As the Northern California sunset sinks beyond razor wire fencing and panopticon-style guard towers, David Nguyen reflects on the past 14 years of his life and contemplates the choices that led him to prison. If it wasn’t for his attire and surroundings — and the subject of the day — you probably wouldn’t suspect he […]
education
‘Encroachment:’ Inadequate Special Education Funding Leaves Local Districts Stretched Thin
A bill introduced earlier this year by North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman would make good on long-promised funding for special education. It also puts a spotlight on the issue in Humboldt County, where disproportionate rates of students need special education services and inadequate state and federal funding streams leave districts’ budgets stretched thin. Take Northern […]
Frustrations Mount in Klamath-Trinity School District
It’s pouring rain in Hoopa. The roads are slick with ice and snow is about to fall as roughly half a dozen people shuffle into a small room for the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District Board meeting in mid-February. The crowd is small but those attending carry the voices of their children, their community and, […]
San Francisco Gives Kindergartners Free Money for College. Could it Work Statewide?
Emelyn Jerónimo is only 12 years old, but she already has $3,000 saved toward college. Socked away by her mother in chunks of $100 or less since Jerónimo was in kindergarten, the money may not seem like much, but it’s helped fuel the San Francisco sixth-grader’s dreams of becoming a pediatrician. Jerónimo’s nest egg is […]
Wood, McGuire Applaud Gov.’s Budget Plan
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released the first budget proposal of his tenure today, proposing a $209 billion spending plan that would increase funding for schools, healthcare programs and the fight against homelessness. The budget proposal — which came in at about $8 billion more than Gov. Jerry Brown’s last spending proposal — also would increase […]
What Humboldt Students Have to Say About School Shootings and How to Stop Them
Students in high school classrooms across the North Coast walked out at 10 a.m. on March 14, taking part in a national walkout day organized to bring awareness to gun violence and school shootings. The 17-minute walkout took place in solidarity with students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, with each minute […]
Local Students on School Shootings, Unabridged
Editor’s note: This week’s cover story featured excerpts from opinion pieces written by local high school students on the topic of school shootings and gun violence. Here are all the submissions we received from them, posted in their entirety and only lightly edited for style and grammar. Read them and join the conversation in the comments below. […]
Walking Out and Speaking Up
It happened again. While working on this issue focused on student responses to school shootings, there was another one. This time in Maryland, leaving the shooter dead and two others injured, based on preliminary reports. And by the time this issue leaves newsstands a week from now, statistics say the United States will have likely […]
‘Full Spectrum’: One Way to Attract Doctors to the North Coast
It’s no secret Humboldt County has a doctor shortage. The lack of both primary care physicians and specialists has a variety of causes, and a host of impacts on the community. And efforts to recruit and retain doctors are met with mixed results; the shortage continues, but once in a while, you get a success […]
Humboldt County Grand Jury: ‘Be Wise, Immunize’
In its first report of the year, the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury took a look at the county’s low vaccination rates, noting we currently rank 54th out of the state’s 58 counties when it comes to kindergartners and seventh graders. The grand jury hones in on transportation as a major barrier to getting the […]
CR Scholarship to Honor Fortuna High Grad Killed in Umpqua College Shooting
College of the Redwoods is asking the community to donate to a scholarship fund in honor of Fortuna High grad Jason Dale Johnson, who was killed in the Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon on Oct. 1. Johnson had recently completed a six-month treatment program and, as part of a “new way of life, clean […]
