California Stress Map: Ranking Work, Money, Health and Lifestyle Pressures

Allen White <allen.white@connective3.com> California has ranked among the most stressed states in America, according to new research from health insurance comparison service iSelect. The study analyzed survey data from Americans alongside 28 national data sets, ranking each state from 1 (most stressed) to 50 (least stressed) across key stress categories. California stress rankings: Overall rank:…

The Power of a Click: Digital Literacy Is a Necessary Tool for Healthy Aging

By SweSwe Aye In Oakland, California, 102-year-old U Mya uses YouTube and Messenger to maintain spiritual and social connections. “When I talk to my friends online, I don’t feel lonely anymore.” he said. Within the US Burmese community, digital literacy has become a lifeline. “Digital literacy is necessary for easier, faster communication,” said retired architect…

Honoring the Life of Betty Reid Soskin, Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger and Witness to Port Chicago Exoneration

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest former active National Park Service ranger and a lifelong witness to and advocate for Black history, died peacefully on Dec. 21, 2025, at her home in Richmond, California. She was 104. Surrounded by family and friends, Soskin closed a life that spanned…

Is Congress Irrelevant? Trump Bombs His Seventh Country in Less Than a Year Without Congressional Authority

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor President Donald Trump has ordered the bombing of seven countries in 2025. They are Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. There has been no congressional authorization for any of the military action. Trump is also threatening Columbia and Cuba. On the afternoon of January 5, Trump’s…

Advertisements Promising Patients a ‘Dream Body’ With Minimal Risk Get Little Scrutiny

by Kaiser Health News Lenia Watson-Burton, a 37-year-old U.S. Navy administrator, expected that cosmetic surgery would get rid of stubborn fat quickly and easily — just as the web advertising promised. Instead, she died three days after a liposuction-like procedure called AirSculpt at the San Diego office of Elite Body Sculpture, a cosmetic surgery chain…

Physicians Slam Move by U.S. to Cut the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Every Child

BY ALI SWENSON and LAURAN NEERGAARD | Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases. The change is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for…

Op-Ed Submission: Don’t Take the Bait: Venezuela Is a Distraction from Trump’s Affordability Crisis

By Kevin Harris and Richard McDaniel  (TriceEdneyWire.com) – As families struggle with rent, groceries, and health care costs, Donald Trump is once again trying to drag the national conversation off course – this time with the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has ruled Venezuela as an authoritarian dictator, rigging elections, imprisoning political…

Asm. Sade Elhawary Wrote Bill Extending the Work of the Commission on the State of Hate 

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ A bill authored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles) and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will extend the sunset (repeal) date of the California Commission on the State of Hate from Jan. 1, 2027, to Jan. 1, 2031.  Assembly Bill (AB) 822 allows the California Commission on the…

A year of cuts and court orders for California’s colleges and universities: 2025 in review

by Adam Echelman December 25, 2025 Money is power. If California’s public colleges and universities didn’t already know that, they certainly learned it this year.  Though the U.S. Department of Justice launched numerous high-profile complaints against California schools — allegations of antisemitism at University of California campuses and concerns about a transgender athlete at San…

Fortune School Outpaces CA by Closing the Achievement Gap for Black Students

by alyssah Fortune Schools, a unique network of TK-12 tuition-free public charter schools, is outperforming state averages in narrowing the academic achievement gap for African American scholars, according to the California Department of Education’s 2025 California School Dashboard. Fortune Schools in Sacramento and San Bernardino serve predominantly Black students (63%) and 20% Latino students. They…

My Head Start Success Story

By Josalyn Brown Robinson BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — My career has given me opportunities to build essential partnerships and relationships with staff, families, community leaders, and schools - these relationships have been key in identifying critical resources that enable children to successfully transition in their educational journey and help families find their way to self-sufficiency. Josalyn Brown Robinson…

OP-ED: By Disappearing Districts: How Racial Gerrymandering is Hollowing Out the Black Electorate 

By: Jaidyn McKinnie, Joint Center Research Intern and UCLA Student American democracy is entering a dangerous stage of decline. While coverage focuses largely on the most recognizable signs of democratic backsliding, such as attacks on free speech and the use of state force against peaceful protesters, a quieter crisis is reshaping the foundation of representation…