A brush fire is threatening homes northeast of Los Angeles. We'll bring you the latest. Then, a Senate Intelligence Committee report says the Benghazi attack could have been avoided. Next, we look at the deal between The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw--the largest for a pitcher in MLB history. Then, the list of Oscar nominees is out. Who made the cut? Later, how can technology keep dying languages alive?
Colby Fire: AirTalk has latest on evacuations, fire-fighting and air quality
A wildfire in the foothills above Glendora Thursday morning was moving into residential neighborhoods and burning out of control in the Angeles National Forest.
At least one home was burned so far, and more homes remain in danger, with evacuations in effect. Officially called the Colby Fire, the fire was centered in the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Glendora, about 25 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. A smoke advisory has been issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
RELATED: Air Quality FAQ: How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke
People in the area should avoid outdoor activities or even indoor exertion - and keep windows closed, only running air conditioners. Residents unable to avoid smoky areas are advised to wear special N95 or P100 respirator masks.
How have you been affected? What advice do you have for your fellow Angelenos?
Guests:
Phil Currie, Glendora resident who has chosen to not evacuate
Kathy Rudnyk, evacuated from her home during the Colby Fire.
Tony Akins, Inspector with the LA County Fire Department
Philip Fine, Ph.D., Assistant Deputy Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District
OC High students hack school computers: Is expulsion the only answer?
Students at Corona Del Mar High School could still face expulsion for hacking into a series of computers to access tests and change grades. Newport-Mesa Unified School District has moved away from a zero-tolerance discipline policy in support of restorative justice.
The victim focused process aims to encourage dialog between the students being disciplined and the person who has been wronged. Newport-Mesa Unified says it may not use this discipline model for the computer hacking case.
Guests:
Hannah Fry, reporter with The Daily Pilot (News for Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine)
David Yusem, Program Manager, Restorative Justice Family, Schools, & Community Partnerships for the Oakland Unified School District
Oscar Nominations are in! Who got tapped and what was snubbed?
The 86th Academy Awards nominations have been announced—and this year’s list has a few notable snubs and surprises.
David O. Russell’s comedy “American Hustle” and Alfonso Cuaron’s 3-D space thriller “Gravity” are among the big winners, with each film earning 10 nominations. Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave earned 9 Oscar nominations.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern and Cate Blanchett are among those in consideration for the top acting honors. Notably absent from the list are actors Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.
What did you find most surprising or disappointing in this year’s selections? Which films, actors and directors were overlooked?
Below is a list of nominations in some of the major categories. For the complete list of Oscar nominees, visit Oscar.com.
Best picture
"12 Years a Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club”
"Gravity"
"Her”
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"
Director
Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"
David O. Russell, "American Hustle"
Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Lead actor
Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Lead actress
Amy Adams, "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"
Guests:
Tom O'Neil, Editor and CEO, Gold Derby.com - specializing in show business awards; has written books on the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys for Variety; and articles for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, and TV Guide, among others
Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic
Mexico struggles to rein in vigilante justice
Growing tension between Mexican police and vigilantes who have challenged the government's authority in Michoacan state is showing no signs of slowing.
The vigilante groups held onto their guns on Wednesday as federal authorities struggled to reign in the fast-growing citizen militias. The groups sprang up in response to heavy violence from the area's drug cartels but have morphed into heavily-armed militants.
The government initially tolerated, possibly even encouraged, the groups in their fight to challenge the drug cartels but now that the violence has grown out of control they are now calling for them to drop their arms and go home. How did the vigilante groups grow out of control in the first place? Who are they fighting?
Guest:
Carrie Kahn, NPR Correspondent based in Mexico City.
Dodgers extend Clayton Kershaw’s contract in blockbuster deal
The deal, first reported by ESPN LA, costs $215 million over the seven years, and shatters the seven-year, making the 25-year-old the highest paid baseball player ever. The contract comes with an opt-out clause after five seasons, meaning that left-hander could become a free agent at 30 years old.
Kershaw has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game, having won the Cy Young Award twice in the last three seasons and helping to lead the Dodgers to a division championship last year.
What would keeping Kershaw in Los Angeles mean for the Dodgers? Pitchers are particularly prone to injury, does this contract extension make financial sense for the Dodgers?
Guest:
Bill Shaikin, who covers baseball for the Los Angeles Times
Can social media help save the world’s endangered languages?
In Oklahoma last week, Emily Johnson Dickerson passed away at the age of 93. She was the last monolingual Chickasaw speaker. The number of fluent Chickasaw speakers has been in decline since the 1960s. According to a NPR report there are now only 65 fluent Chickasaw speakers.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization estimates that by 2100, half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken on the planet will disappear. What does this mean for cultures around the globe?
The wide reach of the internet has often influenced speakers of indigenous and minority languages to focus on more dominant languages, since most content is in major languages. Increasingly, the internet, social media, and other technologies have become resources for indigenous language speakers to preserve their language.
Communities are creating online dictionaries. Apps such as FirstVoices Chat, allow users to download keyboards so they can communicate online in indigenous languages. Social media sites like twitter allow speakers and those who wish to speak to connect.
How has social media changed the way people use indigenous languages? Will technology be enough to actually save dying languages, or will it create more of an archive of language?
Guests:
Gregory D.S. Anderson, Ph.D., Founder and Director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages
Kevin Patrick Scannell, Professor of computational lingusitics at St. Louis University and creator of Indigenoustweets.com