The latest homeless count data
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, April 18th.
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More people became homeless last month than got out of it. More on the latest numbers, next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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If you’ve purchased frozen oysters recently, county public health officials are urging you to check the packaging.
The alert comes after 11 confirmed and probable cases of Norovirus illness in San Diego were linked to frozen oysters imported from South Korea.
Customers who ate oysters at ‘100s Seafood Grill Buffet’ in Mission Valley between March 31st and April first became sick.
Our media partner KG-TV spoke with the one person who had to go to the emergency room after getting sick.
Here's Brandon Hirsch.
"I was just so dehydrated. I couldn't really swallow my own saliva. It felt like swallowing sandpaper."
Restaurants, stores and consumers are now being asked to check their freezers for the origin of their oysters.
Oysters processed by J-B-R in Tongyeong Si, Republic of Korea on November 27th, 20-23, or January 4th and February 15th of this year should not be consumed.
The items may be labeled “Amazing Sea Brand.”
Symptoms of norovirus include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever and body aches.
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Just a reminder that San Diegans who were affected by the January storm have until tomorrow (Friday) to apply for FEMA disaster assistance and Small Business Administration loans.
The FEMA aid can go towards temporary lodging, basic home repairs, personal property losses and anything else disaster-related.
And S-B-A loans can cover losses not fully covered by insurance or other sources.
San Diegans who experienced damage to their homes, cars and businesses can apply online through the FEMA web portal at Disaster-Assistance-dot-gov, or through the FEMA mobile app.
To apply for an S-B-A loan, visit s-b-a-dot-gov-slash-disaster.
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We’ve been spoiled with sunny San Diego weather this week… and it’s going to continue.
But the National Weather Service says temperatures today (Thursday) will be a few degrees cooler than yesterday.
Temperatures in the mountains and coastal areas will be in the low 60s, in the deserts, temps will be in the low 90s, and in the inland areas, it’ll be in the low 70s.
It will also be windy in the mountain and desert areas, with gusts reaching up to 50 miles per hour.
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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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The latest report from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness once again shows more people became homeless last month than got out of it.
But reporter John Carroll says there is a trend that some advocates are finding hopeful.
Task Force data shows that every month over the last two years, more people became homeless than found housing. But that same data also shows the numbers moving in the right direction. In March,111 more people became homeless for the first time than became housed. That difference is down significantly over the last few months. In August, the gap was 742 people. Tyler Renner with the nonprofit People Assisting The Homeless reacted to the latest numbers. “It shows me that our system is working, that we’re working with providers, cities, and counties to really make sure that we have a robust network of care that really helps people make it home.” Renner says while the city works to make new shelter space available, it’s also important to focus on prevention - keeping people from becoming homeless in the first place. JC, KPBS News.
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A North County group says the sudden departure of the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board’s executive officer is a wake-up call for the county.
North County reporter Alexander Nguyen says the group wants community representation in the selection process for a new executive officer.
“This came as a big surprise, and paul parker was so valued and so effective.” tom packard is with showing up -for racial justice – north county. he says parker’s resignation from clerb … the citizens' law enforcement review board … was a big loss. tom packard showing up for racial justice – north county “he had huge amounts of talent, and he also understood the way the system worked and the way it could be improved, and they were heading in a good direction.” parker resigned on march 11. he repeatedly pressed the review board to assert more oversight on in-custody deaths at county jails. with parker’s departure … packard wants the county to have a member of the community on the selection committee. and for the county to select someone who will vigorously carry clerb’s work forward. kpbs reached out to the county for clerb but didn't receive a response by air time. an/kpbs.
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Some children need extra developmental help.
For parents and caregivers, that can mean a patchwork of appointments that make it hard to have their kids in child care.
As part of the special KPBS series “Where's My Village,” reporter Tania Thorne looks at special education for the youngest kids.
So when I was a little kid, my first word was baby. I knew from the second I could speak that I just felt kind of drawn towards babies. And I've always known that I wanted to be a mom, and it was a challenging road to get there. Anna Chiles gave birth to her son Theo in June 2020. When he was born, Anna noticed something was different. “And he surprised the heck out of all of us by having an extra copy of his 21st chromosome. So Theo has Down syndrome, and despite all the prenatal testing and testing through IVF, nobody had a clue. And so what we say is that Theo was hiding his superpowers until birth.” At first she and her husband were scared. But very quickly, they realized they were lucky. “It's like living with sunshine. It is really hard to have sustained stress or anxiety or pain when he's around because he's just this tornado of joy. And he's wild and he's incredibly silly and he is empathetic and very social. Deeply opinionated. Quite spicy, honestly, and I can't believe he's mine.” Anna was a middle school teacher, and had always planned to go back to work after having a baby. And so I remember one of the first thoughts that I had when theo was born. I looked at my husband in the hospital room…and saying, I think I have to quit. My job…But it took me almost no time to realize that that was really foolish of me. I mean, this kid was made to be in the company of others So Anna started calling around…calling preschools her friends recommended. no one would take Theo. Finally she found a place that would take him two days a week. “I framed this because this was the very first time that he had ever held a marker crayon utensil and created art.” About one in 700 babies are born with Down Syndrome. And one in six kids have some form of developmental disability or delay. In California, those kids are eligible for free services—occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and many others. The San Diego County YMCA can help all parents find childcare—including placement for kids with extra developmental needs. We really see a future in which we can support childcare providers in getting training and support and technical assistance in how to incorporate all kinds of need into their care. The San Diego Regional Center coordinates services for parents like Anna. But those have to be in the home with the parent present—so Anna would have to take Theo out of preschool, take off work, and be home. All of these things are available to us, but each of those things is an hour a week. And if each of those things must happen in addition to infant education in your home with you present, what does that mean for your career? Anna had to leave her career. But she was able to start a nonprofit, Includ(Ed) San Diego. It advocates for childcare for all children, including kids like Theo. Her biggest goal is to help those kids get childcare with others who have typical development. Most families who have a child with a developmental disability will tell you the fight to have their child included is a lifelong one. Her organization is helping train preschools to take on kids like Theo. we want to employ and have a supported employment program for adults with disabilities. We want each of our classrooms to have a classroom aide who is an adult with a disability. I want my son Theo to walk into class and see that one of his teachers has down syndrome just like him. That dream is slowly becoming a reality as Included’s first classroom opened to all children this year. Anna hopes the exposure to all children of all abilities will help them learn from each other. And when you don't know someone who is different than you. That might turn into fear. Right. That might turn into you pointing as a child. And then when you're a parent yourself saying, don't look, and pulling your child away, that happens. Right? If we want to plant the seeds of a more compassionate public, we start with our littlest friends.
TAG: That was Tania Thorne reporting.
Go to kpbs dot org slash wheres my village for the full series.
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The county is represented at the first Robotics World Championships in Houston starting today.
Education reporter M.G. Perez is there, along with dozens of students from local high schools.
There are more than 6 hundred teams from 50 countries around the world here in Houston, this week …competing to show they have the fastest, and best designed and constructed robot. FIRST is an acronym that stands For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The San Diego County contingent includes teams from nine high schools. The Patribots from Patrick Henry High …return to the international competition for the second year in a row. 17-year old Emily Hagar is president of the team and has made a commitment to include more girls in the STEM community. “I think it adds variety and different perspectives to robotics and the design process and the overall environment of our team.” The Steel Stingers from Lincoln High School qualified as the only rookie team from San Diego.. In Houston, MGP KPBS News.
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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. In tomorrow’s podcast, the chairman of the Chicano Park Steering Committee joins me to talk about Chicano Park Day and more. Join us tomorrow for that, plus the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Thursday.
