How Rising Gas, Food Prices Continue To Squeeze The Middle Class
For those frequently driving around Southern California, you’ve probably notice gas prices tick upward over the last month or so, with AAA estimating that LA County gas prices are at an average of $5.34. Despite being a couple cents cheaper than the statewide average, it’s much higher than the $3.61 nationwide average, which becomes a compounding issue for a region that relies on cars as heavily as Southern California does. So what’s the outlook for this spring and summer look like for gas prices? And how much more price increases can working-class Californians see during these warmer months?
Today on AirTalk, we get into the the gas price uptick with Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at Gasbuddy, and William Lee, chief economist of the Milken Institute. How’ve gas prices looked like in your part of SoCal? Tell us about it by calling 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
How Rollout Of IRS Direct File Is Going In First Year
Did you know that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a free direct-file service for tax season in 12 states, California being one of them? If you answered no, you aren’t alone, since the service hasn’t reached the 19 million taxpayers that the government institution hoped for. This follows a late launch for the program’s first year and a lack of an awareness campaign for its existence. So what’s to be made of the direct file’s first year? Should Americans be hopeful that awareness and investment in the program will continue, making it a viable service for taxpayers in the long term?
Today on AirTalk, we’re talking taxes and direct file with Tobias Burns, economics reporter for The Hill who focuses on US tax policy. Have a question or comment for our guest? Do you want to share your experience using the IRS direct file? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Pasadena’s José James On Inspiration For New Album ‘1978’
The year 1978 is when musician and composer José James was born, so without much other context it would make a lot of sense as an album title. But there’s much more behind the decision to title his new album after his birth year. 1978 is considered one of the best years of all time for music. Rick James and the Stone City Band released their debut album Come Get It!, which went double platinum. Dire Straits, The Police, Kate Bush and Devo also released their debut albums that year. Marvin Gaye, who heavily influenced James and his style of music, released his record Here, My Dear. But maybe more importantly, it was a year of genres abound on the radio, from funk to soul to disco to rock and beyond. And it’s this idea of crossover that influenced and informed much of James’ new album, which was released on April 5th on Rainbow Blonde Records, a label he founded with his wife and Grammy-nominated artist Talia -- she goes by Taali professionally. James, who lives in Pasadena, called 1978 “my first real L.A. album”
Today on AirTalk, José joins Larry Mantle to talk about the new album and play some of his new music.
Reverend Cecil “Chip” Murray Leaves A Powerful Legacy
Reverend Doctor Cecil "Chip" Murray, a beloved local pastor and theologian whose leadership and critiques of institutional racism and injustice made him a fixture of the Los Angeles faith community, has died at the age of 94. Murray's sermons at First African Methodist Episcopal Church touched on local and national social issues, from the L.A. unrest to the September 11 attacks — all with a moral clarity and trademark wit behind the pulpit that made him popular among churchgoers and civic leaders alike. In particular, Murray was a key figure in leading the city during the unrest in 1992, following the beating of Rodney King and the killing of Latasha Harlins. Anticipating the acquittal of the officers on trial for King's beating, Murray worked with business, religious, and civic leaders before the verdict to attempt to bring peace to the city. Joining us this morning on AirTalk to discuss his impact on the city is Jan Perry, former Los Angeles City Councilwoman for the residents of District 9 and Kerman Maddox, long time member of First AME and former chair of the political outreach committee.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here.
New Study Looks Into Dogs’ Understanding Of Language
Many dog owners believe their pets understand and respond not only to commands such as “sit” and “stay,” but also to words referring to their favorite objects. “Bring me your ball” will often result in exactly that. But science has had trouble determining whether dogs and other animals genuinely activate a mental image in their minds when they hear the name of an object, something that would suggest a deeper grasp of language, similar to the kind that humans have. A new study in Hungary has found that beyond being able to respond to commands like “roll over,” dogs can learn to associate words with specific objects — a relationship with language called referential understanding that had been unproven in dogs until now. The study, which has been peer reviewed, was published last Friday in the science journal “Current Biology.” It involved 18 dogs and a non-invasive EEG procedure using electrodes attached to dogs’ heads to measure brain activity and register brain waves. Joining us to talk about the study is co-lead author Marianna Boros , cognitive neuroscientist and postdoctoral researcher at Eötvös Loránd University’s Neuroethology of Communication Lab in Budapest, Hungary.
With files from the Associated Press.
How Alt-Weekly Publications Changed Journalism
The Village Voice was the first newspaper to cover things like hip hop, the avant-garde art scene, serious reports on the AIDS crisis and much more. It became one of the most famous alternative weekly publications and inspired hundreds of others. Joining Larry to discuss this history is Tricia Romano, author of the new book “The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture” (PublicAffairs, 2024), as well as Gustavo Arellano, columnist for the L.A. Times and former editor at the alt-weekly publication O.C. Weekly. If you have thoughts to share or memories of different alternative news publications, call us at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Tricia Romano will be in conversation with Joy Press about the new book at Book Soup at 7 p.m. this Friday, April 12.
