Judge grants ACLU’s request to stop destruction of police conduct records
LA Zoo receives $1 Million anonymous donation for conservation efforts
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LA County 7-day COVID positivity rate surpasses 14% COVID hospitalization jump by 30% over one week By City News Service
F
or the first time since late September, the number of people in Los Angeles County hospitals with COVID-19 surpassed the 1,000 mark Tuesday, echoing a sharp upward trend in infections and a dramatic increase in the rate of people testing positive for the virus. The increase is being closely watched by public health officials concerned that hospitals — which expanded capacity to handle COVID patient numbers that topped 8,000 last January — are less equipped to cope with such an intense surge this winter due to various factors, most notably a drop in staffing. The L.A. County increase in COVID hospitalizations has been rapid, jumping by 30% over the past week. One month
| Photo courtesy of Tom Wolf/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
ago, on Nov. 27, the state reported just 568 virus
patients in the county. Also rapidly rising is
the rate of people testing positive for the virus.
Health, the seven-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus rose to 14.5% as of Tuesday. One week ago, the rate was 3%. On Nov. 22, it was 0.9%. The sudden rapid spread of the virus is being blamed squarely on the Omicron variant of the virus, which experts say is easily spread from person to person. Even people fully vaccinated are susceptible to Omicron infection, although health officials say they are far less likely to become severely ill, wind up hospitalized or die. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said last week unvaccinated people are 21 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people. Officials have said
According to the county Department of Public
See Positive COVID tests Pg 07
Tournament of Roses announces first ever float and band combo for 2022 Rose Parade As the Pasadena Tournament of Roses prepares for the return of the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2022, the organizers announced earlier this week that the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation will feature a Rose Parade first -- a marching band of all band directors together with a float of floral wonder. The combo is unprec-
edented and will recognize and salute the exceptional instruction, character development and inspiration provided by music educators everywhere. The Band Directors Marching Band is the first known Rose Parade marching band in which all 270 members are band directors. Band members range from recent music
education graduates through retired veteran directors, from across the United States and Mexico. Collectively, the band members have mentored hundreds of thousands of students and have taught a total of 4,539 years. Among the group are seventysix teachers of the year along with winners of other distinguished state
and national awards. The band will be performing an original arrangement by Ohio music composer Lisa Galvin of Meredith Wilson’s “Seventy-Six Trombones.” The band will make their way down the historic parade route with the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation float themed “Saluting America’s Band Directors: We Teach Music.
We Teach Life.” The float will continue Rose Parade tradition with symbolic and spectacular storytelling in front of hundreds of thousands on Colorado Blvd. and millions of our worldwide audience on New Year’s Day. The Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, based in Pickerington, Ohio, is the sponsoring organiza-
tion behind the project. The foundation was created to recognize and carry on the work of the late Mike Sewell, who dedicated his life to the school and community music programs in Pickerington and the Central Ohio area for more than 38 years. Mike was a music teacher from Ohio and brought his band to the Rose Parade four times.
