Major funding for KPBS Evening Edition has been made possible in part by Bill Howe family of companies providing San Diego with plumbing, heating, air restoration and flood services for over 45 years.

Call one 800 Bill Howe or visit Billhowe.com.

And by the Conrad Prebys Foundation.

Darlene Marcos Shiley and by the following.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

A beloved former charger turned San Diego sportscaster has died.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm John Carroll in for Maya Trabulsi.

Billy Ray Smith was just 64.

His family says he died peacefully Wednesday.

He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1983 to 1992.

KPBS reporter Alexander Nguyen is live in the newsroom, with more on Smith's legacy and his battle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Alex.

John Billy Ray was well-loved in San Diego.

In fact, he and his wife, local TV news anchor Kimberly Hunt, were named San Diego's Nice Guys of the year just before his death.

The one thing that people will say about Billy Ray was that he was fiercely loyal.

Billy Ray Smith, or BR, as he was known, played his entire time in the NFL here with the San Diego Chargers.

And when his playing career ended, he stayed in San Diego, becoming a broadcaster and philanthropist.

If there was anything he could do to use his name and his notoriety to help an organization, he would.

Sportscaster Scott Kaplan worked with Smith on The Scott and VR show from 2001 to 2019.

He says Smith's loyalty goes beyond the team and the city it extended to friends and fans alike.

Kaplan recalls a story about big Mike, who started out as a fan and became close friends with Smith.

So when the guy needed help with a conversion van, Billy Ray was there with either money or to help raise money to to get him a van.

You know, when this gentleman was dying, Billy Ray was there very much by his side.

This is the one on one stuff he did that people didn't see.

He had probably one of the firmest handshakes, I think, ever.

KPBS midday and roundtable technical director Brendon Truffa worked with Smith toward the end of his broadcasting career at the Mighty 1090.

Great sportscaster and an amazing football player, too.

I think that kind of gets lost on people.

On how great he actually was.

He's in the Chargers Hall of Fame, is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Just a great dude overall.

Truffa says toward the end of his career, he could see the effect all those years of playing had on Smith.

I would introduce myself and then, you know, he'd be like, oh, I don't think I've met you before.

And I've been like, I've, you know, I've been here for a little while and we've met, you know, you just have to remind him that we had met before.

That was evident to Kaplan as well.

He would prepare for the radio show.

He'd want to know every detail, every piece of information.

That's what really changed things.

Because as as the brain damage from football progressed over the years, he couldn't remember stuff anymore.

And if he couldn't remember stuff, he couldn't really do the job on the air.

Smith sued the NFL in 2012 for concussion related injuries.

Kaplan says he did that to secure the future for his family.

Should anything happen to him because of his injuries.

Smith is the second former charger to die of CTE related causes.

The other person, of course, is genius.

Smith is survived by his wife and daughter, Savannah.

In the newsroom, Alexander Nguyen, KPBS news.

You know, Alex, I worked at channel ten from 2008 to 2013.

Billy Ray was gone by then, but he would come by a lot, obviously, because Kim was there and he was one of the funniest people I knew.

And I have a pretty high bar for a sense of humor.

Always had a very funny, wry joke, and he was just so kind to everybody was just to he was just a fine human being.

So our condolences go out to Kimberly and Savannah and the family.

Yeah.

John, you know, people tell him tell me that.

His laugh was infectious.

It was.

Yeah.

He had a big laugh.

Just like he was a big guy.

Alex.

Thank you.

Well, this story is a reminder of the risks that can come with playing contact sports.

KPBS has a special series called Game Time Decision that touches on that topic.

It's focused around youth sports and the decisions parents make in the process.

You can find it at kpbs.org.

We still have some very rough surf out there, because we still have the high surf advisories lasting until Saturday evening, and even the concern for some coastal flooding that will continue as we go into early Saturday morning.

All from Genevieve.

We will break it down in your full forecast coming up as summer heats up.

Covid cases are also beginning to climb in San Diego County, KPBS health reporter Heidi DeMarco says for those most at risk, there's a new treatment option.

San Diego County reported an increase in Covid cases last week.

We haven't have a well-defined pattern, but it looks like we're going to have another mini surge where we get this surge of cases.

It looks like towards the end of the summer here.

