This is the archive for October 2007
Waveform graph of last night's
earthquake from the California
Integrated Seismic Network
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A moderate, but powerful earthquake — the strongest since the 1989 Loma Prieta temblor — struck San Jose on Tuesday night, shaking homes and apartments and other buildings, sending many rattled residents pouring from their homes. Early on, only minimal damage was reported.
The quake, which happened on the Calaveras Fault, hit at 8:04 p.m. PDT, lasted about 30 seconds and measured 5.6 on the magnitude scale, according to a preliminary estimate from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Posted by courier at 11:08 AM. Filed under: News
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By Jamie Maxfield and Krystal Henderson,
Courier Staff Writers
A botched teachers' union election last month has pitted former rivals for the presidency of the union against each other once again.
In September, the New Haven Teachers Association (NHTA), the local branch of the California Teachers Association, which represents Logan's teachers, held an election to choose a representative to the state council of the CTA. The current NHTA president, Charmaine Kawaguchi, a Logan computer science teacher, won the state council seat against Teri Hawkins, an Alvarado Middle School teacher who ran against Kawaguchi for the presidency of the local in 2006.
The state council representative election did not go smoothly.
Posted by courier at 12:15 PM. Filed under: News
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Staph bacteria
National Institute of Health image
NEW YORK — The rising incidence of drug-resistant staph infections has prompted a bipartisan federal measure that would provide $5 million in emergency funding to combat a potentially lethal agent that increasingly is emerging in schools, gyms and even daycare centers.
New York Sen. Charles Schumer on Wednesday called on President George W. Bush to remove his threat of a veto from a bill that provides money for public education campaigns aimed at preventing the spread of MRSA — methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Posted by courier at 10:09 AM. Filed under: News
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Darfur is in the western part of Sudan, bordering
on Libya, Chad, and the Central African Republic.
U.S. Government image
SIRTE, Libya — It took 10 months of planning, persuasion and compromise for U.N. and African diplomats to launch a new round of peace talks for Sudan's Darfur region.
But it took less than 48 hours for Darfur's political realities to crush any hopes of a speedy resolution to the four-year war in western Sudan, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives.
Posted by courier at 05:45 PM. Filed under: News
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NASA image of Comet Holmes
SAN JOSE — Astronomers and backyard stargazers are going gaga this week over the flying fuzz ball known as Comet Holmes.
First discovered in 1892, the comet has played hide-and-seek with star-watchers ever since, often too faint to see with a telescope as it orbited the sun every seven years.
Not this time. Thanks to a so-called "outburst" of gas and dust as the comet skirted the sun earlier this week, the normally faint comet has intensified in brightness 1 million-fold since Wednesday night. This weekend, even in well-lit cities and even to the naked eye, Holmes should be strutting its orange-yellowish asymmetrical stuff.
Learn more about Comet Holmes.
Posted by courier at 07:48 AM. Filed under: News
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Seniors put finishing touches on their
float this morning. Courier Photo
Logan’s homecoming week is winding down to its climactic moment.
While students and staff have been dressing up to the assigned attire days to show school spirit, the big activities begin today, where the homecoming rally will take place in the football stadium after 7th period.
Today's shortened schedule allows for the whole school to attend the rally. Students are encouraged to wear their class colors. Seniors-black; juniors-white; sophomores-green; freshmen-yellow. Teachers and staff are to wear their Logan shirts.
Posted by courier at 12:39 PM. Filed under: News
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By Bill Burke
The Virginian-Pilot (MCT)
Reposting Televangelist Pat Roberston's
face-scratching gesture in an interview
posted on YouTube may have gotten a
Regent University student suspended.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Regent University law student who posted an unflattering photo of Regent president Pat Robertson on his Facebook page has been indefinitely suspended pending a psychiatric evaluation.
Adam M. Key was told by a dean in an e-mail Friday that he was concerned about Key's "emotional well-being" and that several students have recently expressed concern about Key's "interpersonal behavior."
