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By Linda Poon, Image: Rise Home Stories, Bloomberg City Lab + Equality, January 12, 2022 The U.S. housing system contains a morass of hard-to-understand policies past and present that have delivered injustice to many Americans, particularly people of color. But there’s one simple theme that unites these policies: The narrative that the American dream of homeownership can be achieved by anyone through hard work and smart decision-making is a myth. A new project created by housing and...

By Laura Newberry, Photo: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, December 20, 2021 Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning, 18-year-old Kelly Zamudio grabs her clipboard from the wellness center at Garey High School in Pomona and with a fellow peer counselor — they work in pairs — sets out to meet the first student on her list. The three sit in the quad or lunch area, empty of teens when class is in session. They have about 15 minutes together, so they waste no time. “How are...

By Pedro Toledo, Photo: US Atlas, The Press Democrat, January 9, 2022 Every 10 years, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission creates new district maps for the state Senate, Assembly, Board of Equalization and U.S. House of Representatives to ensure that each district has roughly the same number of people. Given the population shifts over the past 10 years, most districts had to significantly change to ensure equal representation and fair maps across the state. When I applied to...

By Jen Roesch, Photo: Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images, Truthout, January 9, 2022 I n June 2020, when schools across the U.S. remained closed due to the pandemic, Bettina Love, author of We Want to Do More Than Survive , noted how much became possible when the system was forced to prioritize the lives of students, teachers and families. Laptops were distributed and internet access was provided. High-stakes, standardized tests were canceled. In many cases, grades were...

By Lloyd I. Sederer, Image: Discovery Productions/Fair Rights Usage, January 10, 2022 Who stormed the U.S. Capital on January 6, 2021? Who are the members of armed militias? Who sit riveted to the invective coming daily on the world-wide-web? Many have offered their (varied) psychological and demographic profiles. But what seems missing are those people who are under- and unemployed, with limited educations and a childhood littered with toxic, psychological trauma. Recall, the...

LOS ANGELES — Me & My Emotions is a free website created through a partnership between the nonprofit Dibble Institute in Berkley, California and students at ArtCenter in Pasadena. https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/inside-the-issues/2022/01/13/website-provides-free--interactive-lessons-to-boost-teen-mental-health#

When I was in elementary school my four-year-old niece died of leukemia. My aunt said that for years after her daughter’s death, she couldn’t see color, everything was black and white. That impacted me deeply and I often thought about that when Jesse died and wondered when it would happen to me. However, I had the opposite experience. Everything became brighter, more vivid. I saw colors I never knew existed. This is interesting because I’m an oil painter and this craft has made me even more...

Although it may seem CPTSD Foundation has been focused on the morbid subject of suicide, remaining silent helps people to die. So, in September, National Suicide Awareness Month, we have concentrated on how loved ones, caregivers, and friends of those experiencing suicidal ideation or have attempted to die by suicide can advocate for themselves to protect their mental health. This article will speak more on different types of suicide and how you can take care of yourself as an advocate.

By Stacey Colino, Illustration: Joanna Grochocka, The Washington Post, January 10, 2021 After losing 30 pounds a few years ago, Rosanna Gill wanted to lose 10 more, but a few factors kept her from making the effort it would require. After all, she didn’t need to drop additional weight for health reasons. Plus, she was already sticking with a healthy, balanced diet and was happy enough with how she looked. As a result, Gill felt ambivalent about changing her eating and drinking habits. It...

By Kerry Dooley Young, Photo: Toshimasa Ishibashi/Flickr, Association of Health Care Journalists, January 11, 2022 April 1 marks the kickoff date for a federal option that makes it easier for states to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year after childbirth from the current 60-day standard. Journalists can now find out how well their states have prepared to take advantage of this Medicaid-expansion pathway, which Congress created as part of last year’s American Rescue Plan...

By Kassie McClung, Illustration: Katie Mulligan/The Frontier, Center for Health Journalism, January 7, 2022 Brittney Poolaw brushed away tears as the paramedic on the witness stand raised his hand to point her out in the courtroom for the jury. She shook her head as he described the night she had a miscarriage at a Lawton apartment complex and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. Prosecutors argued methamphetamine use caused Poolaw’s miscarriage between 15 and 17 weeks gestation. But a...

By Nikki Ekstein and Jen Murphy, Illustration: Olivia Fields, Bloomberg, January 12, 2022 For the first time, the 12-member board of directors of the Hawaii Tourism Authority is majority-led by Native Hawaiians. This may not sound like a big deal, but it’s transformative. After two years of chaos from the pandemic, during which the state seesawed from overtourism that strained resources to strict closures that rattled its economy, Hawaii is looking for a new travel status quo . The old way...