Doctor Ahmed Salem is a pulmonologist with sharp health care.

He says there's a new option to help prevent illness after exposure.

It's called Xocova, the first oral antiviral pill designed to help prevent people from getting sick, is now available by prescription in the U.S.

as the post-exposure.

So, you know, you've been exposed to somebody with Covid.

You don't have to be symptomatic.

And it's a five day regimen.

So you take the pills to hopefully not develop a full on site, full blown infection.

According to the drug's manufacturer, a clinical trial found Xocova reduced the risk of developing Covid symptoms by 67% if started within 72 hours of contact.

But Salem says the drug isn't for everyone.

If you're a healthy person and you've had exposure, you're likely not to get much benefit from this.

Instead, he says, it's best suited for people who are at higher risk of severe illness.

If you are in one of those vulnerable populations, you're immunocompromised, you're elderly, you have multiple medical comorbidities, and of course, you know, you've had an exposure and this would be beneficial.

But even for people who may benefit, getting the medication could be another hurdle.

The list price for the seven tablet regimen is about $1,400, though what patients pay will depend on insurance coverage.

And once we get that Medicare approval, then usually the other insurance companies will fall in line.

But, you know, insurance companies are usually not eager to to approve things.

So that can be a battle as well.

So we have to, as physicians, advocate for our patients if we think it's appropriate.

Heidi DeMarco, KPBS news.

A foodborne illness linked to a parasite now has cases in 45 states that, according to the CDC, many of those cases involve iceberg lettuce.

Leigh Waldman has an update on the investigation and why the parasite is so hard to find.

Cyclospora is really unique.

We have to remember that it is a single celled protozoan parasite.

It's not a bacterium.

So Cyclospora is really different basically in terms of all biology from salmonella or E.coli.

What makes Cyclospora so unique is part of what makes it so difficult for food safety experts like Doctor Kalmia Kniel and Doctor Craig Hedberg to trace labs can test and grow bacterial pathogens.

But with a parasite like Cyclospora, they're limited to whatever samples they have.

We just don't have the ability to say that this group of five Cyclospora cases are all related, and they're different from this group of ten Cyclospora cases.

There's an ongoing investigation into a large multistate outbreak centered in the Midwest.

Unfortunately, bacteria or Cyclospora contamination can't be seen by the naked eye.

So it takes an outbreak to identify a problem.

Unfortunately, the more cases that occur, you know, sort of the better our ability to work through those systems and find some of those common threads.

While the current Cyclospora outbreak is making headlines, other pathogens in food like E.coli, salmonella and listeria have led to outbreaks in the past.

This shows why protocols in place to protect our global food supply are so critical yet challenging.

Training is really critical when it comes to worker health and hygiene and making sure that people understand the why.

In New York, I'm Leigh Waldman.

The city of San Diego has renewed an agreement with Caltrans to continue clearing homeless encampments along freeways.

But KPBS Penner fellow Emmy Burrus says that's not all the city will do.

The city will continue clearing homeless encampments along a five mile stretch of freeways near downtown San Diego.

But now they'll also be able to remove graffiti, weeds, debris and trim trees.

Franklin Coopersmith is with the city's environmental services department.

So rather than just coming in removing the trash from the encampment, we can do other things like, you know, if there's graffiti on the side over there, get rid of that as we do it and try to make the whole area better.

Since the first agreement a year ago.

Coopersmith says the city has removed more than 413 tons of trash when they're planning to clean up an area.

City crews post signs at least 48 hours in advance, telling people who live there to clear out.

Then, when they show up for the abatement, an officer with the Neighborhood policing department will offer them services before they leave the area.

But some homeless advocates say that clearing encampments isn't a solution.

Brandon Green is the director of policy advocacy for the Western Center on Law & Poverty.

If it's not, designed in a way that is to give people, housing, economic mobility and stability, then it's not really solving the underlying issue.

Green says clearing encampments can make it harder for service providers to find and connect with unhoused people.

And he says oftentimes people end up along freeways because they are pushed out of other areas.

In the agreements first year, the city says 115 people exited homelessness into housing, including 19 people who got permanent housing.

Coopersmith says they hope to expand the stretch of freeway they can clean through grant funding in the future.

Emmy Burrus, KPBS news.

