[su_label]Bay Area[/su_label]
Lead paint forces 24th Street Mini Park to close
A recent evaluation by the city’s Children’s Environmental Health Promotion Program found that four of the murals in the Mini Park at 2802 24th Street contain deteriorating lead paint. The Department of Public Health considers this a to be a “public health nuisance” and is issuing a notice of violation holding the artists and the property owners responsible for cleaning the contamination. The park will remain closed until the issue is resolved.
[su_label]California[/su_label]
Blacks and Latinos in CA score above national average
According to 2015 results from the College Board, black and Latino students in California who took the Advanced Placement test significantly out-performed their peers in other states. Approximately 43 percent of black students passed with a score of three or higher (out of five) compared to the national average of 32 percent, while 53 percent of Latino students in California received a three or higher compared with 50 percent nationally.
CA to move thousands of prisoners out of solitary confinement
In accordance with the terms from the settlement of a recent landmark lawsuit, the state of California will move thousands of inmates from solitary confinement, some of whom have been there for as long as 30 years. The settlement will release an estimated 2000 inmates into the general prison population and limit solitary confinement to prisoners who commit the most serious offenses. Research has shown that inmates who experience prolonged solitary confinement can be damaged psychologically, with increased anxiety and a high risk of suicide.
[su_label]National[/su_label]
Farmworker’s family sues police for $25 million
Several family members of a migrant worker who was shot and killed by police on Feb. 10 are suing the city of Pasco, WA for his wrongful death, which was caught on camera. Pasco police officers fired 17 shots at the 35-year-old Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who was unarmed. A complaint filed by the family’s attorney alleges that the shooting reflects a pattern of unconstitutional practices including excessive force and poor training of the city’s police force.
[su_label]International[/su_label]
Guatemala president resigns over fraud
Following months of demonstrations and mounting pressure to step down, Guatemala President Otto Pérez Molina was finally forced to resign Sept. 2 amid a corruption scandal that originally surfaced back in April. He was jailed just hours later and will be held until his alleged role in a multimillion-dollar customs fraud case can be determined by prosecutors. Molina’s resignation is a first for Guatemala, a country with a long history of brutal autocratic dictatorship.
First indigenous Canadian to win Mrs. Universe speaks mind
Ashley Callingbull-Burnham, the 25-year-old dancer, model and actress from Enoch Cree Nation of Alberta Canada, became the first ever Canadian and First Nations woman to win the Mrs. Universe pageant (not to be confused with Donald Trumps Miss Universe pageant) on Aug. 29. Since being crowned, Callingbull-Burnham has vocally advocated for indigenous people and criticized the Canadian government. “I believe that this government was created to work against us and not for us,” she said in an interview on the Canadian Broadcast Channel’s Power & Politics program. She also stressed the importance of voting and encouraged indigenous people to register.