The LAPD make some arrests as San Fernando Valley residents remain on edge after a string of burglaries.
A string of burglaries has put Encino residents on high alert. Last month, 10 burglaries were reported in the area, according to the LAPD, though residents say there have probably been more. Last night, the LAPD announced they arrested two people and say they have made “significant” arrests of others connected to the burglaries in the area. Even so, Encino residents and neighboring areas are on edge and asking for more resources to protect their communities. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss how residents are feeling is Rob Glushon, president of the Encino Property Owners Association.
How are undecided voters feeling about Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy?
There are only 82 days left until the 2024 presidential election, and the window is narrowing for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to gain the leftover votes from those still undecided. The last month has been a historic one for American politics. The democratic party had hoped that replacing President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris would help turn the tide on against former President Trump. And although Harris seems to be polling better than Biden, with some polls showing a virtual tie between her and Trump, there is still a pool of undecided voters who feel less than enthused with the new democratic nominee and unsure about a second Trump term.
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you! If you are an undecided voter, what reservations do you have about the candidates? And if you were undecided, but were swayed one way or the other when Harris entered the race, what influenced your decision? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com. We are also joined by Aaron Zitner, reporter and editor in The Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau with a focus on polling, to help us break down some of the recent poll numbers.
Synchronized swimming's entangled history with women's social movements
This year marks the 40th anniversary of artistic swimming, also known as synchronized swimming, as an Olympic sport. And although synchronized swimmers today are recognized for their athleticism and strength, it is hard to divorce the sport from its showbiz origins. Swimming to music became popular in the early 20th century as swimmers such as Esther Williams and Annette Kellerman performed vaudeville acts in water and starred in "aquamusicals". Swimming soon gained popularity as a feminine sport as it became the first national competitive sport for women in 1916. Women were seen as graceful in the water. But for synchronized swimming, with its history as a form of entertainment and use of costumes, it was an uphill battle for artistic swimmers to be recognized as true athletes, only becoming an Olympic sport in 1984.
Today on AirTalk, we talk to Vicki Valosik, a masters synchronized swimmer and an editorial director and writing instructor at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, about her new book "Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water", that chronicles the history of synchronized swimming, and how its recognition as an athletic feat coincided with women's social movements.
Gov. Newsom threatens to redirect funding if cities don't get on board with clearing homeless encampments
Elected leaders in the city and county of Los Angeles are offering mixed reviews of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s threat to cut off state funding to local governments that don’t do more to remove homeless encampments from public spaces. Some hailed Newsom’s effort to light a fire underneath local governments, but others complained the governor’s criteria for progress is unclear. Newsom issued the warning last week during a news conference in Pacoima, where he was helping Caltrans workers clean up trash from an encampment near a freeway overpass. Last month, he ordered state agencies to clear encampments on state land. According to CalMatters, Newsom said last week he'll consider redirecting funding if he doesn't see results. Joining to discuss the latest is Marisa Kendall, who covers California’s homelessness crisis for CalMatters, and Jennifer Hark Dietz, CEO of PATH (People Assisting The Homeless).
With files from LAist. Read the full story here
COVID has been designated as ‘endemic’. What does that mean for us?
Four years after SARS-CoV2 sparked a devastating global pandemic, U.S. health officials now consider COVID-19 an endemic disease. That means, essentially, that COVID is here to stay in predictable ways. The classification doesn't change any official recommendations or guidelines for how people should respond to the virus. But the categorization does acknowledge that the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID will continue to circulate and cause illness indefinitely. Joining us today on AirTalk to talk about the categorization and what it means for us going forward is Dr. Dean Blumberg, professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
New book ‘Slippery Beast’ looks into the lucrative business surrounding baby eels
Eels are a creature that’s existed for millions of years, but in our lifetimes we’ve seen a drop in their population, having become a delicacy and the subject of illegal trade. Although American eels can live to about 40 years, their population problems are moreso a result of their youngest, with a pound of baby eels being worth more than $2,000. Why do baby eels go for that much? Partly due to Maine being the only large-scale operation of legal eel trading in the country, with fishing season being from late March to early June. The business that has been built around their illegal trade has been subject to a new book titled Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels, authored by emeritus professor of science journalism at Boston University Ellen Ruppel Shell. So today on AirTalk, we speak to her to discuss the criminal enterprise surrounding baby eels and the reporting that went into her new book.
