Teachers in Los Angeles County can begin receiving the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, March 1 — but just how many doses will be available for educators will depend on supply, which is still just an estimate. Among the slightly more than 200,000 vaccine doses that officials expect, 25% to 29% will go toward teachers and administrators, with 9% of those doses going to private school teachers and staff. First priority for doses goes to those with second-dose appointments. The remainder will be divided into eligible categories, teachers being just one of the newly eligible groups beginning Monday. Others include childcare providers, food and agricultural workers and emergency service personnel. Officials said Wednesday, Feb. 24, they were still unsure exactly how many vaccine doses they would

In a year already filled with an insurrection, a second impeachment trial, and loads of Zoom meetings, we could all use some lighthearted distractions. Below are five young adult books we can’t wait to read this spring. Anna K Away by Jenny Lee (April 27) The highly anticipated sequel to Anna K, a modern take on Leo Tolstoy’s timeless love story set between New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut, follows Anna and her friends over the course of the next summer as they grapple with Vronsky’s tragic death and take time apart from each other to discover who they really are. In addition to being a novelist, Lee is a television writer and producer, who has worked on IFC’s Brockmire, BET’s Boomerang, Freeform’s Young & Hungry, and Disney Channel’s Shake It Up. Anna K was Lee’s first YA no

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Stop the hatred, violence against Asian Americans We want to live in a community we can be proud of. As pastors and community leaders, we detest the hatred and violence toward our Asian American neighbors, as reported in the East Bay Times, February 22 (“Chinatown on edge after rash of attacks, robberies,” Page A1). Lunar New Year should bring hope in a dark time of pandemic. Violence toward Asian Americans reminds us of the shameful legacy of racism in California history, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and “Yellow Peril.” The anniversary of the Japanese Internment Camps Executive Order, February 19, 1942, is another painful reminder of our nation’s unjust treatment of American citizens of Asian

The Path to Immunity Historical trends show there are different challenges to getting shots in arms, depending on where people live. On Feb. 24,  Surgo Ventures unveiled a data tool: The U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Index to track major barriers in getting people vaccinated. The index was created to assist federal, state and county decisionmakers in identifying which communities face challenges to vaccine coverage and why, based on the community-level barriers affecting COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The index captures 28 supply and demand factors through five different themes. Surgo’s news release said the index’s modular design helps contextualize vaccine rollout performance and highlight inequities across communities – helping keep a pulse on the pace of efforts to ensure equitable, effici...

The Los Angeles-area office of the Drug Enforcement Administration will sharpen its focus on the opioid epidemic in Southern California under a new initiative announced Wednesday, Feb. 24. Operation Engage allows field divisions to devote their resources to what officials there decide is the most pressing drug threat in their areas. In the case of the LA office, which covers Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, that’s the painkillers, especially the man-made and powerful drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is playing a role in 49% of the drug-caused deaths in Los Angeles County and 42% in Riverside County, officials said at a news conference in LA. “Fentanyl is cheap, potent, and deadly.  The demand for it and other opioids remains high and, as a result, Southe...

Ald. Danny Solis at a City Council meeting in 2016. | Sun-Times fileThe case also appears related to former CPS official Pedro Soto, who pleaded guilty in 2020 to lying to the FBI. A new federal indictment Wednesday accused political operative Roberto Caldero of fraud and bribery in allegations revolving around the awarding of a Chicago Public Schools custodial contract, renaming a street and park — and former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis. The 20-page indictment alleges Caldero, 68, bribed public officials in exchange for official actions, including with champagne and admission to an annual museum benefit. The case also appears related to former CPS official Pedro Soto, who pleaded guilty in 2020 to lying to the FBI. Caldero is charged with four counts of honest services wire fraud, two...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Charlie Blackmon doesn’t toss around cheap compliments, so when the Rockies’ veteran right-fielder goes out of his way to praise a player, you pay attention. In this case, teammate Raimel Tapia, the starting left fielder who batted .321 last season, including .326 in 34 games from the leadoff spot. “Raimel Tapia took a huge step forward last year,” Blackmon said Wednesday. “It was a giant leap for him and he came on in a position of need. He was a really good leadoff hitter. “He’s super-competitive in the box and that might be his best quality. He’s hard to get out and he can really lock in every at-bat. He hit .300 last year, and we needed that and we needed his leadoff presence. Hopefully, he can build off that.” Tapia’s .369 on-base percentage was, far and away, the

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Tech firms may want to rethink Texas plans Hey Silicon Valley tech companies. Come on down to Texas where there is no fuel, electricity, or water. Larry StoneSunnyvale Column seeking Biden apology is disingenuous Marc A. Thiessen’s Sunday, Feb. 14 column (“Capitol Police deserve apology from president, Page A13) requests President Biden apologize to the Capitol Police. It is in the 12th and last paragraph of the column  that Thiessen writes, “Let’s be clear: Donald Trump is responsible for what happened in the Capitol that day.” Thiessen never asks Trump to apologize to the Capitol Police and the nation in response to the insurrection at the Capitol. Thiessen knows that Trump never apologies for his actions.

A man was killed in a crash Feb. 23, 2021, in Bensenville. | Sun-Times file photoErnestino Villegas was involved in a crash about 3:15 p.m. near Supreme Drive and Thorndale Avenue, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. A 51-year-old man was killed in a crash Tuesday in northwest suburban Bensenville. Ernestino Villegas was involved in a crash about 3:15 p.m. near Supreme Drive and Thorndale Avenue, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He died shortly after at Alexian Brother Medical Center in Elk Grove Village. An autopsy ruled Villegas’ death an accident, saying he died of multiple injuries from the crash, according to the medical examiner’s office. Villegas lived in Villa Park, the medical examiner’s office said. Bensenville police did not return a request for deta...

Players for the U.S. women’s national team have decided to move on from kneeling during the anthem and instead focus on behind-the-scenes work to address racial inequity. Many players have knelt for the anthem before national team and club matches over the past year to protest systemic racism. But the entire team stood during the anthem before a SheBelieves Cup match in Florida against Brazil last weekend. “I think those that were collectively kneeling felt like we were kneeling to bring about attention to police brutality and systemic racism, and I think we decided that moving forward we no longer feel the need to kneel because we are doing the work behind the scenes. We are combatting systemic racism. And we never felt we were going to kneel forever,” defender Crystal Dunn said. Midfield

This April 25, 2019, file photo shows the thumbs-up “Like” logo on a sign at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. | APFacebook is following the footsteps of Google, which said in October that it would pay publishers $1 billion over the next three years. Facebook, following in Google’s footsteps, says it plans to invest $1 billion to “support the news industry” over the next three years. The social networking giant, which has been tussling with Australia over a law that would make social platforms pay news organizations, said it has invested $600 million since 2018 in news. Google said in October that it would pay publishers $1 billion over the next three years. News companies want Google and Facebook to pay for the news that appears on their platforms. Governments in Europe and Au...