Education

First case of COVID-19 UK variant confirmed in Los Angeles County

Public Health officials on Saturday, Jan. 16 confirmed the faster-spreading UK variant of COVID-19 has reached Los Angeles. An infected person, only described as “male,” recently “spent time” in Los Angeles County before traveling to Oregon, where he is currently isolated. The variant was confirmed by Quest Laboratories in Washington state. No other information on where the man was in the LA area was immediately available. Although it is the first confirmed case of the variant in Los Angeles Cou...
Tags: Health, Business, UK, News, Education, California, Cdc, Washington, Oregon, La, Government, Paul Simon, Los Angeles, Sport, Joe Biden, Public Health

Photos: UCLA School of Dentistry gives out dental hygiene kits during food giveaway

The line of masked people stretched from Tyrone Avenue on to Victory Boulevard for the weekly Central Lutheran Church Mobile Pantry LA Food Bank Food Distribution in Van Nuys on Monday, Jan. 11. During this edition of the food giveaway, those in line would also receive information on dental hygiene and dental kits from the UCLA Dental School. “Dental care is under accessed, especially by underserved communities, and we want them to know there are benefits and access for them,” said Dental Hygien...
Tags: Health, News, Education, Sport, Soccer, Community, Local News, Dental, 288, LA County, Victory Boulevard, Van Nuys, Los Angeles Daily News, UCLA School of Dentistry, Central Lutheran Church, Brummel

Push to open public schools in February thrills some parents, terrifies some teachers, as COVID surges

The new year brings a ray of hope for California parents like Kate Gude, who has watched with mounting worry as her four kids suffer social isolation and reduced instruction time from online learning. The first COVID-19 vaccines were given to health care workers a month ago, teachers whose safety fears have blunted reopening efforts are next in line, and the governor has a new $2 billion plan aimed at getting kids back into classrooms over the next three months. “I’m an eternal optimist,” said G...
Tags: School, News, Education, California, New York City, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Sport, Austin, Soccer, Williams, San Jose, Lausd, Cuba, Orange County, Group

How Southern California teachers explain U.S. Capitol riot

Even as custodians and workers clean up damage left after rioters invaded the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday, Jan. 6, there’s another mess, as teachers and other adults try to figure out how to explain the events to the country’s children. “It was hard yesterday,” said Elizabeth Ramos, choking up. She’s taught government and history at Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga through the Obama and Trump presidencies. Online classes resumed Monday at the Chaffey Joint Union High School District...
Tags: Politics, John Lewis, News, Education, Obama, California, Washington, La, America, Georgia, Sport, Soccer, Chatsworth, Donald Trump, Ducks, Flores

Pandemic-Era Heroes: She shopped until she dropped for people with high-impact needs

Pandemic-Era Heroes Name: Andrea Searle Hometown: Burbank Age: 52 Role: Teacher (and shopper/delivery person) Quote: “There’s a spectrum of people. There are the ultrawealthy, there’s the well-to-do and there’s the struggling. Who’s helping the struggling people?” Latest installment in a series of stories about people who have made a big difference in the community during a time framed by the coronavirus pandemic   Andrea Seale, a Burbank teacher and resident, knew from day one that hand sa...
Tags: Health, Facebook, Business, News, Education, California, Government, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Ford, Community, Wisconsin, Mccarthy, Palm, Andrea

Pandemic-Era Heroes: Burbank teacher shopped until she dropped for people with high-impact needs

Pandemic-Era Heroes Name: Andrea Searle Hometown: Burbank Age: 52 Role: Teacher (and shopper/delivery person) Quote: “There’s a spectrum of people. There are the ultrawealthy, there’s the well-to-do and there’s the struggling. Who’s helping the struggling people?” Latest installment in a series of stories about people who have made a big difference in the community during a time framed by the coronavirus pandemic   Andrea Seale, a Burbank teacher and resident, knew from day one that hand sa...
Tags: Health, Facebook, Business, News, Education, California, Government, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Ford, Community, Mccarthy, Palm, Larry King, Southern California

Every 10 minutes someone in LA County dies from the coronavirus. Here are some of their stories.

