Today on AirTalk, we're learning more about the fires in Northern California. Also on the show, we're discussing schools 'reopening' for instruction; what reopening again could look like in California; and more.
Heat, Blackouts, Fires And A Pandemic: The Latest On The Fires In NorCal
Wildfires raged through Northern California on Thursday, threatening thousands of homes and blackening the skies near San Francisco as crews struggled to surround them despite steep terrain and blistering heat.
The fires, many caused by lightning and sometimes pushed by strong winds, had burned hundreds of thousands of acres as they chewed through brushland, rural areas, canyon country and dense forest to the north, east and south of San Francisco. Fires also carved their way through the wine country and the Sierra Nevada. In addition to about two dozen major blazes, small fires kept erupting, though most were quickly stopped. Hundreds of fires have erupted since the start of the week as a heat wave accompanied by humid air created a dangerous mix of triple-digit temperatures and thunderstorms that flashed lightning. California had recorded nearly 11,000 strikes in 72 hours, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. Two fires in Solano County prompted evacuation orders for 8,000 residents near the Russian River Wednesday and residents of Healdsburg, which has a population of about 12,000, were warned late Wednesday night to be ready to flee. Today on AirTalk, we get the latest on the fires.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Dan Brekke, a reporter and editor for KQED News in San Francisco who's been following this; he tweets
Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director and spokesperson for Cal Fire
As CA Officials Craft New Guidelines, We Discuss What Reopening Might (Safely) Look Like
Earlier this week, Governor Newsom said health officials are working on new guidelines for how counties can reopen, once they are off California’s watchlist of counties with troubling COVID-19 statistics.
LA County has met some of the requirements to leave the list, including declining death and hospitalization rates, though we’re still far from the case rate benchmark.
But that doesn’t preclude us from discussing the future. As state officials craft new protocols for reopening, we think through what that might look like - what would be off limits? What kind of activities are safe?
Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Marshall Allen, healthcare reporter at ProPublica; his latest piece is “Cellphone Data Shows How Las Vegas Is 'Gambling With Lives' Across the Country”
Robert Kim-Farley, M.D., professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; he served as the director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health from 2004-2018 and is a former senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO
COVID-19 AMA: As Transmissions And Hospitalizations Tick Up IN L.A. County, Death Rates Among Black, Latino Residents Fall
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Sanjeet Dadwal, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at City of Hope.
Topics today include:
OC records first child death from COVID-19
Blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 now on hold by FDA
Latino, Black coronavirus death rates fall in L.A. County
Teachers could stay in classroom if exposed to COVID-19
Trail of bubbles leads scientists to new coronavirus clue
Coronavirus transmission and hospitalizations in LA inch up
Guest:
Sanjeet Dadwal, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center
School’s Back in Session: We Answer Your Questions As Schools ‘Reopen’ For Instruction
This week marked the return to online instruction for students at the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the country.
Fall semester started earlier this week with teacher training and mandatory orientation sessions for students, but distance learning gets underway today. Amid the global pandemic, campuses will remain closed and will offer coronavirus testing and contract tracing for students and staff. LAUSD says a typical day of virtual instruction will take place from 9 a.m. through 2:15 p.m. and will include at least 90 minutes of live “synchronous” instruction every day. Daily attendance will also be taken.
So what can students, teachers and parents expect in the weeks and months to come? How long will schools remain in distance-learning mode and do schools have plans in place should hybrid models be implemented? How will school meals be distributed to students going forward? And how will the needs of special education students be addressed in an online setting?
Today on AirTalk, we take a step into virtual classrooms and answer your questions and confusions. We’re taking your calls 866-893-5722.
Find more on LAist, including the Distance Learning agreement, here.
Guests:
Carla Javier, KPCC/LAist reporter covering education; she tweets
Kyle Stokes, KPCC/LAist reporter covering K-12 education and the Los Angeles Unified School District; he tweets
Julie Slayton, professor of clinical education at the University of Southern California; she spent almost 10 years working for the Los Angeles Unified School District in several roles, including assistant chief of staff to the superintendent and chief accountability officer
Beth Lasky, professor of special education Cal State Northridge; she taught as a special education teacher LAUSD for 13 years; she also directs the CSUN Explorers, a program for individuals with intellectual disabilities
Lisa Mosko, director of advocacy for special education and educational rights for Speak Up, a parent advocacy organization; she also serves on the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education at LAUSD