Welcome to my office. On nice mornings, anyway, I'll do my prep work for The KFBK Afternoon News in my back yard---a mug of coffee, a laptop, Cristina Mendonsa and Sam Shane on The KFBK Morning News streaming on the iHeartRadio app and a full inbox from overnight. Let's see what's new in our state and our world today:
- A third day of triple-digit temperatures today. The National Weather Service now says we'll get our break from the heat tomorrow---but they'll be back Monday and Tuesday. Cloud cover acted like a blanket and kept us from cooling off too much last night---Sacramento's overnight low was only 76---and as the sun burns those clouds off, we'll only get warmer. The forecast is 102. This is the kind of weather where people get heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Seek shade, and better yet, air conditioning. Drink plenty of water. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.
- As always, it could be worse. Stockton and Tracy will see 104, Fresno 106, Bakersfield 107, Palm Springs 114 and Death Valley 116.
- The Bay Area finally catches a break (there's been a run on air conditioners, fans and kiddie pools there this week), with Concord finally dropping below the triple digits to 95, San Jose down to 92 today and San Francisco at 72. If you can get away, South Lake Tahoe and Truckee will both be around 80. The best cool-off spot, though is Monterey at 69.
- Yesterday's news first, because it matters: Jon Stewart's testimony yesterday before a Congressional committee on benefits for 9/11 first responders is a must-see. We had soundbites in our ABC News updates during The KFBK Afternoon News yesterday, but you should watch the whole nine minutes (Background: Congress has failed to fully fund a program to support sick and dying 9/11 first responders. In addition, what support there is will dry up in 2020 without new authorization).
- Also in case you missed it, the search continues for missing Sacramento automotive journalist Davey G. Johnson. The bike he was testing and his belongings were found near the Mokelumne River at a rest stop. His last text to a friend referenced that he was cooling off after a long ride. The fear is that he underestimated the fast-moving (35 to 45 mph) waters. The magazine he was writing the review for, Motorcyclist, published a piece yesterday that paints a vivid picture of Davey. It's a very good read.
- While we're on the ICYMI file, we went in-depth yesterday on The KFBK Afternoon News on the shortage of the shingles vaccine (Shingles is a painful, itchy, blistery skin rash that one-third of people who had the chicken pox before get when the dormant virus wakes up). If you're over 50 and have had chicken pox, doctors say you should get this vaccine. But there aren't enough doses---the manufacturer, Glaxo Smithkline, underestimated demand, which leapt when the Centers for Disease Control unexpectedly and early in its run, gave it "preferred" status. I talked with Monica Donnelley, a pharmacist at UC Davis Medical Center, who told us that there's an online locator tool to find available vaccine near you. Click here to use that.
- And, in yesterday's Notes From The Backyard, we had the word that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra would be making a major announcement of state and national importance---but no details. A few hours later, Becerra announced that he and nine other Attorneys General have joined together in an effort to block the T-Mobile/Sprint merger.
- The City of Sacramento has agreed to its biggest settlement ever---$5.2 million---to the family of an unarmed man who was beaten and tased repeatedly by police officers during an arrest two years ago. He was in a coma for days, and his family now says 34-year-old John Hernandez has the mental capacity of a toddler.
- Governor Gavin Newsom has weighed in on the 29 deaths of race horses this season at Santa Anita in Southern California, calling for the California Horse Racing Board to impose a moratorium on horse racing at that track until all the horses can be examined by independent veterinarians. Trouble is, the CHRB doesn't have that kind of power. It needs approval by the track owner---though a new bill in the Legislature would fix that. As we told you on The KFBK Afternoon News on Monday, Santa Anita, though troubled, isn't the only problem. The annual report from the CHRB shows that in the 2017-18 race season, 44 horses died at Santa Anita, 41 at Los Alamitos and 30 at Golden Gate Fields. The CHRB website has every annual report back to the 1994-95 season.
- Our condolences to the governor, his staff and the family and friends of Deputy Director of External Affairs Chona Sarte, who died of natural causes Monday night at the age of 32. She had a heart condition.
- Now that Sacramento is back on the Michelin Guide's radar, here's a handy interactive map to all 14 local restaurants that got Star, Bib Gourmand or Plates awards.
- Congratulations to iHeartMedia's Don Parker on his being named General Manager of iHeartRadio's Pride Radio. Don is Regional Senior VP of Programming for iHeartMedia's Northern California Region, which makes him one of my bosses, but even if he weren't, I'd tell you he's a good guy and a talented broadcaster.
Let me hear from you on these stories or others. There's a "comment" button at the bottom.
I hope you'll join Kitty O'Neal and me today from 4:00 to 7:00 on The KFBK Afternoon News at 93.1 FM, 1530 AM and on the iHeartRadio app.