A landscaper. A hairstylist. A father, a mother. A son, a daughter. A best friend. A nurse. A retired dentist. Every 10 minutes, health officials say, someone in Los Angeles County dies from the coronavirus. The virus’s wrath has surged anew in recent weeks, fueled, county officials say, by holiday gatherings, pandemic fatigue and disregard for safety measures. New cases have ballooned. Hospitalizations, which generally lag a couple of weeks behind, have followed. And so has the death toll: LA C...
Tags: Health, Twitter, News, Education, California, Government, Massachusetts, America, Sport, Soccer, Arkansas, Aol, Long Beach, Community, Peru, Bill

Firefighters join latest wave of LA County people getting COVID vaccines

Kevin Grellman, of Pasadena Public Heath Department, gives a Pasadena firefighter the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Fire Station 36 in Pasadena on Monday, December 28, 2020. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)   Firefighters around the region got their COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday, Dec. 29, as first responders continued to join the growing number of “essential workers” and high-risk people who are getting inoculated in the ongoing battle against the pandemic. The Modern...
Tags: Health, Business, Texas, News, Education, Government, US, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Community, Pfizer, Pasadena, Eric Garcetti, Southern California, Watts

More Southern California kids are killing themselves during coronavirus pandemic

Melinda Robbins was driving home with her family in late August when she learned a former student had killed himself. “I cried all the way home,” the high school language arts teacher said. “His passing broke me.” In spring, the boy left her class at Lee Pollard High School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District and shifted to home schooling. “This is not the first student that I’ve lost in my career, and I hope and pray it will be the last,” Robbins said. More Southern California children ...
Tags: Health, Facebook, News, Education, California, Los Angeles, Sport, Public Health, Soccer, Goldfinger, Orange County, Riverside County, Usc, Ucla, Robbins, Southern California

More grim L.A. County numbers arrive as officials race to ship first wave of coronavirus vaccines Sunday

Officials vowed that millions of doses of anti-coronavirus vaccines would start rolling out across the nation on Sunday, Dec. 13, offering an echo of hope as Los Angeles County and state health officials Saturday weathered another swell of chilling pandemic statistics. While falling short of Friday’s record-shattering numbers, Los Angeles County officials nonetheless reported 11,476 new COVID-19 cases and 70 deaths, bringing the county’s totals to 512,872 and 8,269, respectively. The county’s fi...
Tags: Health, News, Education, California, Government, Sport, UPS, Walgreens, Soccer, Community, Fda, Associated Press, Pfizer, Cvs, Southern California, Ventura

Pacoima’s Whiteman Airport would stay, but be improved to benefit neighbors, under new effort

A new plan is being drawn for Whiteman Airport, a northeast San Fernando Valley aviation hub in Pacoima, after a fatal plane crash last month in a residential neighborhood prompted calls for its closure by a councilwoman and a community group. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion Tuesday, Dec. 8, that calls for a “master plan” for the airport that would keep its current use, but also include goals to create local jobs, opportunities for open space and other community ben...
Tags: Health, Business, News, Education, Airports, California, Government, Environment, Sport, Development, Soccer, Community, National Transportation Safety Board, Cessna, San Fernando Valley, Civil Air Patrol

Protesters gather at Garcetti’s official residence for 7th day, aiming to block Biden cabinet role

Protesters staged a seventh-consecutive day of demonstrations outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s official residence on Monday, Nov. 30, in an attempt to persuade President-elect Joe Biden not to appoint the city’s leader to his cabinet. Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles called Garcetti “the worst mayor in the nation,” and criticized him for his handling of the city’s homeless crisis, housing and police use of force. “We refuse to be quiet as President-elect Biden considers him for a cabinet ...
Tags: Health, Politics, News, Education, California, La, Government, Senate, Los Angeles, Barack Obama, Sport, Joe Biden, Soccer, Community, Homeless, Republican

Throngs take advantage of San Fernando Valley ‘super site’ for coronavirus tests

People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site at San Fernando Recreation Park in San Fernando, Tuesday, November 24, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site at San Fernando Recreation Park in San Fernando, Tuesday, November 24, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Sound The gallery will resume in seconds Gabriella Quigley, Sherman Oaks, waits in line at a COVID-19 testing site at San F...
Tags: Health, Business, News, Education, California, Government, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Community, Biden, Local News, Eric Garcetti, Turner, Northridge, Los Angeles County

City Council President Nury Martinez leads team giving away 500 turkeys to LA’s needy

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez loads food into a vehicle during a drive through food giveaway. Martinez worked with local providers and partners to pass out as many as 500 Thanksgiving turkeys and two-weeks’ worth of groceries in 40 lb. boxes. Recipients were pre-selected low-income families during a drive through Thanksgiving giveaway outside her Sun Valley district office, Monday, November 23, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Workers load food ...
Tags: Health, News, Thanksgiving, Education, La, Government, Charity, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Community, City Council, Local News, Los Angeles City Council, Southern California, San Pedro

East San Fernando Valley: A ‘perfect storm’ for alarming coronavirus spread

PACOIMA >> Janet Marinaccio watched as the stream of people wrapped around the block. Alongside, the line of cars stretched for more than 2 miles. Why the clamor? At the end of the lines sat 500 boxes of free food from the nonprofit she leads. Related: Wave of test sites swoop in, responding to deepening San Fernando Valley coronavirus crisis “There’s far more people here than I think anybody imagined,” said Marinaccio, President and CEO of MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity), which hosted the dr...
Tags: Health, Business, News, Education, Government, Sport, Tai Chi, Soccer, Healthcare, Community, Eric Garcetti, Ucla, Southern California, Daily News, Los Angeles County, South Bay

Photos: Business curfews kick in, changing coronavirus-framed L.A. County nightscape

As pandemic-powered weeks of isolation drag into months, Southern California’s COVID fatigue is oft framed by the recent fall back time changes and early-arriving darkness. Late-night denizens, though, may soon find their nights shortened by new Los Angeles County restrictions. A waiter in protective gear serves patrons at the Ruth Chris steakhouse in Pasadena, CA, Friday, November 13, 2020. To stay open amid COVID-19 restrictions, restaurants in Southern California have moved to outdoor di...
Tags: Health, Business, News, Education, California, Government, US, Sport, Soccer, Gm, Long Beach, Community, Pasadena, Local News, Gavin Newsom, Edward Hopper

Sounds of students ring out at Las Virgenes Unified schools for first time since pandemic kicked in

Elementary schools in the Las Virgenes Unified School District felt a long-coveted slice of normalcy Monday, Nov. 9, as the first groups of students returned to campuses after the district received waivers from the county to reopen schools for kindergarten to 2nd grade students. The cheerful noise of students meeting teachers for the first time in a long time provided the soundtrack of the day, after the children returned to schools at the Calabasas-headquartered district after more than 50 days...
Tags: News, Education, California, Sport, Austin, Soccer, Ford, Community, Lausd, Biden, County, Parker, Los Angeles County, Benjamin, Middle, Garcetti

Should Aliso Canyon gas facility remain open? SoCalGas calls it essential; not all agree

Aliso Canyon gas storage facility in Porter Ranch Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Aliso Canyon: Five Years of Tumult Part one: The leak spurred quite literally dozens of lawsuits involving thousands of plaintiffs. Part two: An infographic offers a glimpse of the leak, the effort to stop it and trends in energy consumption in California. Part three: Five years after Aliso Canyon gas leak, public health at the heart of the tug-of-war . Part four: In...
Tags: Health, Business, News, Education, California, Government, Environment, Fresno, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, United States, Fukushima, San Antonio Spurs, Lebron James, Jerry Brown

