Beijing Olympics: Final Days Of Competition Overshadowed By Figure Skating Doping Controversy, Plus A Check In On Southern California’s Athletes
Women’s figure skating is considered a crown jewel of Olympic sport, but as the women take the ice Tuesday in Beijing for their first skate, there will be a cloud over the competition: 15-year-old Russian figure skating phenom Kamila Valieva will be allowed to compete, despite testing positive for a banned substance before the Olympics. A sample taken from Valieva on Dec. 25, 2021 showed she had used a banned heart medication. In handing down it’s decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said preventing Valieva from competing would cause her irreparable harm because of her age, and that she had nothing to do with the delayed notification of the results. The International Olympic Committee responded with a statement saying even if Valieva wins the women’s competition – which she is favored to do – she won’t receive a medal until a full investigation into the doping allegations is complete.
Criticism of the decision has been swift, with some arguing this will be a dark mark on figure skating for years to come, and others arguing the case presents a double standard given that U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified from the Tokyo Games after testing positive for cannabis. The drug test has also raised questions about the “quad revolution” in women’s figure skating, after Valieva became the first woman to land a quad in Olympic competition during the team event.
Meanwhile – Mikaela Shiffrin is returning to the downhill course after failing to finish her first two runs, Monobob just made its Olympic debut, and American Erin Jackson just became the first African American to medal in speed skating.
Today on AirTalk, Larry talks about the latest Olympic news with Matt Bonesteel, reporter for The Washington Post’s Early Lead sports blog and checks in on how Southern Californian athletes are doing with Scott M. Reid, sports enterprise and investigative reporter for The Orange County Register covering the Olympics and international sport.
Checking In With LAUSD As Mask Mandates Remain In Place, New Superintendent Takes The Reins And More
On Monday, the Los Angeles Unified School District welcomed its new superintendent, Alberto Carvalho.The former head of the Miami public school system said in a pair of tweets that he'd kick things off with a two-day tour of nine district campuses on Wednesday and Thursday.
Carvalho took an underperforming and financially hobbled Miami-Dade district and transformed it into one of the strongest big-city school systems in the country. He was in charge of the Florida public school system since 2008. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with Kyle Stokes, KPCC and LAist senior reporter covering K-12 education, about the latest with LAUSD, including the state’s school mask mandate. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the mandate will stay in place for now.
Read the full story from LAist here
The Hollywood Bowl Celebrates Centennial Season With Packed Calendar Of Concerts, Tributes, Film, Jazz And More
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating 100 years at the legendary Hollywood Bowl this year, and today they’re announcing their 2022 Centennial Season schedule, which is absolutely packed with all kinds of performances events from jazz to pop to opera to film to tributes to Bowl legends to concerts featuring some of the biggest names in music. Among the highlights are Gustavo Dudamel returning from his podium at The Paris Opera to lead the L.A. Phil alongside a roster of guest conductors, film screenings including “Back To the Future,” “Amadeus” and others with live accompaniment from the L.A. Phil, a huge slate of concerts from performers like Keb’Mo, Diana Ross, Ricky Martin, and Kenny Loggins (just to name a few), jazz performances from The Roots, Tower of Power, and in August there’s Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threauxdown, which will showcase some of New Orleans best musicians.
Today on AirTalk, L.A. Phil CEO Chad Smith drops in to preview the Centennial Season for the Hollywood Bowl and talk about its importance after the seats were empty at the Bowl for so long during COVID, and look back at 100 years of performances at the iconic venue.
COVID-19 AMA: School Mask Mandate Remains Until Feb. 28, CA Case Rate Five Times Lower Than Peak, And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Paul Adamson, infectious diseases physician and assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Topics today include:
- California school mask mandate will remain in place through Feb. 28
- The quest to create a universal vaccine against COVID-19
- COVID: Is it finally time to take your mask off? Here’s how to decide
- California's case rate now 5 times lower than peak of Omicron surge
- Long COVID sufferers are struggling with exercise
LA And Surrounding Cities Want To Recycle More Wastewater. What Does That Mean For The LA River?
Water is a precious commodity, something that’s becoming even more clear as California weathers an intensifying drought. In fact, a new study published this week has determined the last couple decades have been the west coast’s driest period in more than 1,200 years.
According to reporting from the LA Times, cities like Los Angeles, Glendale and Burbank want to ramp up efforts to recycle treated wastewater, which could mean less reliance on imported water. This concerns environmental advocates who want to see the LA River restored to a more natural state, a longstanding debate and one with a myriad of factors. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with Bruce Reznik, executive director at Los Angeles Waterkeeper, which works to restore and protect local waterways, Michael De Ghetto, chief assistant general manager at Glendale Water and Power and Bill Deverell, professor of history at the University of Southern California and director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West.