The state says it wants to build that 55 million dollar wildlife crossing on the 101 in Calabasas.

The foundation that helps Malibu schools says its back to school drive was a big success.

Sacramento votes to strip cities like Malibu from their power to regulate new cell antennas.

This is Malibu’s only local daily news.

It’s the   ((((  Friday  ))) edition … from Radio Malibu  …. 97 point 5 K B U.

Good morning Trancas Canyon Road.

Caltrans: Build the Cougar Bridge

The state has released its environmental assessment for a wildlife crossing over U.S. Highway 101 … to let cougars and other wildlife migrate across the freeway.

Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills has been identified as the ideal spot for a vegetated crossing to provide safe passage for wildlife across U.S. Highway 101.

Several alternatives are discussed … the state says the idea is sound.

A UCLA study has found that without increased connectivity … genetic diversity decreases.

The mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains stand a good chance of extinction without lions moving down from the north.

Two kittens recently born in the hills above Malibu are the victims of a vicious circle of inbreeding.

Two figures are missing from the study.

How much it would cost … and how much will be saved … dollarwise and animal wise  … are not in the study.

Caltrans has already predicted the proposed set of bridges over the 1-0-1 and Agoura Road could cost upwards of 55 million dollars.

That estimate is not discussed in the environmental impact assessment … released yesterday.

The state says no public funds will be diverted from the state highway construction budget to build the wildlife crossing.

The Caltrans project is being drawn up in conjunction with fundraising efforts by the National Wildlife Federation and the Santa Monica Mountains Fund.

State parks money may also help pay for it.

A conservation group reports that about 200 people a year die and 29,000 are hurt … nationwide … in wildlife-vehicle crashes in the U.S.

There were 13 vehicle collisions with animals on the 1-0-1 in that area last year.

There may be as many as 1.5 million wildlife-vehicle collisions a year—and the animals almost always die, the group says.

As for the environmental study … Caltrans says the proposed wildlife bridge will not significantly harm the quality of the environment .

The Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing would be the first of its kind in California.

But similar wildlife crossings have been built and used successfully in other states and countries.

A public hearing on the environmental report is scheduled for October 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at King Gillette Ranch .

We have a link to the state’s report …. posted on the KBUU Newswire.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/d7/projects/libertycanyon/

School Fundraising Drive Best Ever, Foundation Says 

The foundation that raises money for 18 Santa Monica Malibu schools says it had an outstanding back to school donation drive.

But … there is no breakdown by school campus … and there’s no way to tell how the fundraising drive did in Malibu.

Nearly 659 thousand ((((   $658,805   ))))   dollars was raised by the Santa

Monica-Malibu Education Foundation in thel last month.

Donors contributed $157,598 on the last day of the match alone, a new record for the most ever raised from community donations on a single day in the Ed Foundation’s history.

Donors were spurred by matching grants offered by the owners of the Santa Monica Place shopping center … Macerich … and by Kaiser Permanenente … the H-M-O and hospital non

profit.

The funds raised will support arts programs, instructional assistants and other grants in schools in both Malibu and Santa Monica,

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You are listening to the latest news from Radio Malibu … 97.5 K B U.  ((( time  ))))

Bill Passes To Strip Cities Of Power Over Cellpoles

Lawmakers at the state legislature gave final approval last night to new rules that will strip cities from regulating new cellphine antennas.

The industry calls it permit streamlingin ..

At issue … new rules for how “small cell” high-speed cellular equipment will be installed.

Senate Bill SB 649 would downsize the role played by city and county officials in setting limits on where the equipment for new cellular service would be placed.

Local governments would have less power to block the installation of the devices, which supporters claim would help ensure more communities are connected faster.

Local government officials argue that people should have input on where new, potentially unsightly equipment would be placed in their communities.

The phone permit streamlining bill now goes to the governor for a decision.

Deputy Charged With Rape In Jail

A sheriff’s deputy is arrested … accused of raping a jail inmate in his cutsody at the L-A County jail in Lynwood.

Giancarlo Scotti of San Pedro was arrested while on duty .. for suspicion of two counts of rape under the color of authority and two other related sex crimes.

The attacks were reported by inmates at the women’s jail in Lynwood.

Deputy Scotti has been taken off the streets pending trial … and is out of jail on 100 thousand dollars bail.

The L-A sheriff’s office is the municipal police department for the city of Malibu.

Oil Rig Up Coast From Malibu Is Abandoned

In news from up the coast ….

A state commission has begun the long expensive process that might eventually lead to decommissioning an oil platform … Platform Holly … off Santa Barbara County.

The Ventura County Star reports there are still a lot of unknowns… about whether to remove the giant steel structure sitting about 1½ miles offshore.

The state of California has inherited the offshore platform … one of 30 oil platforms in the channel  up the coast from Malibu.

The first priority is to plug and abandon 32 active oil wells that spread out beneath the offshore platform.

Officials tells the Ventura County Star that work to secure the 32 wells will take about two years.

The platform was built in 1966  and its legs are home to a huge population of fish … attracted to what is a sanctuary and artificial reef.

The state is responsible for the cleanup … after the oil comoany Venoco filed for bankruptcy last spring.

The pipeline that used to take oil from Platform Holly broke two years ago … causing a big oil spill that sent tar globs to Malibu and as far as orange County.

KBUU Sports: Girls Win Big, Boys Take On Big Bear 

In KBUU sports …

The Malibu High School boys water polo team hosts its annual tournament today and tomorrow at the Shark Tank.

The football team plays under the lights tonight … at 6:30 … they host Big Bear High School from Big Bear City tonight at 6:30.

They are 3 and 0 on the season.

The Malibu girls volleyball team beat Carpinteria last night … 3 to nothing.

The sets were 25-11… 25-9 … and then 25-15.

The girls play next Tuesday … at the Thacher School in Ojai,.

Triathlon Tomorrow

This reminder … the Malibu triathlon is tomorrow … road restrictions on P C H fromt he Zuma Beach entrances west … past Trancas and Leo Carrillo … all the way to Deer Creek in Ventura County.

Plan your morning drive accordingly … tomorrow and Sunday.

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Traffic … in 65 seconds … first …

Weather for the Malibu ….

Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 73 degrees today on the beach … ((((    80    )))) in the mountains above Malibu.

Windy on the beach … downcoast winds will be   (((  15  )))) miles per hour this afternoon.

Sunset tonight is at   ((((    6:59   )))).

After that … expect it to be (((   cloudy again  )))) tonight … a low of  ((((   60   )))) on the beach … down to  ((((   57    )))) in the canyons.

Tomorrow should be   ((((   cloudy again )))).

Right now … at Trancas it’s ((((    64     )))) degrees.

In upper Malibu Canyon … ((((    60     )))) .

And at Civic Center Los Angeles … ((((    68    )))).

In the ocean … it’s ((((    66   )))) degrees in the water at Zuma Beach.

The lifeguards say the waves today are   ((((   2 to 3   )))) feet high ….

((((  New NW wind swell due. Easing S/SSE swell mainly missing the region.  ))))

Those are ((((  poor to fair )))) surfing conditions …. according to the lifeguards.

(((((  Low tide at 12:30 PM  .

A 5-and-a-half foot high tide will arrive at 6:33.    ))))

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The KBU Newswire is posted midmornings … at RadioMalibu.net and at the MalibuTimes.com .

Remember…  breaking news  goes first to the radio …  at 97-5 FM in western Malibu….

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And on Facebook … search for Radio Malibu..

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Navigate to k-b-u dot f-m. … and we’re streaming in your ear anywhere in the world.