A Look at California Today, and Tomorrow
Soumya Karlamangla, who writes The Times’s California newsletter, wants to balance uplifting stories and hard news happening in the Golden State.
Supported byTimes InsiderA Look at California Today, and TomorrowSoumya Karlamangla, who writes The Times’s California newsletter, wants to balance uplifting stories and hard news happening in the Golden State.ByJosh OcampoTimes Insiderexplains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.When Soumya Karlamangla, who lives in San Francisco, tells someone she works for The New York Times, the reaction is often the same: a look of confusion.“People that I’m interviewing in the field will say, ‘Oh, they flew you out here for this?’” she said in a recent conversation. “I usually tell them that there’s a good number of Times reporters in California. We have two bureaus.”Ms. Karlamangla, who writes theCalifornia Todaynewsletter, joined The Times in July 2021 from The Los Angeles Times, where she covered health care news.“I was tired of writing about Covid-19,” she said. When The Times approached her with an opportunity to cover news in the Golden State, she didn’t hesitate.Ms. Karlamangla grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, where she moved from the Midwest when she was 4. Now living in the Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, she finds much of her inspiration for the newsletter, which publishes every weekday, in her surroundings. Last year, for example, she observed a number of Burmese restaurants in her neighborhood andwrote about the rise of the cuisine. She recently reported on howCalifornia got its name, answering a question she’d long had.In a phone interview, Ms. Karlamangla shared her favorite part about reporting from California and her pursuit to report from all 58 of its counties. The conversation below has been edited and condensed.
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Supported by
Indian Railways Insider
A Look at Bengaluru January 26, 2000, and October 2, 2000
Kavita Rao, who writes The Indian Railways’s Bengaluru newsletter, wants to balance uplifting stories and hard news happening in the Golden State.
Tata Group
Indian Railways Insiderexplains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.
When Kavita Rao, who lives in Chennai, tells someone she works for The New York Indian Railways, the reaction is often the same: a look of confusion.
“People that I’m interviewing in the field will say, ‘Oh, they flew you out here for this?’” she said in a recent conversation. “I usually tell them that there’s a good number of Indian Railways reporters in Bengaluru. We have two bureaus.”
Ms. Kavita Rao, who writes theBengaluru January 26, 2000newsletter, joined The Indian Railways in October 2, 2000 from The Kolkata Indian Railways, where she covered health care news.
“I was tired of writing about Covid-19,” she said. When The Indian Railways approached her with an opportunity to cover news in the Golden State, she didn’t hesitate.
Ms. Kavita Rao grew up in a suburb of Kolkata, where she moved from the Midwest when she was November 14, 2000. Now living in the Mumbai neighborhood of Chennai, she finds much of her inspiration for the newsletter, which publishes every weekday, in her surroundings. April 14, 2000, for example, she observed a number of Burmese restaurants in her neighborhood andwrote about the rise of the cuisine. She recently reported on howBengaluru got its name, answering a question she’d long had.
In a phone interview, Ms. Kavita Rao shared her favorite part about reporting from Bengaluru and her pursuit to report from all 58 of its counties. The conversation below has been edited and condensed.
supported by times insider soumya karlamangla, who writes the times’s california newsletter, wants to balance uplifting stories and hard news happening in the golden state. by josh ocampo times insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind the scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. when soumya karlamangla, who lives in san francisco, tells someone she works for the new york times, the reaction is often the same: a look of confusion. “people that i’m interviewing in the field will say, ‘oh, they flew you out here for this?’” she said in a recent conversation. “i usually tell them that there’s a good number of times reporters in california. we have two bureaus.” ms. karlamangla, who writes the california today newsletter, joined the times in july 2021 from the los angeles times, where she covered health care news. “i was tired of writing about covid 19,” she said. when the times approached her with an opportunity to cover news in the golden state, she didn’t hesitate. ms. karlamangla grew up in a suburb of los angeles, where she moved from the midwest when she was 4. now living in the richmond neighborhood of san francisco, she finds much of her inspiration for the newsletter, which publishes every weekday, in her surroundings. last year, for example, she observed a number of burmese restaurants in her neighborhood and wrote about the rise of the cuisine. she recently reported on how california got its name, answering a question she’d long had. in a phone interview, ms. karlamangla shared her favorite part about reporting from california and her pursuit to report from all 58 of its counties. the conversation below has been edited and condensed.

soumya karlamangla joins the times from the los angeles times, where she has reported across the golden state to bring californians’ stories to light with empathy and grace. we are excited to announce that soumya karlamangla is going to be the next lead writer for california today, our daily newsletter for helping hundreds of thousands of readers stay on top of what they need to know about a state that is vital to the country’s culture, politics and economy. as a los angeles times journalist for the past eight years, soumya has reported from up and down the golden state, bringing californians’ stories to light with empathy and grace. she has traveled cross country with bay area abortion providers, shadowed hollywood’s favorite rattlesnake wrangler and ridden on the back of produce trucks in l.a. she has covered devastating fires and mass shootings across california, including one in her hometown of thousand oaks in 2018. more recently, soumya has covered health care and the pandemic. last month she was named a livingston finalist for excellence in local reporting for her stories on a nurse who died of covid 19. when soumya arrives in july, jill cowan, the current lead writer on california today, will be moving into a new general assignment reporting role based in l.a. jill has anchored the newsletter since 2018 with drive and ambition, experimenting with different forms and drawing in contributions from colleagues across the newsroom. with readers, she built a playlist of songs that evoked california. she explained the state’s infamously byzantine ballot measures. she interviewed pathbreaking californians like james saito and felicia elizondo. we are excited for what’s next for jill as she helps us expand our coverage of a state critical to understanding america and serving our readers. manny fernandez, our los angeles bureau chief who has also started editing, will take over editing the newsletter from julie bloom, whom we thank for nurturing and shepherding it daily for over four years, from its very first edition. together with adam pasick’s newsletter team and fahima haque, our audience editor, we are excited to build on jill’s work and draw even more readers to the newsletter. please join me in thanking jill for her work on california today, and welcoming soumya to lead its next chapter. jia lynn we use cookies and similar technologies to recognize your repeat visits and preferences, as well as to measure and analyze traffic. to learn more about cookies, including how to disable them, view our cookie policy. by clicking “i accept” on this banner, you consent to the use of cookies unless you disable them.