The students "have reported, among other things, that you said that you brought a gun on campus, which is a violation of University policy," said the e-mail, signed by associate dean of students L.O. Natt Gantt.
Posted by courier at 07:42 AM. Filed under: News
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By Sarena Bains, Courier Staff Writer
With a new hip, CST Molly Rudnick
is back doing what she loves.
Sarena Bains/Courier PhotoAfter a major hip operation, Molly Rudnick, one of Logans Campus Security Technicians (CSTs), is back on the job trying to make sure that all of the students at school feel safe.
In her ninth year as a CST, Rudnick, called Molly by students, says she still loves her job.
Each CST has a certain section of the school that they have to supervise and control. She helps in any situations that might occur.
Posted by courier at 07:53 AM. Filed under: News
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By Shashank Bengali
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
NAIROBI, Kenya — One of the Bush administration's key foreign policy successes — brokering an end to a 21-year war between northern and southern Sudan — is coming apart even as U.N. and African diplomats step up peace efforts in Sudan's other crisis, the conflict in the western Darfur region.
Signers of the 2005 truce ending Africa's longest civil war have missed every major deadline, and tensions in the south have increased amid reports of a military build-up by both sides. Last week, former southern rebels took the dramatic step of withdrawing from a national unity government, accusing northern officials of blocking the peace agreement and failing to remove thousands of its troops from southern oil fields.
Posted by courier at 06:34 AM. Filed under: News
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By Becky Yerak
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
CHICAGO — As a college student, Brett Thurman isn't one to pass up free food.
So during the first few weeks of school, when the University of Illinois-Chicago student spotted a coupon on campus for a free sandwich at a particular Subway on a certain day, he snapped it up.
When Thurman and his classmates rolled into the off-campus shop to get hooked up with a hoagie, however, they were greeted by more than the counter help.
Posted by courier at 03:07 AM. Filed under: News
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By Susanne Rust
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT)
MILWAUKEE — Flip a coin.
That's about as sensitive as current Pap smears are in detecting whether a woman has abnormal, potentially cancerous, cervical cells or not.
But a new study, in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, might change that picture.
In a blind, randomized clinical trial, Canadian researchers showed that a test that identifies the DNA of the human papillomavirus — the virus believed to cause cervical cancer — appears to be exquisitely sensitive, identifying nearly 95 percent of the women who have pre-cancerous or cancerous cells.
Posted by courier at 05:57 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
The Board of Education on Tuesday night received a presentation on the “family system” introduced this fall at James Logan High School. The presentation was part of the first-quarter report on Year 2 implementation of the New Haven Strategic Plan. Featured was Strategy 5, Action Plan 1, calling for the creation of small learning communities as appropriate.
Ninth-grade Principal Matt Smith and teacher Perry Darweesh told the Board about the “family system” that was introduced this fall at James Logan High School, where every freshman is part of a “family” 60 to 100 students who have the same three teachers for English, biology and life skills.
Posted by courier at 07:29 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick LaPlante,
New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
Students interested in pursuing careers in the culinary arts will have a unique opportunity to study, train and gain practical experience when the New Haven Unified School District opens the East Bay Culinary Arts Institute.
Classrooms, training kitchens and a full-service, public restaurant are planned for the $5.28 million facility, to be built on the campus of James Logan High School. The Board of Education on Tuesday night approved a resolution authorizing the District to seek $2.64 million in state matching funds for construction of the 8,513-square-foot facility. The remainder of funds will come from Measure A, a $120 million bond approved by New Haven voters in 2003.
Posted by courier at 07:26 AM. Filed under: News
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Courier Staff Report
The weather cooperated with clear and sunny skies Tuesday, as the senior class skipped first period classes to take to the home stands in the Judson E. Taylor stadium to pose for their annual panoramic picture.
The picture is usually taken in the Spring, but was moved up to today in order to include the resulting photo in the yearbook.
Click here for a higher resolution version of the picture.
