San Diego, CA
Robert Blackledge
Robert Blackledge
OBITUARY
Robert (Bob) D. Blackledge, of El Cajon, CA passed away on June 4, 2024, at home with his family after a short illness.
He was born in Manila, the Philippine Islands, on February 8, 1937, the son of William Clinton Blackledge and Helen Louise VanCuren Blackledge. He is survived by his spouse Sally McCollum Blackledge, his three children, James Blackledge, Andrea Beach and Stephanie Henry, and seven grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother David William Blackledge and nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews.
Bob was an avid basketball player and was a member of the Citadel Bulldogs team in college. Graduating with a degree in chemistry, he served two years in the US Army and then went on to teach chemistry and physics. He subsequently turned to a life of crime, becoming a criminalist for the state of Florida, working in the crime labs in Tallahassee and Fort Pierce. He later worked for the Dept. of Defense Criminal Investigation Division as a criminalist stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. He wound up his career working for Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) in San Diego, CA. Bob was a passionate and well-published scientist and mentored several young scientists over the course of his career. He developed novel techniques for the detection and characterization of condom lubricants in cases of sexual assault, earning him the nickname “the Condom King.” During his time at NCIS, he was a consultant for the television series in the early years, and appeared as himself in one of the Harry Bosch novels by Michael Connelly. He remained active in independent forensics research well into his retirement.
San Diego, CA
Staying dry and warm in San Diego for the rest of November
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — There’s no rain expected in the next week and the extended forecast hints at drier than normal conditions and above average temperatures in the next five days.
Southern California are seeing a mostly cloudy Friday as a low-pressure system well off the coast funnels some high clouds into the weekend. These clouds will intermittently pass through this weekend with Sunday looking mostly sunny.
From Friday through the weekend, the region will also be getting a gradual warming trend into early December. Offshore flow is still present, but weak Santa Ana winds will let up for mountains and valleys later this evening.
High pressure over northern Baja will build and bump afternoon temperatures up slightly day by day.
Saturday at the coast will hit temperatures around the low to mid-70s in the afternoon, with upper 70s in the valleys, mid-60s for the mountains and low 70s in the deserts. Some areas like Ramona, El Cajon and Escondido could get close to 80 degrees!
Patchy fog returns to coastal areas for Sunday and Monday morning.
Enjoy the mild weather over the holiday weekend!
San Diego, CA
Head-on collision in Scripps Ranch sends one to hospital on Thanksgiving
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A 72-year-old woman was sent to the hospital Thursday evening following a head-on collision in Scripps Ranch, authorities said.
According to the San Diego Police Department, the driver of a 2021 Mercedes Benz GLC300, 83, was traveling northbound in the 10030 block of Scripps Ranch Boulevard shortly before 7 p.m.
At that same time, a 50-year-old man was driving a 2014 Nissan Maxima southbound in the 10000 block of Aviary Drive along with three passengers.
For reasons still under investigation, police said the woman turned right onto Aviary Drive, meaning she was traveling northbound in the southbound lane of traffic. The woman then collided head-on with the Nissan Maxima.
A 72-year-old woman, a passenger in the Nissan Maxima, suffered a skull fracture and was transported to a local hospital. Her current condition is unknown.
Police said alcohol was not a factor in the collision. Traffic Division officers responded to the scene and will be handling the investigation. Anyone with information related to the crash is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
San Diego, CA
Negotiators get closer to agreeing on a plastic pollution treaty
BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution inched closer to an agreement Friday, with more countries saying they want to address the total plastic on Earth.
The most contentious issue of the talks is whether there will be a limit on the amount of plastic that companies are allowed to produce. Panama proposed text for the treaty to address plastic production on Thursday.
Juan Carlos Monterrey, head of Panama’s delegation, said it’s a compromise proposal to build consensus because it does not include a numerical target or production cap. Instead, it says countries would adopt a global target at a later conference of the parties meeting.
Support for Panama’s proposal quickly grew to over 100 countries. Some plastic-producing and oil and gas countries, including Saudi Arabia, vigorously oppose including plastic production in the treaty, calling it a red line. Russia’s delegation has said if the world is serious about this treaty, negotiators must concentrate on provisions acceptable for all delegations.
On Friday afternoon, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the committee chair from Ecuador, issued a paper with draft treaty text, condensing the views expressed by negotiators during the week. The treaty article on production has Panama’s proposal. The other option is to strike that article.
“This is great! This is great,” Monterrey said as he read the document on his cellphone just after it was issued.
“It is a big show of force, of muscle, for those countries that are ambitious. And also this shows that consensus is still possible,” he said in an interview.
Global plastics production is set to reach 736 million tons by 2040, up 70% from 2020, without policy changes, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Environmental organizations demonstrated with signs outside the convention center Friday morning, demanding that negotiators show courage.
Negotiators began meeting Monday in Busan. They split into groups to consider text for treaty articles. By the midpoint of the negotiations, none had agreed to anything. They were having long discussions over topics where there’s more agreement, such as the need to manage plastic waste better. And they hadn’t settled on some of the basics of the treaty, such as the scope and definitions.
Valdivieso told them Wednesday night their progress was too slow and they had to speed up significantly.
The delegations will now discuss Valdivieso’s paper and decide whether to agree to the articles. The meeting ends late Sunday or early Monday.
U.N. Environment Program Executive Director Inger Andersen said there’s still enough time to land an agreement, “if we work hard.”
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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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