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Articles Tagged With ‘California’




Poor grades for state kids’ vocabulary

Written on 10 Dec, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 12 comments

Students in California elementary schools score poorly in vocabulary usage, according to results of a national standardized test. (San Jose Mercury News) Vocabulary is vital to students’ ability to read well. Both fourth- and eighth-grade students from the Golden State... (Continue reading)

Gay marriage gets high court look

Written on 10 Dec, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 7 comments

California’s current ban on gay marriages will be scrutinized by the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided Friday it will review a legal challenge to the voter mandate. (Sacramento Bee) The high court will consider a prior decision by a federal... (Continue reading)

Central District U.S. Attorney’s collected over $430 million from defendants

Written on 7 Dec, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 4 comments

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California collected more than $430 million as a result of criminal prosecutions, civil lawsuits and asset forfeiture actions during the 2012 fiscal year, United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. announced... (Continue reading)

Plans afoot for nonprofit campaign transparency

Written on 4 Dec, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 6 comments

Two California senators are seeking to require more disclosure of nonprofit campaign contributions in the aftermath of a political campaign marked by secret, out-of-state infusions of huge amounts of cash. (Sacramento Bee) Democratic Sens. Ted Lieu and Leland Lee said... (Continue reading)

Another try for immigrant bill

Written on 3 Dec, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 12 comments

California’s Democratically-controlled Legislature welcomes its new members today, and some lawmakers have already sprung into action. (Sacramento Bee) Assemblymen Tom Ammiano and Luis Alejo, along with Sen. Kevin De León, all Democrats, are reintroducing the “Trust Act,” aiming to stop... (Continue reading)

Megastorms could flood portions of California’s Central Coast

Written on 30 Nov, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 63 comments

Editor’s note: The article will appear in the January 2013 issue of Scientific American. They are making it freely available now because of the flooding underway in California. By Michael D. Dettinger and B. Lynn Ingram Huge flows of vapor... (Continue reading)

California a not-so-golden state

Written on 28 Nov, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 21 comments

A pair of extensive studies unveiled this week suggest that California doesn’t compare well to the rest of the nation in “fundamental” well-being in analysis of economic, fiscal, educational, and personal factors. The primary report was prepared by Harvard University’s... (Continue reading)

School funds may stymie reform

Written on 27 Nov, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 13 comments

Approval by California voters of Proposition 30, the school finance measure, may have thrown a monkey-wrench into public education reform, some advocates of change are asserting. But teachers’ union representatives disagree. (San Jose Mercury News) The $6 billion injection may... (Continue reading)

Mother, father and son drown trying to rescue dog

Written on 27 Nov, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 3 comments

A Northern California mother and father and their 16-year-old son all drowned over the weekend while trying to save their dog from strong ocean waves. [LA Times] The family dog ran into the ocean to fetch a stick Saturday at... (Continue reading)

Solar power plants burden host counties

Written on 26 Nov, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 17 comments

With many California counties struggling to keep out of debt, several have embraced the development of solar power plants and the bounty of jobs and taxes windfalls they promise. [LATimes] In Inyo County, officials grew giddy last year as they... (Continue reading)