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TODAY IS THE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARING FOR SB1470! I am headed to the Capitol this morning, and will be updating my Instagram stories as soon as we have results. Now, a bill can be discussed AT LENGTH in committee, it can take a long time. Weeks even. If it takes TOO long, it can kill the bill. But the reason we think our bill will go pretty fast, is because it has been through this process before… If you remember, the bill was originally introduced in the House so they have talked about it before, and hopefully this time, we are all on the same page. Echols, our House author, seemed optimistic that the language would pass quickly without changes… But we shall see.
I will keep you guys posted.
Mini stories:
- Search called off for the 6 missing in the bridge collapse… Given the nature of the accident, they are presumed dead, and two of their bodies were actually just recovered as I sat down to record this. That said, the Coast Guard plans to give it their all, trying to recover their remains, in an effort to get the families as much closure as possible.
- The bird flu is spreading… to cows
Now in the United States, cattle are becoming sick with the same flu that has been plaguing chickens and other birds. If you guys remember, this flu was one of several factors driving up the price of eggs as of late. Well now, this virus has jumped species.
Sick cattle have been reported in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico, primarily in older cows. Symptoms include less of an appetite, a fever, and dramatic drop in milk production. Luckily, there have been few reports of death, according to the USDA, HOWEVER… In a few cases, the virus WAS detected in milk from the infected cows… woof. But luckily, the process of pasteurization is believed to eliminate the virus… Specifically officials for the USDA said QUOTE “At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health.” END QUOTE, and outside experts seem to agree. Everyone has been onboard in saying that this is nothing to worry about.
Scientists are currently studying the virus, hoping to gain some insight into the disease in order to understand any potential risk. We will keep you guys posted.
- The California legislature passes proposition 1… but barely
So, as I am sure you guys are aware, the state of California has a homelessness problem. There is no way around it. Whether it’s the nice weather, lax laws, or caring people there that caused it to spiral out of control, it’s hard to say. But one thing is for sure – local government has struggled to combat this pervasive issue.
However, just recently, a measure known as proposition 1 was passed (just barely) in the state. It comes with $6.38 BILLION in tow, to try to address homelessness in California. The state is looking to fund both treatment AND housing… Do you’d think it would be a no-brainer for the people of California to vote for this, and that’s what Governor Newsom thought as well. But turns out, counting the votes took over two weeks, and the bill only passed by a very narrow margin. So what exactly happened? Well, when you take a look at the map, it shows that the bill garnered a lot less support outside of the cities being affected by pervasive homelessness. Those living in less populated areas, were not really in favor of the measure. The Bay Area and LA overwhelmingly supported it… but a large portion of the state, did not.
Primary elections DO attract a more conservative electorate, who may oppose the measure simply because it is put forward by Governor Newsom, who is a Democrat. Turnout was very low overall as well.
But at the end of the day, proposition 1 DID pass, and we will be very interested to see whether or not it helps those experiencing homelessness, experience a little more stability. We will definitely keep you guys posted.
- Scottish Trophy
So you guys know I love a historical and/or archeological moment… And here we are, with a nice slowww news day for me to lean into one for us, that I have had waiting in the wings for quite some time. Towards the end of February, a missing Scottish trophy was finally found after being MIA for about 95 years.
You see, in Scotland they have something known as the Highland Games where athletes will compete in games such as tug of war, hammer throwing, and stone carrying… They do this all while wearing traditional Scottish garb – kilts, knee socks, and cloaks… There are live musical performances involving bagpipes, fiddles, and even Gaelic harps, according to Cottages and Castles .UK. The games have existed in different forms for over 1000 years, but they took a break for a while between 1935, and 2022. And when the games were being brought back in 2022, they began the search for a missing trophy, known as the Rose Bowl.
A man by the name of Charles Taylor had won the games in 1926, 1928, and 1929. Winning three meant that he got to keep this Rose Bowl trophy… And guys, it is BEAUTIFUL. It is a widemouthed silver vessel that appears in the shape of a large flower and is detailed with floral carvings that look fairly historical but I could not find more info on the carvings online. That floral vessel, however, sits on a silver stand and the stand sits on an intricately carved wooden stand with flour legs. It’s beautiful, but small. And the family of the man who won it, could not find it for a while. Eventually, it was recovered at Charles Taylor’s grandson’s home… He was honored to return it to the games, and entrust it to a future successful Scottish athlete. All’s well that ends well!
And that, is the News Du Jour!
Today, I wanted to leave you guys with the quote:
“Never judge by appearances… a rich heart may be under a poor coat.”