Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Morning Brief: Record-Breaking COVID Numbers, STI Testing, And NASA
COVID tests being distributed at Daniel Webster Middle School in Mar Vista.
(
Suzanne Levy
/
LAist
)
Good morning, L.A. It’s Jan. 10.
As many experts predicted, COVID-19 continues to surge post-holidays. Yesterday, local officials announced a record-breaking 45,584 new cases in L.A. County.
Those numbers come on the heels of more than 34,000 new cases on Saturday, and over 43,000 new positives on Friday.
The effects of the surge are being felt around the state. California state prisons suspended in-person visits beginning on Saturday after a wave of positive cases, including more than 1,700 incarcerated people and more than 3,000 staff members. Visitors will be allowed to speak to friends and family for one hour via video, over the weekends.
Support for LAist comes from
L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Friday said people working in the healthcare industry were also — again — being disproportionately affected. Nurses made up over 27% of Friday’s new cases, and among all health care workers, 39% reported being exposed to a known case in their facility from a patient or co-worker.
About How to LA Newsletter
-
This is the web version of our How To LA newsletter. Sign up here to get this newsletter sent to your inbox each weekday morning
“I know so many are mourning the loss of a loved one and send my heartfelt condolences and wishes for healing,” said Ferrer. “Keeping health care workers safe is critical to maintaining functionality across our health care facilities when surges lead to staffing shortages and rising rates of hospitalizations.”
At the same time, though, booster numbers are concerningly low: just 38% of Californians have received a booster shot in addition to the initial doses of the vaccine; the number is lower in L.A County, as well as Kern, Santa Barbara and 28 other counties.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.
What Else You Need To Know Today
- L.A. Metro will resume fare collection on its buses starting today, and will return to front-door boarding, which transit advocates oppose.
- The U.S. Forest Service is staffing the Angeles National Forest with as few employees as possible starting today through Jan. 24.
- California has become the first state to require health insurance plans to cover at-home tests for sexually transmitted infections.
- School district officials across California are worried about losing millions of dollars all at once, due to decreased enrollment.
Before You Go ... When Scientists Cheer, We All Cheer
Technicians lift the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope using a crane at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in April 2017. On Saturday, the telescope completed its final deployment in space.
(
Desiree Stover
/
NASA
)
Support for LAist comes from
A NASA telescope known as the James Webb Telescope completed its final major step of deployment.
Bill Ochs, the Webb project manager at NASA Goddard, said that the events are “truly amazing.” He added that team members were relieved after the deployment, cheering and doing the wave in the operations center.
Help Us Cover Your Community
-
Got something you’ve always wanted to know about Southern California and the people who call it home? Is there an issue you want us to cover? Ask us anything.
-
Have a tip about news on which we should dig deeper? Let us know.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist