Health CareSutter Health psychiatric hospital staff strike for the second time in five monthsApril 26, 2024 | Kate WolffeWorkers conducted a three-day strike this week to call attention to ongoing contract negotiations with the health care giant. They allege some concerns about wages and unsafe staffing levels haven’t been addressed.
EducationRural counties far from universities struggle to recruit teachersApril 26, 2024Allowing community colleges to offer K-12 credentials could be a solution, UCLA report says
State GovernmentMillions of Californians weigh options after losing an affordable internet subsidyApril 25, 2024A federal affordable internet subsidy is going away and 3 million Californians must decide whether to end access largely considered a human right.
State GovernmentColleagues remember Delaine Eastin, the only woman to be elected California state superintendentApril 25, 2024During her two terms, from 1995 to 2003, Eastin successfully pushed for lower class sizes in elementary schools, new academic standards and the installation of school gardens.
Environment130 million Americans routinely breathe unhealthy air, report findsApril 25, 2024Climate change is making it harder to meet clean air goals, says the 25th annual State of the Air report from the American Lung Association.
Health CareGov. Gavin Newsom wants to let Arizona doctors provide abortions in CaliforniaApril 24, 2024 | Kate WolffeCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are announcing legislation Wednesday aimed at helping Arizonans access abortions after the Arizona Supreme Court allowed a near total-ban to move forward.
EducationWill less homework stress make California students happier?April 24, 2024A bill from a member of the Legislature’s happiness committee would require schools to come up with homework policies that consider the mental and physical strain on students.
EnvironmentCalifornia’s newest state park will open near Modesto in JuneApril 24, 2024The park sits at the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers. It’s the first new state park in California in a decade, and will provide closer recreation options for Central Valley residents. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EnvironmentJudge drops all charges against man arrested in connection with Caldor FireApril 23, 2024 | Claire MorganTravis Shane Smith was arrested in 2021 and charged with reckless arson and possession of a machine gun. In January, a judge ruled there was “not sufficient evidence” to take the arson charge to trial, and another dropped the gun charge this week.
Housing and HomelessnessSupreme Court weighs upending homeless protectionsApril 23, 2024The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments in a case that could give cities in California and beyond greater authority to crack down on homeless encampments.
EnvironmentStartups want to cool Earth by reflecting sunlight. There are few rules and big risksApril 23, 2024In a parking lot and on San Francisco Bay, NPR witnesses two different tests for solar geoengineering to tackle climate change. With much science unsettled, experts say regulations aren't keeping up.
State GovernmentJudge rejects changing the name of California’s trans youth ballot measureApril 22, 2024Supporters of a California trans youth ballot measure wanted to change the name assigned by the attorney general, but a judge said no.
Bay FC inaugural season already making mark on women’s soccer in Northern CaliforniaApril 22, 2024 | Manola SecairaThe newest franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League drew nearly 18,000 to their first match, a sign of the growing support for professional women’s soccer in the region and around the country. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Sacramento mayor says ‘stakes are huge’ in Supreme Court case on homeless enforcementApril 22, 2024 | Chris NicholsThe case could have wide-ranging implications for state and local governments in California as they grapple with growing homeless encampments and related political pressures. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Sacramento RegionKings fall to Pelicans, miss shot at 2024 playoffsApril 19, 2024The Kings, who were seeded ninth in the West ahead of Friday’s game, are now the first 49-win team in more than 50 years to miss the NBA playoffs.
Arts and LifestyleSacramento R&B festival Sol Blume postponed to next yearApril 19, 2024 | Claire MorganFestival organizers said the venue, Discovery Park, had “significant site damage and growing safety concerns.” They added they’d permanently transition to hosting the event in the summer to avoid future weather conflicts.
Arts and LifestyleSan Francisco mayor announces the city will receive pandas from ChinaApril 19, 2024San Francisco is the latest U.S. city preparing to receive a pair of pandas from China, in a continuation of Beijing’s famed “panda diplomacy.”
EducationSacramento City Unified makes Interim Superintendent Lisa Allen permanentApril 19, 2024Allen, who has been with Sacramento City Unified School District for 28 years, was unanimously appointed superintendent by the school board on Thursday. She took over in July after her predecessor Jorge Aguilar stepped down.
Housing and HomelessnessCalifornia leaders take sides in monumental Supreme Court case on homelessnessApril 19, 2024The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case with major implications on homelessness policy in California. Find out where your leaders stand.
Sacramento RegionCapRadio and financial backer at odds over who owns broadcast towerApril 18, 2024 | Vicki Gonzalez | Chris HaganAfter a financial backer of CapRadio donated one of its broadcasting towers to KVIE following calls for a merger between the two public media stations, management of the Sacramento NPR member station argues they ‘definitively’ own the tower. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
PoliticsTrump VP contender Kristi Noem responds to backlash over story about killing her dogApril 27, 2024The Republican South Dakota governor details what she says was a tough decision to shoot an "untrainable" family dog in a forthcoming memoir. Animal rights advocates and Democrats decried the move.
Middle East crisis — explainedBernie Sanders says Netanyahu is attacking campus protests to deflect war criticismApril 27, 2024Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized ongoing campus protests across the U.S. as antisemitic. The Vermont senator said it was an attempt to "deflect attention" from Israel's actions.
Middle East crisis — explainedHamas releases video of a second American being held hostage in Gaza April 27, 2024Hamas has released a video showing two captives, one of them an American, as part of an effort to prove that the two men are still alive. It was the second video of a U.S. citizen released this week.
Middle East crisis — explainedHamas says it's preparing to respond to Israel's latest Gaza cease-fire proposalApril 27, 2024The militant group says it's examining the latest Israeli suggestions for a cease-fire in Gaza, seven months into the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Middle East crisis — explainedA 100-degree heat wave in Gaza offers a sweltering glimpse of a tough summer to comeApril 27, 2024The heat bore down on Palestinians living in tents and aid groups working in the sun. UNRWA reported several heat injuries among its staff, and at least one 18-year-old Palestinian died from the heat.
NationalBoth sides prepare as Florida's six-week abortion ban is set to take effect WednesdayApril 27, 2024The state currently bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. That will drop to six weeks, with a few exceptions — a timetable that abortion rights advocates say is hard to meet
Middle East crisis — explainedA student club is suing its school, saying its pro-Palestinian views were censoredApril 27, 2024Members of the Washington, D.C., school Arab students club say their rights were violated "because the school does not want their viewpoint ... to be heard."
Goats and SodaAn Afghan migrant, age 17, drowned in a Bosnian river. Here's how citizens respondedApril 27, 2024On the risky journey from the Global South to Europe, migrants often perish. In a town in Bosnia-Herzegovina, near a river where dozens have drowned, citizens seek to provide closure to the families.