FAMILY CENTER’S NEWSDESK 7-28-05
Education
LAUSD board seeks bond, tax from election -- Los Angeles Unified board members today will consider putting both a $3.85 billion construction bond and a $150-a-year parcel tax on the Nov. 8 special election ballot to pay for programs to boost the quality of instruction. Naush Boghossian in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 7/27/05
Healthy school food the aim -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threw his support Monday behind pending bills to ban soda and junk food in schools throughout California, saying the state needs to do more to fight childhood obesity. The bills by Sens. Martha Escutia, D-Norwalk, would set statewide standards limiting the amount of fat and sugar in food meals served at school, as well as ban soda sales. Harrison Sheppard in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 7/26/05
For now, California won't make the grade under 'No Child' act
BEFORE summer's end, Californians will get more troubling news about their schools. Once again, schools that a lot of communities thought were exemplary and were listed as successful by the state will be rated as in need of improvement — failing in plain text — under federal accountability standards. http://www.insidebayarea.com/searchresults/ci_2895448
Vexed parents shell out for SAT tutors
Terryln Smock worried that her daughter might not do well enough on the SAT exam for U.S. college admission. So she bought some peace of mind. A lawyer, Smock flew a tutor for the Princeton Review Inc. from New York to her house at Hull Bay on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. For $200 an hour, Fritz Stewart worked with Rebecca Smock two hours a day for three weeks in the home's library. http://www.insidebayarea.com/searchresults/ci_2895292
Our kids need to move from Harry to history
Along with millions of others, my granddaughters Lauren, Nicole and Julia eagerly tore open the boxes containing ``Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,'' as soon as they arrived at the airport near the cabin where they were on vacation, and then disappeared into their rooms -- barely to reappear for the next 24 hours, while they were devouring the sixth in the bestselling series. And thereby they proved David McCullough's point. Late last month, the prolific historian had told a Senate hearing that his examination of school history textbooks had shown a disquieting trend. Over the years, he said, he has noticed that the typeface in those books is growing larger, the illustrations more lavish and the content shrinking. The authors and the teachers using these textbooks ``seem to assume that students don't like to read,'' he said, ``and then Harry Potter comes along and blows it all away.'' http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/12233470.htm
Coalition zeros in on math, science ed
Campaign starting today promotes greater urgency on making improvements
WASHINGTON — A coalition of U.S. businesses with tens of millions of workers says the nation must act with more urgency to improve math and science education. Covering every sector of the economy, the coalition aims to convince policymakers and the public that the United States' place in the world is at stake — "the leadership of our country, our abil-ity to compete on a global basis and our ability to create jobs for American workers," said John Castellani, president of the Business Roundtable. http://www.modbee.com/business/story/10973081p-11738469c.html
Stan St. program bridges gap from high school to college
Math, English classes give 'at-risk' students training
TURLOCK — Donnelle McGee was a struggling student in high school 18years ago. With a 2.0 grade-point average and low SAT scores, he wasn't on his way to college. "I thought I had no chance," McGee said Tuesday. Still, he decided to apply to California State University, Stanislaus, through the Education Opportunities Program. What the coordinator told him came as a surprise. He had to go to summer school: Summer Bridge Program, actually — an intensive, three-week course designed to get students ready for college-level work. http://www.modbee.com/local/story/10973060p-11738444c.html
Budget and State Politics
Lockyer rewrites Prop. 76 summary -- Attorney General Bill Lockyer has rewritten a controversial ballot summary for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's spending control ballot measure, giving what the governor's advisers called a big boost to his election agenda. Schwarzenegger and his aides had accused the Democratic state attorney general of playing partisan politics by selecting ballot language that emphasized Proposition 76's impact on education funding more than its impact on overall state spending. Gary Delsohn in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/28/05
Going solo is old hat in state -- In the back-slapping world of organized labor, where solidarity is supposed to be forever, this week's split in the AFL-CIO was a jolt. But unions showing their independence isn't so out of the ordinary, in California at least. The state's work sites and labor halls offer a long-standing challenge to the notion that strength comes from uniting under a big union tent. Rachel Osterman in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/27/05
Voters get two Rx's to cut drug costs -- Backers of two dueling initiatives that would slash prescription-drug prices are spending millions to convince voters they have the best solution to make drugs more affordable for Californians. Both of the November ballot measures would establish a drug-discount program for low-income Californians funded through rebates from drug manufacturers. But the measures take different approaches to get there. CLAIRE VITUCCI in the Riverside Press -- 7/27/05
BART to halt many rush-hour trains to SFO / Lack of Peninsula riders brings change -- system will save almost $4 million a year -- Plagued by low ridership on its Peninsula extension, BART plans to cut its rush-hour service to San Francisco International Airport in half starting in September in a move to save nearly $4 million a year, transit officials said Monday. Under the plan, trains to SFO and Millbrae would run every 15 minutes rather than about every 7 minutes during commute hours, said Janet McGovern, a spokeswoman for SamTrans, which pays the net operating cost for BART service on the Peninsula. Dave Murphy in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/26/05
Governor Refuses to Cancel Nov. 8 Special Election -- As lawyers scrambled to resurrect one of his most important voter initiatives, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that he would not cancel the Nov. 8 special election. "I will continue moving forward exactly as I have been," Schwarzenegger said at an event in the Capitol that encouraged children to eat healthy foods. "We need reform." Nancy Vogel and Peter Nicholas in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/26/05
