Michelle Loxton
Welcome to KAZU s weekly news roundup for 4/23/21. Here you ll find the top local stories of the week and a few select national stories from NPR.
This week’s guilty verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin marked a historic moment in America. Chauvin was convicted on all charges in the murder of George Floyd. Many view the trial as a defining moment for police accountability and racial justice. Darnella Frazier, who was 17 at the time, captured the video that many say made the verdict possible. Testimony ran for three weeks and it took jurors about ten hours to reach their decision. Following the announcement, KAZU and NPR provided live, special coverage Tuesday.
Caltrans
Highway 1 in Big Sur will reopen Friday, two months ahead of Caltrans’ schedule. A section of the roadway at Rat Creek has been closed since late January.
It was back on January 28, during a powerful rainstorm, that a debris flow from land burned in the 2020 Dolan Fire washed out both lanes of Highway 1 at Rat Creek. A combination of water, boulder and trees overwhelmed the road’s drainage infrastructure. By the time the storm passed, a 150 ft. chunk of the scenic highway was missing.
Construction crews have been on the job seven days a week since the storm, according to Caltrans Public Information Officer Kevin Drabinski. He describes the repair work as an “amazing ballet.”