In CA: Newsom declares emergency over wildfires; a bear bites; bubonic plague arrives
Plus: The Golden State Killer hears from victims, hope for the U.S. Postal Service and promising coronavirus news
What could be worse than being bitten by a bear while working in an avocado field during a heatwave in the middle of a pandemic? Maybe the plague.
I'm Maria Sestito, senior issues reporter with The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, with your news for today. (Yes, it is very hot here, thanks for asking.) Today's apocalypse report brings wildfires, thunderstorms, blackouts, a heatwave, the fifth bear attack of the year and — wait for it — the plague. Plus, the Golden State Killer is forced to hear from his victims and some promising coronavirus updates.
In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the Paste BN Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox.
Some good news for the U.S. Postal Service
After months of criticism by the Trump administration and cuts implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the United States Postal Service may finally be catching a break. DeJoy, who was appointed in May, started making changes in the agency that Democrats feared would hinder mail-in voting just months before the November election, citing financial losses experienced by the agency over the last decade. He announced on Tuesday that he'd wait to make any additional changes until after the election "to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail."
Despite a warning issued to states by the Postal Service last week that ballots may not make it on time to be counted, DeJoy said that the agency will be able to handle "whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall."
He said a task force on election mail would also be expanded. Due to the pandemic, it is expected that more than ever, people will be relying on mail-in voting. In California, all registered voters will automatically have their ballots mailed to them.
Golden State Killer’s victims have their chance to speak
The Golden State Killer is hearing from victims this week ahead of his sentencing scheduled for Friday. Joseph James DeAngelo, 74, didn't look at any of the victims as he sat in a wheelchair in court on Tuesday, according to the Sacramento Bee. That didn’t stop survivors and family members from trying to get his attention. One sang a song and flipped him off. The son of another brought a gift-wrapped box with a black ribbon that was empty but signified the prison cell where DeAngelo will reside until he dies.
"You will forever be known as a repulsive coward who hid behind a mask of evil. The devil can keep you company in your prison cell as he gnaws away at whatever soul you have left, at whatever life you have left," Kris Pedretti, who was bound, gagged and raped at 15, said to DeAngelo, according to the Ventura County Star.
DeAngelo will be formally sentenced on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
It sure is hot in here
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency this afternoon over dozens of significant wildfires burning throughout California as the state's power grid operator pleaded with residents and businesses to continue conserving energy to avoid rolling blackouts.
Wildfire evacuations were underway in the Bay Area, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Sonoma, San Mateo, Napa, Butte, Nevada and Monterey counties all issued warnings or mandatory evacuations — some expanding existing orders — for certain communities.
In Southern California, evacuations continued for a week-old fire in the mountains of northern Los Angeles County.
Hundreds of wildfires are burning in California and lightning is blamed for two of the largest ones: The 83,261-acre July Complex Fire in the Modoc National Forest and the 40,000-acre Dome Fire in the Mojave National Preserve.
Referring to three fires in Napa County, Cal Fire said that the fires were tough to fight because of rugged terrain, triple-digit heat and "unfavorable" fire behavior, according to the Napa Valley Register.
Excessive heat warnings remain in effect throughout the state and there was even a flash flood warning this afternoon in the desert communities of Hemet, San Jacinto, Valle Vista and East Hemet.
The potential for rolling blackouts across the state continues as people at home in the AC tap into California's power grid. The blackouts, if needed, will relieve stress on the state's electrical system. Newsom said Californians can continue to help lower the potential need for rolling blackouts by:
- Cooling homes and offices overnight and early in the morning
- Setting air conditioning to 78 degrees between 3 p.m and 10 p.m.
- Using major appliances during off-hours, when possible
- Turning off all unnecessary lights.
The plague: I guess it sounds worse than it is?
A South Lake Tahoe resident tested positive for the plague on Monday, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune. This is the first case of the plague in California in five years. Officials think the person got it after being bitten by an infected flea while walking their dog along the Truckee River or in the Tahoe Keys area.
Though it sounds pretty darn scary and, might I add, apocalyptic, the plague can be treated with antibiotics if detected early. Just look out for symptoms including fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes.
Not to be confused with the fever, nausea, fatigue, congestion, sore throat or cough, etc., associated with COVID-19. Or the flu ... because that's coming up soon too.
Speaking of illnesses... COVID trends may be improving?
On Tuesday, California reported a total of 632,667 coronavirus cases, 11,342 deaths, and more than 10 million tested, according to the state dashboard.
State officials believe that the coronavirus pandemic in California is stabilizing and showing other signs of improvement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Both cases and hospitalizations are trending downward, said Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.
Test turnaround time, which was taking as long as two weeks in some areas, has also improved in part, reports the Chronicle, because the statewide testing task force has worked to send tests to labs that can process them more quickly. “We are starting to see the fruits of some of our labor,” Ghaly said. “Doing that supply-demand matching has been effective and paid off.”
Some counties have even been taken off the state watch list, including Napa County — the first in the Bay Area to meet state-mandated metrics. San Diego and Santa Cruz counties have also been removed from the state's watch list, reported the San Diego Union-Tribune. Health officials attributed the improvement to increased use of face coverings, increased disease investigations and helping those who are sick to isolate.
A QAnon foothold in San Diego County
Reporter Andrew Dyer took a look at a Facebook group where conspiracy theories, racist banter and calls for violence persist. The online community called Defend East County that organized after a Black Lives Matter protest in La Mesa has grown to more than 20,000 members.
The Facebook group has become a clearinghouse for right-wing conspiracies about who is funding Black Lives Matter and what ties it may have to liberal political funder and conservative boogeyman George Soros. Learn more about this group — and QAnon — by reading his story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Avocado bear in my orchard!
A man working in an avocado orchard near Santa Paula was bitten by a bear last weekend, according to the Ventura County Star.
"The bear approached the man unprovoked as far as we can tell and started to bite him," said Capt. Patrick Foy with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "It bit him in the leg."
The man was hitting the bear with a pair of pruning shears when two other people in the area came to his aid, picking up whatever they could to strike the bear with. Then the bear ran off.
The man, who sustained a bite wound and scratches, was treated for minor injuries.
Authorities did not say whether the bear was injured — or if he got away with any avocados in his picnic basket.
In California is a roundup of news from across Paste BN Network newsrooms. Also contributing: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, Tahoe Daily Tribune and Napa Valley Register.