State GovernmentColleagues remember Delaine Eastin, the only woman to be elected California state superintendentApril 25, 2024During her two terms, from 1995 to 2003, Eastin successfully pushed for lower class sizes in elementary schools, new academic standards and the installation of school gardens.
Environment130 million Americans routinely breathe unhealthy air, report findsApril 25, 2024Climate change is making it harder to meet clean air goals, says the 25th annual State of the Air report from the American Lung Association.
Health CareGov. Gavin Newsom wants to let Arizona doctors provide abortions in CaliforniaApril 24, 2024 | Kate WolffeCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are announcing legislation Wednesday aimed at helping Arizonans access abortions after the Arizona Supreme Court allowed a near total-ban to move forward.
EducationWill less homework stress make California students happier?April 24, 2024A bill from a member of the Legislature’s happiness committee would require schools to come up with homework policies that consider the mental and physical strain on students.
EnvironmentCalifornia’s newest state park will open near Modesto in JuneApril 24, 2024The park sits at the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers. It’s the first new state park in California in a decade, and will provide closer recreation options for Central Valley residents. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EnvironmentJudge drops all charges against man arrested in connection with Caldor FireApril 23, 2024 | Claire MorganTravis Shane Smith was arrested in 2021 and charged with reckless arson and possession of a machine gun. In January, a judge ruled there was “not sufficient evidence” to take the arson charge to trial, and another dropped the gun charge this week.
Housing and HomelessnessSupreme Court weighs upending homeless protectionsApril 23, 2024The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments in a case that could give cities in California and beyond greater authority to crack down on homeless encampments.
EnvironmentStartups want to cool Earth by reflecting sunlight. There are few rules and big risksApril 23, 2024In a parking lot and on San Francisco Bay, NPR witnesses two different tests for solar geoengineering to tackle climate change. With much science unsettled, experts say regulations aren't keeping up.
State GovernmentJudge rejects changing the name of California’s trans youth ballot measureApril 22, 2024Supporters of a California trans youth ballot measure wanted to change the name assigned by the attorney general, but a judge said no.
Bay FC inaugural season already making mark on women’s soccer in Northern CaliforniaApril 22, 2024 | Manola SecairaThe newest franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League drew nearly 18,000 to their first match, a sign of the growing support for professional women’s soccer in the region and around the country. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Sacramento mayor says ‘stakes are huge’ in Supreme Court case on homeless enforcementApril 22, 2024 | Chris NicholsThe case could have wide-ranging implications for state and local governments in California as they grapple with growing homeless encampments and related political pressures. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Sacramento RegionKings fall to Pelicans, miss shot at 2024 playoffsApril 19, 2024The Kings, who were seeded ninth in the West ahead of Friday’s game, are now the first 49-win team in more than 50 years to miss the NBA playoffs.
Arts and LifestyleSacramento R&B festival Sol Blume postponed to next yearApril 19, 2024 | Claire MorganFestival organizers said the venue, Discovery Park, had “significant site damage and growing safety concerns.” They added they’d permanently transition to hosting the event in the summer to avoid future weather conflicts.
Arts and LifestyleSan Francisco mayor announces the city will receive pandas from ChinaApril 19, 2024San Francisco is the latest U.S. city preparing to receive a pair of pandas from China, in a continuation of Beijing’s famed “panda diplomacy.”
EducationSacramento City Unified makes Interim Superintendent Lisa Allen permanentApril 19, 2024Allen, who has been with Sacramento City Unified School District for 28 years, was unanimously appointed superintendent by the school board on Thursday. She took over in July after her predecessor Jorge Aguilar stepped down.
Housing and HomelessnessCalifornia leaders take sides in monumental Supreme Court case on homelessnessApril 19, 2024The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case with major implications on homelessness policy in California. Find out where your leaders stand.
Sacramento RegionCapRadio and financial backer at odds over who owns broadcast towerApril 18, 2024 | Vicki Gonzalez | Chris HaganAfter a financial backer of CapRadio donated one of its broadcasting towers to KVIE following calls for a merger between the two public media stations, management of the Sacramento NPR member station argues they ‘definitively’ own the tower. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EnvironmentWildfire smoke contributes to thousands of deaths each year in the U.S.April 18, 2024Two new studies show the unseen toll smoke is taking on people across the country. Climate change is likely to make the problem even bigger.
State GovernmentWho owns businesses in California? A lawmaker wants the public to knowApril 18, 2024A California lawmaker wants to require limited liability companies and similar businesses to report the identities of their owners to the government. Such information would be available for public view.
Sacramento RegionSacramento water providers plan to meet new federal limits for ‘forever chemicals’April 17, 2024 | Kristin LamOne local water agency estimates it will cost about $45 million to remove PFAS pollution from groundwater wells.
KHN | Shots - Health NewsOther countries have better sunscreens. Here's why we can't get them in the U.S.May 18, 2024Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. and we need all the protection we can get. So why is it so hard to get newer, more effective ingredients approved here?
EducationThese teens were missing too much school. Here's what it took to get them backMay 18, 2024Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism in the nation's K-12 schools has skyrocketed. These teens are working to get their attendance back on track.
Code SwitchIn a debate over a school name, it's not just parents who are attached to the pastMay 18, 2024At the height of the racial reckoning, a school district in Virginia voted to rename two schools that had been previously named for Confederate generals. This month, that decision was reversed.
NationalIowa superintendent and former Olympian bested in footrace by 5th graderMay 18, 2024Ian Roberts has competed in some of the most high-profile races in the world. But his biggest competition to date was a determined 5th grader in jean shorts and Nike tennis shoes.
NationalNew York proposes a ban on guns that are easy to convert to illegal automatic weaponsMay 18, 2024Meanwhile, Maryland's governor signs a bill to address the surge of conversion devices, including Glock switches, that bypass a pistol's trigger mechanism, allowing the weapon to fire fully automatic.
PoliticsPete McCloskey's life reminds us how politics long in the past live on in the presentMay 18, 2024McCloskey's story has both deep roots and burgeoning relevance. He died this month at 96 and had long been out of the limelight, but the issues he had been willing to champion are as salient as ever.
NationalWidespread power outages from deadly Houston storm raise new risk: hot weatherMay 18, 2024As the Houston area works to clean up and restore power to thousands after deadly storms, it will do so Saturday under a smog warning and as all of southern Texas starts to feel the heat.
EuropeArgentine president Javier Milei begins unusual visit to Spain, snubbing officialsMay 17, 2024Before kicking off a three-day visit to Madrid, Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei stirred controversy, accusing the socialist government of bringing "poverty and death" to Spain.