Long lines at COVID-19 testing sites
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Good morning. I'm Anica Colbert. It's Friday, December 24th, long, long lines at some San Diego testing sites more on that next, but first let's do the headlines.
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San Diego county, public of health officials reported more than 2300 new COVID 19 infections on Thursday and eight additional deaths. The county health and human services agency says it's expecting the first shipments of two medications intended to treat COVID 19 into the region. In the next few days, two drugs from Pfizer and Merck received emergency use author from the food and drug administration for now supplies of both drugs will be limited prosecutors in San Diego and six other counties in the state are warning about a rapid rise in deadly DUI crashes, just as people begin making their holiday plans. Over the past summer, the national highway traffic safety administration warned about an S estimated increase in traffic fatalities. The leading causes being impaired, driving, speeding, and failing to wear a seatbelt. San Diego is struggling with its worst episode of deadly DUI crashes into decades says San Diego county district attorney summer Stephan with 37 deaths to date that's about double its historic average. The bulk of a winter rainstorm sweeping through came in overnight and a flood watch issued yesterday has been extended to noon today for the entire county national weather service. Meteorologist Alex tardy says more rain is expected over the weekend. So
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For Christmas day, there's another storm expected. It's colder. It's coming down from the north pole. Literally can't make this up and it's going to lower the snow levels. Saturday night and Sunday morning.
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Snow is likeliest in the Palomar mountain and Mount Laguna areas from KPBS. You are listening to San Diego news. Now stay with me for more of the local news. You need Testing sites in San Diego county are seeing long lines. As COVID 19 cases are surging and the holidays are fast approaching K PBS's K Alvarado went to a testing site in city Heights where people were waiting for nearly an hour
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County. An average of more than 20,000 tests are being given daily as the Yaron variant becomes dominant. How long have you been waiting in this line?
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About 45 minutes now, close to an hour.
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Oh my goodness. That's a long wait. Kylie Kruger was waiting in line with her family. She only wants to spread holiday cheer during their Christmas was gathering.
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Just to make sure that, you know, we're keeping everybody safe during the holiday season. We wanna make sure that, you know, especially at a time like this, when we're close to our loved ones, that we're not infecting any of them. I was a little surprised. I thought I got here early
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Enough to get in and out quickly and run other errands. But we decided that we have to get tested.
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We're traveling. Margaret McClean was waiting too. She says the line is going smoothly. As a nurse. She says, she'll follow the state's guidelines and retest after her trip, McLean says testing on being VA. Vaccinated are a must. If we want the pandemic to
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End. I have a friend that works in an ICU here in San Diego who has a 40 year old patient father of three dying in the ICU right now. Who's not vaccinated. It doesn't have to be this way.
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It does feel like Groundhog day because we're seeing this over and over again.
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Dr. David pride, who manages a lab at UC San Diego health says they're feeling the surge again and are seeing unprecedented positivity rates.
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We at our institution just broke a record for a number of positives in a single day. Um, meaning that this is probably worse than it was last year. Just in terms of sheer numbers of people who are infected.
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He says, the problem is a combination of UN vaccinated people and testing that is not easily accessible. We have to get
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Better at testing. We have to have more testing available on the market and we have to make it easier for people to be tested. Because one of the things that is keeping this pandemic going right now is fact that it's so hard to
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Get a test. And while he's glad people are getting tested in large numbers before the holidays, he says a negative test is not a free pass to skip COVID precautions. People can test negative, not feel sick and still spread the virus.
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So that's why it's so important that we do these things like distance and mask, because any of us could basically be presymptomatic or asymptomatic and shedding the virus to other people and just not know it. And that
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Was reporting from K PBS's kitty Verado. The holiday bowl is back and for the first, the college football game will be played at PECO park, bringing large crowds to downtown more. Now from K PBS's. Melissa May the holiday
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Bull returns to San Diego Tuesday for the first time, since 2019, when the UCLA ruins take on the North Carolina state Wolf pack, rich laws is the media relations coordinator for the SD C C U holiday bowl, and says transforming a baseball diamond into a football grid. Iron was no easy task
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From the time that potters ended their season. They had to move some seats around in left center, field, left field and in right field behind the dugout. So they've done all that transformation. The saw is down the field is, you know, lined it's ready to
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Go. The converted ball park has the cup PA to hold upwards of 40,000 people and will be aired on Fox sports. There is also the holiday bowl parade on Tuesday morning that will March down the streets of downtown and includes America's largest balloon parade, marching bands, floats and drill teams.
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And that was K PBS's. Melissa May Joel Cohen of the acclaimed Cohen brothers is going solo to tackle Shakespeare's McBeth in a new movie, K PBS cinema junkie host. Beth Amando says the tragedy of McBeth is a holiday gift
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By the pricking of my thumbs. Something wicked this way comes
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Something wickedly good. Joel Cohen, without his brother, Ethan has turned to the tragedy of Macbeth for a stunning solo project. Stylistically is full of contradictions. It's breathtakingly cinematic yet often works on sets that feel distinctly theatrical, but the unusual combination turns the story into an intimate and claustrophobic marital drama about love and ambition. Hopeful of scorpions
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Is my mind.