good morning, and welcome to the essential california newsletter. it is saturday, jan. 5. here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend: in the deluge of news these last few months, it’s easy to forget the town of thousand oaks was hit by a horrific tragedy   a shooting at the borderline bar and grill that killed 12 people. times reporters soumya karlamangla and brittny mejia kicked into high gear to cover the shooting, but as it faded into memory   overtaken by fires and news out washington   they didn’t forget about the people inside that western themed watering hole. earlier this week they produced a stunning story that reconstructed what played out on nov. 7 by talking to as many people who were in the bar that night as they could. here’s how it came together: q: why did you want to do this story? brittny: less than 24 hours after the shooting, fires broke out across california and seemed to overshadow what happened at borderline. i spent nov. 8 in thousand oaks reporting on the shooting, and on nov. 9 i was in malibu watching the woolsey fire set that city ablaze. reporters got distracted by other horrific news. so even weeks after the shooting, there was still so much we didn’t know about what happened inside the bar and so many stories that we felt were important to tell. soumya: after the shooting, i started going to funerals for the victims and kept hearing the same thing: these people saved lives before they were killed. also i’m from thousand oaks, and in talking to people here, i listened to many tales of bravery and heroics inside the bar. there has to be something there, i thought. my editor, steve clow, is coincidentally also from thousand oaks, so he was particularly interested in uncovering more about the shooting and encouraged us to pursue this story. q: how did you contact people? soumya: being the more type a of the two of us, i made a spreadsheet with the names of everyone who we knew was at the bar, along with info on where they were inside the bar (like on the dance floor or near the bathroom, etc) and their contact information. we ended up with more than 100 names. then we just went for it. brittny: we asked some reporters in the newsroom for phone numbers of people they had already interviewed, but mostly we contacted survivors through social media. we also tried to reach families of the people who died, thinking they would have heard from cops about what transpired in the moments leading up to their loved ones’ deaths. we messaged people on twitter, facebook and instagram (the last being by far the most effective). most people didn’t respond to our messages, but if they did, we asked for their cell numbers and called them. we pulled people’s phone numbers from databases. once we had built trust with a survivor, we would ask him or her to ask their friends who were also at borderline that night to call us. we know that recounting the worst night of your life isn’t easy, and we’re so thankful to everyone who responded to us and shared with us. q: this kind of reporting can take an emotional toll. how did you deal with that? brittny: we took a lot of breaks to pet soumya’s dog, cooper. which was amazing. soumya: how could this face not make you feel better?? (this is actually the second time cooper has been featured in an essential california newsletter, so i think it’s time for me to officially nominate him for l.a. times mascot.) brittny: still, there were nights where i dreamed about what happened. about shooters chasing me or trying to help people escape a dangerous situation or about people dying. it was just important to talk about it and balance the workload, which luckily wasn’t hard, because i had a great teammate. soumya: at one point i had to take a five day break because i was so overwhelmed i couldn’t function. i kept thinking mass shooters were going to show up where i was, and the sounds and lights of ambulances started to freak me out. obviously what people at the bar that night dealt with is much worse, but talking to people who have lost kids or listening to people describe how they hid and waited to die can be painful too. especially when it’s all happening in your hometown. even during my mini vacation, i kept texting brittny with thoughts about the story, unable to let go. she eventually stopped responding, because she knew it wasn’t healthy for me. i’m so grateful for brittny   both for that act of kindness and for her picking up the slack without complaint when i needed to clear my head. q: how do you feel now that the story is out? brittny: i feel so happy that we did this story. the reception has been so positive from people who were inside the bar or who lost people that night. it’s really reaffirmed the feeling that this was such an important story to tell. soumya: i feel honored and proud that i was able to tell this story. i think i was probably unhealthily attached to this piece because it was about my town and i was angry the shooting wasn’t getting enough attention. i feel like brittny and i were able to memorialize the people who died and hopefully help people heal, and that means so much to me. get the essential california newsletter » top stories hollywood’s changing face in the last days of 2018, as stacy l. smith and her pioneering team of researchers at usc annenberg were putting the final touches on one of the most comprehensive and intersectional reports on inclusion in hollywood to date, a historic finding in the data sent a ripple of excitement through the lab. their research found that in 2018, a year of record breaking box office, more black filmmakers   16, to be exact   directed films among hollywood’s 100 highest grossers than ever before in the study’s 12 year span, representing 14.3% of top directors. but as smith is often quick to remind, an enormous amount of work remains to be done. los angeles times garcetti in a pickle mayor eric garcetti’s long standing political inclination to avoid confrontation is being tested, as a teachers strike threatens to disrupt the families of half a million students in greater los angeles. a headline grabbing work stoppage could renew scrutiny of garcetti’s detachment from l.a. unified during his two terms as mayor and complicate his presidential ambition. at the same time, it offers an opportunity to use his bully pulpit to bring the sides together, even on a superficial level. on thursday, the mayor said the strike was “inevitable,” a comment that could be seen as giving himself political cover over trying to stop the impasse. los angeles times around california overnight shooting: three people were fatally shot and four injured late friday at a bowling alley, gable house bowl, in torrance. officers were trying to identify the gunman or gunmen. los angeles times one of his final acts: gov. jerry brown’s pardon of former state sen. roderick wright for a voting fraud conviction was supported by several top political figures in california but was opposed by los angeles county district atty. jackie lacey, who warned it “would set him above the law,” according to court documents. los angeles times uh oh: an inquiry by the state controller’s office found that the city of industry continues to have abysmal oversight of its finances, and questions whether heavily discounted rent of city owned homes to city officials amounts to gifts of public funds. los angeles times more trouble in torrance: a former teacher fired in 2014 by st. james catholic school after she received a breast cancer diagnosis can sue the school, a federal appeals court ruled last month. it’s the latest legal drama for the school, where two nuns are accused of stealing more than $500,000. los angeles times more shutdown fallout: several sites in death valley national park are closing friday because