Redistricting measure gets reprieve -- A Sacramento judge's order to toss the Proposition 77 redistricting measure from the upcoming special election ballot was temporarily suspended Monday by the 3rd District Court of Appeal. The practical effect of the appellate order was to allow Proposition 77 to be included in a public review period that begins today and ends Aug. 15 for initiatives on the upcoming ballot. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/26/05
Disability News
Home care workers you can trust
THIS IS in response to the July 14 letter, "Be wary of who you let into your house," from someone robbed by a home caregiver. Hiring a stranger to come into your home does require some caution. However, services are available in Alameda County that can offer assistance. I am executive director of the Public Authority for In-Home Supportive Services in Alameda County. http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/letterstotheeditor/ci_2888548
Link to July 14 letter:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/letterstotheeditor/ci_2859972
Mental hospital probe shows major problems / Officials accused of stalling Napa inquiry -- The U.S. Justice Department has accused California officials of intentionally impeding a probe into conditions at Napa State Hospital, where investigators found "widespread and systemic deficiencies" that put patients' lives at risk. Jim Doyle in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/28/05
State expands newborn test for genetic abnormalities
For the first time in 13 years, California has dramatically expanded its newborn screening program to detect more disorders that can lead to serious disabilities or death. The expansion will enable doctors to identify and treat problems before babies suffer irreversible harm. California has lagged behind most other states in the number of disorders it screens for in its tests. http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/email/news/12233715.htm
Disabled actors not represented in films, TV shows
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Actors with disabilities are underrepresented in movies and TV shows and are reluctant to ask producers for even minor accommodations, according to a study commissioned by the Screen Actors Guild. While 20 percent of all Americans are living with a physical or mental disability, less than 2 percent of TV show characters display a disability and only .5 percent have speaking roles, according to an executive summary of a report released Tuesday. http://www.fresnobee.com/state_wire/entertainment/story/10968917p-11734226c.html
ED EAMES: Imagine a barrier-free Fresno for everyone
On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act, viewed as the last great civil rights legislation of the 20th century, was signed into law by President George Bush. To demonstrate its impact on the lives of people with disabilities, the following comparisons can be made about life before and after ADA: http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/wo/story/10966405p-11732037c.html
Eureka student participates in forum on disabilities
SACRAMENTO -- Molly Hoffman of Eureka High School joined 59 other high school students from throughout California Wednesday in Sacramento as part of a five-day forum designed to assist young people with disabilities to reach their potential. http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127~2896~2985228,00.html
Amputee delivers meals, and hope, to others
FREMONT — The man in the wheelchair knows Adam Walsh has arrived even before he hears that friendly, familiar voice at his screen door. "Good morning, Meals on Wheels." Moments before, 63-year-old Art Hagerty — partially paralyzed from a stroke — had seen Walsh's hulking white pickup truck arrive as he gazed out the window of his cluttered, dimly lighted mobile home. http://www.insidebayarea.com/searchresults/ci_2891000
DAY CARE BENEFITS PETS, OWNERS AND WORKERS
SERVICE GIVES STUDENTS AND DISABLED ANIMAL TRAINING EXPERIENCE
You Lucky Dogz is among a growing number of businesses providing pet day care for people who don't want to leave their dogs home alone. For Hope Services, it's another way to generate income and provide experience and training for its developmentally disabled clients. You Lucky Dogz also gives special education, vocational and at-risk students in the Fremont Union High School District an opportunity to work in animal care. Those completing the curriculum in animal behavior and care earn a certificate as a dog care aide. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/counties/santa_clara/12243430.htm
'The only thing we can't do is dance'
David and Linda Ramirez ignore the stares in restaurants when they navigate their wheelchairs to a table. They've long become used to people's perceptions that a disability renders them somehow not normal. But they never have gotten over the sting of a woman's rebuke in 1972: "Who do you two think you are, having a baby?" when they appeared in public with their infant daughter on her mother's lap. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050726/NEWS01/507260301&SearchID=73215551330751
Plugging into sound
Cochlear implants have been around for decades, but they still seem a futuristic marvel. They are tiny computers implanted in the skull that use digital pulses the brain interprets as sound. While the medical community celebrates the cochlear implant as a long overdue breakthrough in treatment for the deaf, it is feared by many in the deaf community. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=10BA1EA4E7006FA0&p_docnum=1
Social Security to shorten waiting time for disability
WASHINGTON -- People seeking disability benefits from Social Security can expect to spend less time waiting for a decision under changes rolled out Tuesday on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Social Security Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart said people who are clearly disabled could be approved for benefits in as little as 20 days under the new procedures, which the agency expects to start putting into action next spring. http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=8B99FE6C-A99D-43FF-8010-B6241CF26A6A
Businesses lagging in hiring disabled
Disabled Americans were given equal footing in the workplace and in mainstream America when President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act into law 15 years ago today. But in the time since its passage it has become clear that just putting a law in place won't make businesses change, especially when they know it's not stringently enforced. http://www1.venturacountystar.com/vcs/business/article/0,1375,VCS_128_3953390,00.html