Category: Features

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Trump Demands Probe of Celebs Who Backed Harris

President Donald Trump’s latest tirade marks a new chapter in what critics call one of modern history’s angriest and most vengeful post-election victory laps. Despite reclaiming the White House, Trump and his inner circle continue to lash out—not at rivals in government, but at celebrities who backed his 2024 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

May Revise: Newsom’s 2025 Budget Preserves Services Critical to Black Communities

On May 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his revised 2025–26 state budget, a $321.9 billion proposal designed to close a projected $11.9 billion deficit while maintaining core investments in education, health care, and behavioral health. During a 90-minute presentation, Newsom started by touting California’s status as the world’s fourth-largest economy before laying out fiscal adjustments needed to guide the state through what he described as an “uncertain and volatile” climate. 

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

A Victory in Voting Rights

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is taking a victory lap for a Supreme Court win against Alabama’s discriminatory redistricting practices that targeted Black voters there. Attorney Deuel Ross for the Legal Defense Fund says, “The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama had violated the Voting Rights Act by chopping up that Black population and declining to create two majority Black Districts.”

African Americans
Stefi Mar

The DEI Deception: White Women Benefit, Black Americans Blamed

While President Donald Trump and his allies at the Heritage Foundation work to gut diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across America, a dangerous narrative continues to spread—that DEI is some handout to Black Americans.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Sounding The Alarm

Hands off Our History plans more protests like the Saturday Washington DC rally, where several organizations banded together to draw attention to attempts to remove artifacts from the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. “Black people built this country, and we will not allow anyone to erase us from the American story because Black History is American History,” says Melanie Campbell, president/CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Opinion: Your Voice and Vote Impact the Quality of Your Health Care

Shortly after last year’s election, I hopped into a Lyft and struck up a conversation with the driver. As we talked, the topic inevitably turned to politics. He confidently told me that he didn’t vote — not because he supported Donald Trump, but because he didn’t like Kamala Harris’ résumé. When I asked what exactly he didn’t like, he couldn’t specifically articulate his dislike or point to anything specific. In his words, he “just didn’t like her résumé.”

Features
Stefi Mar

Protect Your Smile This Summer: Limit Sugar-Sweetened Drinks!

Summer can be a great time to establish and reinforce good oral hygiene habits. As a dentist, I also emphasize the importance of limiting sugary drinks, which can significantly impact our children’s overall health and well-being.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

How Proposed Federal Medicaid Cuts Could Impact California

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are fighting over whether they should slash Medicaid funding (known as Medi-Cal in California) — and by how much. The cuts are critical to achieving a $1.5 trillion federal budget reduction the GOP-led House already approved in a February resolution.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

100 Days of Chaos: Trump’s Return Feels Like a Sequel No One Asked For

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has triggered a surge in consumer prices, widespread protests, and mounting legal and political concerns—all within his first 100 days. A new analysis from Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) reveals that Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign goods have already added $14 billion in costs for U.S. households.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Fate of Black Maternal Health Programs Is Unclear Amid Federal Cuts

Eboni Tomasek expected to take home her newborn the day after he was born in a San Jose hospital. But, without explanation, hospital staff said they needed to stay a second night. Then a third. A nurse said her son had jaundice. Then said that he didn’t. She wondered if they had confused her with another African American mother. In any event, why couldn’t she and the baby boy she’d named Ezekiel go home?