Commentary

COMMENTARY: Why did it take a pandemic to recognize the need in foster youth?

March 24, 2020 / By

It isn’t all that uncommon for former foster youth to live in poverty after transitioning out of the Foster Care System. 

COMMENTARY: It takes a special person to be a great foster parent

February 12, 2020 / By
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When people think of foster care, they often think of the youth in the system. But foster parents play a key role in helping these youth grow into responsible young adults.

COMMENTARY: McFarland doesn’t need immigration detention centers; city should prioritize residents

February 4, 2020 / By

BY DAYANARA

Lately, there has been quite a dispute in my hometown of McFarland. The argument is over whether the city of McFarland will grant GEO Group, a for-profit prison company, permits to open and operate immigration detention facilities in town. 

First uncounted, then undercounted: Census track record on Native Americans

January 28, 2020 / By
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BY JOURDAN BENNETT-BEGAYE

The first enumeration of the 2020 Census starts this week in Toksook Bay, Alaska, a remote Yup’ik village on the coast of the Bering Sea.

COMMENTARY: Medicating foster youth isn’t always the answer

January 24, 2020 / By

It’s not uncommon for foster youth to be put on medication for a long period of time.

COMMUNITY VOICE: KHSD has decreased use of suspension, but numbers are still a problem

January 22, 2020 / By

By Kevin McNeill

In 2014, various civil rights organizations and individual students sued the Kern High School District (KHSD), the Kern County Department of Education (KCDOE) and the California Department of Education (CDE) in response to the disproportionate suspension of Black and Latino students.