This is the archive for February 2009
By Stephen Magagnini
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 1,000 Sikhs are expected at funeral services Saturday for the Rev. Wadahawa Singh Gill, the longtime spiritual leader of Northern California's Sikh community.
Mr. Gill died Tuesday of complications from pneumonia weeks before his 88th birthday. He was deeply beloved by the roughly 100,000 Sikhs in the Sacramento region and beyond as a wise, calming influence in the face of conflict and misunderstanding.
Posted by courier at 06:20 AM. Filed under: News
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Courier Staff Report
Students and others who want to participate in Union City's upcoming 50th Anniversary Parade can attend a workshop tomorrow to learn how to build a float for the parade.
The semicentennial parade is set for May 16.
The free workshop that is open to all potential float builders.
Posted by courier at 09:13 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
Second-graders at Kitayama Elementary School soon will have backpacks full of children’s literature to bring home and share with their parents, thanks to the generosity of Board of Education member Kevin Harper.
Posted by courier at 08:00 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
Two Searles Elementary School teachers are featured on a television news report about how California’s budget crisis is affecting pubic education.
First-grade teacher Sara Husokowski and music teacher Robin Gwinner walked around the Searles neighborhood, knocking on doors and speaking to residents about how the crisis is affecting the New Haven Unified School District. The District, forced by the state to make $7 million in budget reductions last year, had to cut another $4 million this year and is looking at an additional $5.9 million in cuts over the next two years.
Posted by courier at 07:58 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
As school officials throughout California seek to clarify how last week’s changes to the state budget will further impact local revenues, the New Haven Unified School District announced today that the Board of Education meeting scheduled for next Tuesday (March 3) has been postponed until Tuesday, March 10.
Posted by courier at 04:52 AM. Filed under: News
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South Fork of Feather River
on February 3. Note the small
amount of water in the riverbed.
Ca. Department of Water Resources photo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — It's been nice. But not enough.
The heavy rains of the past few weeks didn't end the drought. And for the first time in 18 years, mandatory summertime water rationing is all but certain for Silicon Valley.
On Friday, the federal government announced that water levels at major reservoirs across Northern California are still so low that cities — from San Jose to Los Angeles — that receive water from San Francisco Bay's delta should only expect 50 percent of the water this summer that they are contracted to receive.
Posted by courier at 09:04 AM. Filed under: News
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By Alejandro Samaniego and Jamey Padojino, Courier Staff Writers
Earlier in the year John Rodriguez, House Principal for 11th graders, was hit by a car during a Logan school day. He has recently returned to work after surgery on his knee and months of rehabilitation.
"I have been doing pretty well, I am just really happy to be back. I mostly want to thank everyone, because I really appreciated the flowers, cards, and e-mails. I just want people to know how important they were, because they helped me get through the bad days," Rodriguez said.
Posted by courier at 12:16 PM. Filed under: News
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By Jamey Padojino,
Courier Daily Editor
Chabot and Ohlone Colleges gave seniors presentations Tuesday and Wednesday featuring representatives from the two colleges, one being a transfer advisor, who helped seniors arrange their plans to take courses set-up to meet the requirements of a specific college.
Although representatives were from local community colleges, they also touched key points regarding four-year universities, such as costs and steps to financial aid.
Posted by courier at 04:59 AM. Filed under: News
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Carl Wilkens
wikipedia photo
Last Tuesday Pastor Carl Wilkens visited Logan to speak to students about his experiences in Rwanda during the genocide. He was the only American who chose to remain when the American Embassy was evacuating everybody.
Carl has been visiting schools, colleges, churches and civic groups over the past five years. He wants to tell his story to people and get them passionate about the topic. He especially wants to tell his story to high school and college students, who he says are the most passionate people in the world when it comes to bringing about change.
Posted by courier at 08:33 AM. Filed under: News
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Venezualan President
Hugo Chavez
wikipedia photo
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez won a major victory Sunday when Venezuelans lifted term limits, permitting him to run for re-election in 2012 and perhaps beyond.
Chavez's measure won 54.3 percent of the vote, according to the national election board.
Televised images showed Chavez supporters celebrating while fireworks boomed in the Caracas sky.
Posted by courier at 09:24 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
Forced to deal with the local impact of California’s financial crisis even through the Legislature still can’t agree on a state budget, the Board of Education on Tuesday night accepted a recommendation for $5.9 million in reductions in the District’s proposed budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
As school districts throughout the state wait for the Legislature to act on Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal, which includes another huge cut to public education, New Haven has been forced to adjust its budget to account for the loss of $4 million in the current school year, $1.7 million in 2009-10 and $2.2 million in 2010-11 - on top of a $7 million hit last year.
Posted by courier at 09:16 AM. Filed under: News
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By Steve Wiegand and Dan Smith
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California legislators trudged toward the end of a second day of trying to close a $40-billion hole in the state's budget Sunday, still one vote Republican vote short of approving a package that contains $14.3 billion in tax increases.
State Sen. Abel Maldonado, a moderate Republican from Santa Maria, indicated in an interview with The Sacramento Bee that he was willing to consider casting the decisive vote if he was satisfied with the final version of the tax proposal.
Posted by courier at 06:05 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
The Board of Education of the New Haven Unified School District, forced to deal with the local impact of California’s financial crisis, will be asked tonight to accept a recommendation for $5.9 million in reductions in the proposed budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 – on top of $4 million in cuts and internal borrowing for the current budget recommended earlier this month, and on top of $7 million in cuts made last year.
“When you consider the compound effect that the reductions we’re recommending now will have in future years, the cumulative impact of these cuts will be $17.6 million,” Superintendent Kari McVeigh said, “and that’s not including the $7 million from last year.”
Posted by courier at 06:00 AM. Filed under: News
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Danny Kluthe, of Dodge, Nebraska,
walks across his hog manure digester,
which generates 80kwH of electricity
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
(David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/MCT)
DODGE, Neb. — Where others see simply manure, Danny Kluthe smells money.
Long before President Barack Obama promised the country that "we will harness the sun and the winds and the soil," Kluthe already had yoked the power of pig poop.
Manure from his hogs drains as a slurry into a giant vat. It is stirred and warmed. A virtually odorless liquid — ideal for fertilizing surrounding fields that, in turn, feed more pigs — emerges from the giant digester.
Posted by courier at 08:27 AM. Filed under: News
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By Byron Asher
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
PRAGUE, Czech Republic — The Obama administration has begun to indicate that it's willing to reconsider the Bush administration's push to deploy a ballistic missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland — if Russia helps curb Iran's push to develop nuclear weapons.
Echoing Vice President Joe Biden, who said the new administration wants to push a "reset button" on U.S.-Russia relations, Undersecretary of State William Burns told the Interfax news agency in Moscow last week that, "The United States is quite open to the possibility of new forms of cooperation" with Moscow on missile defense, Iran and "the whole range of security issues with Russia." His remarks are posted on the Interfax Web site.
Posted by courier at 08:22 AM. Filed under: News
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Student Senate Meeting
By Jamie Maxfield, Courier Editor-in-Chief
Students from all grade levels met at the first Student Senate meeting of the year as second period began Wednesday, ready to discuss the budget crisis with New Haven Schools Public Information Officer, Rick La Plante, and Assistant Superintendent, Derek McNamara.
La Plante began by letting the students know that most of the changes will not be affecting the current seniors, but all other students will see some differences in the school starting next year.
Posted by courier at 12:48 PM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
The New Haven Unified School District as a whole and two schools in particular have even higher Academic Performance Index rankings than were originally reported, under the annual revised report released today by the California Department of Education.
Last September, the state reported that Alvarado Middle School had improved by 38 points on the API – from a score of 768 in 2006-07 to a score of 806 in 2007-08, becoming the fifth New Haven school to score above the state target of 800.
Posted by courier at 04:54 AM. Filed under: News
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By Paul Rogers and Leigh Poitinger
San Jose Mercury News (MCT)
SAN JOSE, Calif. — California is broke.
But lost in the day-to-day drama over IOUs, furloughs and huge deficits is a basic question many Californians might be asking: Where has all our money gone?
A San Jose Mercury News analysis of state spending since Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took office in late 2003 found that he and the Democratic-controlled Legislature have spent money well beyond the rate of inflation and California's population growth — $10.2 billion more.
Posted by courier at 08:28 AM. Filed under: News
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By Robert Schroeder
MarketWatch (MCT)
WASHINGTON — Senators are digging in over the weekend to tidy up a sprawling $780 billion economic stimulus package that they hope to bring to a final vote in both the House and Senate by early this week.
The Saturday session is built on a bipartisan breakthrough late Friday in which three Republican senators joined like-minded Democrats concerned that pet amendments had inflated the plan to an unacceptable level approaching $1 trillion.
Their compromise solution, at the center of weekend deliberations, also trimmed about $100 billion from the plan passed by the House late last month.
Posted by courier at 08:21 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante,
New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
A special meeting of the New Haven Community Forum has been scheduled for Tuesday night, to discuss how the state budget crisis is expected to affect the New Haven Unified School District.
“The Governor and the Legislature are dumping their problem into our laps,” Superintendent Kari McVeigh said. “Things are going to be very difficult at every school in the state, more difficult maybe than they’ve ever been. We’re going to have to share the pain and try to come up with solutions. I hope this meeting can be a first step.”
The meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Educational Services Center, 34200 Alvarado-Niles Road.
Read "Frequently Asked Questions About How the State Budget Crisis Might Affect New Haven Unified, " prepared by the school district.
Posted by courier at 12:30 PM. Filed under: News
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By Angel Cardenas, Courier Staff Writer
Sophomores are breathing a little easier after completing two days of testing that could determine whether they are graduated from high school two-plus years from now.
Wednesday was the last day of two days California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) testing for sophomores taking the first crack at the high stakes test. Tuesday they took the Language Arts portion of the test, which they must pass to graduate; on Wednesday the sophomores dealt with Math section.
Posted by courier at 05:26 AM. Filed under: News
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Carl Wilkens
wikipedia photo
By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
The last American to leave Rwanda during the 1994 genocide will speak to students at James Logan High School on Tuesday (Feb. 10) about his recent return to country and about ongoing genocide in Darfur.
