Indy Digest: Feb. 29, 2024
I am a sentimental sort when it comes to places and spaces—and as I write this, I am definitely feeling sentimental.
About five years ago, I decided to look for a small office space, because I was feeling out of whack regarding my work-life balance. I was living alone, for the most part (the hubby was based in San Francisco for work), and after working from home for so long, home and work became blurred together. The thought of having a dedicated work space, so I could go to work and then come home from work, was appealing.
I looked around for a month or so and looked at a couple places, but nothing felt right. Then I saw a craigslist ad for a space at 1111 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way. That’s just around the corner from where I live, and the price was right, so I answered the ad and set up an appointment to look at the space.
It was a small, windowless office, near the end of a hallway, with space for two desks and little else—but it felt right. So I took it. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Even though I still worked from home on occasion, having the ability to go to work and then leave work made me feel instantly better. A year later, when COVID-19 hit, having a space, just for myself, where I could go, probably made my mental health a heck of a lot better. There are moments I spent in that office that I’ll never forget, such as the day in March 2020 when I decided to turn off our online events calendar, because there were no events. (I’ve written about the strangeness, the eeriness, of that moment before.)
Over the last couple of years, I started using the office less and less. The pandemic brought the hubby home (he now works from home full-time), and for reasons I can’t quite explain, it’s felt easier to work from home with him here. Then I took over what became our sister paper in Reno, and that’s taken me out of town more. Still, even though weeks could go by without me going to the office, it was nice to know it was there if I needed it.
It also proved to be a huge help when Haleemon Anderson started her California Local News Fellowship with the Independent back in September. It’s given her a space where she could work, and in recent months, she’s been using that second desk in the office far more than I was using mine.
About a month ago, I received a call from my landlord. She was calling to let me know she’d sold the building. She apologized—even though she there was no need for her to do so—and said escrow was expected to close around March 1, so we’d need to be out by the end of February. Of course, I put things off until the last minute (hooray for this being a leap year, giving me an extra day!), and the hubby and I spent a good portion of this afternoon clearing the office out—hence the somewhat tardy arrival of this Digest.
Yeah, it was just a small, windowless office. It may seem a little silly for me to feel sentimental about it—but it was a space where I spent thousands of hours of my life, including a whole lot deeply meaningful moments.
That space is no longer mine—and I miss it already.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Lending a Helping Hand: The L-Fund, Holding Its Annual Gala on March 9, Expands Its Mission of ‘Empowering Lesbians Through Philanthropy’
By Haleemon Anderson
February 28th, 2024
The L-Fund has been expanding its reach since 2012, when the five founders, initially just gathering socially, would chip in $20 each without a set plan or recipient in mind.
Continuing Re-Imagination: Closed Since 2020, the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert Has Revised Re-Opening Plans for May
By Kevin Fitzgerald
February 28th, 2024
While 40 new exhibits will be installed soon, the museum board decided not to rush that installation process, and to instead delay the official re-opening from March to late May.
March Astronomy: Coming Attractions Include Two Eclipses—and the First Appearance of a Particular Comet in 71 Years
By Robert Victor
Feb. 29th, 2024
A preview of the astronomy we’ll see in our skies in March 2024.
11 Days a Week: Feb. 29-March 10, 2024
By Staff
Feb. 28th, 2024
Coming up in the next 11 days: Inner Circle Art Society’s MedgarX’nJames; Billy Dee Williams at Palm Springs Speaks; and more!
The Weekly Independent Comics Page for Feb. 29, 2024!
By Staff
February 29th, 2024
Topics addressed this week include firmly worded tweets, Fani Willis, child labor laws, Stephen Miller—and more!
More News
• Have you heard about the kerfuffle involving the governor, the new minimum-wage law, and Panera? Well, here are the latest details, compliments of the Los Angeles Times: “Gov. Gavin Newsom’s spokesperson refuted a Bloomberg News story that alleged the governor pushed to exempt bakeries from the state’s fast food wage law to benefit a political donor who owns Panera Bread restaurants, calling the report ‘absurd.’ The Bloomberg story published this week alleged that Greg Flynn, a billionaire CEO of a restaurant group that operate Panera locations, lobbied Newsom’s top aides ‘to reconsider whether fast-casual chains such as Panera should be classified as fast food.’ The story alleged that Service Employees International Union California State Council agreed to exclude restaurants that operate bakeries ‘as a means of winning the governor’s support for the legislation.’ The story said ‘the rationale was the governor’s longstanding relationship with a Panera franchisee.’ ‘The governor never met with Flynn about this bill and this story is absurd,’ said Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Newsom. ‘Our legal team has reviewed and it appears Panera is not exempt from the law.’”
