Program helping mothers could be impacted by shutdown
Good Morning, I’m Matt Hoffman, in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, September 29th.
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How WIC could be impacted if there’s a federal government shutdown.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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Starting Sunday, 45-million Americans are going to have to start re-paying their student loan debt.
Payments will be due for the first time in more than three years.
Student loan payments were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Biden administration, federal student loan debt is at 1-point-6 trillion dollars.
The administration is working on establishing a new student loan forgiveness strategy to replace the president’s plan that was struck down by the U-S Supreme Court in June.
For the next year, the Biden administration plans to ease borrowers into repayments, by not reporting them to the credit agencies if payments are late or missed altogether.
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A reminder that a major closure affecting freeway drivers takes effect tonight in the downtown area.
The 5 North from National City to Downtown will be reduced to one lane, starting at 9 tonight and lasting through 5 A-M Monday.
Caltrans will be working on the freeway bridge over the 163.
There was a similar closure on the 5 South earlier this month.
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It’s going to feel like fall this weekend!
The National Weather Service says temps will be up to 20 degrees below average for this time of year.
There’s also a chance of patchy drizzle this morning and a chance of rain over the weekend.
Temps in the inland areas will be in the high 60s, in the county’s coastal areas, it’ll be in the low to mid 60s.
In the mountains and deserts, there’s a wind advisory in effect from 5 p-m today, until Sunday at 5 a-m.
Temps in the mountains will be in the mid 50s, and in the deserts, it’ll be in the high 70s throughout the weekend.
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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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Congress has until the end of the week to pass funding legislation for the next fiscal year, or parts of the federal government will shut down on Sunday, the first of October.
Reporter Melissa Mae tells us about one program that helps mothers and young children that could be impacted.
MM: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC, helps nearly seven million women and children across the country… including over 970,000 just in California. MM: The White House has been warning that if there’s a shutdown, recipients will start being turned away at grocery store counters. MM: But here in California, Sarah Diaz with the California WIC Association says WIC recipients won’t face an immediate crisis. “California expects to have funding through November twentieth. So I want to encourage people to keep going to their WIC appointments. Even if we have a government shutdown. Keep going to your WIC appointments because California WIC will not be shutting down immediately.” MM: If there is a shutdown and if it goes beyond November 20th, the San Diego Food Bank says it’s ready to step in and help. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
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Half a million California fast food workers are set to receive a higher minimum wage and a seat at the table.
Reporter Katie Hyson has more.
Sergio Valderrama Lopez says he’s worked at a San Diego McDonalds for 12 years. He speaks to me from his car in LA, where he’s attending a bill signing by the Governor that will raise his hourly wage from 16.50 to 20 dollars starting April first. *nat pop and fade under si se pudo chant starting at 35:20ish from signing stream* I'm actually very anxious and excited today. He says he spent the last year fighting alongside other workers for the increase. California fast food workers are paid less than comparable service workers. Most are women of color. I ask Lopez what he’ll do with the increase. Saving a little bit if I can, but if not, it's going to help me a lot, relieve all the stress. The bill also establishes a statewide fast food council to develop minimum standards. Top of Lopez’s wish list? Better health insurance and better workplace treatment. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.
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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of San Diego has seen an explosion of people traveling by bike.
Metro reporter Andrew Bowen has more on the local findings of a new nationwide study.
AB: The company Streetlight Data analyzed travel surveys and anonymized cell phone location data to measure how much Americans are biking. It found from 2019 to 2022, bike trips have gone up 37% across the country. EA: Biking boomed, and that boom was sustained. AB: Emily Adler is director of content for Streetlight Data. The bike boom was even more dramatic in San Diego, which saw a 71% increase. That's the second largest jump in the country. EA: We have a lot more people biking. Hopefully that's in part because the infrastructure is there. If the infrastructure is not there, what do we need to do to protect those people as well as accelerate that trend? AS: I was surprised to see that we were second on the list. AB: Anar Salayev is executive director of Bike SD. He says the city still lacks a complete network of safe bike lanes, and he hopes the report will motivate city leaders to do better. AS: I hope that they would take away that there IS a demand for biking in San Diego, and that they would be more galvanized and willing to nurture and encourage more of that ridership. AB: Despite the progress, San Diego still has a long way to go to meet its climate goals. Driving is the city's largest contributor to climate change, and emissions from transportation are going up. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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Coming up.... A KPBS staffer has the inside scoop on all things fall.