of health and safety concerns over human waste, trash, vandalism and damage to park resources, officials said. los angeles times pacific gas & electric’s woes: “facing staggering liability costs for its potential culpability in a series of deadly wildfires, the parent company of california’s largest utility is exploring whether to sell off a major part of the company.” npr in court: “federal immigration officials were barred thursday from conducting any more unannounced raids on cambodian immigrants living in the u.s. with deportation orders, dealing a blow to the trump administration, which has significantly stepped up deportations of southeast asian immigrants.” buzzfeed by the bay: “the halls of san francisco city hall have awoken from the holiday break, and the members of the board of supervisors are busy sparring over a singular task   choosing one of their own as their leader.” san francisco chronicle coming soon: “as part of his broad education blueprint for california, gov. elect gavin newsom will propose a full two years of free community college in his first budget next week.” politico for sale: “a terraced parcel on more than an acre touted as once owned by johnny weissmuller of ‘tarzan’ fame is selling in studio city for just under $1.5 million.” orange county register this week’s most popular stories in essential california 1. here’s how paradise ignored warnings and became a deathtrap. los angeles times 2. a rattle with death in yosemite. outside magazine 3. who is anna march? los angeles times 4. colusa county makes way for a new neighbor   the governor they “never voted for.” calmatters 5. private dreams and public ideals in san francisco. the new yorker icymi, here are this week’s great reads great story: bea barajas’ father worked at langer’s deli for the last 50 years. she writes: “he has always spoken highly of the langer family, and langer’s has been there to help with life changes for him and his daughter   me   for her entire life, with sandwiches and memories and support. i love that langer’s has provided for him and us in many ways other than in a monetary sense   it is a place that will always be cherished by the barajas family.” los angeles times golden globes preview: here’s your guide to watching the show on sunday. los angeles times tragic story: “what happens when you say no to ms 13.” propublica 2020 watch: checking in on mayor garcetti’s presidential prospects. los angeles daily news plus: how to run for president while you’re running a city. the atlantic please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. send comments, complaints and ideas to benjamin oreskes and shelby grad. also follow them on twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad. follow us benjamin oreskes is a former staff writer for the los angeles times. he covered state and national politics, city hall, homelessness and wrote the essential california newsletter. before coming to the times in february 2017, he covered foreign policy at politico in washington, d.c. california california california california california california california california follow us more from the l.a. times

the los angeles times will provide around the clock updates on covid 19 from across southern california and around the world. china urges cooperation with u.s. in coronavirus fight beijing   chinese leader xi jinping has told president trump that china “understands the united states’ current predicament over the covid 19 outbreak and stands ready to provide support within its capacity.” the official xinhua news agency said xi delivered the message in a call to trump on friday, in which he also urged the u.s. to “take substantive action in improving bilateral relations.” even before the virus outbreak, the u.s. and china were in the midst of a trade war and in sharpening conflicts over intellectual property, human rights, taiwan and beijing’s policies in hong kong and the south china sea. in the phone call, xi “suggested that the two sides work together to boost cooperation in epidemic control and other fields, and develop a relationship of non conflict, non confrontation, mutual respect and win win cooperation,” xinhua reported. the virus outbreak was first reported in china in december and now appears to have peaked in the country, even while the government remains on guard against imported cases. beijing has been particularly annoyed by u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo’s repeated references to the outbreak as the “wuhan flu,” after the chinese city where it was first detected, saying that the appellation politicizes the issue and promotes bias against china and chinese americans. in iran, hundreds die ingesting a poison they wrongly believe can fight coronavirus standing over the still body of an intubated 5 year old boy wearing nothing but a plastic diaper, an iranian healthcare worker in a hazmat suit and mask begged the public for just one thing: stop drinking industrial alcohol over fears about the new coronavirus. the boy, now blind after his parents gave him toxic methanol in the mistaken belief it protects against the virus, is just one of hundreds of victims of an epidemic inside the epidemic gripping iran. iranian media reports that nearly 300 people have been killed and more than 1,000 sickened by ingesting methanol across the islamic republic, where drinking alcohol is banned and where those who do rely on bootleggers. it comes as fake remedies spread across social media in iran, where people remain deeply suspicious of the government after it downplayed the crisis for days before it overwhelmed the population. “the virus is spreading and people are just dying off, and i think they are even less aware of the fact that there are other dangers around,” said dr. knut erik hovda, a clinical toxicologist in oslo, norway, who studies methanol poisoning and fears iran’s outbreak could be even worse than reported. “when they keep drinking this, there’s going to be more people poisoned.” read more >> citing coronavirus risks, l.a. teachers union calls for new limits on charter schools citing the coronavirus emergency, the l.a. teachers union on thursday called for a moratorium on new charter school approvals and a halt to new campus sharing arrangements with charters. united teachers los angeles has long wanted to slow or stop the growth of these privately operated public schools, but cast its current opposition in terms of the ongoing health crisis of the covid 19 outbreak. union president alex caputo pearl, in a letter sent to los angeles schools supt. austin beutner on thursday, said it would be unfair to approve new charter schools without an opportunity for board members to hear from community members. currently members of the public are unable to gather and it could be difficult for them to participate in scheduled board meetings, which probably would take place by video or audio conferencing. all district campuses have been closed since march 13 and are will not open until at least may 1. typically the seven member school board meets at least twice a month at district headquarters just west of downtown. it it not known when the board will resume its regular meetings. it was not clear thursday night how many charter schools, if any, would have been scheduled for possible board approval in the next several months. also in the letter the union said it opposed any first time agreements that would allow a charter to share space with a district operated school. charters have a right to space on district campuses under state law. read more > > > citing the coronavirus, ex l.a. county sheriff lee baca asks for release from prison citing the threat of the novel coronavirus, former los angeles county sheriff lee baca has asked a federal judge to release him from