Gov’t Employees Who Saved Lives; a Worrisome New Mpox Outbreak–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: March 28, 2024

Indy Digest: March 28, 2024

On Monday in this space, we discussed, tangentially at least, the pluses and minuses of big government.

Government workers get a bad rap, and more often than not, that rap is unfair. There are definitely areas in which the government could do things better—if you’ve ever used a state of California website, you know this is true. However, there are instances when government employees do their jobs incredibly well—and in one notable instance this week, lives were saved as a result.

You’ve probably seen the horrific video and images of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, after it was struck by a cargo ship having mechanical issues. Six people died in the tragedy—but it would have been much, much worse if not for the speedy, skilled efforts of various government employees.

Here’s an Associated Press piece, via PBS:

It was the middle of the night when a dispatcher’s warning crackled over the radio: A massive cargo ship had lost its steering capabilities and was heading toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Within about 90 seconds, police officers responded that they had managed to stop vehicle traffic over the Baltimore bridge in both directions. One said he was about to drive onto the bridge to alert a construction crew.

But it was too late. Powerless and laden with huge containers, the vessel smashed into a support pillar.

“The whole bridge just fell down,” a frantic officer said. “Start, start whoever, everybody … the whole bridge just collapsed.”

The audio of this conversation has been posted online. If you have a minute and 50 seconds, you can hear the whole thing. From the first mention of the SOS to the collapse, about 70 seconds go by—that’s it, and in that 70 seconds, police managed to stop traffic on both sides of the bridge. Everyone is calm, competent and efficient, even after the shocking collapse.

And lives were saved as a result. Just ask Gayle Fairman, who told Grey Television:

Thank goodness for these brave, competent police officers and dispatchers—government employees all.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Time magazine asks the question: “Why are so many young people getting cancer?” Some details: “Both in the U.S. and around the world, cancer diagnoses are growing more common among adults younger than 50. By 2030, one recent study estimated, the number of these early-onset cancer diagnoses could increase by roughly 30% worldwide—and the number of people who die from their conditions could rise by about 20%. ‘The most striking finding in the last decade has been this rise in incidence rates among young adults,’ says Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society (ACS). … In 2019, about 103 cancers were diagnosed among every 100,000 U.S. adults younger than 50, up from about 100 in 2010, according to a 2023 study in JAMA Network Open. That may seem like a small overall increase, but it’s not a good sign—especially since, during the same period of time, incidence rates among older U.S. adults decreased.”

• Our partners at Calmatters look at the steps the state is taking to try to fix the mess that is California’s insurance market: “With more California homeowners just discovering their insurance policies are getting canceled—and hundreds of thousands of others stuck with a pricey option of last resort—state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s efforts to fix the home insurance market can’t come quickly enough. Lara has introduced two main regulations, with more to come. The first, unveiled last month, aims to streamline rate reviews. State law gives the Insurance Department the power to approve or deny insurers’ requests to raise premiums. Insurance companies complain the process has been holding up the increases they seek as a result of what they say are increased costs due to rising climate-change risks and inflation. The second regulation will let insurers use catastrophe modeling—which combines historical data with projected risk and losses—along with other factors when setting their premiums. California is the last state to allow for catastrophe modeling.”

• A new mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has some infectious-disease doctors very concerned. NPR reports: “(Doctors) say the current situation represents a triple threat. First, the DRC is seeing record numbers. About 400 suspect cases are reported each week—the majority in children. Second, the strain of the virus that’s circulating is especially deadly, with up to 1 in every 10 people who get the virus dying. And third, the virus is behaving differently. Scientists say it is not only surfacing in new areas and new populations (including sex workers), but it’s also spreading in new ways—including sexually—and evading diagnostic tests. Together these issues have made it more urgent—and also more complicated—for the global health community to respond, say mpox specialists.”

• Today’s recall news involves … Kias! USA Today says: “Kia has recalled over 400,000 cars for increased rollaway risk while in park, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall, submitted to NHTSA by Kia on March 20, affects certain Telluride models. According to Kia, impacted vehicles may experience issues with the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft failing to engage due to assembly errors. Over time, these parts only partially engaging can cause damage, resulting in vehicle movement even when the vehicle is in park. Engaging the emergency parking brake before exiting affected vehicles can stop this unwanted movement from happening.”

• And … Subarus! CBS News says: “Subaru has recalled 118,723 vehicles because a sensor may short circuit, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash. The recall covers the Japanese automaker’s 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy models. An air bag malfunction would increase the chance of a passenger suffering injury in an accident, Subaru said in recall documents submitted last week to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). No injuries have been reported to Subaru related to the air bag issue, the company said. The affected Legacy and Outback vehicles have a sensor that detects when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. That sensor is connected to the vehicle’s Occupant Detection System (ODS). Subaru said that an outside company hired to make the ODS may have used faulty circuit boards inside the system, the company said in its recall notice.”

• And finally … if you’re looking for a little extra cash, and don’t mind massive crowds, perhaps you can work security at Coachella! From a news release: “Allied Universal, North America’s leading security and facility services company, is filling event staff and security positions to work at Coachella, the world’s largest outdoor music festival in Coachella Valley, Calif. Available positions include ushers, greeters, access control, crowd management and more.” Learn more here, and god bless you..

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