San Diego, CA
Takeaways from the campaigning to win over rural voters in swing-state North Carolina
OXFORD, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden and Donald Trump have their sights on a handful of battleground states in the White House race, and North Carolina is one of them.
Rural voters in particular will play an important role for both campaigns, but the candidates will have to overcome voter indifference, fatigue and even disgust.
Both Democrats and Republicans hope face-to-face contact will help them make their case. In places like Granville County, a swing county tucked between the Raleigh-Durham area and the Virginia state line, that has already begun.
Here are some key takeaways from an examination of the campaign less than five months before the November general election.
Spending war for North Carolina’s airwaves
When it comes to advertising spending in North Carolina, Democrats are outpacing Republicans by a nearly 4-to-1 margin, according to AdImpact data. As of June 7, Democratic groups had spent more than $4 million compared with about $1 million from Republicans in the state.
That gap widens even further when looking ahead to the fall. For reserved ad slots between June 8 and Election Day, Democrats have spent more than $5.6 million so far, compared with $25,000 reserved by one Republican political action committee. Those reservations are subject to change as races come into focus.
The Raleigh-Durham area makes up a significant portion of advertising spending in North Carolina for both parties: almost $2 million for Democrats and more than $138,000 for Republicans. The area skews heavily Democratic, but it also borders counties such as Granville and Franklin that voted for Trump in 2020.
Tuning out the election
As a rematch of 2020 takes shapes, many people in the United States are not paying much attention to the election.
About 4 in 10 Americans in a Pew Research Center poll conducted in April said they are not following news about candidates in presidential contest too closely or at all. Younger adults are less likely than older ones to be following election news.
Many people already find the election exhausting, even if they are not tuned in. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults in the poll say they are worn out by so much coverage of the campaign and candidates. Those not following closely are especially likely to say they are exhausted.
Trump’s record with North Carolina’s rural counties
In a state with the second highest rural population in the country, winning over those voters is essential. Democrats may not win outright in rural parts of North Carolina, but if they can keep the margins close, they have a better chance to take advantage of their strength in the state’s urban areas.
Previous election results show that appealing to North Carolina’s rural voters may be easier for Republican Trump than for Democrat Biden.
In 2020, 64 rural counties backed Trump while only 14 went for Biden. Compared with his 2016 campaign, Trump’s winning margin grew in most rural counties four years ago.
Possible openings for Democrats
A handful of rural counties could be more competitive. Granville County, for example, had one of the tighter margins of victory for Trump — 53% in 2020 — among rural counties. That was a jump of 3 percentage points from 2016, when he narrowly won against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Before Trump, Granville County was considered a blue rural county. Democrat Barack Obama won it in 2008 and 2012. It’s one of six counties in North Carolina that made the pivot from Obama to Trump.
San Diego, CA
$50K Reward Offered In Unsolved Murder Of San Diego Barber
SAN DIEGO, CA — A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in a 2018 killing of a man in San Diego, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Monday.
Arthur Jordan, 28, was fatally shot July 19, 2018, by an unknown assailant while sitting in a car in the 3000 block of Martin Avenue. At the time of his death, Jordan was a barber working in his family’s barber shop.
San Diego Police Department investigators have interviewed witnesses and potential suspects, but have exhausted all leads.
“We are very thankful for the governor’s support in our efforts to find justice for Jordan and his family,” said SDPD detective Chris Murray.
Under California law, law enforcement agencies may ask the governor to issue rewards in specific unsolved cases where they have exhausted all investigative leads, to encourage individuals with information about the crimes to come forward. Public assistance is vital to law enforcement, and rewards may encourage public cooperation needed to apprehend those who have committed serious offenses.
SDPD has requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder, urging them to contact Sgt. Joel Tien at 619-531- 2323. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888- 580-8477.
San Diego, CA
Christmas Eve storm could hit San Diego County with 4 inches of rain and 40 mph winds
The souped-up Pacific storm that will hit San Diego County on Christmas Eve could drop 3 to 4 inches of rain over a short period, making travel dicey and raising the risk of flooding, the National Weather Service said.
