The Buzz 03.14.19

WHO’S IN TOWN?

As the late astrophysicist Carl Sagan used to say, there are billions and billions of stars in the universe. Somebody has to count them, or at least create the mathematical formulas to estimate. That’s where the American Astronomical Society comes in. The 7,000-member, Washington, D.C.-based organization was formed in 1899 with one mission: To enhance and share scientific understanding of the universe. The AAS is in town this week for the High Energy Astrophysics Division 17th Meeting. JournalistJoshua Sokol, winner of the 2019 David N. Schramm Award for High Energy Astrophysics Journalism, opens the conference at 5:30pm on March 17 with a free talk open to the public about how stories behind complicated research get told.

Sun-Thu March 17-21. Portola Hotel & Spa, 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey. $173-$812. aas.org.

FREE SPEECH

The U.S. border is not just a news subject. It also affects journalists’ ability to do their work, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are taking U.S. Customs and Border Protection to task. The journalist advocacy groups have long suspected CBP screens journalists’ phones and laptops. They were set to meet with CBP on March 8 – two days after NBC San Diego published a story confirming the worst fears are true. The station obtained a list titled “San Diego Sector Foreign Operations Branch: Migrant Caravan FY-2019, Suspected Organizers, Coordinators, Instigators and Media” that includes 10 journalists, seven of whom are U.S. citizens, for additional screening. Customs and Border Protection officials cancelled their scheduled meeting with CPJ, RWB and RCFP; in a March 12 letter, the groups call on CBP to at least come to the table. “We request a follow-up meeting as soon as possible to address these issues and discuss solutions.”

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges delivered good news on March 7 for Hartnell College: “We are very impressed by Hartnell College, and we commend you on developing a culture of professional excellence,” according to a report by Willy Duncan, chair of the 11-member visiting assessment team. Duncan’s report notes that Hartnell met every single standard, and identifies three recommendations to go above and beyond: more library services to improve student access; more detailed operations cost analysis; and a more complete technology master plan. The assessment team also called out three areas for special commendation: investment in student success; community partnerships; and assessing student achievement. Hartnell Superintendent Willard Lewallen expects the commission to accredit Hartnell for seven years when it convenes in June.

BAD:

Highway 1 in Big Sur gets battered no matter the weather, but it’s been a particularly rough few weeks with heavy rains. “Highway 1, given where it as at the edge of the continent in an area that is always moving, is historically prone to mudslides, rock slides, cracks in the roadway,” Caltrans spokesperson Jim Shivers says. “It’s part of the natural condition out there.” That natural condition has led to numerous short-term closures, including a closure from March 12-15 and a $100,000 emergency repair project just south of Mud Creek. That’s where, after a 14-month closure due to a massive landslide in 2017, a new highway reopened on July 18, 2018. That $54 million project is still settling, Shivers notes. “That’s a very dynamic area geographically,” he says. “We’re actually quite fortunate considering the amount of rain we’ve had this winter; the highway has held up pretty well.”