Porter Ranch gas leak may cause summer power outages, rebooting the first Black superhero in mainstream comics, Facebook's new feature helps blind users 'see' photos.
California's economic growth could outpace the US, report says
There's now more evidence that we've finally overcome the giant, sucking downturn of the Great Recession.
The UCLA School of Management is out today with their annual forecast for the state, and overall, they find things looking pretty sweet for the Golden State.
Jerry Nickelsburg is an economist at UCLA and coauthored the report. He spoke to Take Two.
Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.
KPCC Reporter Ben Bergman took an in-depth look at the report. Click here for more.
Head of DWP warns of blackouts due to Porter Ranch gas leak
The fallout from the four-month long Porter Ranch natural gas leak continues.
The leak has been plugged, but the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility near Porter Ranch is now mostly offline, and the next problem could be electricity. That's because several power plants in the region rely on natural gas to generate electricity.
State energy agencies and the L.A. Department of Water and Power (LADWP) warned yesterday that Southern California residents could experience power outages during as many as 32 days over the coming year. Fourteen of those days could fall during the summer months.
Marcie Edwards, General Manager for LADWP, joined Take Two to discuss the draft plan for reducing the possibility of power outages.
Interview highlights:
On the factors that lead to outages
"There are a significant number of factors. It's what makes it very difficult to project. Is the peak day going to be on a weekend? Well that's an entirely different scenario. Are there other pieces of gas company equipment that's out that's going to further limit us? We could only go with the law of averages in making these assumptions. What it will come down to is real-time day [conditions]."
On whether there will be advance warning of blackouts
"It depends on the operating conditions in place at the time. The [Southern California] Gas Company is talking with all of their non-core customers, the electric generators, and we're all trying to work out, 'Can you give us any warning? Or are we just going to pick up the phone and you're going to tell us sorry you don't have any more gas?'"
On whether the cost of electricity will go up
"Not necessarily. I think everyone at this point is going to track any increased costs related to how they're operating their power systems because electric companies didn't cause this problem. The Aliso Canyon facility is solely owned by Southern California Gas and maintained by Southern California Gas. And I personally think it would be incredibly unfair to expect electric companies to pick up the costs associated with the loss of the Aliso Canyon facility."
On what consumers should keep in mind about their electricity use
"I think everyone needs to bear in mind, when it's a significantly hot day, particularly after we've had a couple of hot days, the electricity systems are stressed. These peak days only happen a couple of times a year and if we experience additional problems with gas supply on those days, we could certainly have problems. So typical conservation behavior, you remember all the old adages, give your appliances the afternoon off, all that stuff still stands. Everyone should work hard not only to make systematic changes, changing out lightbulbs, things to reduce your overall footprint, but be extremely sensitive during the peak hot periods of the day."
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.
How Marvel convinced Ta-Nehisi Coates to write 'Black Panther'
April 6 has been on some comic book fans' calendars for a while — it's the day Marvel Comics released the new "Black Panther" comic book.
"A Nation Under Our Feet" is a story arc written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, a journalist at the Atlantic who earned major recognition for his 2015 book "Between the World and Me."
"It just so happened that we were going through a process where we were putting together a bunch of new series, including the 'Black Panther,'" Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso tells A Martinez.
Alonso says that it was an easy pitch to Coates, an avid comic book reader.
"We asked him if he'd have any interest and of course he did. It was as simple as that," Alonso says.
The response to Coates's involvement with the project has been mostly but not totally positive, says Alonso.
"When you see Ta-Nehisi and his body of work and you see him attached to a book called 'Black Panther,' it goes without saying that it's going to create excitement, as well as controversy," he says. "But [Ta-Nehisi] wants this to be judged once people have read it. Until people have seen what's actually on the page, it's just an announcement."
Marvel has been making a broader push to feature more diverse superheroes.
"Marvel comics are always at their best when they reflect the world outside your window," Alonso said. "My editorial staff is incredibly diverse... and we yearn to see heroes for ourselves and our children that they can relate to. When Miles Morales [who is biracial] peels back that Spider-Man mask to reveal a different face, it's a huge invitation to a number of people to pick up comics and see themselves reflected there."
Issue number 1 of "Black Panther" is in stores now.
If your local comic shop is out of copies, you can download a digital version from Marvel.
