GRASS VALLEY – Paving work is scheduled next week on the State Route 174 (SR-174) safety improvement project between You Bet Road and Maple Way in Nevada County. Paving work to widen SR-174 on the east side of the highway is set to begin Monday, September 27. Some driveways and local road entrances may have […]
Posted inLife
In the Extreme: Women Serving Life Without Parole and Death Sentences in the United States
Today the Alice Project – a collaboration among The Sentencing Project, the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, and the Cornell University Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide – released a new report analyzing extreme sentences imposed on thousands of women in the U.S. One of every 15 women in prison – amounting to more than […]
Posted inCalifornia
California Supreme Court Rules Against Proposed Map Deadline
Today, the California Supreme Court ruled on the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission’s (Commission) petition to clarify and/or modify the writ of mandate issued by the Court on July 17, 2020 (Legislature of CA v Alex Padilla S262530)—when it ruled that the Commission should have until December 15, 2021 to submit its maps to the […]
Posted inCalifornia
AG Bonta Secures Victory in Lawsuit to Protect San Joaquin Valley Communities from Air Pollution
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today secured a court decision requiring the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (Air District) to comply with state air monitoring requirements for refineries. Petroleum refineries are among the largest non-vehicle sources of air pollution in the state and are often located in communities that already suffer from significant health disparities associated with exposure […]
Posted inOp-Ed
Dr. Carrie Teicher, MSF: Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine donations are not enough to end pandemic
The Biden Administration’s announcement that it will purchase 500 million additional doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for COVAX—the global initiative that aims to deliver COVID-19vaccines based on public health needs—is a welcome step that will help vaccinate 250 million people worldwide. The need for doses is immediate, however, and these doses won’t begin shipping until […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Now Is the Time to Rebuild and Revitalize Federal Science
The federal government’s scientific workforce has faced unprecedented pressure in recent years, with thousands of expert staff driven out by political interference, low morale and inadequate support for their work. Today, however, there’s an opportunity for a new direction for federal science. With new leadership, now is the time to bring bright, diverse scientists into public […]
Posted inUS
Grijalva, Huffman, DeGette Lead 60 Members Urging Biden Support Repeal of Arctic Refuge Drilling Program in Build Back Better Act
Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) sent a letter today signed by 60 House Democrats to President Biden urging him to support the repeal of the oil and gas leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a buyback of the leases issued in January 2021. […]
Posted inRegional
Elevated Fire Weather Conditions through Thursday
Dry and warmer weather this week. Locally gusty westerly winds over the Sierra today with locally breezy northerly winds on Thursday. Cooling trend begins this weekend with the potential for a pattern change next week. Discussion Satellite imagery shows the upper trough moving into NorCal as the strong ridge has been nudged east into the […]
Posted inRegional
Grass Valley Male Voice Choir Has New Musical Director
After 25 years under the direction of Eleanor Kenitzer, the Grass Valley Male Voice Choir is emerging from the pandemic under the direction of accomplished local musician George Husaruk. Kenitzer will continue leading the Cornish Carol Choir during the Christmas holidays, but has retired as director of the men’s choir and turned the conductor’s baton […]
Posted inRegional
Public participation in fire detection using ALERTWildfire – video
As the fall winds start to blow, ALERTWildfire encourages the public to use our platform to help detect fire starts and more generally better understand their own situational awareness during fire events. ALERTWildfire is a consortium of three universities — The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), University of California San Diego (UCSD), and the University […]
Posted inRegional
Op-Ed | Greg Diaz: “Forensic Audit” in Nevada County – Unnecessary and Here’s Why
The California Secretary of State and several counties, including Nevada County, are receiving a large number of calls and correspondence requesting “forensic audits” of elections. When someone calls for a “forensic audit” they’re essentially asking for an independent third party to come into our election systems, review our logs, machines, and source code, and physically […]
Posted inUS
State and Local Officials From All 50 States Sign Bipartisan Letter Urging Biden Administration to Increase Refugee Admissions
New York, NY, September 21, 2021 – Today, the Refugee Advocacy Lab published a letter signed by more than 300 state and local elected officials from all 50 states and the District of Columbia urging President Biden to resettle at least 125,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2022. In the bipartisan letter, the officials expressed their strong support for resettling refugees […]
Posted inCalifornia
AG Bonta Announces Arrests in Orange County Connected to One of the Nation’s Largest Student Loan Debt Relief Fraud Schemes
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the arrest of the leader of a nationwide, multiyear, multimillion-dollar student loan debt relief scam. The defendant owned a network of third-party debt relief (TPDR) businesses based in Orange County. They employed managers and sales agents to operate multiple call centers that contacted individuals across the country promising to reduce or eliminate their […]
Posted inCalifornia
Justice Department Reaches $1.6M Agreement to Remedy Title IX Violations at San José State University
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced a settlement with San José State University (SJSU) to ensure that students can attend school and participate in college athletics free from sexual harassment, including sexual assault. The department conducted its investigation under Title IX of the […]
Posted inUS
68 Members Call for $30B in Funding for Civilian Climate Corps
Late Monday evening, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led 68 Members in sending a letter to Speaker Pelosi expressing their support for $30 billion to be dedicated to the Civilian Climate Corps in the reconciliation package. This funding will ensure the program is equitable and at the scale we need to respond to the climate crisis. The […]
Posted inRegional
Wesley Panighetti sentenced to 280 years to life
Today, the Court sentenced defendant Wesley Panighetti to 280 years to life for 3 counts of forcible sodomy, 2 counts of forcible oral copulation, one count of criminal threats, one count of first degree burglary, one count of attempting to dissuade a witness, and one count of battery upon a protected person (DV victim). Defendant’s […]
Posted inRegional
Yuba Water grants support levee improvements throughout Yuba County
Yuba Water Agency’s Board of Directors today approved more than $1.1 million for critical urban and rural levee improvements in Yuba County. “These investments ensure Yuba County businesses and communities can continue to grow and thrive knowing that they’re among the best protected in the state in terms of flood risk,” said Yuba Water Vice-Chairman […]
Posted inOp-Ed
Sherrilyn Ifill: LDF Issues Statement on Treatment of Haitian Asylum Seekers at U.S. Border
Over the last few days, Haitian migrants near the southern border of Texas have faced heightened and shocking abuse from U.S. Border Patrol agents while attempting to seek asylum in the United States. Photos show agents on horses chasing and whipping Haitian migrants. In addition, the Biden administration has started deporting the migrants to Haiti, […]
Posted inOp-Ed
Everytown to Supreme Court: NRA Affiliate’s Case Rests on Distorted Telling of History
NEW YORK, September 21, 2021 – Everytown for Gun Safety, the nation’s largest gun violence prevention organization, today filed an amicus brief in the U. S. Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, a case challenging the constitutionality under the Second Amendment of a New York law regulating the concealed […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Copernicus: A summer of wildfires saw devastation and record emissions around the Northern Hemisphere
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service has been closely monitoring a summer of extreme wildfires across the Northern Hemisphere, including intense hotspots around the Mediterranean basin and in North America and Siberia. The intense fires led to new records in the CAMS dataset with the months of July and August seeing their highest global carbon emissions respectively. Scientists […]