Students from tribal nations and bands in Southern California last week gathered at Barona Indian Reservation for a series of workshops on art and culture.

KPBS East County reporter Elaine Alfaro met some of the attendees who shared what the workshops and lessons mean to them.

My name is Talia and I'm 14 years old.

Talia Baller is at a sewing workshop at the Barona Recreation Center.

She's learning to make ribbon skirts, which have deep cultural and personal significance in Native American communities.

I like chose like the butterflies to like, represent like the women in my family and stuff and like the powerful, like bloodline.

And then I liked how it was teal because I love the ocean and like, blue and stuff.

Talia is paired with Melody seas from the Los Coyotes Reservation.

Melody helps her learn the meaning behind the sewing of the skirts.

The significance of have bird skirts is, it's like, you know, somebody taught me.

And, our job is to pass it on.

So that's that's what I'm doing, is passing on what I was taught.

The skirts represent a symbol of identity and connect to other traditions like bird singing.

Melody says they help tell the Lost Coyote's band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians creation story.

If we don't teach the young people how to do these things, then they're not going to know and they're not going to understand like what they're all about.

Talia is one of roughly 80 students who attended the two day gathering, hosted last week by the Native Youth Foundation.

Nations and bands who sponsored the event included the Barona Band of Mission Indians, Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay Nation, San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, and more.

In addition to the sewing workshops, students learned beading, pottery, and singing, among other activities.

They've made changes in recent years to align with the interests of the students.

Three years ago we had sports mainly.

None of the kids really went to them.

They went to all the beating, the fashion design, more the cultural stuff.

That's Keith Vasquez.

He's one of the organizers of the event now of year three.

We're all it.

It's all really cultural workshops and fashion.

He says the connection between the teachers and youth is by design.

Whether it's with the fashion, whether it's with the culture, the gourd that those kids can gain a mentor, or getting an uncle and auntie to help them, you know, live through this life.

Manuel Navarro is a councilman for the Barona Band of Mission Indians.

He's been part of an effort to preserve and teach bird singing, which connects to Talia's Skirt.

The songs and dances are one of the ways they tell and pass down their history.

I think birds singing it, it helps create and strengthen our identity of who we are.

A lot of these songs depending where but where you come from.

Bird you know, el sha, the different styles and variations, they have different stories, but all together they bring us together and our people together.

And one of the things I like to say when I, when I talk to people in a group about our people is this is so important because it's we don't want our ancestors to be forgotten.

We want them to continue through us, through our knowledge, through our life, through our breath.

Vasquez says it's important for the youth to know their people's history.

I know we all are so thinking for our future, right?

But in order for help, our future, I got to think about my past.

To think about what did I need not to go down those roads and what what would have prevented me from doing A, B, and C?

So when you put two and two together, this came like, I wish kids could know their identity.

I wish I could do my identity more as a Native American man, right?

Know my language more, know my teachings more and all that.

Not far from Talia, in the main auditorium, ten year old Linnea Spencer works with beads.

She shared why it was important to her to learn when it comes to our culture, it's like very, very cool.

Like people that she didn't know about in states they did this, that like stuff that she can remember and keep forever.

The students put on a fashion show at the end of the workshops.

Here again is Talia.

I'm excited because it's been like a long journey to like, make it and stuff and so like, say, like showed off.

She and her fellow students are ensuring the fabric of their culture is stitched between the past and future.

Elaine Alfaro, KPBS news.

We'd like to correct some information that aired earlier this week on Evening Edition.

It was about the Chula Vista City Council voting 4 to 1 to decline to put council member raises on the ballot this November.

Council member Michael Inzunza voted with the majority.

Our video for that story showed a subsequent 4 to 1 vote about the Charter Review Commission making recommendations on elected officials salaries.

The image on screen suggested Inzunza voted for advancing salary increases, but that was not the case.

He, in fact supported the decision not to advance the pay raise ballot measure.

Once again, the US Senate has voted on whether to formally oppose President Trump's war in Iran, and once again, the required number of votes fell short.

This morning's tally was 49 in favor and 50 against.

It's the 13th such vote since the war started in February.

Three Republicans voted with most Democrats.

One Democrat sided with Republicans.

The World Cup is behind us, and in a couple of years, Southern California will host another major global event, the Olympics, that will bring another round of intense law enforcement at sensitive locations like stadiums.

Tom Waite shows us how the illegal use of private drones is a rising concern.

New video from the FBI shows agents tracking down people illegally flying drones during the World Cup games here in Southern California.

The clips show the agents confronting people, operating the drones, confiscating them and citing the owners, the FBI saying these suspected illegal drone operators were flying them near SoFi Stadium and the fan zone at the Coliseum, violating a temporary ban.

Agents using the bureau's own drones to track down the pilots of the 700 drones seized across the United States, 59 were seized here in Los Angeles.

These are just some of the drones the FBI confiscated during the World Cup here in LA.

The head of the FBI's L.A.

field office says none of the drones they seized were weaponized.

But that is one of the chief concerns for the FBI as they prepare for the L.A.

2028 Olympic Games.

Obviously, on one extreme is that drone that carries a payload and is weaponized.

That is obviously something you're seeing quite frequently overseas and something that we're concerned about here in the United States.

The FBI emphasizing any drone can be a threat in a restricted area.

Agents pointing to this incident last year during the LA fires, when a man flew his drone into a super scooper, grounding it for five days.

The operator was fined $65,000.

Careless and clueless operation of a drone can impede helicopter operations.

We've had several LAPD helicopters that were struck by drone drones.

The FBI says temporary flight restrictions will always be enforced.

The penalties for flying a drone, even if it's just by accident, could range from $100 fine all the way up to $100,000.

And you could go to prison.

Drone security is just one aspect of the FBI's preparation for the upcoming Super Bowl and Olympic Games.

What I would say is, from a federal perspective and from the FBI perspective, we are actively working right now to identify the amount of resources that we will need here locally to secure the venues and the events.

Well, the past few days, Southern California has made the news nationwide due to some of the intense surf we've had and that has all been part of Genevieve, offshore spinning now, weakening in wind intensity.

But it is still pulling its way out to sea, so it'll start to get a little bit better for us as we go through time.

In fact, our high surf advisories lasting until Saturday.

But throughout the course of that time, we're going to have the heat ramping up, the worst of the heat coming through Friday, Saturday, and more so into Sunday.

And the heat dome is settling over the Rockies.

But there will still be some fire danger in our area as we look across the mountains, so be cautious if you are camping tonight.

68 for the low in the city, Chula Vista coming in at 66.

And as you look your way towards Ramona, 57.

Still a bit of a marine layer out there that will help to keep some of the heat at bay because it's starting to build.

As we head through tomorrow and right through the weekend, this high pressure system is going to be very strong throughout the interior west and across the four corners.

It means that we are still dealing with heat.

In fact, we have a heat advisory in place for downtown, and if you're a little bit more inland, you'll find that extreme heat warning.

This all starts as we go through Friday and last is through the weekend for a lot of this extreme heat ongoing.

So tomorrow's numbers are already picking up for us.

84 the high in the city as you work your way towards Escondido, coming in at 90 degrees and Borrego Springs topping out at 113.

The good news as I mentioned, Genevieve it's losing wind intensity.

Really looking pretty ragged here as it works its way into the Pacific and will continue to pull away from our area.

So the focus will be the heat as we head into Saturday and Sunday, with high temperatures back into the lower 80s for the coast here.

So that should be when we are in the 70s.

It's going to be quite toasty.

And for Inland Communities mid-nineties for Saturday and Sunday, certainly a lot of warmth will be in the mid 80s for the mountain locations as we go through Saturday and Sunday, and as we venture our way into the desert communities, we should be around 105 to 107.

And you can see we're in the 115 range on Saturday.

For KPBS news, I'm AccuWeather meteorologist Melissa Constanzer.

We have more on the intense surf in our region.

Some areas are preparing for possible flooding.

Leslie Marin shows us last night's scene in Long Beach before the high surf advisory took effect, and we take on quite a bit of water.

Sam Devine is preparing for possibly another night of trying to keep water from filling her garage.

This year we've been out.

It's like pushing the water through the alley, I think.

Three nights so far.

By dinnertime, waves were seen pounding the sand berm in the Alamitos Bay.

Sandbags lined many of the beachside homes.

And combined with this swell from the hurricane.

We currently have our beach crews fortifying the berm.