Community meetings in the San Fernando Valley, Oct. 26-Nov. 2

  LAUSD facilities worker Adrian Pacheco demonstrates a disinfecting gun which will be used to clean classrooms as LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner looks on Friday, August 7, 2020. The disinfectant system will disinfect an entire classroom in about 2 minutes. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)   Community meetings bring people together for exchange of ideas and memorable shared experiences plus the potential for positive personal,change and community enrichment.   Wings ...
Tags: Cooking, Facebook, Halloween, Books, Gardening, Education, Trees, Charity, Edgar Allan Poe, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Veterans, House, Community, Lausd

Four private schools in L.A. County granted waivers to reopen for TK-2 students

Four private schools in Los Angeles County can start welcoming students in transitional kindergarten through the second grade back to campus. The list, made public on Wednesday, Oct. 21, marks the first time area schools have been given the go-ahead to reopen for its youngest students under a waiver program the county approved late last month. The schools that have been granted the waivers are Holy Angels School in Arcadia, Kadima Day School in West Hills, Los Encinos School in Encino and Rabbi ...
Tags: Health, News, Education, California, Government, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Community, Disneyland, Local News, Arcadia, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Los Angeles County, Ferrer, Board of Supervisors

LAUSD offers free flu vaccine at mobile clinics

Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner got his flu shot at a mobile clinic set up at San Fernando Middle School on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. The district, through a partnership with Health Net, will provide free seasonal flu vaccinations to students, their family members and staff at rotating school sites throughout this month, in addition to the COVID-19 testing that’s been taking place for several weeks. LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner watches a student get a flu shot during a ...
Tags: Health, Education, Sport, Soccer, Lausd, Chatsworth, Local News, San Fernando, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Daily News, Austin Beutner, Theresa Jackson, Top Stories LADN, Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News SCNG, Top Stories Breeze

Parents sue LAUSD over distance learning plan

Pastor Cedric Nelms speaks about a lawsuit which was filed against LAUSD on behalf of Black and Latino families over its distance learning plan, which the plaintiffs allege violates students’ California constitutional rights to a basic public education on Thursday, September 24, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Keshara Shaw, parent of a sixth-grader, joined a lawsuit which was filed against LAUSD on behalf of Black and Latino families over its di...
Tags: Health, News, Education, California, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Hawaii, Lausd, United, Erin, Martinez, Sun Valley, Knott, Los Angeles Unified School District, LA Superior court

2020 elections: Battle continues for LAUSD District 3 board seat

 Los Angeles Unified school board District 3 District: Includes West San Fernando Valley and portions of the South Valley through North Hollywood Incumbent: Scott Schmerelson, 69, was elected to the board in 2015 after nearly four decades as an educator. He has been a classroom teacher, counselor and principal and is currently the director of Region 21 of the California School Boards Association. He previously served as president and executive director of Region 16 of the Association of Califo...
Tags: Elections, News, Education, Sport, Soccer, Lausd, Trump, Los Angeles Police Department, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, Palmdale, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Unified, Scott Schmerelson, Schmerelson, North Hollywood

LAUSD’s Beutner, Gonez take coronavirus tests at Pacoima school as district’s program rolls out

A coronavirus test is collected from LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner at Pacoima Middle School’s COVID-19 testing site on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. The district plans to test every student and staff member after schools reopen. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner and school board member Kelly Gonez meet at Pacoima Middle School’s COVID-19 testing site on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 for coronavirus testing. The district plans to t...
Tags: Health, News, Education, California, US, Sport, Soccer, Community, Lausd, Usc, Los Angeles County, Alhambra, LA County, Los Angeles Daily News, Austin Beutner, Pacoima

