Rising fever

Sep 4, 2018

 

This definitely falls into the bad news category: California’s valley fever is on the rise

 

From Capitol Weekly's LISA RENNER: ""He had a splitting headache that was so bad that he had to stay in dark room with the blinds drawn and his sunglasses on. He was eventually diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis meningitis, the most severe form of valley fever."

 

Today, nearly seven years later, the 45-year-old Bakersfield resident must take medication daily to control the symptoms and visit a doctor once a month for additional treatment. “I’m able to work,” he said. “I have a pretty good life. But I don’t have the energy I had.”

 

"Valley fever, an illness caused by a fungus that lives in dirt and soil, is on the rise in California. The state public health department recently announced that 2017 saw the highest number of new valley fever cases recorded since the illness was first reported individually in 1995. There were 7,466 new cases reported last year, with nearly 64 percent occurring in the Central Valley and central coast,including Kern, Kings, Fresno, Tulare, Madera, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. Though the valley and coast seem to have very different environments, state public health officials say the soil and climate are similar enough to support the growth of the valley fever fungus" 

 

Just when you thought the wildfires may finally be over for a while, another one pops up

 

From the Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA: "A fast-moving wildfire that ignited in the Tahoe National Forest on Monday quickly grew to 650 acres, prompting the evacuations of several campgrounds at the end of the Labor Day holiday weekend."

 

"The blaze started around 4:30 p.m. in the North Fork campground, south of Emigrant Gap, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection."

 

"By Monday evening, the Placer County Sheriff’s Department began evacuating the North Fork, Onion Valley and Tunnel Mills campgrounds on Texas Hill Road. The area around Lake Valley Reservoir was also being evacuated."

 

READ MORE about fires: California lawmakers ratify new efforts at wildfire prevention and assessing who's responsible -- LATimes' JOHN MYERS; California approves measure to pass on wildfire costs -- AP's JONATHAN J. COOPER; Lawmakers approve bill that makes PG&E, ratepayers share wildfire costs -- GUY KOVNER, Press Democrat

 

Landmark California net neutrality bill heads to Brown after final Senate passage

 

From the Chronicle's MELODY GUTIERREZ: "California lawmakers sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill with the strongest net neutrality protections in the nation on Friday, putting the question of whether the state should restore internet regulations in the hands of the termed-out governor."

 

"Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced SB822 after the Federal Communications Commission voted in December to overturn Obama-era regulations that barred internet service companies from slowing rival websites or those that don’t pay for faster service."

 

“The premise fundamentally of net neutrality is that we as individuals get to decide where we go on the internet as opposed to being told where to go,” Wiener said Thursday."

 

Speaking of bills sent to the governor, lawmakers also sent his way a bill to expedite rape-kit testing

 

The Chronicle's MELODY GUTIERREZ: "California would require all rape kits to be tested promptly under a bill headed to Gov. Jerry Brown."

 

"The state Senate approved SB1449 by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino (San Bernardino County), on a 39-0 vote Friday, one day after the Assembly passed it unanimously."

 

"Under the bill, rape kits — evidence collected after a sexual assault — would have to be sent to a lab within 20 days, and labs would have to complete their analysis within 120 days. Those timelines are currently recommended in state law, but not required."

 

READ MORE about bills: California’s 2017-18 Legislative Session Is Over. Find Out What Laws Passed And Failed Here -- BEN ADLER, BEN BRADFORD and NADINE SEBAI

 

It was a weird moment: State Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman announced a boycott of the In-N-Out burger eatery, then walked it back.

 

From the Bee's ASHLEIGH PANOO: "There is no boycott,” Bauman said. “I put one tweet out at 10:30 at night and it turned into a whole thing. We’ve raised so much money in small donations as a result of that one tweet and so many people have engaged with that tweet, almost a million people, so it’s amazing how it became this big boycott.”

 

"Bauman tweeted from his account on Wednesday, using the hashtag #BoycottInNOut and sharing info about the fast food chain’s $25,000 donation to the GOP."

 

"Earlier this week, the state party’s communications director said that the boycott was Bauman’s personal view, and was not being taken as an official stance."\

 

Now here's something you don't see every day: A senator from Orange County getting reprimanded for giving noogies

 

From CALmatters' LAUREL ROSENHALL: "State Sen. John Moorlach put a woman in a headlock and gave her a “noogie” while they were posing for a photo at a reception—something he said he does frequently in good fun, according to investigative records released Friday by the state Senate."

 

“While your behavior… does not appear to be sexual in nature, it is still considered ‘unwanted behavior’ and as such is inappropriate and a violation of our policy,” Senate leaders wrote in a letter to Moorlach, a Republican from Costa Mesa."

 

"The letter says Moorlach had previously been counseled for inappropriate touching because he poked an employee in the stomach. It instructs him to “stop giving ‘noogies’ or touching anyone in ‘fun,’ regardless of whether you believe the ‘noogies’ or touching are wanted or welcomed by the recipient."

 

Meanwhile, cops in Berkeley are going to be carrying a special anti-opioid drug in order to combat overdoses

 

The Daily Cal's SABRINA DONG reports: "Berkeley Police Department is currently training officers to use Narcan, a “lifesaving” drug that stops opioid overdoses, so that they can carry it in the field, according to a Nixle alert released Thursday."

 

"Many law enforcement departments have implemented Narcan programs because opioid abuse and overdoses have continued to increase over the past several years, according to the Nixle alert."

 

"Agencies using Narcan have been able to reduce the number of fatal overdoses. The programs also allow officers to give the medication to each other in events of accidental exposure, according to the alert. BPD expects to deploy its new Narcan program as soon as officers finish their training on how to use the medication."

 

And finally, from our "So What's With Jeff Goldblum?" file, we find a store that is filled with his image. I know, we can't figure it out either.

 

"In what can only be described as a blessing from above, a charity store has been discovered that has filled all its picture frames with Jeff Goldblum."