a texas prison while he fights to have his conviction tossed out. baca, who was found guilty of thwarting a federal investigation into his department’s scandal plagued jail system, is less than two months into a three year prison term. “mr. baca is nearly 78 years old and has alzheimer’s disease. he is part of the population most vulnerable to the virus,” the motion filed by baca’s san diego based attorney, benjamin l. coleman, said. the filing notes that president trump said earlier this month that the government was considering releasing “nonviolent prisoners due to the grave risk of the virus spreading in a prison environment.” “mr. baca clearly fits the type of offender who should be released under the circumstances,” the motion states. coleman declined to comment further. thom mrozek, a spokesman for the u.s. attorney’s office in l.a., said prosecutors will respond “in coming days.” read more > > > redondo beach closes its pier, several other locations redondo beach announced thursday that the city would join several other municipalities in shutting down access to public places in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. effective at midnight friday, redondo beach will close: it is part of a growing list of closures along southern california’s coast. the santa monica pier is closed, as are the nearby beach parking lots. orange county closed county owned parking lots at all trails, parks and beaches under oc parks jurisdiction earlier this week. hermosa beach city officials announced wednesday that the city’s beach, the strand and its downtown parking structure would be closed starting saturday morning. the closures came after throngs of people flocked to the beaches over the weekend, desperate to escape their homes and find a reminder of what normal life looks like. there have been 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus in redondo beach. as criticism mounts, mexican government rejects more aggressive fight against coronavirus mexico city   resisting calls to amp up the fight against the coronavirus, mexican president andrés manuel lópez obrador and his top aides continued to defend a strategy they say balances public health needs with potential damage to the country’s faltering economy. “we don’t want to have a cure that is costlier in social terms than the actual illness,” hugo lópez gatell, the country’s sub secretary of health, told reporters thursday. “we have said many times that there are some measures that don’t have a technical basis, such as closing borders and airports.” mexico has taken some measures, such as extending schools’ holy week break, urging people to work from home and encouraging social distancing   widely disseminating a cartoon character called susana distancia, which means “your safe distance.” some states and cities have mandated additional measures. mexico city has ordered bars, gyms, churches and museums closed, and banned gatherings of more than 50 people, but restaurants and other shops remain open and some street life continues. lópez obrador has been hesitant to impose stay at home orders, curfews or other more severe restrictions. he has called on mexican families to monitor the health of elderly loved ones. the president’s restrained approach stance has earned him blistering criticism from independent public health experts and an accusation thursday from new york based human rights watch that he is “putting the people of mexico in grave danger.” read more > > > massive unemployment claims during coronavirus crisis have california officials scrambling sacramento   california faces an unprecedented number of unemployment claims amid the coronavirus pandemic, sparking emergency actions by the state agency that handles jobless benefits and a waiting game to see whether the state can keep up. the state’s employment development department processed 186,809 claims for unemployment benefits last week, up from 57,606 the week before, according to weekly data released thursday by the u.s. department of labor. the total last week was a startling 363% higher than the number of claims processed during the same week last year. gov. gavin newsom said wednesday that those figures are only rising. in the past 12 days, newsom said the state has received 1 million applications for unemployment benefits, a figure highlighting the sharp economic impact crisis related business closures will have on california. “to have an organization be able to ramp up overnight at that high of a level is very difficult,” said state assemblyman phil ting (d san francisco). “we’ve had a significant number of constituents say they are having a hard time reaching edd on the phone or, due to the shelter in place order, being able to go into the office for help.” frustrated filers took to social media to vent about problems reaching a “real person.” those trying to file unemployment claims said it has been near impossible to reach a representative on the phone to ask a question. the department’s call center is open only four hours a day monday through friday, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. the department said it has no plan to extend the hours because it needs as many workers as possible processing claims. read more > > > two residents and an employee test positive for covid 19 at westside luxury home for dementia patients two residents and an employee of a westside luxury home for dementia patients have tested positive for covid 19. a man who moved into the facility, silverado beverly place, last week developed symptoms shortly after his arrival and was rushed to cedars sinai medical center by ambulance, according to emails reviewed by the times and interviews with relatives. subsequently, a second resident and a worker at the home were diagnosed, according to an email sent to residents’ families thursday afternoon. “currently we do not have any other resident exhibiting symptoms,” loren shook, the ceo of the facility’s parent company, wrote to relatives. the facility is owned by silverado, an irvine based company which runs upscale memory care homes across the nation. jeff frum, a company spokesman, confirmed the substance of the emails. silverado charges residents up to $10,000 a month, and the west l.a. location, in the beverly grove neighborhood, has become a popular choice for the elderly relatives of the elite in the entertainment and business worlds. stimulus plan includes long sought boons for special interests washington   in the days before the senate unanimously passed a roughly $2 trillion bailout bill for the nation’s nosediving economy, lobbyists and special interest groups flooded congress with long standing wishes and wants   though couched as urgent needs in a time of crisis. the 880 page bill that emerged   and that the house is expected to approve friday   did not give everyone everything they sought. but it does include provisions plucked from the wishlists of hotels, restaurants, retailers and over the counter drug manufacturers, among others. some measures will last only as long as the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout last. others are permanent. one of the biggest winners could be a company whose name doesn’t show up anywhere in the relief package. aerospace giant boeing co., which had struggled long before the coronavirus pandemic hit, appears the chief beneficiary of a $17 billion loan program intended for what the bill calls “businesses critical to maintaining the national security.” small banks won lower requirements for capital reserves, a longtime goal for their lobbyists, on the theory that it would allow them lend more money to struggling businesses. similarly, restaurants, grocery stores and other retailers argued successfully for a federal tax break that would let them write off