XBB.1.5 Takes Hold, but Local COVID Stats Hold Steady; the PS International Film Fest Is Back! Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest

Indy Digest: Jan. 5, 2023

In a couple short months, this newsletter will celebrate its third birthday. (Well, it would if newsletters could actually celebrate birthdays, but I digress.)

As the birthday approaches, I’d love to hear from you on what you like about the Indy Digest; what you dislike; and what you’d like to see done differently.

While the news around us keeps changing, and the frequency of the Digest has varied, the goals of this newsletter have always been the same: to share the Independent’s great content, and to share a curated, contextualized list of trustworthy news stories, both local and national, that may be of interest—perhaps because that news could affect you, or perhaps because it may be news you missed. I’ve always sought to do these things with a personal touch, as both a journalist and as your neighbor.

In recent months, I’ve heard from a few readers who say they want more local news, and less national news, included in the Digest. I’ve also heard from some readers who say that because I read WAY more news online than any one human being probably should, they want MORE non-local news links.

So … what do you want to see from the Indy Digest as we embark, for better or for worse, on the journey that will be 2023? Hit reply, and let me know!

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• So … speaking of the journey that will be 2023, what do experts think will happen with the economy? Two economists, writing for The Conversation, looked into their educated crystal balls and detailed what they see. A sample: “Yes, there’s a likelihood that the economy is going to contract in the next nine months. The president of the New York Fed expects the unemployment rate to go up from 3.5% currently to somewhere between 4% to 5% in the next year. And I think that will be consistent with a recession. In terms of how much worse it can be beyond that, it’s going to depend on a number of things. It could depend on whether the Fed is going to accept a higher inflation rate over the medium term or whether it’s really committed to getting the inflation rate down to the 2% rate. So I think that’s the trade-off.”

• Moving on to the pandemic, which is also turning 3 years old: Last week’s testing of Palm Springs wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 showed a decrease in the amount of the virus: “The average number of copies (per liter) recorded at the city’s wastewater treatment plant decreased. The average of 1,099,082 copies/L from the previous week went down to an average of 538,940 copies/L for December 26 and 27, 2022.”

• Related: There’s a new dominant subvariant. CNBC explains: “The XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant that’s currently dominating the U.S. is the most contagious version of COVID-19 yet, but it doesn’t appear to make people sicker, according to the World Health Organization. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, said global health officials are worried about how quickly the subvariant is spreading in the northeastern U.S. The number of people infected with XBB.1.5 has been doubling in the U.S. about every two weeks, making it the most common variant circulating in the country. ‘It is the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet,’ Van Kerkhove told reporters during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday. ‘The reason for this are the mutations that are within this subvariant of omicron allowing this virus to adhere to the cell and replicate easily.’”

• Moving to legislative matters, both statewide and national: Our partners at Calmatters examined the makeup of the state Legislature, and the demographics of California’s residents as a whole, to see how they compare. The result? “The California Legislature that reconvenes today is the most diverse ever: It includes a record number of women, occupying 50 of 120 seats, with one still being contested. It also includes an all-time high of Latino legislators, as well as lawmakers who openly identify as LGBTQ. And it now includes its first Muslim and Sikh members. But how representative are legislators of California as a whole? The proportion of women, Latinos and Asian Americans still isn’t at parity with their share of the state’s population.“

• Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Congress—as of this writing—has yet to elect a speaker of the House. The delay could lead to some significant consequences … because it means that as of now, we don’t actually HAVE a Congress. The Associated Press explains: “Off the floor, members are operating under the rules for the last Congress—they think. No one really seems to know, and there are concerns about what would happen if the stalemate were to last until mid-January, when paychecks are expected. Some staff are in limbo—only provisionally employed if they are new hires or switching jobs. … As the hours ticked by, members started to ponder what-if scenarios. (California Rep. Ted) Lieu said he worried that lawmakers aren’t able to look at classified documents important to national security, and wouldn’t be able to respond to a world crisis. Could websites be updated? Would emails continue to work?“

• If you’re interested in learning more about the art(s) of theater, you should know that the CVRep Conservatory’s winter classes start next week. From a news release: “Classes are held in 12 or 6-week sessions, and include musical theater, acting, improvisation and others. All classes are taught by renowned Broadway, film and television veterans. Classes are offered for teens through adults. … Classes are non-competitive and nurturing. Students also have the advantage of becoming part of CVRep’s talent pool for the professional mainstage productions. For younger students especially, the Conservatory’s classes can help to improve self-confidence and collaborative skills, which give them an advantage socially, in school and business throughout their lives.” Classes cost from $275 to $550, and scholarships are available. Learn more cvrep.org/conservatory-outreach.

• And finally … tonight (Thursday), for the first time since 2020, a Palm Springs International Film Festival event will take place live and in person! It’s the very sold-out, fancy-schmancy awards gala. The festival begins in earnest tomorrow, Friday. Read our interview with Lili Rodriguez, the fest’s artistic director, here, and then head to psfilmfest.org for tickets and other info.

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