“I found that there were so many different events happening around San Diego for the fall season and beyond.”
We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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The City of Chula Vista is holding its first-ever arts festival tomorrow (Saturday).
South Bay reporter Kori Suzuki says the event is part of the city’s efforts to strengthen its arts community.
The courtyard outside of Chula Vista’s city hall is normally a pretty quiet place. There’s an open lawn, rows of trees and rosemary bushes – sometimes the occasional pedestrian. But on Saturday, city officials hope to see the place come to life during the city’s inaugural Art Fest. “I don't think we've ever done anything like this before.” Erwin Magbanua is the city’s principal librarian and cultural arts manager. He says residents can expect live music and painting, food trucks, interactive installations – and dozens of local vendors selling their artwork. “For the longest time, one issue has been local artists who, when they want to show off their work, they need to leave Chula Vista. And we want to show those artists – we want to show the community – that our artists in Chula Vista and in the South Bay can actually stay in that South Bay.” Chula Vista community engagement specialist Karla Mendez says this is a big step towards growing the city’s local art scene. “It's really building that roadmap to where we want to be in terms of art in the city.” For organizers, this event is also about building a new place to showcase the talent and creativity of the artist communities in Chula Vista and the South Bay. They hope this Art Fest will be the first of many more. Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
TAG: Art Fest is free and open to all ages.
It’s tomorrow (Saturday) from noon to 9 p-m, at Chula Vista City Hall.
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It’s that time of year when we can dig out cozy attire, drink pumpkin spice lattes and carve pumpkins.. Truly, I’ve never had a pumpkin spice latte but maybe this is the year..when I think of fall I think of baseball ending and turning more attention to football. KPBS social media strategist Natalie Dudas-Thomas has been busy rounding up some of the fall and Halloween family events going on this month, and she’s here to give us all the details.
Natalie, welcome to the San Diego News Now podcast.
Have you ever had a pumpkin spice latte?
I’m curious about the inspiration for creating this list of events?
Did any of the events on the list stand out to you, that you’ll be taking your kiddos to?
Can you tell us about some of the festivals happening? I know there are a few different ones throughout the month.
Every year, Oceanside has a Día de los Muertos festival. Can you tell us more about it?
I don’t do it every year but I like to think I have some serious pumpkin carving abilities.. With that in mind, where can people get them, What pumpkin patches made your list?
How about any recommendations for adults who want to celebrate the season?
Where can our listeners find the full list and more details on the events?
TAG: Natalie, it’s been great talking with you. Thank you for all the ideas, and thanks for joining me on the San Diego News Now podcast.
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Before you go… if you’re a coffee lover, today is your day!
National Coffee Day!
You can celebrate with a free cup of joe? at some coffee shops.
Krispy Kreme is giving customers a free medium hot or iced coffee or espresso-based drink, and at Dunkin’, if you’re a rewards member, you can get a free medium iced or hot coffee with any purchase.
According to the National Coffee Association, 63-percent of Americans drink coffee daily.
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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by KPBS Producer Emilyn Mohebbi and edited by KPBS Senior Producer Brooke Ruth. We’d like to thank KPBS editor Nic McVicker for helping the podcast team this week. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Join us again on Monday to start the week off with the top stories of the day, plus, we’ll hear a story about local research that’s aiming to turn plants into carbon super-scrubbers. I’m Matt Hoffman. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