To hear more about black characters throughout the history of comics, check out our interview with Frances Gateward, an associate professor at CSUN and a historian of black comic book characters.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Ta-Nehisi Coates' name. KPCC regrets the error.
Sports Roundup: Should Golden State break the Bulls' record?
In this week's Sports Roundup with
:
- The Golden State Warriors lost at home Tuesday night in overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves, making for their second loss in three games. That means they have to win their last four games to break the Bulls' mark for best regular season record. But is it worth going for that record?
- Football player Greg Hardy is looking for a job, but no team seems interested. In 2014, Hardy was convicted on domestic violence charges by a judge. He appealed for a jury trial, but the case was thrown out when his girlfriend stopped cooperating. Last year he petitioned to have the charges taken off his record. This week he spoke to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Were the important questions addressed?
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
A new Facebook feature helps people who are blind 'see' photos
Imagine a typical Californian's Facebook feed: a golden Joshua Tree sunset, the chubby cheeks of a newborn, a sizzling grill loaded with Korean barbecue.
Pretty typical stuff. But for Facebook users who are blind, this aspect of the online experience doesn't exist. Until now.
https://www.facebook.com/accessibility/videos/vb.443376095706121/1082033931840331/?type=2&theater
The social media giant has added Automatic Alternative Text, a new function for iOS that helps blind users "see" images through descriptions.
Andrea Peterson, who covers technology policy for the Washington Post, joined host A Martinez to explain how this new Facebook function works.
Rise in younger residents creates tension in Calif nursing homes
They're usually thought of of as "rest homes" for the elderly and frail, but now, skilled nursing facilities in California are seeing an influx of younger, more able-bodied residents.
A recent investigation by the Sacramento Bee found that this mixing of populations is creating safety issues for some of the residents.
Marjie Lundstrom is an investigative reporter at the Sacramento Bee and 1991 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. She joined A Martinez to talk about her investigation into the mixing of divergent populations in skilled nursing facilities and how it's affecting quality of care.
Between 1994 and 2004, residents who are 65 or younger have increased by 40 percent while the number of older residents shrank.
Many of these younger patients are diagnosed with mental illness, and drug and alcohol addiction. Some are homeless people in need of care and in some cases, nursing homes are taking in convicted felons on parole.
"This is not a story where we’re trying to tell consumers to be afraid that you might be housed next to someone who is mentally ill in a facility." said Lundstrom. "Being mentally ill doesn’t make a person mentally dangerous, but what is happening is with these disparate groups- the young, the old, the mentally ill, the homeless, drug addicts, people recently out of prison- it’s not a one size fits all for a nursing staff. The question becomes are these various groups getting the treatment that they need and the answer, I’m sorry to say, in reading thousands of pages of inspection reports, is no."
Under-staffed facilities are struggling to cope with the vast range of treatments required for patients with specialized needs and mental health advocates are concerned that nursing homes are becoming the de facto solution to a shortage of appropriate mental health treatment.
Guest:
is an investigative reporter at the Sacramento Bee and 1991 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in journalism.
The Styled Side: from runway to your closet...and no delays
Spot a look on the runway that you'd love to buy and wear right away?
Tough.
What debuts during fashion week traditionally finds their way to the racks about six months later.
But there's a movement afoot towards a "see now/buy now" approach, says Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily.
"Simply, it’s brands making the items they show on the runway immediately available for purchase," she says.
It started with designer Burberry, then Rebecca Minkoff did it soon after, too.
"There is real fatigue with the traditional runway show," says Tyree, "and a lot of big names in the industry have been saying that this is the way forward."
Part of the pressure comes from fast-fashion labels which can quickly copy a runway look and get it into stores well before the original designer can even start production.
"By the time consumer sees the 'actual' designer pieces, it’s been knocked off so many times that they don’t need to purchase the designer piece," she says.
The trend comes to Hollywood, next week, when label Alice + Olivia hosts a runway show featuring the Alice + Olivia x Grateful Dead collection in time for Coachella.
Afterwards, 12 pieces of the collection will be available for both actual and “virtual” attendees to snap up immediately.
"I think this event here signifies a tipping point," say Tyree. "Get ready to see a lot more of this during the fall fashion show, and we’ll see even more events like this out West as brands not only showcase the SoCal lifestyle but also court the Cali consumer even harder."