Four Years of the Indy Digest; Please Check Your Kielbasa for Rubber–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: March 14, 2024

Indy Digest: March 14, 2024

On March 13, 2020, I made the decision to turn the Independent’s simple weekly newsletter into a daily missive with links to reliable news and information, both local and national, as well as commentary from yours truly. The first version of this newsletter was born.

That was the same day a national emergency was declared due to COVID-19. I was freaked out as the world was shutting down—chances are you were, too—and misinformation was running rampant.

The headline of that first Digest? “No More Visitors at EMC; PSUSD Closing for Two Weeks; and More!“

On March 13, 2024, I went to a sold-out Madonna concert at the Acrisure Arena. It was a packed house of screaming, excited locals, celebrating a pop and culture icon’s career, in our community’s brand-new arena.

So, yeah. Things are a lot better overall now than they were four years ago; there’s no question about that. But when you start to dig a little deeper, it becomes clear that some things, alas, are much worse.

The New York Times marked the four-year anniversary of the national-emergency declaration with a piece headlined “Four Years On, COVID Has Reshaped Life for Many Americans.” This passage was particularly striking:

One common sentiment has emerged. The changes brought on by the pandemic now feel lasting, a shift that may have permanently reshaped American life.

Before the pandemic, Melody Condon, a marketing specialist in Vancouver, Wash., who is immunocompromised, said she had a stronger sense of confidence in other people.

“Unfounded or not, I believed that for the most part, others would take small actions to keep me and people like me safe,” Ms. Condon, 32, said.

But now she has encountered people who resist taking a Covid test or wearing a mask in some situations.

“What they’re communicating is that they don’t care about my health and my life,” Ms. Condon said. “I have lost so much trust in others.”

Frankly, I feel similarly. I often think of how much worse things would be if another pandemic arrived now. The growing number of anti-science and uber-privileged “personal rights” folks—riled up by powerful politicians on the right—would simply not take the precautions needed to protect themselves and, more importantly, those around them.

The lockdowns brought out some good in people, yes. But it also shined a light on some of the darkest human traits in some people—like selfishness, a sense of privilege, anger and a disregard for the plight of others.

I am very, very happy we’re in a time of Madonna concerts and being around one another. But I am sad that my opinion of humanity today is much lower than it was on March 13, 2020.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Things are getting weird at the BNP Paribas Open today. KESQ News Channel 3 reports: “Play was suspended at the BNP Paribas Open after a bee invasion. A swarm of bees made their way to Stadium 1 and interrupted the quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. The match was even at one game a piece. Video shows Alcaraz having to quickly leave the court to take cover from the bees.” So, yeah, Bees!

• Part of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law has been nullified thanks to a legal settlement. The Washington Post reports: “A lawsuit settlement over Florida’s ‘don’t say gay’ statute announced Monday affirms that teachers and students can discuss LGBTQ+ issues and have access to related library books, largely canceling many of the impacts of the signature legislation from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The settlement was immediately praised by rights groups who said it marked a major victory for LGBTQ+ students, teachers and families who were effectively barred from speaking about their own personal lives or loved ones in same-sex relationships. … Under the terms of the settlement, the law itself remains in place but the state must clarify that it ‘restricts only classroom instruction on particular subjects—“sexual orientation” and “gender identity,”’ but does not restrict ‘the mere discussion of them.’ The law also cannot be applied to library books, a number of which had been banned.”

• The Conversation just published the disturbing results of an investigation into for-profit nursing homes. As the story’s headline says: “For-profit nursing homes are cutting corners on safety and draining resources with financial shenanigans—especially at midsize chains that dodge public scrutiny.” Some details: “The investigation revealed an industry that places a premium on cost cutting and big profits, with low staffing and poor quality, often to the detriment of patient well-being. Operating under weak and poorly enforced regulations with financially insignificant penalties, the for-profit sector fosters an environment where corners are frequently cut, compromising the quality of care and endangering patient health. Meanwhile, owners make the facilities look less profitable by siphoning money from the homes through byzantine networks of interconnected corporations. Federal regulators have neglected the problem as each year likely billions of dollars are funneled out of nursing homes through related parties and into owners’ pockets.”

• How’s California doing in terms of meeting its climate-change mandates? As our partners at CalMatters report … not great! The story says: “California will fail to meet its ambitious mandates for combating climate change unless the state almost triples its rate of reducing greenhouse gases through 2030, according to a new analysis released today. After dropping during the pandemic, California’s emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other climate-warming gases increased 3.4% in 2021, when the economy rebounded. The increase puts California further away from reaching its target mandated under state law: emitting 40% less in 2030 than in 1990 — a feat that will become more expensive and more difficult as time passes, the report’s authors told CalMatters. ‘The fact that they need to increase the speed of reduction at about three times faster than they’re actually doing — that does not bode well,’ said Stafford Nichols, a researcher at Beacon Economics, a Los Angeles-based economics research firm, and a co-author of the annual California Green Innovation Index released today.”

• Today’s recall news involves … air fryers! CBS News says: “Best Buy is recalling more than 287,000 air fryers sold across the U.S. and in Canada following dozens of complaints of the products overheating, melting or glass shattering, as well as six reports of the products catching fire. The recall involves Insignia Chinese-made Air Fryers and Insignia Air Fryer Ovens sold at Best Buy stores nationwide and online from November 2021 through November 2023 for between $32 and $180, the Richfield, Minn.-based retailer said on Thursday in a notice posted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Best Buy disclosed it has received 24 reports of overheating/melting or glass shattering, including six reports of air fryers catching fire. No injuries or property damage have been reported.”

• Next up: Sausage! CNN reports: “Salm Partners, the maker of Johnsonville sausages, recalled more than 35,000 pounds of turkey kielbasa sausage after consumers found pieces of rubber in the product, according to a US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service announcement. The turkey kielbasa sausages were shipped to retail locations nationwide and have the establishment number ‘P-32009’ printed on the side of the packaging, according to FSIS. They have best by dates of May 17, 2024 and May 18, 2024. There are no reports of adverse health events related to these products to date, FSIS said. Consumers are encouraged to seek out medical care if they suspect an injury related to the product.”

• And finally … sometimes, a headline reaches out and grabs you. This, from The Associated Press, was one of those headlines: “Rats are high on marijuana evidence at an infested police building, New Orleans chief says.” Tell me more! “Rats have gotten into confiscated pot at New Orleans’ aging police headquarters, munching the evidence as the building is taken over by mold and cockroaches, said the city’s police chief. “The rats eating our marijuana, they’re all high,” Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told New Orleans City Council members. Kirkpatrick described vermin infestations and decay at the offices that have housed New Orleans police since 1968, saying officers have even found rat droppings on their desks. The police department did not immediately respond to an emailed request Wednesday for more information on how they discovered marijuana was eaten by rats or whether any cases were impacted.” Ew!

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