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August 7 - 11, 2006
Monday, Aug. 7
Equipment Failures at LAX
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Flights into Los Angeles International Airport were disrupted this morning after an instrument landing system failed on one of the runways. Arrivals were about 15 minutes late and an Alaska Airlines flights was diverted to Ontario International Airport. Guest host Jon Beaupre talks with Tom Winfrey of the Los Angeles World Airports, Erik Rigler, a consultant with G-Force, a New Mexico-based airline safety consultancy, and Morgan Durrant, spokesman for US Airways.
Is L.A. Business Friendly?
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Those considering opening a new company in town might take note of a recent report listing Los Angeles as the sixteenth most expensive city in which to do business in the U.S. The L.A. City Council is trying to change that with reforms passed last week to continue business tax exemptions for start-ups as well as changes to the convoluted business tax code. Tough competition comes from surrounding cities such as Long Beach, Burbank, and El Segundo, all of which are finalists in the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation's contest to find the most business-friendly city for its residents. Guest host Jon Beaupre talks with L.A. City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, Long Beach mayor Bob Foster, and Jack Kyser of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation about what works and what doesn't.
World Choir Games Champions
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The Crenshaw High Elite Choir returned from China triumphant in the 2006 World Choir Games, bringing home three medals. Competing in Xiamen, China, the 50-member choir under director Iris Stevenson, won a gold medal in the gospel and spiritual category, and silvers in the scenic folklore and jazz categories. Stevenson shares their story with guest host Jon Beaupre.
Tuesday, Aug. 8
Governor, Tribe Sign Gaming Contract
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and one of the state's richest Indian tribes announced a deal today that would send nearly $2 billion in casino earnings over the next two decades to the state's general fund. In exchange for giving up a previous deal that did not require the tribe to feed California's coffers, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians would be allowed to increase from 2,000 to 5,000 the number of slot machines it operates, as well as open a third Palm Springs-area casino.
Guest host Jon Beaupre speaks with Tamara Keith, KPCC Sacramento reporter; Nancy Conrad, spokeswoman for the Aqua Caliente Tribe Band of Cahuilla Indians; I. Nelson Rose, Professor of Law at Whittier Law School; and Sacramento Bee columnist, Dan Walters.
Heat's Quiet Victims
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The heat wave that gripped California this summer has been deadly for the elderly and others who cannot or choose not to seek cool shelter. Who's looking after our most at-risk citizens? Guest host Jon Beaupre talks with Eric Lamoureux of the California Office of Emergency Services and Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director, LA County Department of Public Health, about emergency plans that are in place and ideas for improvements. Claudia Curry, director of the Altadena Senior Center, and Evelyn Elem, a senior who found respite in a cooling center, talk about their experiences during the high temperatures of late July.
Pulp on Pulp Fiction
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Ravaged by the devastation of the Great Depression, 1930s America turned to pulp fiction for escape. Paul Malmont's new novel The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril (Simon and Schuster), is a celebration of and a riff on pulp fiction and the reality of the noir era.
Wednesday, Aug. 9
Auctioning the Airwaves
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High-speed Internet access, streaming video, music downloads and other special new features may soon be in store for mobile phone owners thanks to an unprecedented airwaves auction. The auction, conducted by the Federal Communications Commission, begins today and is expected to last a month. It has attracted 168 interested bidders, each hoping to offer the next generation of wireless services. A total of 1,122 licenses are up for bid, each valid for an initial term of 15 years. It may be the auction of a lifetime for telecom competitors, but what will be the price for consumers and the future of our airwaves?
Guest host Jon Beaupre speaks with Ron Grover of Business Week and James Thoreen, Consulting Manager for GVNW Consulting which is helping 11 smaller telecom bidders in the auction.
A Changed Valley
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Robberies on are the increase in the San Fernando Valley and no-one seems to know why. Jon Beaupre looks at the changing face of the Valley with Ron Kaye, managing editor of TheDaily News, and Philip "Flip" Smith, long-time resident and community activist.
The United States of Insomnia
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Americans just can't sleep...a recent study shows that we take fifty percent more prescription sleep aides than we did in 2001...yawn. Guest-host Jon Beaupre takes a look at the reasons for this trend and the pitfalls of over prescribing with Dr. Marvin Lipman, reviewer of the Consumers Union Report detailing this trend, and Dr. Ron Epstein about the impact of advertising on use of these drugs.
The Onion Peels Off its L.A. Edition
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The fake news newspaper is finally coming in to Los Angeles. The Onion The Onion, "America's Finest News Source" will begin distribution of a Los Angeles edition starting tomorrow. In addition to the world and national stories, the local edition will insert articles with a Southland slant. Guest host Jon Beaupre chats with Joe Garden, writer and features editor at The Onion, about L.A.'s newest news.
Thursday, Aug. 10
Terror Plot Thwarted
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British police thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up 10 U.S.-bound jetliners with a peroxide explosives in a nearly simultaneous strike over the Atlantic that could have killed
thousands of people. In raids across England, authorities arrested 24 people based partly on intelligence from Pakistan, moving quickly because U.S. officials said the bombings could have been only days away. Guests host Ted Chen has the latest in an expanded edition of Patt Morrison.
Guests include: KPCC reporters Tamara Keith, Rachael Myrow and Steven Cuevas; Steve Kohler, spokesman for California Highway Patrol; Brian Jackson, Associate Director of Rand's Homeland Security Program; Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Neal Langerman, Officer of the Division of Chemical Health and Safety for the American Chemical Society; Husain Haqqani, Director for the Center of International Relations at Boston University; and Lawrence Fetters, TSA Federal Security Director for LAX.
Friday, Aug. 11
UN Security Council Vote
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A vote is expected soon on a draft resolution at the UN Security Council aimed at ending the month-long Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. Guest Host Ted Chen gets the latest on the situation from Linda Fasulo, UN Correspondent for NBC News and longtime independent reporter for NPR; William Durch, Senior Associate at the Henry L. Stimson Center and Rafel Frankel, Jerusalem Correspondent for Christian Science Monitor.
National Guard Deployed to California Airports
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California National Guard arrives at airports amid questions about what troops will actually do. Ted Chen finds out with guest Major Jon Siepman, public affairs officer for the California National Guard.
Play Money
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Ever dreamed of quitting your day job to become a gold farmer or a dragon slayer? Thanks to MultiPlayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMPORG), the dream can now become reality. Millions of people are playing and working in virtual worlds, making virtual products and exchanging them for real money on eBay and special online storefronts. Journalist Julian Dibbell challenged himself to make more money in one year in the virtual world than throughout his career as a writer. He joins guest host Ted Chen to give his own first hand experience which he details in his new book Play Money: Or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot (Perseus Books).
Mike Douglas Remembered
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Longtime TV talk show host Mike Douglas died today on his 81st birthday. We remember him with Kathy Lennon of The Lennon Sisters.
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