Marines: Rare malfunction caused last year’s artillery shell explosion
GOOD MORNING, I'M LAWRENCE K. JACKSON. IT'S TUESDAY, MARCH 17TH. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
WE’LL TELL YOU WHY AN ARTILLERY SHELL EXPLODED OVER THE I- 5 LAST FALL.
MORE ON THAT NEXT. BUT FIRST, THE HEADLINES.
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A NEW REPORT BY COUNTY OFFICIALS FINDS THAT THE POPULATION INSIDE THE OTAY MESA DETENTION CENTER HAS INCREASED BY TWO HUNDRED PERCENT IN RECENT YEARS.
THE REPORT LOOKS AT THE COST OF THE COUNTY’S IMMIGRANT LEGAL DEFENSE PROGRAM. IT PROVIDES LEGAL SUPPORT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE DETAINED.
IN FISCAL YEAR 20-22, THEIR AVERAGE MONTHLY CASE LOAD WAS AROUND FIFTY CLIENTS. LAST YEAR, IT WAS ALMOST EIGHT HUNDRED.
THE PROGRAM IS BRACING FOR FUNDING CHALLENGES AS THEY STRUGGLE TO MEET INCREASED DEMAND.
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THIS WEEK IS GOING TO BE HOT. RECORD BREAKING HOT.
WE’RE EXPECTING TEMPERATURES OF EIGHTY TO NINETY DEGREES NEAR THE COAST.
WHILE, INLAND AREAS COULD GET UP TO ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE.
FRIDAY IS EXPECTED TO BE THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE WEEK.
A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL FRIDAY EVENING FOR THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND THE VALLEY AREAS OF THE COUNTY.
AUTHORITIES RECOMMEND HYDRATING, STAYING OUT OF THE SUN, AND CHECKING IN ON AT-RISK NEIGHBORS.
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IT’S COYOTE AWARENESS WEEK IN CALIFORNIA.
AND IF YOU’VE NOTICED MORE COYOTES LATELY – IT’S NOT JUST YOU.
IT’S MATING AND PUPPING SEASON FOR COYOTES, SO THEY’RE OUT AND ABOUT — LOOKING FOR FOOD.
EVERY YEAR.. THE NONPROFIT ‘PROJECT COYOTE’ USES THIS SEASON TO SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT HOW TO PROTECT AND CO-EXIST WITH COYOTES.
SAN DIEGO WILDLIFE EXPERTS SAY IT’S IMPORTANT TO TAKE SIMPLE PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE SAFE.
YOU CAN DO THAT BY SUPERVISING YOUR PETS, SECURING YOUR TRASH, AND KEEPING A SAFE DISTANCE FROM COYOTES.
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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THE MARINE CORPS (CORE) SAYS A DEFECTIVE FUSE LIKELY CAUSED AN ARTILLERY SHELL TO PREMATURELY EXPLODE OVER INTERSTATE 5 LAST YEAR DURING AN EVENT WITH VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE.
MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS A MARINE INVESTIGATION FOUND NO ONE AT FAULT.
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A Marine Corps investigation released Friday says a one-in-a-million defective fuze led to the detonation over Interstate 5 during the Marine Corps 250th Birthday event.
Doug Krugman led infantry units in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was promoted to colonel before retiring last year.
He says he’s never seen this type of misfire before.
DK: this type of overhead artillery fire is approved. And frankly, it's something I've done before, and I've done it with comfort in both, peacetime training in the US and in combat.
Investigators interviewed base range control officials who said the beach firing point hadn’t been used since the late 1950s. and never before with traffic on the interstate.
Whether to close the freeway was the subject of debate between state and federal officials in the days leading up to the event. Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the freeway closed for the artillery shoot.
Andrew Dyer, KPBS News.
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THE SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS HAS FACED CRITICISM OVER HOW FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS USE A LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DATABASE.
REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS COUNTY SUPERVISOR PALOMA AGUIRRE IS CALLING ON SANDAG TO DENY ICE ACCESS TO THE DATABASE.
Aguirre’s reasoning is simple. She says ICE can’t be trusted.
“ICE has eroded public trust. They have not followed due legal process.”
The SANDAG database is known as ARJIS. It includes traffic citations, arrest records, field interviews and some driver license records. KPBS previously reported that federal immigration agencies have access to this data.
“Even if you've been randomly stopped for a traffic stop violation. They could use, potentially, that information to track down target names that they may have.”
The federal agencies are prohibited from using the data for immigration enforcement. But SANDAG is currently not allowed to do audits to check on how the data is being used.
El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells also sits on the SANDAG board. He’s not worried about ICE using the database.
“We've been given assurances after assurances that this data can't be used by ICE.”