• The largest wildfire in Texas history is currently burning. And it’s just February. The Associated Press says: “A dusting of snow covered a desolate landscape of scorched prairie, dead cattle and burned out homes in the Texas Panhandle on Thursday, giving firefighters brief relief in their desperate efforts to corral a blaze that has grown into the largest in state history. The Smokehouse Creek fire grew to nearly 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers). It merged with another fire and is just 3% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Gray skies loomed over huge scars of blackened earth in a rural area dotted with scrub brush, ranchland, rocky canyons and oil rigs. In Stinnett, a town of about 1,600, someone propped up an American flag outside a destroyed home.” Eek!
• Consumer Reports is warning people that “knockoff” video doorbell brands have all sorts of security vulnerabilities. CBS Moneywatch reports: “The consumer advocacy group found issues with a dozen seemingly identical video doorbells sold under brand names including Eken and Tuck. All are made by the Eken Group, based in Shenzhen, China, and controlled through a mobile app called Aiwit, which Eken operates, CR said. … The doorbells appeared in multiple listings on Amazon, with more than 4,200 sold in January alone. Both brands are often touted as ‘Amazon’s Choice: Overall Pick,’ CR stated. … The troubles uncovered by CR researchers include: Exposure of a user’s home IP addresses and WiFi network names to the internet without encryption, potentially opening a user’s home network to malicious activity.”
• Condom use by gay and bisexual men, as well as others, is down … way down. This has health experts quite worried. The New York Times reports: “Gay and bisexual men are using condoms less than ever, and the decline has been particularly steep among those who are young or Hispanic, according to a new study. The worrisome trend points to an urgent need for better prevention strategies as the nation struggles to beat the HIV epidemic, researchers said. Over the past decade, prevention medication known as PrEP has helped fuel a moderate drop in HIV rates. And yet, despite persistent public health campaigns promoting the drugs, they have not been adopted in substantial numbers by Black and Hispanic men who are gay or bisexual. The use of condoms, which prevent HIV as well as other sexually transmitted infections, has been declining across the board in recent years, not just among gay men, contributing to a rise in sexually transmitted infections.”
• Today’s recall news involves … Toyotas! From The Associated Press: “Toyota is recalling about 381,000 Tacoma midsize pickup trucks in the U.S. because a part can separate from the rear axle, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall covers certain trucks from the 2022 and 2023 model years. Toyota said in a statement Tuesday that welding debris left on the ends of the axles can cause some nuts to loosen over time and eventually fall off. That can cause the part to separate from the axle, which can affect stability and brake performance. Toyota wouldn’t say if there have been any crashes or injuries caused by the problem.”
• And … Jeep Grand Cherokees! Here are the details, from CBS Moneywatch: “Stellantis-owned Chrysler is recalling more than 338,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees because of a ball joint issue that could result in a loss of control by the driver, potentially leading to a crash, the car maker said in a notice posted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The recall covers 338,238 of Chrysler’s 2021-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L and 2022-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. According to the recall document, the upper control arm ball joint and steering knuckle may separate and cause the wheel to fall outward, resulting in a loss of vehicle control. Vehicle control arms connect the wheel hub and steering knuckle to the frame of the vehicle. No reports of accidents or injuries tied to the recall have been reported.”
• And finally … since we started this section with a piece about Panera, it seems fitting to end with one about Panera. Fox Business says: “Panera Bread Company has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging the restaurant misled customers about delivery and menu prices on orders made through its app and website. As part of the agreement filed in the Circuit Court for St. Louis County, Missouri, Panera denies any wrongdoing, but determined it made sense to settle rather than incur further costs of defending itself by going through with a trial. … Under the terms of the settlement, Panera customers who ordered food from the company’s app or website between Oct. 1, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2021, may be entitled to compensation. … The deadline to file a claim is June 10, 2024, and those who qualify may choose to either receive two ‘Soups and Mac’ food vouchers worth $9.50 each, or a cash award of up to $12.”
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