State GovernmentIs California’s beleaguered jobless benefits agency ready for a recession?December 5, 2022California’s Employment Development Department struggled to keep up with the demands of the pandemic. But a potential recession isn’t likely to be as intense, and the department has made changes that could smooth the process of getting benefits.
Fentanyl continues to take students’ lives in Sacramento. Here’s how parents and schools are responding.December 5, 2022 | Srishti PrabhaYoung people looking for pills like Xanax or Aderall are the byproduct of a deadly opioid epidemic in Sacramento. School districts are supplying Narcan and parents are speaking-up about the crisis.
EnvironmentA Sacramento program aims to transition gas-reliant homes to greener energyDecember 5, 2022 | Manola SecairaFor years, California officials have encouraged residents to transition all parts of their lives — cars, stoves, power sources — to renewables. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EnvironmentCan trees reduce pollution at schools next to freeways? A Fresno campus tries plantingsDecember 4, 2022Other schools may follow if tree experiment improves air quality.
Health CareThe disability tax: medical bills remain inaccessible for many blind AmericansDecember 4, 2022Health insurers and health care systems across the country are violating disability rights laws by sending medical bills that blind and visually impaired people cannot read, a KHN investigation has found.
Political rancor has had chilling effect on public education, survey findsDecember 3, 2022California students are more likely to be hostile to students with different political viewpoints
Health CareA new use for dating apps: chasing STDsDecember 3, 2022For contact tracers of sexually transmitted diseases, telephones and text messages have become ineffective. Dating apps increasingly are their best bet for informing people of their exposure risks.
Health CareAncient lung disease strikes countertop cutters in LADecember 3, 2022Since Jan. 2016, at least 30 stone fabricators in the Los Angeles area have been diagnosed with an accelerated form of silicosis, an incurable, and deadly, dust-related illness. The evidence suggests silica-rich synthetic stone is to blame.
EnvironmentCalifornia needs to prepare to live with less water, new report suggestsDecember 2, 2022 | Vicki GonzalezThe PPIC released a report in November covering the state of water in California. Its authors found that rising temperatures and intense drought has depleted state water supplies in reservoirs, groundwater reserves and the snowpack. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Health Care5 takeaways from discussion with state, federal health officials on pandemic responseDecember 2, 2022 | Kate WolffeThe heads of public health in the U.S. and California reflected on where we are with COVID-19, what we’ve learned and how to tackle the mental health crisis.