The SANDAG board discussed ARJIS in private session last Friday and may bring it back for public discussions soon.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
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A RECENT SURVEY FROM UC SAN DIEGO FOUND ONLY 60-PERCENT OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS WERE CONFIDENT THAT VOTES IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS WILL BE COUNTED ACCURATELY.
UCSD PROFESSOR LAUREN PRATHER (PRAY-ther), SAT DOWN WITH PUBLIC MATTERS HOST AND REPORTER JAKE GOTTA.
IN THE SECOND PART OF THE CONVERSATION THEY DISCUSSED WHAT CAN BE DONE TO REBUILD THAT TRUST.
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Do you think that the politicians who are driving these changes, the things that are impacting trust in our elections, do you think that there's a potential that they're hoping for less trust in our elections, and how that might deter some voters from showing up?
Prof. Prather: I think it's possible. I can't project myself into the minds of politicians. But I think it's a double edged sword because on the one hand, you might deter some voters, which might boost your numbers in the poll. On the other hand, it undermines your legitimacy.
We know that trustworthy elections make governments and leaders viewed as more legitimate. Their policy desires then become easier to enact if everyone thinks they're legitimate, citizens are more likely to follow those rules than if they believe the government is a legitimate authority. And so you're sort of shooting yourself in the foot if you undermine elections and undermine their credibility because it ultimately undermines your own, and your own administration's credibility.
We've seen this all over the world. And honestly, it is quite costly for governments to take these steps because then they have to do more to coerce their citizens into following the rules, as opposed to them willingly following because they view a legitimate authority as having made them.
You know, I have to say, doesn't it seem just a little crazy to be having conversations about legitimate elections here in America? Is that something that we're used to, or is that something that's new for people who are born in a country that sort of prides itself on democracy and elections?
Prof. Prather: Yes and no. Because historically we have disenfranchised groups of people. We have made it more difficult for certain groups of people to vote. So there are people who have said, you know what? American elections have constantly been evolving.
There are reasons that historically, our elections didn't accurately reflect the will of the people in the United States, because certain people weren't able to vote or were prevented from voting by numerous means. And that was relatively recent history, right? We have the Jim Crow laws in the South, for example. Right.
Prof. Prather: So this is something that even in recent memory, American elections have had to deal with. So I actually, I don't think it's crazy that we're having these conversations now. But I think it's why democracy is a constantly evolving institution and one that citizens have to constantly be vigilant about and invest in.
You know, work at elections, be a poll worker, be an observer, be invested in your democracy because it's not– it's not a given. And there are lots of countries around the world that would tell you it's not a given.
And we can, I guess, slide backwards on that scale of democracy, right? It's not like once we get to a point where it's set there.
Prof. Prather: Correct.
So how can this trust be rebuilt in the future, if we're an evolving and growing democracy? How do we rebuild that trust among our people in our elections, or is it something that, once it happens, there's nothing you can do?
Prof. Prather: Well, this is something that our center at UC San Diego is trying to address. So one of the things that we are trying to address with the research that we do is to assist election officials and election administrators who, by and large, are administrating elections locally at the county level, at the city level, extremely competently and with high levels of integrity.
So we're trying to help them figure out how to communicate these security protections, be more transparent about how elections work, in the hopes that this will build more confidence in American voters.
One of the things that we've seen across the board in our research is more communication, more information, more transparency has led to measurable increases in trust in elections among citizens.
TAG:
THAT WAS U-C-S-D PROFESSOR LAUREN PRATHER SPEAKING WITH PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER JAKE GOTTA ABOUT DECLINING TRUST IN US ELECTIONS AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO REBUILD THAT TRUST.
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THERE'S A NEW GARDEN SPOT IN PARADISE HILLS... WITH A SURPRISING PAST.
REPORTER TAMMY MURGA TAKES US TO THIS FORMER LANDFILL-TURNED-SANCTUARY.
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“So far, this hasn’t needed any supplemental water. It’s just been super happy and taken off.”
For years, Wes Janssen and his wife Nancy passed by a barren piece of land within Paradise Hills Community Park.
It was a small landfill decades ago. And even though it was capped to prevent greenhouse gas emissions, nothing was ever built.
“It was a weed-infested field. And, being an advocate for my community, I said, we deserve better than this.”
The Janssens saw potential. So, they went to the city of San Diego with an idea.
“A pretty significant palette of plants has co-adapted in our climate to live in this climate without an irrigation system. We could establish a demonstration garden and make it a nicer place for the community to recreate.”
The city liked their idea but couldn’t fund their vision at the time. With some public and private donors, Paradise Hills residents began building the garden five years ago.
Today, the garden is blooming with diverse plant life. It’s got California poppies, young cypress and oak trees, desert thorns and cactus.
Its grand opening is scheduled for April 18. Tammy Murga, KPBS News.
<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>
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 subscribing; by doing so you are supporting public media and I really want to thank you for that. Have a great day!
