National - Observer News Group

Raging Fires in Pasadena and Altadena Devastate Black Families; Strain Fire Protection Systems

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | African Americans, Front Page, LA Fires, Local, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

The Eaton Fire has left a devastating mark on Southern California, including the Black and Brown communities of Pasadena and Altadena, where homeowners are grappling with unimaginable loss.

How Head Start Installs Confidence for Two Generations

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Education K-12, Features, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

The founders of Head Start have always viewed parents as critical partners in their work to educate young children. They also understood that this partnership meant parents should help decide which services would most benefit their families and those in the community. As a result, Head Start created a formal leadership and policymaking role for parents and community members called the Policy Council.

Doctors, Nurses Press Ahead as Wildfires Strain Los Angeles’ Health Care

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Front Page, Health Care, LA Fires, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

The rapidly spreading wildfires that have transformed much of Los Angeles County into a raging hellscape are not only upending the lives of tens of thousands of residents and business owners, but also stressing the region’s hospitals, health clinics, first responders, and nursing homes.

Racial Disparities and Youth Sentencing Mark U.S. Life Sentencing Practices

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Features, Los Angeles, National, Valleys, World & Nation | 0

The Sentencing Project, an advocacy organization promoting humane responses to crime, has released its report, “A Matter of Life: The Scope and Impact of Life and Long-Term Imprisonment in the United States.” The report provides a detailed analysis of life sentences, revealing that nearly 200,000 people—one in six individuals in U.S. prisons—are serving life terms. The United States accounts for 40 percent of the world’s life-sentenced population but represents only 4 percent of the global population.

Los Angeles’s Historic Black Community Devastated by Eaton Canyon Fires

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Features, LA Fires, Los Angeles, National, State, Valleys | 0

As flames tore through the picturesque foothills of Altadena and Pasadena on January 7, 2025, the Eaton Canyon fires left a historic Black community—rooted in the Civil Rights Movement—nearly wiped out. Among the hardest-hit areas in Los Angeles County, Altadena has seen its many Black-owned homes, churches, businesses, and landmarks reduced to ashes.

14 States Awarded $1 Million Grants to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Crises

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Features, Health Care, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has awarded $1 million in planning grants to 14 states as part of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid Demonstration Program. Funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, the program aims to address the ongoing mental health and substance use crises nationwide.

History making fire shatters lives and homes

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | LA Fires, Local, Los Angeles, National, Valleys, Weather | 0

I was rolling down Interstate-5 cruising about 70 mpg, after a recent visit with some family and friends of distinction in Livermore, California. Like most people, after a trip long or short I’m always happy to get home. It was just 10- minutes away from my front door.

Congresswoman Waters’ Statement on the Los Angeles Wildfires

by James Luckey | Jan 10, 2025 | Featured, Los Angeles, Maxine Waters, National, Weather | 0

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New Year Brings a Wave of New Laws Across the United States

by Stefi Mar | Jan 7, 2025 | Bakersfield, Front Page, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

As 2025 begins, jurisdictions across the United States enact new laws that impact gun safety, healthcare, consumer privacy, and transportation.

Cold Weather Safety for Children

by Stefi Mar | Dec 31, 2024 | Bakersfield, Education K-12, Local, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of cold weather. The Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center developed these tips to help families and staff keep children safe, healthy, and warm in the winter.