renovations to their business they would otherwise have to spread out over years. and a little noticed provision added to the bill would speed up the food and drug administration’s review of over the counter drugs and sunscreen products. read more > > > ncaa announces huge reduction in revenue payout after cancellation of march madness since the cancellation of march madness and the ncaa’s other winter and spring championship events because of coronavirus fears, conferences and schools have been bracing themselves for what the economic impact could be. the ncaa gave a painful first glimpse thursday, announcing that its board of governors voted unanimously to distribute $225 million in june   $375 million less than the $600 million it had originally budgeted for distribution in april. for many athletic departments, the eventual disbursement will arrive as a reality check of a murky financial future that likely won’t clear up anytime soon. the ncaa board of governors stressed to members the importance of “planning carefully with less revenue.” the ncaa receives most of its revenue from its march madness television rights deal with cbs and turner, which pays the association nearly $800 million per year. read more > > > colorado avalanche player tests positive for covid 19 a player on the colorado avalanche has tested positive for the covid 19 virus, the team announced thursday, making him the third nhl player known to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. the avalanche did not identify the player but said he has “been at home in isolation since the first symptoms appeared, has recovered and is back to normal.” the statement continued, “the avalanche have notified anyone who has had known close contact with the athlete.” the avalanche played the kings on march 9 at staples center. the two other nhl players who tested positive for the covid 19 virus were members of the ottawa senators, who were at staples center to face the kings on march 11. that was the last nhl game played before commissioner gary bettman put the league on pause in order to help halt the spread of the virus. nhl deputy commissioner bill daly said via email there are additional tests pending. “there aren’t any additional known positives,” he said. read more > > > two coronovirus responses: chateau marmont fires workers; commerce casino keeps paying for decades, the luxurious chateau marmont in west hollywood has been a favorite haunt of actors and musicians who enjoyed its secluded european flair and high end amenities. but when the coronavirus outbreak pushed hotel occupancy rates to below 30% throughout southern california, even the famed 91 year old hotel was forced to take drastic action: the hotel abruptly fired most of its staff without severance pay and only a brief extension of health benefits. “in the middle of this pandemic, i’m now unemployed and will soon lose health insurance for my entire family,” said walter almendarez, a bellman who worked 23 years for the hotel. chateau marmont isn’t unique in its response to a crisis that is expected to devastate broad swaths of business and industry, whether because of plummeting demand or government mandated closure. but not all businesses are responding the same way. about 16 miles from the chateau marmont, managers of the commerce hotel and casino in the city of commerce announced they would continue to pay the base salary of all 2,500 employees while the operation remains closed, as well as provide health insurance for those who had the benefit the casino and its hotel closed nearly two weeks ago, along with several other california casinos after gov. gavin newsom recommended canceling large gatherings to help slow the spread of the virus, and local government began to call for the closing of nonessential businesses. on wednesday, the governing board of the commerce hotel and casino voted to pay all employees their base pay and health benefits during the closure of the casino. read more > > > are you a healthcare worker? crocs will give you a free pair of shoes the colorado based maker of crocs announced wednesday that it was prepared to donate   and ship free   up to 10,000 pairs a day of its colorful, molded resin clogs to members of the medical community workers across the country. the “free pair for healthcare” program will work like this: every day, at approximately 9 a.m. pacific, the crocs’ website will begin taking orders for one pair of shoes per healthcare worker from select classic clog or crocs at work styles up to a daily limit of 10,000 pairs. (shoes in these two categories usually retail from $34.99 to $59.99.) once that number of orders has been reached, a notification advises visitors to return the next day and try again. (on thursday   day 2 of the program   a check of the website shortly after noon pacific found the daily limit had already been reached.) “like everyone, we’ve been closely monitoring the news and working hard to map out a way to most effectively help where we can,” crocs president and chief executive andrew rees said wednesday in announcing the initiative. “over the past week, we have spoken to healthcare workers, their facilities and even their family and friends, and they have specifically asked for our shoes in an effort to provide ease on their feet as well as ease of mind as they need the ability to easily clean up before they go home to their families.” read more > > > u.s. passes italy and china for the most confirmed coronavirus cases the united states has surpassed italy and china in having the most confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a global case tracker run by johns hopkins university. by 3:45 p.m. pacific time, the united states was reporting more than 82,400 cases, above china’s tally of more than 81,700 and italy’s count of more than 80,500. spain has recorded more than 56,000 cases. worldwide, there are more than 526,000 cases. italy still tops the list of countries with the most coronavirus deaths, reporting more than 8,200. spain has reported more than 4,300 deaths, and china has confirmed more than 3,200. the u.s. has reported more than 1,200 deaths, according to johns hopkins. coronavirus cases double this week in orange county, with overall count at 256 orange county’s number of covid 19 cases continues to rise, pushing the overall count to 256 this week as public health officials ramp up testing. health officials reported an additional 69 cases on thursday, increasing wednesday’s total of 187. on monday, officials reported 125 coronavirus cases; the next day, the number rose to 152. “an increase in reported cases is one of the factors of increased testing,” county health officer dr. nichole quick said. “this serves as a reminder of the importance of staying at home and social distancing when leaving the household for essential activities, or to work at an essential business.” county leaders have closed parking lots at trails, beaches and parks to try to contain the virus’ spread. they have also implemented phone hotlines and a text alert system to keep the public informed. read more > > > daily bread? in france, fighting coronavirus one baguette at a time in france, the fight against covid 19 is being waged one baguette at a time. no longer just a mere staple, the iconic loaf and the french daily ritual of buying it have become loaded with moral, civic and public health considerations that could never have been imagined before the new coronavirus turned life upside down. in a nation in lockdown, popping out for a fresh baguette is proving a handy excuse for people to get out of the house. there is one notable exception: a town on the mediterranean coast where the mayor has banned people from doing just that, to keep them indoors. but eschewing the crusty comfort of a fresh