State GovernmentNewsom signs bill to lower restitution fines for minorsOctober 3, 2024 | Megan MyscofskiThe fines often go unpaid, and the debt follows young people into adulthood.
EnvironmentBirders argue over plan to change dozens of bird namesOctober 3, 2024On Thursday, a major birding society will discuss how how to go about changing potentially offensive bird names. There's resistance to the original plan to rename all birds named after people.
State GovernmentThe Legislature could override nearly every Newsom veto. Why don’t they?October 3, 2024About 90% of bills that Newsom blocked this year passed with the support of more than two-thirds of legislators — enough to override a governor’s veto. But the Legislature hasn’t attempted to do so since 1979.
Sacramento RegionTherapy dogs help Sacramento kids boost literacy skills at Carmichael LibraryOctober 3, 2024 | Gerardo ZavalaThe program provides children with a non-threatening environment so they can build confidence in their reading skills.
EnvironmentTribes celebrate the end of the largest dam removal project in US historyOctober 2, 2024The largest dam removal project in U.S. history has been completed near the California-Oregon border. The move Wednesday marks a major victory for tribes in the region who fought for decades to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath River.
Sacramento RegionOak Park’s Black Film Festival to highlight Black culture and uplift communityOctober 2, 2024The film festival highlights Black culture while allowing viewers to “challenge your thinking and your imagination about certain things,” according to Cassandra Jennings, St. Hope board president and CEO.
NPR fact checked the Vance-Walz vice presidential debate. Here's what we foundOctober 2, 2024JD Vance and Tim Walz debated on Tuesday in the last scheduled debate of the election. The sparring was mostly collegial but a number of points on key issues require additional context or corrections.
EnvironmentVomiting, cramps and lethargy: As heat rises, California kids are sweltering in schools with no air conditioningOctober 2, 2024An estimated 1 in 5 schools has no air conditioning and another 10% need repair. Underfunded schools struggle to keep classrooms cool as heat waves intensify. “It’s a hot mess,” one teacher says.
Health CareThe pipeline of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. may be drying up, experts sayOctober 2, 2024Street fentanyl has long been viewed as unstoppable. Now many experts say the supply of the deadly synthetic opioid is suddenly drying up in many parts of the U.S. and fatal overdoses are dropping.
EnvironmentWildfires in California have burned 1 million acres so far this year. Heat wave poses more riskOctober 1, 2024Spiking temperatures added to the challenges facing firefighters struggling to contain a stubborn Southern California wildfire, as the total acres burned in the state this year surpassed 1 million.
