Developments in the shooting death of a Latino man, California's growing population could impact water, ASU basketball's 'Curtain of Distraction.'
Shooting in Pasco, WA, draws parallels to Ferguson
The small city of Pasco, Washington, is thousands of miles from Ferguson, Missouri.
But last week, the two places were brought together with the shooting death of an unarmed Latino man at the hands of police.
On Feb. 10, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, 35, was allegedly throwing rocks at vehicles in a busy intersection. When police confronted him, a chase ensued.
Witnesses say Zambrano-Montes then turned with his hands up. That is when police shot and killed him.
Many drew comparisons to the death of Michael Brown, except this incident was caught on video by several bystanders that then went viral. (Warning: explicit content)
Anna King with the Northwest News Network tells Take Two that many in the community have been protesting the officers' actions because, like the residents of Ferguson, they believe the use of police force against minorities has gone too far.
Meantime, Jorja Leap, a professor of Social Welfare at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs, says she can't be sure on how much the events in Ferguson fueled the response in Pasco. But there is one tying factor.
"I think particularly as the report has shown, that there is an insistence on a more non-violent, quiet response among the community," she said. "It's a different community, it's a different victim. The sort of common denominator is the police force and judgement."
Population growth could stymie California water conservation efforts
When it comes to the drought in California, we've got some good news and some bad news.
Good news first: Reporters at the Sacramento Bee have been crunching the numbers and they've found that California is on track to meet a state mandate to reduce water consumption.
Urban water agencies have responded to a 2009 state law that requires them to reduce per-capita water consumption 20 percent by 2020, compared with use at the start of the century. Now it looks like most agencies are on track to reach that goal.
But...
Now the bad news: It's possible the state's continued population growth may outstrip conservation efforts anyways. That's according to SacBee's data that shows that, by 2030, California’s population is expected to reach an estimated 44 million people. That means a big surge in water demand statewide, even as people continue to use less water; and despite the state's best efforts, demand could outstrip supply.
Newsha Ajami is a director of urban water policy at Water in the West, a research group at Stanford University. She told Take Two that these projections should be considered very cautiously, especially since big cities all across the state are just now beginning to implement long-term conservation strategies.
Curious about how well your city conserved water last year? Click here to see whether water consumption rose or fell in your area between December 2013 and December 2014.
Sports roundup: Kobe's private side, troubled Yankees legends and Miss P wins Best in Show
Kobe Bryant gets personal in a series of interviews, former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte gets trolled online and a beagle earns Best in Show.
That's the news in the sports this week with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky.
UCLA men's basketball faces an unusual foe; Elvis, dancing sharks and an old lady
College basketball fans sometimes go to wild extremes when it comes to supporting their team.
Some fans even go so far as to get into the heads of opposing players.
But a certain group of fans of the Arizona State basketball team has taken it to new heights – a group of students known as the
have created what’s known as the Curtain of Distraction.
Think a dancing Elvis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sPOcM-u5ls
Maybe a dancing unicorn:
Tonight the UCLA men’s basketball team travels to Arizona to take on the Sun Devils, and we’ll get a preview of what they may encounter.
We'll talk with Alexandria Arroyo, a nursing student at Arizona State, and a member of the Curtain of Distraction crew.
Hollywood main break floods basements, submerges cars
Some Hollywood Hills residents woke up to the sound of gushing water Wednesday. Except it wasn't rain, it was a busted water main which submerged several cars and basements.
Southern California Public Radio's Sharon McNary joined the show with updates from the scene.
Main break in Hollywood highlight's LA's aging water pipes
The busted pipe in the Hollywood Hills is certainly not the first water main to break, and it won't be the last.
Last year, there was a water main break near UCLA that flooded several streets on Sunset, closing off streets.
There are more than a quarter-million pipes in the Department of Water and Power's 6,730-mile water main network. Since 2006, work crews have responded to about 13,000 leaks, that's about four a day.
Reporter Ben Poston has been digging into the numbers of our aging infrastructure for the Los Angeles Times and he joined the show to explain.
LA ports dispute and the state of collective bargaining
There are lessons to be learned about the power of collective bargaining from the ongoing drama along West Coast ports. Dockworkers and shipping companies continue to negotiate, in part, over how to settle disputes.
Host Tess Vigeland talks to Harley Shaiken, professor of education and geography at the University of California, Berkeley, who has studied labor issues for years.
Behind the scandal that took down Oregon's John Kitzhaber
Oregon got a new governor on Wednesday: Kate Brown. The former Secretary of State took over from John Kitzhaber, who resigned last week amid a growing scandal.
Kitzhaber was re-elected to a fourth term last November, but patronage issues involving his fiancée Cylvia Hayes grew to the point of distraction. Kitzhaber announced last week that he would resign.
Willamette Week reporter
has been writing about the scandal since the fall, but ethical questions surrounding Hayes drew Jaquiss's attention as far back as 2010. "There were numerous instances in which she appeared to be acting as an adviser to the governor," Jaquiss says. "But also working for undisclosed private interests."
Jaquiss' series of stories took a look into those interests, which included her work as a private consultant for renewable energy issues. The scandal soon spread, leading to Kitzhaber's resignation, and prompting state and federal investigations. "What they're looking at is essentially influence-peddling, selling access to the office," says Jaquiss.
Sex offenders in prison killed at higher rates: AP
An Associated Press report found California’s prisoners are killed at a rate double the national average, and sex offenders account for a disproportionate number of victims. For more, listen to the interview with the AP's Don Thompson.
Oscar-watch parties are different for those in the biz
At a typical Oscar party, everyone pays lots of attention to categories like Best Picture and Best Director. But for folks "in the business," categories like Sound Mixing or Costume Design can matter just as much.
Producer Fabienne Toback has been attending and sometimes hosting an Oscar viewing party with her industry friends for years. Because all the party-goers have some insider knowledge, Toback says their friendly Oscar pool can get pretty competitive.
Everyone has to fill out their ballots ahead of time to make sure no one cheats by texting with a friend who's attending the awards show, and no one scores their own ballot.
Toback and her friends take things so seriously, that she says friends who are working on set and out of town have been known to mail their ballot ahead of time and Skype into the party.
But it's still all in good-natured fun, Toback says. "There are times where there's a friend who is nominated, and I can't help it, I vote for them because I feel like that's good juju. Even if it means losing the Oscar pool."