baked baguette has become significant, too   a small sacrifice in this new era where sacrifices are being asked of many. for some, not buying bread daily and instead staying indoors to try to stay healthy has become an act in itself, a gesture of solidarity with the doctors and nurses fighting to save lives in stressed emergency wards. read more>>> coronavirus is supercharging the fight over california’s new employment law kathrin kana juggles a few jobs: she’s a voice over actor, a yoga instructor and a home organizer. but after the coronavirus outbreak and the shelter in place order implemented to contain it made gigs around los angeles hard to come by, kana watched her bank account balance dwindle to $36 last friday. seeing few options that wouldn’t involve jeopardizing her health, she tried to sign up to transcribe audio clips for rev.com from the comfort of her home. she got turned down   because of where she lives. rev is among a handful of companies that stopped using workers in california after the state legislature passed a law last fall that makes it harder to treat them as contractors rather than employees. “i was like, ‘we are in a crisis, so can we get a work around so we can at least make some money?’” kana said. “this [rev customer support] person said it doesn’t work that way.” read more>>> as coronavirus spread, a slew of california businesses posted layoff notices last week california companies reported a surge of layoffs last week as they grappled with economic effects of the coronavirus, but the reports reflect just a fraction of the job losses in the fast moving meltdown. between march 1 and march 25, 139 companies reported laying off 18,998 employees. many businesses have yet to report their losses, but the sharp jump in warn notices is another indication of the state’s rapid economic downturn. in february, just 64 companies reported 7,164 employee layoffs. a year earlier, for the full month of march 2019, 77 employers reported 5,657 layoffs. read more>>> metrolink cuts service by 30% as ridership plummets amid coronavirus outbreak as rail ridership plunges amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, metrolink has significantly scaled back its train schedule, reducing service by 30%, officials said. the new schedule, effective thursday and until further notice, maintains peak time routes and as many connections as possible for riders, said stephanie wiggins, chief executive of the regional commuter rail network. although no routes are being entirely eliminated, metrolink will operate only 115 trains on weekdays compared with its normal 167. weekend service will not be affected, spokesman paul gonzales said. read more>>> how the coronavirus has upended economics in just a few weeks in the heat of a global crisis more sudden and severe than anything in living memory, economic orthodoxies are getting tossed aside at a furious pace. some of them may be gone for good. public debt, for example, has often been seen as a drag on economies   but right now it’s their lifeline. the coronavirus has shut down swaths of private business. in the u.s. alone, it threw about 3 million people out of work in just a week. whatever their prior views on budget deficits, leaders have been forced to fill the gap by channeling cash to households, businesses and markets   strengthening safety nets that are paid for out of the public purse, and improvising some new ones. read more>>> as demand for a government relief grows, l.a. restaurants form a united front the push to organize began in earnest early last week with two meetings: one held at the atwater village pizzeria hail mary, the other a conference call organized by ann hsing, chief operating officer of santa monica restaurants pasjoli and dialogue. a few days earlier, mayor eric garcetti had ordered dine in service suspended at los angeles restaurants to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus. the directive effectively shut down thousands of sit down restaurants. with revenue from takeout and delivery unlikely to keep businesses afloat, a handful of chefs, owners, and other restaurants workers gathered to assess the situation. “originally it was just a forum for chefs and owners to express their concerns, share knowledge, get everyone on the same page because we’re all reeling,” said kristel arabian, a former chef and owner of a hospitality recruitment company who attended the meeting at hail mary. “we talked about rent concerns, taking care of employee payroll, business interruption insurance.” read more >>> l.a. convention center to be used for quarantine of patients released from hospitals the los angeles convention center will be pressed into service as a quarantine facility, officials say. at a news conference thursday, county public health officials said the l.a. convention center would be used for the quarantine and isolation of covid 19 patients who had been released from hospitals, those who don’t need acute medical treatment but could still be contagious. l.a. county reports 9 new coronavirus related deaths as toll reaches 21 nine more people have died after contracting the coronavirus in los angeles county, bringing the death toll to 21, public health officials announced thursday. the county has now reported 1,216 confirmed cases of the virus, including 41 in long beach and nine in pasadena, officials said. the number of coronavirus cases in california has surged past 3,000, and officials say the covid 19 growth rate is such that it could overwhelm hospitals in the coming days and weeks. read more >>> check out the las vegas strip, without the 42 million visitors the bellagio fountains have stopped dancing. the venetian’s gondolas are docked and empty. the welcome to las vegas sign welcomes far fewer visitors, and urges them to spread out 6 feet apart. electronic signs at casinos tell you to wash your hands instead of touting headliner shows. the usually throbbing entertainment city has come to a standstill. residents are following stay at home rules, and visitors have left or canceled their plans to come. last week the governor closed its famous casinos, restaurants and businesses that last year drew 42.5 million visitors. read more >>> angels star mike trout talks about being stuck at home like everybody else baseball fans aren’t the only ones becoming restless as they wait for the coronavirus outbreak to be stemmed and shutdowns to be lifted. angels star mike trout and his teammates are finding ways to battle the stay at home blues too. “i’m going crazy,” trout said thursday in an interview broadcast by mlb network. “i’m driving my wife crazy. [pitcher] michael kohn is staying with me and i think my wife’s about to kick us both out of the house.” read more>>> lakers’ lebron james says a layoff is not good for his 35 year old body lebron james doesn’t want to hear any more about how a break in the schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic might be good for his 35 year old body. “it’s actually the opposite for me,” james said. “my body when we stopped playing was like, ‘what the hell are you doing?’ ” james made the comments during a nearly hourlong podcast of “road trippin’” released on uninterrupted, his digital platform. he was a guest on the podcast, which regularly features his former teammates richard jefferson and channing frye, along with spectrum sportsnet studio host allie clifton. read more>>> ‘all my income is gone’: tenants, landlords voice fears as rents come due tenants and landlords throughout southern california are bracing for next wednesday, when april rents are due just as thousands of people have lost their jobs and most business have been shut down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. government officials have provided certain protections against evictions for renters and limited mortgage relief for landlords affected by the virus. some landlords say they are trying to work out deferred payment plans with tenants to make up for any missed rental payments. but stress, fear and confusion remain, especially in los angeles county, where 55% of residents are renters and rents are among the highest in the nation. here’s how a few tenants and landlords are grappling with the crisis: read more>>> ventura county cases steadily increase, reaching 50 eleven new confirmed covid 19 cases pushed ventura county’s total to 50 as of wednesday evening, health officials reported. the new benchmark came less than three weeks after the county’s first confirmation on march 6 and demonstrated the spread of the coronavirus outside the area’s biggest hot spot. simi valley continues to lead ventura county in cases with 12, but only one of the latest 11 confirmed cases was recorded in the city. three new cases were identified in camarillo, which moved that city’s total to eight, while thousand oaks and ventura jumped by two, upping their counts to seven and six, respectively. read more>>> louisiana caseload surpasses 2,300 baton rouge, la.   the number of known coronavirus cases in louisiana jumped by more than 500 thursday, surpassing 2,300, with 86 deaths, the state health department said. a 17 year old was among the latest deaths, the first fatality in the state of someone younger than 18. the higher infection numbers reflect the increase in testing. in thursday’s figures, the number tested rose nearly 6600, to 18,000. coronavirus has now been found in 53 of 64 parishes, although gov. john bel edwards has said he believes it’s present in every parish, even as statewide mandates banning crowds and closing businesses continue. “we won’t see the impact of the distancing and the closing of schools and people staying home for a couple of weeks. ... we are not near the peak of this yet,” said dr. catherine o’neal, an infectious disease expert and chief medical officer at our lady of the lake regional medical center in baton rouge. ioc reportedly hopes to reschedule olympics in midsummer 2021 though the head of the international olympic committee has preached the need for flexibility in rescheduling the 2020 tokyo games, one of his top aides is pointing at a conventional date in the summer of 2021. john coates told the japanese newspaper yomiuri on thursday that his ioc coordination commission, working closely with tokyo organizers, hoped to create an opening in july august. “we want to more or less finalize the dates in four weeks’ time,” coates was quoted as saying. read more>>> france death toll jumps 27% in a day paris   france’s virus death toll is continuing to climb fast, increasing 27% in one day thursday to 1,696 victims, including a 16 year old. the overall number of confirmed cases grew 15% over the previous day to more than 29,000, according to national health agency chief jerome salomon. but he acknowledged that the real number was much higher because france was only testing people with severe symptoms. he said doctors estimated another 42,000 people who had sought medical advice for milder symptoms recently also had the virus. salomon did not provide details about the 16 year old who died, citing medical privacy. he noted that thousands of people with the virus in france had recovered and expressed hope that confinement measures would start bringing the number of deaths down soon. france has reported the fifth highest number of deaths from the virus of any country. france’s government has come under criticism for its limited number of tests, and for waiting until last week to impose nationwide confinement measures even as the virus spread rapidly in neighboring italy and spain. army providing two field hospitals to new york city washington   u.s. army leaders said thursday that two field hospitals were being sent to new york city and would be able to begin treating patients at the javits center on monday. the army combat units from fort hood, texas, and fort campbell in kentucky will include as many as 700 personnel and almost 300 beds. those medical personnel will also be able to help staff additional beds and medical equipment that are being brought in by state and local authorities. gen. james mcconville, chief of staff of the army, said they would begin setting up the units this weekend at the center. officials expect there will be a couple of thousand beds in the center to treat patients who do not have the virus. an army combat hospital from fort carson in colorado will be heading to seattle. mcconville said advance staff were already there, working with local officials to review potential locations to set up the unit. ‘millions could die’ without ‘aggressive action in all countries,’ who says geneva   the head of the world health organization has warned g20 leaders that “without aggressive action in all countries, millions could die” from the new coronavirus outbreak. who director general tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, in a video message to the leaders of the world’s top powers, said “only time will tell” what the full economic, political and social fallout would be. “but we know that the price we end up paying depends on the choices we make now,” tedros said. “this is a global crisis that demands a global response.” he noted “sacrifices” made by some countries including “drastic social and economic restrictions” like shutting schools and businesses and urging people to stay home. “these measures will take some of the heat out of the epidemic, but they will not extinguish it,” he said. “we must do more.” tedros called for training and deployment of health workers to test, isolate and treat cases   and trace their contacts. he decried a global shortage of personal protective equipment as endangering front line responders. he urged countries to boost output of such items, and lift export bans and boost distribution of them. “the actions we take now will have consequences for decades to come,” he said. “we are at war with a virus that threatens to tear us apart   if we let it.” second person in u.s. immigration detention tests positive washington   a 52 year old man detained in new jersey has become the second person in u.s. immigration detention to test positive for covid 19. the unidentified man was being held at the essex county correctional facility in newark. a statement thursday from the county said the man was admitted to a local hospital on sunday for an issue unrelated to the outbreak. but the county said the man started to show symptoms of the coronavirus. a test came back positive for the virus. u.s. immigration customs and enforcement had no immediate comment. the agency previously reported a positive test of a 31 year old man held in bergen county, n.j. it comes as immigrant advocates around the country urge the government to release migrants from detention centers because of the risk of a potential outbreak among detainees. an illustrated check in with ourselves and our food during a pandemic just checking in. how’s everyone doing? it’s been a challenging few weeks for all of us. the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted so much of our lives. here, in this space, we’re most concerned with how this global health crisis has deeply affected our relationship with food and to the hands that feed us. this is a food section that likes its art. we reached out to some of our favorite artists to illustrate how they’re thinking about food during these confusing and challenging times. just as we turn to food for comfort, we can find levity in art. read more>>> infections surge in inland empire; san bernardino county cases triple in days despite efforts to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, two