OB Rag

by Ernie McCray

Two people kept Martin Luther King’s
spirit of love
breathing
for me
on MLK Day,
Steve Phillips,”
writer and founder of Democracy in Color,
and Grammy Award winning jazz trumpeter
and film score composer,
Terence Blanchard.

By Laura Reiley / The Washington Post – Reader Supported News / Jan. 20, 2023

The Agriculture Department announced new guidelines for products labeled “organic,” a term that has been increasingly abused as shoppers have sought healthier, environmentally friendly food.

The USDA has a strict definition of “certified organic,” allowing the label to be used only for products that meet certain standards for soil quality, animal-raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives.

By John Dolan and Andy Greene / Rolling Stone – Reader Supported News / Jan. 20, 2023

David Crosby, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist who helped shape the sound of Sixties rock and beyond, died Wednesday night at the age of 81. A source close to Crosby confirmed the musician’s death to Rolling Stone, but did not disclose a cause.

Crosby was a founding member of the Byrds, playing guitar and contributing harmony vocals to their most enduring songs, including “Eight Miles High,” “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Shortly after being forced out of the group due to personality conflicts with frontman Roger McGuinn, he formed the supergroup Crosby, Stills, and Nash with Buffalo Springfield’s Stephen Stills and Graham Nash of the Hollies.

By Dorian Hargrove / CBS8 / January 16, 2023

Beginning in 2023, thousands of low-income families in San Diego can move into what were traditionally unaffordable neighborhoods after the San Diego Housing Commission raised the value of Section 8 housing vouchers throughout the city.

The change takes effect after a protracted legal battle brought by the San Diego NAACP and the San Diego Tenant Union, which accused housing commission leadership of making San Diego neighborhoods more racially segregated and preventing lower-income households from using their housing vouchers in higher-income neighborhoods.

San Diegans of every stripe are being asked to report potholes as additional teams from the city will be out in force to make pothole repairs.

Residents are encouraged to report potholes by using the Get It Done application or by calling 619-527-7500.

Here is a statement from the city:

This week, dozens of additional teams are being assigned to make pothole repairs and the City’s Transportation Department is repurposing other asphalt and concrete crews and equipment to support the work …

This weekend, beginning on Friday, Jan. 20, there will be Women’s Marches across the country.

Here in San Diego, there’s a march on Sunday, Jan. 22, from 12noon to 2pm at Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Hwy, San Diego 92101.

The Voice of San Diego reports today that “after a year of bargaining, High Tech High’s new teachers union has reached a tentative agreement on a contract with the school’s leadership. The breakthrough comes after the charter network’s board of trustees declared an impasse a few months ago.”

Back in November 2022 there was an impasse with the board. But there has been progress, as VOSD reports:

The two outstanding issues on the table were who would make a final decision if a teacher appealed a firing, and how long of a probationary period new educators would need to complete before becoming established teachers.

By Colleen O’Connor

Why can’t a man lead more Like a woman, specifically, like the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern who announced her resignation Thursday.

Remember the classic My Fair Lady stage and film rendition with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn where he tried to turn a flower seller of the streets into a cultured gem (all in an attempt to win a bet)?

Tragically, the NZ Prime Minister since 2017, has left as one of the most admired, energetic, conscientious, and noble of world leaders.

By Kelvin Henry /SanDiego7 News /January 13, 2023

The Kearny Mesa Community Plan which was adopted in 2020 will have changes coming to the Convoy District in 2023.

One of the changes will be the addition of bike lanes. The bike lanes are a part of a plan to add alternative transportation options to the area.

by Joaquin Antique

This past weekend’s storm knocked down a large pine tree at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, uplifting several tombstones and pounding another like a nail into the ground.

Thankfully, no coffins or burial remains were exposed.

There are approximately 100,000 souls interred at Ft. Rosecrans.

Let’s have this discussion. San Diego needs to have it.

Bill Walton — probably San Diego’s most famous personage — and George Mullen, the CEO of Sunrise Ranch, have just penned an opinion showcasing their vision of a solution to San Diego’s unhoused.

They offer up something called Sunrise Ranch to be built as a camp for unhoused people on 2,000 acres of empty land at the Miramar Marine Corps Station, the former Camp Elliot weapons range.

They write: