The state student aid commission addresses ongoing FAFSA challenges for college hopefuls. Also, why licensed midwives face barriers to stay in business in California. Finally, what Black History Month looks like in Oak Park classrooms.

FAFSA Challenges Continue

We have been following the latest developments with the delayed and problematic rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Now, a new glitch is making it even more difficult for some applications to get their forms in. Jon Waldrep, Analyst at the California Student Aid Commission, joins us with how the glitch is impacting certain students and their families, as well as how it’s putting students at risk of not getting the aid they need to attend the college of their choice.

California Barriers for Midwives

A new UCSF study highlights obstacles midwives face doing business in California, especially when serving patients with Medi-Cal insurance. Midwives provide many of the same services as doctors in low-risk pregnancies, and are becoming increasingly essential following a wave of maternity ward closures across the state - in largely low-income communities. Calmatters Health Reporter Kristen Hwang shares her reporting alongside licensed midwife Madeleine Wisner, who was the only licensed community midwife who took Medi-Cal patients in the greater Sacramento region - but closed her birth center last fall.

CalMatters is a nonprofit newsroom that partners with public media stations across the state.

Black History Month in Classrooms

Black History Month goes beyond just a history lesson in some Oak Park classrooms, with learning opportunities in the forms of business fairs, cooking demonstrations, theater and more. Cassandra Jennings, President and CEO of St. HOPE, and CapRadio Education Reporter Srishti Prabha, provide a look at how Black history is being taught, as well as talk about upcoming events that seek to inspire students both inside and outside the classroom.