Marine Safety Battalion Chief Cameron Abel says teams were out all day fortifying the berm and repositioning this wall of plywood.

Both were knocked down by the waves last night.

Once the waves break through, that berm will hit that seawall.

And then they fortify the seawall with, dense plywood to kind of stop as much of that spill over, splash over all day from like seven in the morning until just a little while ago, they've been going back and forth and with sand and tractors.

Abel says the Long Beach Coast will see the elevated tides, but waves will be much stronger along the Orange County coastline, where today lifeguards made more than 50 rescues in Huntington Beach and more than 90 in Newport Beach.

How is it out there?

Little gnarly back in Long Beach.

Abel says lifeguards are also warning people about the conditions.

Tonight, they're keeping a close eye on the homes from 62nd place through 69th place.

They say an overnight crew will also be out here securing the berm.

Sam Devine is hoping for the best, but knows they'll unfortunately be many more nights where this area may flood.

I mean, this, like the El Nino season just got started.

Leslie Marin reporting.

We also have a story about gratitude for the work done by lifeguards in these dangerous conditions.

Dustin Dorsey spoke with the father of a boy rescued in Santa Cruz during an incident that's getting national attention.

We're just lucky.

Fortunate because of Ryder and the other people that helped that he actually survived this.

Saturday night, Sumit Rai received a call he never thought he would have his ten year old son, Nathaniel, on vacation in California with his eight year old daughter.

And his wife let Rai know that he had been in a drowning accident earlier that day.

From what I gather, he assumed he was going to die.

He was he was drowning.

He knew he was drowning.

He blacked out.

He went unconscious.

When he came out of the water, he was clearly limp.

It doesn't look like he was breathing.

Despite this, the heroic efforts of 16 year old Santa Cruz lifeguard Ryder Williams allowed Nathaniel to survive.

His fellow lifeguard Aaron Bonin, and others stepped in to help as well.

The entire 2.5 minute experience at Seabright Beach caught on camera by Scott Vander Dussen.

If the lifeguards were not there, it would have had a different ending.

God bless them and you know, thank you.

Like I cannot express sufficient gratitude.

There's nothing more valuable to me than my children.

And so to to save one of them and their lives.

I can't thank them enough.

Ryder has received nationwide praise, including from President Trump, who has invited him to the white House to receive a civilian honor.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta represents Santa Cruz and called Ryder's lifesaving actions remarkable, adding, we are very proud of this young man and his first rescue and are grateful that his inspiring actions were caught on video so that the world gets to see what our amazing local lifeguards do on a daily basis in Santa Cruz.

I think he deserves every medal and award and honor.

That's possible.

So deos Eric you know, everyone that helped the Good Samaritans.

In an interview with the Guardian, Ryder's father, Shane Williams, said his son was not doing it for fame or awards.

He was just a determined to save Nathaniel's life.

Quote I almost started crying because how determined he was to save that boy's life.

Makes me so proud.

He told me he doesn't know why everyone was blowing this out of proportion.

Shane added his comments to me are like any other lifeguard on duty would do the same thing I did.

Rai said Nathaniel is improving after the traumatic event and is still visiting California.

He can't wait to see his son again after nearly losing him in moments all caught on camera.

If I was watching that video, I wasn't sure if he'll make it, if I hadn't seen the end of it, and I wasn't sure, honestly, if the if the lifeguard would make it out with those conditions.

I'm just so grateful that Ryder and others were there to help pull him out and save his life.

Otherwise, I. I can't imagine what life would look like today.

Well, Dustin Dorsey reporting.

Here's a look at what we're working on for tomorrow in the KPBS newsroom.

NPR's Morning Edition is covering the growing doubt over President Trump's nominee for U.S.

Attorney general and KPBS roundtable.

Will have more on the impact made by former charger and media personality Billy Ray Smith that airs at noon on KPBS FM.

Of course, you can find tonight's stories on our website, kpbs.org.

Thanks so much for joining us, everyone.

I'm John Carroll.

Have a great evening.

Major funding for KPBS Evening Edition has been made possible in part by Bill Howe, family of companies providing San Diego with plumbing, heating, air restoration and flood services for over 45 years.

Call one 800 Bill Howe or visit Bill howe.com.

And by the Conrad Prebys Foundation.

Darlene Marcos Shiley and by the following.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.