Courier Photo
Posted by courier at 09:01 AM. Filed under: News
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By Sarena Bains, Courier Staff Writer
The Class of 2008 in the stands
last year. Courier photoIt could be considered a senior tradition, when, every spring, James Logan High School takes its senior class out into the stadium in order to take their panoramic picture, the wide format photograph of the entire senior class, or, at least, those in attendance the day of the photo.
In the recent past, the photo of the senior class in the home stands has been is taken when the rest of the grade levels are taking the spring-time STAR tests.
Not so, this year. Vice Principal Linda Kingston and her staff have decided to move the date from early spring to mid fall —tomorrow, in fact— so that the picture can be put into the yearbook.
Posted by courier at 05:23 AM. Filed under: News
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By Randy Furst and Jeff Shelman
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)
Archbishop Tutu speaks
in Colombia in 2005.
USAID PhotoMINNEAPOLIS — On the University of St. Thomas campus on Monday, activists unfurled a large banner: "Let Tutu Speak!"
By Monday evening, St. Thomas' president, the Rev. Dennis Dease, had received more than 2,500 e-mails from a national Jewish peace group urging him to reverse his decision not to invite Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu to campus.
"There is an overwhelming majority of students who are appalled by this," said Stephanie Edquist, 21, editor of the student newspaper. "Students are saying. `Who else is going to be restricted from coming to campus?'"
Posted by courier at 06:45 PM. Filed under: News
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Compiled from Courier staff reports
Groupwise's web inteface, when it works.
Courier imageOngoing troubles with the New Haven School District’s relatively new email system, called Groupwise, resulted in email being unavailable Thursday morning, and frustratingly slow and unreliable when has been available.
Principal Don Montoya took to the James Logan public address system Thursday morning to tell his staff about the outage. He announced that the system was again available at about noon.
Posted by courier at 07:29 AM. Filed under: News
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By James Oliphant
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
The Supreme Court building.
U.S. gov. photoWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court Tuesday declined to allow a lawsuit to go forward that questions the government's use of rendition, the controversial practice of capturing suspected terrorists and sending them to other countries for a more intense form of interrogation than permitted under U.S. law.
In doing so, the court implicitly endorsed the administration's use of a sweeping legal defense that prevents claims of abuse and torture at the hands of U.S interrogators from ever being heard in court.
Posted by courier at 06:57 AM. Filed under: News
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LUNCH: All Beef Hot Dog, Milk, Fresh Fruit, Fun Chips
ACTIVITIES:
Want to get into the Homecoming Dance for free? Show us your best moves today during lunch at Colt Court for a dance battle! The DJ will be out during lunch in Colt Court on Mondays and Fridays for the next two weeks! Don’t miss out!
Homecoming is right around the corner! Come to Colt Court at lunch from now through Wednesday to nominate your friends for Homecoming Court!
Posted by courier at 10:48 AM. Filed under: News
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By Jennifer Torres,
Courier Staff Writer
Logan's Hope Connections club will be hosting a Free Electronic Recycling Event tomorrow, where students, staff and others can get rid of their unwanted electronic devices in an environmentally sound way that also helps raise money for needy people.
The event will be located in the Logan parking lot from 9am-4pm. Hope Connections will be accepting any electronic devices of which people might want to dispose.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to get rid of their electronic waste for free and in the process help Hope Connections raise money used for food certificates which go to needy families.” said Logan teacher Linda Rodrigues, founder and mentor to the club.
Posted by courier at 08:51 AM. Filed under: News
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By Jasmeen Banwait, Courier Staff Writer
Recycling bins awaiting pickup.
Jennifer Weiss/Courier PhotoLeadership teacher Francis Rojas is helping to coordinate the recycling program at James Logan this year, and he's serious about reducing the amount of waste Logan sends to landfills and promoting recycling.
"The more stuff we can recycle, the less we're throwing in the landfills. By reducing waste in the landfills, we will help the environment greatly," Rojas said.
