Kerry Venegas struggles to sleep these days, worrying about the 55 children who will lose services once her Humboldt County nonprofit closes an outpatient counseling program in January. David Mineta gets emotional when he talks about his organization’s decision to close six mental health programs serving about 650 children and adults in Santa Clara County […]
Medical / Health
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Housing Complications and Restaurants for Sale
This week we’re looking into the complicated business of housing veterans and people with severe mental illness in Eureka. We’re also talking about why so many restaurants are up for sale across our county. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories.
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California COVID Cases are Increasing, Again. Here’s the Latest on Boosters and More
Another COVID-19 wave is hitting California as the summer ends and kids head back to school. It’s a familiar story by now, but one that has become perhaps more confusing with time because of changing public health recommendations, new vaccine boosters and our evolving understanding of the virus. There’s no reason to panic, state epidemiologist […]
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California Water Agency Under Investigation for Discriminating Against Tribes, People of Color
The Biden administration’s environmental justice office is investigating whether California’s water agency has discriminated against Native Americans and other people of color by failing to protect the water quality of San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s investigation was triggered by a complaint filed by tribes and environmental justice […]
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Don’t Call it ‘Toilet to Tap’ — California Plans to Turn Sewage into Drinking Water
Californians could drink highly purified sewage water that is piped directly into drinking water supplies for the first time under proposed rules unveiled by state water officials. The drought-prone state has turned to recycled water for more than 60 years to bolster its scarce supplies, but the current regulations require it to first make a […]
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California Needs Thousands of Nurses, but Leaders Can’t Agree on How to Fill Jobs
Ashley Hooks always planned to retire at Lakewood Regional Medical Center, where she has been a nurse for 12 years. But now, Hooks said, staffing issues are so bad and burnout so severe that she’s rethinking how she wants to spend the rest of her career. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number of nurses […]
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California Forbids Plans to Unmask Workers at In-N-Out — and Most Other Workplaces
For at least another year and a half, California employers won’t be able to follow In-N-Out’s lead in banning workers from wearing masks on the job. The state’s COVID-19 workplace rules protecting workers’ rights to decide for themselves whether to wear face coverings are locked in at least until February 2025 and could be extended. […]
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Willow Creek Pharmacy Closes
The Willow Creek Pharmacy has closed its doors, leaving scores of area residents worried they could be facing two hours of driving to fill their prescriptions, and that’s when the roads are open. The pharmacy closed July 14, reportedly with little notice, according to some patients and employees. Attempts to contact the pharmacy’s owners by […]
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NCJ Preview: Rodeo, a Teacher Pays it Forward and a Food Truck Heads North
We’re talking about local photographer Mark Larson’s rodeo pictures, hunger in Humboldt, a teacher’s quest to give back and the Pineapple Express food truck’s improbable and delicious journey. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories.
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CA Legislature Mulls Expanding Paid Sick Leave
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, California’s three days of paid sick leave for full-time workers was not enough to cover quarantines or vaccine side effects. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring companies to offer as much as 80 hours of supplemental sick leave for employees. The temporary measure was restored in early […]
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Troubled Nursing Home Chain Owner Shlomo Rechnitz Gets New Licenses Just Before State Reforms Take Effect
The state is moving forward with licensing two dozen nursing homes whose primary owner’s companies have a lengthy track record of problems – as uncovered by a CalMatters investigation – despite a new law designed to provide better oversight of the facilities. The nursing homes in question are owned by Los Angeles businessman Shlomo Rechnitz, […]
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Local Condor Exams Include Tests for Deadly Avian Flu
On May 12, all eight of the North Coast’s California condors were inside the release enclosure where they began their new lives — and took off on their first flights into the wild — after being enticed back in by offerings of carrion in preparation for this week’s twice-yearly exams. Along with the chance to […]