San Diego averages less than 2 inches of rain in December and hasn’t had a drop this month.
The region will catch the tail of a storm that tapped into copious amounts of subtropical moisture, causing it to grow and become more explosive. The Pineapple Express, as some call it, will affect the entire state. The first big urban hit comes Monday when the system is expected to slam the San Francisco Bay Area. It’ll then sink toward Southern California.
The storm, which also is packing strong winds, could slow or disrupt traffic on Interstate 5 and U.S. Highway 101, prime routes between San Diego and San Francisco.
Forecasters say the system will push into Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire late Tuesday night and unleash heavy rain, and possibly lightning, on Wednesday. The wind could gust as high as 40 mph in spots from San Diego to Julian, forecasters said.
The most intense rain is expected to fall from mid-morning until late-afternoon Wednesday, when last-minute Christmas shoppers will be crowding freeways. Downpours could close some parking areas at the Fashion Valley Mall in Mission Valley, which often floods in heavy rain. Showers will last into Thursday, Christmas Day, and forecasters say a second storm could hit over the weekend.
A flash flood watch will be in effect countywide from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Thursday.
The forecast has turned worrisome over the past couple of days.
The weather service earlier thought the storm could produce about 1.5 inches of rain in San Diego, and roughly twice as much across inland valleys and mountains.
On Sunday, they said San Diego could get 2.5 to 4 inches of precipitation. And there was deeper confidence that some areas east of Interstate 15 would be seeing 3 to 4 inches of rain.
Snow isn’t expected, though. The storm is comparatively warm due to its connections with the subtropics.
San Diego, CA
Longtime San Diego bike shop hit again by thieves ahead of holidays
A longtime San Diego bike shop is struggling to recover after its latest burglary — a break-in the owner says cost thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise and damages just days before the holiday shopping rush. The shop, “San Diego Bike Shop,” is located at 619 C Street.
The shop’s owner Moe Karimi says this is not the first time thieves have targeted his business, despite repeated efforts to improve security.
The small business has installed surveillance cameras, reinforced doors and even upgraded to shatter-resistant windows. Still, the owner says it hasn’t been enough to stop criminals from breaking in.
“It’s a very upsetting thing that you wake up at four o’clock in the morning and come up here and face the broken door and window,” said Karimi. “You walk in and see half the store is empty.”
Karimi says repeated burglaries have taken a growing toll on his business over the years.
“It has always progressively gotten worse and worse,” he said.
Surveillance footage from the most recent break-in shows multiple suspects inside the shop. Karimi says dozens of bikes were stolen — many of them high-end models with hefty price tags.
“It’s not just the money that was lost — the physical money,” Karimi explained. “I lost a lot of money because of not selling.”
The timing, he says, couldn’t be worse.
“During the holiday season, when there’s so much product taken out of your store, your sales drop because you don’t have the products,” he said. “And it takes time to replace that.”
Karimi opened the bike shop in 1999 and says he’s made it a priority to stay proactive when it comes to security.
“Every year I add some kind of security feature. I reinforce the doors and gates,” he said. “But still, if they want to get in, nothing stops them.”
Now, the repeated break-ins have left him feeling uncertain about the future.
“I feel very insecure in my business — that every day something can happen,” Karimi said. “It seems to me that nobody cares at the street level what happens in San Diego. It’s terrible.”
The San Diego Police Department says it is still investigating the burglary.
In a statement, police said in part:
“Shortly after 4:00 a.m., multiple suspects forcibly entered the business and stole property before fleeing the area. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made at this time.
The business owner reported an estimated loss of approximately $15,000 in stolen property. The exact inventory and total loss remain under review.
Detectives are actively reviewing surveillance footage and working with partner agencies as part of the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to contact San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Detectives are actively reviewing surveillance footage and working with partner agencies as part of the ongoing investigation.”
-
Iowa1 week agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Iowa1 week agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine6 days agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland1 week agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
New Mexico6 days agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
South Dakota1 week agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago‘Love being a pedo’: Metro Detroit doctor, attorney, therapist accused in web of child porn chats
-
Maine6 days agoFamily in Maine host food pantry for deer | Hand Off