Carl Wilkens, former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, also will offer suggestions during the sixth- and seventh-period assembly about how individuals can help end genocide in the 21st century. The assembly will start at 1:35 p.m.
Posted by courier at 12:43 PM. Filed under: News
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A Texas National Guard sentry
keeps watch in Ghazni, Afghanistan.
(Jim Landers/Dallas Morning News/MCT)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GHAZNI, Afghanistan — Fifty-two Texas National Guard men and women are planning an attack on a Taliban stronghold near here that other Army units estimate would take thousands of U.S. and Afghan soldiers to capture.
The Texans plan to win the battle of Khajanoor Farms without firing a shot.
This is not a plot for a Chuck Norris thriller about "One riot, one Ranger." Instead, it's an example of the U.S. military's new counterinsurgency strategy, where winning friends and providing government-backed services are more important than pulling triggers.
Posted by courier at 09:18 AM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
The Board of Education on Tuesday night received information on the local ramifications of California’s financial crisis and Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal for another huge cut to public education. Chief Business Officer Ted Hood reported on 2008-09 budget reductions and updated the Board on planning for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Midway through the 2008-09 school year - after making $7 million in cuts last year - the District must adjust its budget to account for the loss of an additional $4 million in revenue that is being withheld by Sacramento. The state plans to withhold an additional $1.7 million from the 2009-10 budget, and another $2.2 million in 2010-11.
Posted by courier at 08:52 AM. Filed under: News
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Michael Phelps at the
2008 Olympics
wikpedia photo
Michael Phelps is at least as tech savvy as most people in his generation. He certainly knows that 1) almost every person his age carries a cell phone and 2) that nearly every one of those phones has a camera.
Yet Phelps, surprisingly, either did not know about or chose to ignore the ramifications of all those camera phones. A celebrity whose tens of millions in sponsorship money depends on image cannot do anything stupid in public, because someone will have taken a picture or video of the indiscretion.
Posted by courier at 05:45 PM. Filed under: News
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By Elise Ackerman
San Jose Mercury News (MCT)
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Soon after he was named chief executive of Yahoo, Jerry Yang turned to Steve Jobs for advice.
On stage before several hundred senior Yahoo executives, Yang asked the Apple CEO how he had pulled Apple out of a death spiral a decade earlier. Jobs replied that he'd made decisions: He got out of the hand-held business, consolidated product lines, decimated Apple's work force, and made a deal with Microsoft.
It was the end of September 2007, and Yahoo was losing ground to Google. What should Yahoo do? Yang asked.
Posted by courier at 05:39 PM. Filed under: News
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From the New Haven E-News:
Members of the staff at Pioneer Elementary School donated nearly 200 hand-made blankets to children at Raphael House, a shelter for homeless children and families in San Francisco. Para-professional Linda Cordano taught several others how to make the fleece-cut blankets and teacher Adrienne Alexander made the connection with Raphael House after hearing from a neighbor about the shelter’s work.
Posted by courier at 07:29 AM. Filed under: News
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By Claudia Buck
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
When it comes to investment fraud, the perpetrators chase the news.
After 9/11, it was phony anti-terrorism technology. During the housing boom, it was real estate scams. A year ago, it was "green technology" swindles. Today, amid a financially stressed economy, it's "prime bank" and other high-yield, quick-money quackery.
"They always seem to mirror economic times. They exploit whatever's current," said Kevin Baker, head of the FBI's white-collar crime squad in Sacramento, Calif.
Posted by courier at 06:06 PM. Filed under: News
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(Rob Heller/Bradenton Herald/MCT)
Unfortunately, 2009 is looking like a bad-news trifecta for most families dealing with college admissions:
1. This year's high school graduating class will be the largest in history.
2. Numbers thus far indicate that students are applying to more colleges and universities.
3. Because of the economic downturn, financial resources have dwindled for both families and colleges.
So: more students, more applications and less money — a tough year all around.
Posted by courier at 05:34 PM. Filed under: News
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By Pamela Yip
The Dallas Morning News (MCT)
DALLAS — Financial educator Cynthia Nevels would rather not see one subject that's been appearing in some of her students' essays: theft of their identity by a parent.
And sadly, it's been appearing with regularity, said Nevels, executive director of the Jr.Finance Literacy Academy in Irving, Texas, which teaches money management skills to kids from kindergarten through high school.
"I can guarantee either one or two students out of any (financial education) camp will say ... that they have experienced that by a parent or a family member," she said.
Posted by courier at 05:30 PM. Filed under: News
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By Rick La Plante,
New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
The Board of Education of the New Haven Unified School District will hear a report Tuesday night on the local ramifications of California’s financial crisis and Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal for another huge cut to public education.
Midway through the 2008-09 school year – after making $7 million in cuts last year – New Haven must adjust its budget to account for the loss of an additional $4 million in revenue that was promised to the District but now is being retained by Sacramento. The state plans to withhold an additional $1.7 million from the 2009-10 budget, and another $2.2 million in 2010-11.
Posted by courier at 10:16 AM. Filed under: News
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