the deserts.

There’s also a chance of continued thunderstorms in those areas.

Temps in the inland parts of the county will be in the low 90s today.

The National Weather Service says that’s up to 8 degrees above normal for this time of year.

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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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San Diegans haven’t seen a flex alert yet this year, but one could be coming.

State power grid operators are monitoring a heatwave in Northern California that’s been putting pressure on the state’s electric grid.

Reporter Matt Hoffman has more.

San Diego hasn’t seen temperatures rising dramatically, but because the power grid is interconnected residents could be asked to conserve energy if demand outweighs supply. On Tuesday grid operators said energy supplies are expected to cover higher demand this week. Alex Welling is a communications manager with San Diego Gas and Electric.. He says if a flex alert is issued residents will be asked to reduce their electric use to avoid a situation that could end up in rolling blackouts.. He says those are not anticipated -- but people should be prepared for the unexpected. Alex Welling, SDG&E Communications Manager What I mean by that is god forbid there’s a fire that takes out a transmission line in northern california or some other natural disaster that takes out a source of power then we have to rethink what we’re doing MH KPBS News.

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Providers of homeless services in Chula Vista say they are seeing an influx of people experiencing homelessness and seeking services.

Reporter Jacob Aere says providers are overwhelmed.

It's been a rush of people coming down from San Diego … looking for food, shelter, showers and other homeless services throughout South Bay … and at Community Through Hope. Sebastian Martinez is the executive director of the Chula Vista non-profit organization. “Normally that food lasts us through Friday, but now we're running out Wednesday, and sometimes we're running out midday.” He says the number of people wanting services has doubled and even tripled on certain days since the San Diego camping ban took effect. Chula Vista Mayor John McCann says the city is considering a similar unsafe camping ordinance to San Diego. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.

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There is a vintage upright piano at Liberty Station right now.

Education reporter M.G. Perez introduces us to the young musicians behind the piano.

“Here comes the sun…here comes the sun…and I say it’s alright…” 14 year old Makena Stumpo and his life-long friend, 14 year old Liam (Ket) have a creative connection…that they most recently used in a collaboration to revive an aging Ivers and Pond upright piano…“This piano is significantly older. It's lived about three lifetimes.” Makena is an accomplished piano player and singer. Liam plays the electric guitar… Together, they make music and create art…which brings us to the piano project they started last October to earn community service hours at school. The piano was headed for the junk yard …but the boys were sure it still had value and a reason to play on…That’s when they reached out to the national SING FOR HOPE organization…a New York City-based non-profit that uses artists everywhere to bring hope, healing, and inspiration through art to people who need it most…starting with restored pianos…Makena Stumpo Musician “someone paints a piano…It's put in the public for about three weeks that's where we are right now, is in the public display section, and then it's donated to a forever home such as a hospital a school, a community center, even some place like this.” Since July…the piano has lived in this corridor at the corner of Dewey Road and Historic Decatur Road in Liberty Station…its keyboard available to anyone passing by. “here are lots of my signature style doodles, and there's skateboards. There's waves all over the piano.” Liam is also a talented artist who uses acrylic paint and markers to draw. The piano became his canvas…honoring his beloved Ocean Beach community… Liam Koett Artist “It's a sun..with rays shooting out like this one, from the sun and a large-scale Ocean Beach pier with a bunch of waves breaking.” For Makena there is a deeper message in his music…inspired by the legendary Piano Man…“Come down here. You'll see little kids tinking around on the piano and who knows? Maybe that could inspire someone to take lessons and become the next Billy Joel.” “slow down you crazy child…take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile.” …last year…the incoming high school freshman…was named one of San Diego County’s Most Remarkable Teenagers for his commitment to community fundraising …and for his Billy Joel-like talent, too… “it's just him and his piano, which is what I do. I don't have a backing track or any backing vocals. It's just me and my piano and music. He inspires me, I mean I really like his like all of his songs. I can't think of a Billy Joel song I don't like.” “come on…come on…”  Makena also helps save lives as a junior lifeguard along San Diego’s beaches. Here he uses a surfboard and his training to make a difference…but with the sound of the waves …you can  also hear the passion of his musical talent and how he uses it to help others…“They could have been having thoughts of suicide or whatever and they walked by a piano like this or they heard someone playing or they sat down and played it and that prevented them from doing whatever they were going to do. Just connecting through the Arts, I think is the most important part of this project.” We talked with Camille Zamora Co-founder of Sing For Hope in New York City about Makena and Liam’s piano project…she gives them an A-plus on the message they’ve created through their music… Camille Zamora Co-Founder Sing For Hope “It expands our minds, it breaks down those barriers, and I think that connection with that spark of innovation is something that we all need.” For now, Liberty Station will allow the boy’s piano to stay until they can find its forever home.. M.G. Perez…KPBS News.

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Coming up.... An author headlining this year’s Festival of Books talks about her young adult fantasy series. We’ll have that, just after the break.

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We're continuing our interviews with authors who will be at the San Diego Union-Tribune’s 7th Annual Festival of Books this Saturday.

Adalyn Grace is a local author and one of the festival’s headliners.

Her latest is a young adult fantasy series that kicked off with “Belladonna.”

It’s a Gothic-infused romance set against a Victorian-era backdrop.

The sequel “Foxglove” comes out on Tuesday (August 22).

Grace spoke with my colleague Jade Hindmon about the series.

Here’s part of their conversation.

I want to talk about “Belladonna” first. The inspiration for your series actually came from a moment where you envisioned your own death… Tell us more about that.

I want to know more about your background in Gothic literature. You turned to classic Gothic novels like “Rebecca” and “Jane (AIR)  Eyre,” right? Tell me more about that.

Let’s talk about your main character Sig-na. Even though both books take place in the Victorian era, her internal struggles are pretty relatable to a lot of young women. Could you tell us more about that?

Before “Belladonna” and “Foxglove,” you wrote two books also in the young adult fantasy genre…that were much lighter in tone. Why do you think fantasy – and dark fantasy in particular – is so popular with the YA audience?

TAG: That was author, Adalyn Grace, speaking with KPBS Midday Edition host, Jade Hindmon.

Grace will be on a panel at the Festival of Books on Saturday at 12:00 p-m.

The Festival runs from 10 a-m to 4 p-m, at U-S-D.

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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 more of the day’s top stories, plus, a story about the challenges of bringing more performing arts to the South Bay. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Wednesday.