Community meetings in the San Fernando Valley, Sept. 21-28

  The Hollywood Burbank Airport in Burbank, CA April 23, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)     Community meetings bring people together for exchange of ideas and memorable shared experiences plus the potential for positive personal and community enrichment. Here is a sampling of upcoming online meetings.   Wings Over Wendy’s: Veterans of all services and their supporters meet online on Zoom. Meet and greet, 8:30 a.m., followed by meeting, 9:30 a.m. Sept. 7 and every ...
Tags: Cooking, Gardening, Congress, College, Trees, Los Angeles, Sport, Soccer, Veterans, Wildlife, Higher Education, Community, Lausd, Book Club, Local News, Council

Teachers contend with stress as distance learning endures

After a two-week sprint to set up her online classroom, a weekend spent in 100-degree lines and coming home to yet another argument between her three children, Lorraine Quinones shut her bedroom door, threw herself onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow. LAUSD fourth grade teacher Lorraine Quiñones checks her students work in her bedroom where she teaches from as one of her school aged children Melody, center, plays with her friends Desiree Ayala and Lea Guevara, all 9, after school at her Ea...
Tags: Health, News, Education, Los Angeles, Recommended, Sport, Cnn, Soccer, New York Times, Community, Lausd, Vincent, Southern California, Carmen, Melody, Samuel

Alhambra second-grade teacher Krystal Tran a perfect fit for distance-learning

Krystal Tran, a second-grade teacher at Ramona Elementary in Alhambra, has her hands full. But one would never know that judging by the positive and joyful way she conducts her classes virtually from her Temple City home, a necessity because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tran has sons aged 9 (Dean) and 11 (Benjamin). They are in San Gabriel Unified School District and do their distance-learning from home while mom teaches a group of 7-year-olds who, understandably, at times have issues staying fo...
Tags: News, Education, La, Sport, Soccer, Local News, Los Angeles County, Mason, Ferrer, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Dean, LA County, Tran, San Gabriel Valley, Dahlia

LAUSD students continue push to fully defund school police department

LOS ANGELES >> Not satisfied with the $25 million that the Los Angeles Unified school board cut from the district’s police department this summer, students and social justice activists are continuing to press for a full defunding of the program. About 125 people gathered outside the district’s headquarters on Tuesday, Sept. 15, calling for the complete elimination of the Los Angeles School Police Department. At times, some of the rally-goers got into heated exchanges with a smaller group of coun...
Tags: News, Education, America, Los Angeles, Recommended, Sport, Soccer, Williams, Lausd, Black Lives Matter, Southern California, Tina, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Unified, Austin Beutner, Beutner

At a Sylmar teacher’s maternity room, school is in session

A room at the maternity ward at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills is full of the sound of third-graders’ voices. They’re echoing from the speakers in Janet Udomratsak’s laptop. “I’m not finished yet,” says a forlorn but honest voice, clearly in the middle of deep thought on the issue of “3 x 4.” Rows. Arrays. Columns. Answer… Computing….. Computing… and the chats start coming in. A collective answer. A collective “12.” And with that, a small victory for Udomratsak. “Good job!...
Tags: Health, Google, News, Education, California, La, Sport, Soccer, Community, Disneyland, Local News, Usc, Chris, James, San Pedro, Henry

At LAUSD, a school year begins like none before

The hallways of San Fernando Middle School were quiet on Tuesday, Aug. 18, not in any way what a first day of school normally looks like — or sounds like. No sweaty teenagers in sweltering August heat. No horseplay between classes. No sheepish gazes of unrequited crushes after a summer of adventures. Aside from a small flow of students and parents registering for the first time and scattered maintenance staff and administrators, the campus was virtually empty. And the classes? Well, they will be...
Tags: Business, News, Education, Microsoft, Sport, Soccer, Lausd, Northridge, Los Angeles Unified School District, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Daily News, Austin Beutner, Beutner, Top Stories LADN, Hans Gutknecht, Top Stories Breeze