VOICERS FOR KCRW
Below are a series of voicers I wrote, recorded, and edited to be played on-air for NPR’s Los Angeles affiliate station, KCRW. I interned on the Morning Edition and All Things Considered programs for the Fall 2019 semester.
<MAGA BEATING – IZZY>
INTRO: There’s been an arrest in the case of a man who was attacked last month in an L-A restaurant while wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat. KCRW’s Izzy Stroobandt has more:
A 32-year-old man from the San Fernando Valley named David Delgado was taken into custody this week (Tue). The attack happened a month ago -- on September 2nd -- at Tower 12, a restaurant in Hermosa Beach. Authorities say the victim was wearing a red cap with a Russian translation of President Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan. The Hermosa Beach Police say, Delgado approached the man in the restroom and questioned him about the hat. Delgado then allegedly punched him, knocking him to the ground. Police say he continued the assault until ultimately stealing the hat and running out of the restaurant, but they haven’t released a motive.
BACK: Police say the suspect was identified using QUOTE “investigative resources” and camera footage from the restaurant.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZQr3rL5cHlWFHw9Zj_zkfKKc7eOC5VZ/view?usp=sharing
<COASTAL FIGHT – IZZY>
HOST INTRO: As rising sea levels become a bigger concern due to climate change, coastal cities are considering how to address the issue. One option is something called managed retreat, which requires cities to back away from the shoreline as it pushes inward. But the Southern California community of Del Mar just decided to reject such a plan. KCRW’s Izzy Stroobandt has more on that story:
The Del Mar City Council rejected the 25 modifications to their sea-level adaptation plan proposed by the California Coastal Commission on Monday. The Coastal Commission is requiring cities to prepare for rising sea levels. Del Mar is one of the first cities in the state to complete a proposed adaptation plan and submit it to the state for certification. Managed retreat is one of the ways governments can prepare for rising sea levels and it includes warning property owners of potential floods, preventing new development, and in some cases providing financial assistance to people who are forced to relocate. Because of the high property costs and Del Mars small size, the City Council said they don’t believe a managed retreat plan would work. Instead, they plan to rely on what has worked previously--seawalls and sand replenishment.
Back: The city’s resolve will be tested again next week when its sea-level rise adaptation plan is considered at the California Coastal Commission’s meeting.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=10fadt9_IyZVyKiB2nH8hnm0POg-5NYB_
<PRISON RETIREMENT PARTY – IZZY>
HOST INTRO: A California prison agency spent 12 thousand dollars of public money on a retirement party for a longtime manager earlier this year according to spending records. KCRW’s Izzy Stroobandt explains just what they spent the money on:
300 guests attended the party and enjoyed lasagna, salad, and dessert prepared by women in a prison culinary program. According to emails obtained by the Sacramento Bee, twenty-four agency employees took time out of their workdays to prepare a prison warehouse for the event, serve food, and clean up afterward. The Prison Industry Authority paid for food, equipment, supplies for the party. Plasticware, coffee makers and decorative centerpieces cost just over 2 thousand dollars--but the highest ticket item were the two three-stall luxury portable bathrooms that cost nearly 6 thousand dollars. Royal Restrooms, the bathroom rental company, describes its units as QUOTE ‘the best units available in the industry’ and they come outfitted with rugs, flowers, mints, and even artwork.
BACK: At least two government agencies have opened investigations into the spending following the release of the spending report and emails.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Dp91QzXmZ_UTEvsmseTfE0f4cCR_Y930
<TRIATHLON CBD – IZZY>
HOST INTRO: The sports industry continues to embrace cannabidiol [canna-bid-EYE-ol] or C-B-D. That’s the non-intoxicating compound in cannabis. USA Triathlon signed a deal today (Mon) to partner with Pure Spectrum, a Colorado CBD manufacturer. KCRW's Izzy Stroobandt has more:
The national governing body for triathlon is believed to be the first organization of its type to sign a deal with a cannabis company. But the deal comes amid blowback against CBD after it was discovered that some over-the-counter products contained banned substances, such as THC, that are not listed on the label. According to the L-A Times, USA Triathlon chief executive Rocky Harris said his organization agreed to work with Pure Spectrum because the company uses multiple third-party labs and posts test results for every batch. Some elite athletes are eager to use CBD for a handful of ailments including pain. But athletes have been temporarily suspended because of undetected substances in their CBD products. Earlier this year, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency sanctioned freeskier Devin Logan after she tested positive because a CBD product she used contained QUOTE “higher than labeled levels of THC.”
BACK: THC, an intoxicating compound, remains on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substances list and athletes are ultimately responsible for anything that ends up in their bodies.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WPDdpXLapAjak1kpDMf-KESq5MarpbEA
<OC SUICIDE – IZZY>
HOST INTRO: A new report shows the suicide rate in Orange County hit an all-time high for the century last year. It also found that certain demographics are at higher risk than others. KCRW’s Izzy Stroobandt has more:
The Orange County Health Care Agency reports that 10.8 per 100,000 people committed suicide--a rising rate that mirrors the aging of Orange County. The report found that two out of three people who committed suicide between 2014 and 2018 were 45 years of age or older. The Director of the Preventative Mental Health Department at Council on Aging — Southern California, which is a nonprofit based in O-C, said there is a rising number of older people who are leaping to their deaths from their apartment buildings or at residential care facilities. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide ranked as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and in 2017 there were twice as many suicides as homicides. Local officials hope the numbers will raise awareness about suicide as a public health issue and reduce the stigma that prevents people from asking for help.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nb_2X1LPs9wWHDmz7ghBdNXXAHCHe_xM
<WATTS – IZZY>
HOST INTRO: Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Joe Buscaino met this week (Wed) for a community open house and tour of the A Bridge Home in Watts before it opens officially to residents. Mayor Garcetti declared an emergency shelter crisis and announced his plan--called A Bridge Home--to establish a temporary emergency shelter in each of LA’s 15 council districts last year. KCRW’s Izzy Stroobandt has more:
That would total at least 1500 beds. The Mayor’s budget includes more than $460 million dollars in supportive housing, bridge housing, services, and facilities to help unhoused Angelenos find their way into stable housing. The shelter in Watts will have 100 beds and will serve unhoused people with housing placement services, mental health, employment, addiction and wellness resources. Some residents are worried that the new shelters will only bring new unhoused people to their neighborhoods and won’t help with trash dumping issues. However, according to the city Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, the housing is specifically designed to serve the people in encampments surrounding the shelter site and will bring in additional sanitation services to ensure the nearby streets remain clean and safe.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wMEHsgt4W06AjVcfOPNp_Q5tlJLiC9oi
<POWER SHUTOFFS - IZZY>
HOST INTRO: Los Angeles is facing a surprising downpour today, but dry weather and strong winds have forced Northern California residents to lose power yet again. KCRW’s Izzy Stroobandt has more:
The prime fire conditions that linger in Northern California have forced PG&E to shut off power yet again. The scheduled blackouts began as early a 7am. 48 thousand homes and businesses in Northern California are currently without power, which is about 144 thousand people. The region is still facing the strong winds and dry weather that caused several fires in the past few weeks. But PG&E cancelled plans to shut off power to an additional 83,000 customers as weather conditions improved throughout the day. PG&E hopes that power will be restored to most customers by the end of Thursday.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yaPQGoXR1GDj3riAUM2F72R-Cou0G5mO