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Dear wife Cohen, and then directs ends a Washington to often deliver lines in an almost flat style
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Here at not dun void its and nails let summons Z to heaven or to hell
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Yet the visuals are so intoxicatingly vivid that you succumb completely to his interpretation. McBeth is Shakespeare swift display and is filled with startling imagery that Cohen fully taps into arriving on Christmas day. The tragedy of Macbeth is a gift that will bring joy to anyone who loves the bar or seductively stylish cinema.
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And that was KPBS cinema junkie host, Beth Amando Coming. Maybe you like holiday music, but maybe you wanna hear something different this weekend. Our arts editor and producer has some unconventional holiday tunes for you. That's next just after the break, If you like holiday music, but you're for something a little different K PBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans has an unconventional playlist just for you. She spoke with K PBS midday edition host Maureen Kavanaugh.
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So first up is a Seren folk song, rose winter day, featuring Dawn Mitchell on vocals. Let's have listen,
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It's a rose wind today and the song fades away and uh, wonder the aim of your thighs. So this song
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Was part of local songwriter and musician, Alfred Howard's huge undertaking of writing a hundred songs in a year. He started that in the summer of 2020 and finished it up this last summer. And this song rose winter day is lovely wintry song and it features Cardinal moon singer Don ley on vocals. And I really love how this packs the sort of longing and intimacy of a, of a Christmas or a holiday night, along with the magic of just a really beautiful winter day. And there's no hint of jingle bells or sand, anything like that. And there's also nothing really sad here. It's just quiet and unassuming like a looming threat of loneliness. That's all together unfounded. And I love the opening line. It's a rose winter day and the sun, it fades away. And I wonder the aim of your thoughts,
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Where our souls can stay with
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Me. That's rose winter day by Alfred Howard and Don ly. Now for some hiphop from 18 scales, tell us about stay warm rules and exceptions
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When it rains and poor stay one.
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So this is for 18 scales album. Sometimes it rains, which came out in 2015 and it's definitely a look at our unique regional experience in winter and kind of how mind blowing it is when it actually does rain or get cold here. And one of the tracks is called traffic gonna suck. For example, the, this song is stay warm. It's the album's closer. It's actually titled as an Ude and it's structured in, in two distinct parts, separated by a kind of intermission made of rain noise. The first part of the song has this total urgency. It kind of plays on the feeling of, of being overwhelmed by adverse weather or adversity in general. And the second act feels more melodic and kind of more at peace as well. This entire album is a pretty safe bet for a rainy day or maybe even just for when you're feeling moody.
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Sometimes
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That's day warm rules and exceptions by 18 scales. Now this is a fun one. Let's listen to Craus by coral bells.
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Oh, I know a man named Craus and lurks on Christmas Eve. His eyes are made of shadows.
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This song Craus was actually just remastered and rereleased by coral dolls this winter, and it's their beloved and subversive Christmas tune about the equally beloved Christmas monster Theranos. And it's weirdly catchy. It's this riotous and delightfully evil song. And it's definitely a lot of fun. I love that there is Christmas music that's outside of the box without being sad or even anti the season that that's not to say that the grins out there won't also love this
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That's cramps by coral bells. Finally, we have a song written in 2020 to capture the feeling of celebrating the holidays away from your loved ones, which is fortunately still relevant this year. Tell us about echo, baby and Christmas dinner
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Made it like you, but it'll never be as
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So. Echo baby is a project of local musician, Juliana, Zach and Josh flowers, who is based in the UK. So this is already a long distance band. There are no stranger to spending time apart and the song Christmas dinner, which came out last holiday season is definitely an amp them for spending the holidays apart. There's a total sweetness here that kind of wins out over any, any melancholy of being apart. It even wins out over the relentlessness of it, whether it's run of Themi distance, keeping you apart, or whether it's this being our second pandemic holiday season. And I especially love the part about making their favorite dish and setting it on the table, knowing that it won't be as good as if you were together
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Season and our
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That's echo baby with Christmas dinner, and you can find a playlist of these and even more unconventional holiday music from locals on our website, including satanic puppeteer orchestra, Rebecca Jade, the elephants in the room, little hurricane rose, Ellis Bryant and the widows. I've been speaking with KPBS arts editor and producer, Julia Dixon Evans, Julia, have a wonderful holiday. And thank you. Thank you,
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Maureen. You too.
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And that's it for podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS midday edition at noon on KPBS radio or trick out the midday edition podcast. You can also watch K PBS evening edition at five o'clock on K PS television. And as always you can find more San Diego news online at kpbs dot org. I'm Anica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a wonderful weekend.
