Students and their families have had their lives turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with distance learning set to resume or even underway, here comes another curveball. California law says students still need to prove they've been vaccinated before they can start online school. No immunization, no enrollment...
College Football in the Spring: When? How Much? Who Plays?
Back in April, not long after the NCAA basketball tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the idea of moving the 2020 college football to the spring of 2021 already was being tossed around. A last resort is what it was called by conference commissioners and athletic directors. When...
Biden, Harris to Make Unusual Campaign Debut in Virus Era
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden is making his first appearance with newly chosen running mate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, betting that the California senator’s historic profile and confrontational style against President Donald Trump will boost Democrats’ efforts to oust the Republican president amid cascading national crises. The former primary rivals...
Walters: State Tech Failures Hit Home Again
While marking time as lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom wrote a book about how technology could transform government. “I want to make government as smart as Google,” Newsom told an interviewer after the book, “Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square and Reinvent Government,” was published in 2013. While technology “is...
Israeli PM’s Uneasy Alliance Seems Headed Toward Collapse
JERUSALEM — When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz, agreed to form an “emergency” government in May after three bitter and deadlocked election campaigns, the goal was to stabilize Israeli politics in the face of a global pandemic. But less than 100 days later, their fractious coalition...
Is It Safe to Ride Public Transit During the Pandemic?
Is it safe to ride public transit during the coronavirus pandemic? It depends on a variety of factors, but there are ways to minimize risk. The main way that the virus spreads is through droplets people spray when they talk, cough or sneeze. That means the best way to reduce...
Virus Surge Makes US Weak Link in Global Economic Recovery
FRANKFURT, Germany — People in China are back to buying German luxury cars. Europe's assembly lines are accelerating. Now the global economy is waiting for the United States to get its coronavirus outbreak under control and boost the recovery, but there's little sign of that. The United States’ fumbling response to the...
Russia Approves Virus Vaccine as Global Cases Top 20M
ROME — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide topped 20 million, more than half of them from the United States, India and Brazil, as Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a vaccine against the virus. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that one of his two adult daughters had...
In Virus Talks, Pelosi Holds Firm; Mnuchin Wants a Deal
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not about to blink. The Democratic leader has been here before, negotiating a deal with the White House to save the U.S. economy, and lessons from the Great Recession are now punctuating the coronavirus talks. With Republicans again balking at big government bailouts, the Democrats believe...
Fresno Unified: Distance Learning Will Be Done ‘Right Way’ Starting Next Week
When the new school year begins for Fresno Unified School District next Monday, students will spend their first two days getting to know teachers and classmates via their laptops and tablets. School officials are making sure that students have the materials and devices, including Wi-Fi and broadband Internet connection, that...