Posted by courier at 10:08 AM. Filed under: News
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Mr. Lindsey’s Special Life Skills
By Tawab Fakhri, Courier Staff Writer
World-renowned teacher Tommie Lindsey, head coach of the prestigious James Logan Forensics Speech and Debate team, has turned some of his attention to helping guide young black men through their high school careers and lives beyond through a new life skills class just for such students.
According to Logan Principal Don Montoya, Lindsey came to him with the idea for the class, requesting to send forms to all the incoming African‑American male freshmen offering them the opportunity to be put in the Lindsey's LifeSkills class.
Montoya agreed and sent the letters to approximately 60 boys and their parents. Only about three parents declined the offer.
Posted by courier at 09:27 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
More than 20 parents. teachers and administrators discussed the District’s focus on literacy at the first 2007-08 meeting of the New Haven Community Forum, held at the new Cabello Student Support Center.
Writing is the highest and most rigorous competency in literacy, said Glynn Thompson, Executive Director of Elementary Education, who presented information on Writing Workshop, the foundational piece to the District’s literacy plan. Mr. Thompson shared examples of writing being done by New Haven students after only a few weeks of instruction.
Posted by courier at 08:18 AM. Filed under: News
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By Larry Oakes
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)
DULUTH, Minn. — She probably could have paid a few thousand dollars to settle her case and walked away, like just about everybody else has done in her situation.
But in a case that's attracted attention far from northern Minnesota, Jammie Thomas, a single mother from Brainerd, Minn., is fighting a lawsuit filed by the world's most powerful recording companies, who claim she illegally downloaded and shared copyrighted music from her computer.
"I did not download or upload any music, period," Thomas, 30, said outside the federal courthouse in Duluth, where a 12-member jury was empaneled Tuesday to hear the first trial stemming from more than 26,000 suits the industry has filed since a crackdown on file-sharers in 2003.
Posted by courier at 07:58 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick LaPlante,
New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
The Board of Education on Tuesday night received a presentation explaining how test results are being used to guide and direct instructional practices and to help answer the critical question: “How will we know when students have learned what we want them to know?”
Alberto Solorzano, principal at Cesar Chavez Middle School, discussed his school’s plan to create SMART goals: strategic and specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented and time-bound. CCMS teacher and curriculum leader Amity Defaii told the Board how she and fellow teachers work in collaboration to use the California Standards Test Planning Guide to pinpoint student needs.
Posted by courier at 11:46 AM. Filed under: News
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By Stevenson Swanson
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
NEW YORK — The story seemed like a surefire hit for children. A pair of penguins take care of an egg that isn't theirs and then raise the baby penguin, after it hatches, as their own.
How heartwarming. And who doesn't love penguins?
Plenty of parents, it turns out, when both penguin parents are male.
That plot twist earned "And Tango Makes Three" the distinction of being the most-challenged book of 2006, according to the Chicago-based American Library Association, which compiles an annual list of titles that have been the subject of efforts to have them removed from public and school libraries.
Posted by courier at 09:06 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
UNION CITY – Families of children who were not quite old enough to attend kindergarten when the 2007-08 school year began will have the option of enrolling in a mid-year, full-day kindergarten program being piloted by the New Haven Unified School District starting in January 2008.
To be enrolled in regular kindergarten in 2007-08, a child must be 5 years old or must turn 5 before Dec. 2, 2007. For children who turn 5 between Dec. 3, 2007, and March 23, 2008, the District will offer the new mid-year kindergarten program beginning Jan. 28 and continuing through June 12.
Posted by courier at 02:37 PM. Filed under: News
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By Rechie Cruz, Courier Staff Writer
Assistant Principal
Ramon Camacho
Courier PhotoAfter starting his career as a Mathematics teacher at Logan, Ramon Camacho is settling in as Assistant Principal for the Ninth Grade House at the high school.
“It feels good being the new principal." Camacho told The Courier. "However, it’s a little overwhelming. But I've found the students and staff to be very supportive about my new position.”
"I'm just trying to adjust," he said. "What I need to do is get used to knowing what to do in certain situations and how to address problems, because I am new to everything."
Posted by courier at 07:44 AM. Filed under: News
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