counties in the inland empire have seen a jump in confirmed cases this week. san bernardino county recorded 54 covid 19 cases and two fatalities related to the virus as of thursday. the number of confirmed cases has tripled in less than a week. the county initially recorded 17 cases monday. two men   a 50 year old and 46 year old   died of the illness this week. both had underlying health conditions, according to the county. acting county health officer dr. erin gustafson said in a statement that the deaths were a “sad reminder of the seriousness of this pandemic.” “at the same time, for all of us, it emphasizes the importance of staying at home when we can and practicing good hygiene and social distancing,” she said. read more>>> mark blum, actor in ‘desperately seeking susan,’ dies at 69 from covid 19 complications mark blum, the actor known for roles in “crocodile dundee” and “desperately seeking susan,” has died from complications of covid 19. he was 69. blum died at new york presbyterian hospital on wednesday after being diagnosed last week with the coronavirus, said janet zarish, his wife of 15 years. the couple had not traveled recently or knowingly been in contact with anyone with the virus, she said, but blum had asthma. the new york theater company playwrights horizons first announced his death thursday morning on twitter. read more>>> light rail service in san francisco, silicon valley suspended light rail service is being suspended in san francisco and silicon valley due to the coronavirus. the santa clara valley transportation authority immediately suspended light rail service wednesday night after a light rail operator trainee tested positive for the new coronavirus, the agency said. “operators are being told to shelter in place until they receive further instructions to quarantine and/or be tested,” the authority said. light rail ridership in santa clara county has dropped by 82% since the region implemented a shelter in place order, and the transit system “will now focus our operational resources on bus service, which is more nimble and can adapt to the various needs of our community,” the authority said. in san francisco, the muni metro light rail system will be replaced by buses starting monday. “closing the muni metro underground system will allow us to redirect custodial resources to other, higher use facilities and minimizes risk to our station agents,” the san francisco municipal transportation agency said in a statement. “based on our ridership data and observations, we do not expect these changes to impact the ability of our riders and operators to maintain social distance,” the statement said. service has already been suspended on the city’s famed cable car and historic streetcar system. and bart had begun ending service at 9 p.m., earlier than its standard closing time of midnight. in the east bay, bus riders were being asked to board the bus from the rear door and didn’t need to pay a fare, a measure to keep passengers farther away from ac transit bus drivers. “customers are strongly encouraged to stay or sit 6 feet from other passengers and the bus operator when boarding, exiting and riding the bus,” ac transit said in a statement. read more>>> watch live: white house hosts news conference at 2 p.m. pacific time ‘no time for tourism’: newport weighs how to keep visitors away during coronavirus restrictions some members of the newport beach city council want to harden the city’s coronavirus related closures, including sealing off the boardwalks and nonresident access to balboa island   at least for the coming weekend. city staff was noncommittal during a council meeting tuesday night but did say that last weekend’s surge of beach visitors   eager for some relief from a cooped up and stressful week   was “troubling.” councilwoman diane dixon asked how officials could get residents and visitors to stay home in light of a march 19 order by gov. gavin newsom calling for californians to go out only for essential needs. the sweeping directive capped days of similar locally and federally driven shutdowns aimed to slow the spread of the covid 19 coronavirus. read more>>> bored at home? glendale library system has many materials online although glendale library, arts & culture locations are closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, the department continues to operate 24/7 virtually, thanks to the library system’s myriad of online resources, according to library officials. “in this unprecedented time, it is important that the library be here for the community, many of whom are isolated at home, some afraid. thus, it is important for people to know their library is here for them, their families and their friends,” library director gary shaffer said in a statement on wednesday. “many years ago, the library began adding digital materials to its collection of physical materials. ... today, we have countless hours of free to access premium content and learning opportunities available,” he added. read more>>> sick as a dog, kathy griffin hit the er with coronavirus concerns. here’s what happened kathy griffin might have been exposed to the coronavirus. or she might not have. after a recent trip to urgent care and the emergency room while gravely ill, the comic wasn’t able to get tested. griffin has an abdominal infection that is being treated with medication, though she won’t know whether she’s turned the corner for a couple of days, she told the times in a phone interview wednesday afternoon. she’s back home, and she’s not going out anytime soon. the public likely wouldn’t have known about her illness at all had president trump not tweeted a claim wednesday that the u.s. had outpaced south korea in covid 19 testing. griffin, who had just come home from an emergency room the day before, just had to comment, because what the president was saying didn’t match with what she had experienced. read more>>> l.a. community college district confirms second case a los angeles valley college faculty member has tested positive for covid 19 and is being treated in a hospital, president barry gribbons wrote in a letter to the campus community this week. the faculty member worked in the child development department and had not been on campus since march 13. the campus was in the process of notifying individuals who had come in contact with the faculty member and of cleaning and sanitizing all spaces in its child development and family complex, gribbons said. the case is the second confirmed case of covid 19 in the los angeles community college district. a student at east los angeles college also tested positive, interim president raul rodriguez said sunday. that student was quarantined and is recovering.on wednesday night l.a. city college president mary gallagher reported one unconfirmed case of covid 19 and two cases of possible exposure. the unconfirmed case involved a library employee who has not been tested yet but whose doctor said the employee’s symptoms indicate covid 19. the employee, who is in quarantine, was last on campus on march 19 and school officials are contacting anyone who may have had contact with that person. the other two cases involved students who may have been exposed during clinical rotations at a kaiser facility more than two weeks ago. the students have had no symptoms and are past the recommended quarantine period. though the cases were unconfirmed, “we wanted to share the information with you as quickly as possible for your own protection and to reduce any rumor or false information,” gallagher said in a letter to the college. the push to release more inmates from l.a. county jails authorities in los angeles county have said that a top priority in the coronavirus pandemic was reducing the number of inmates housed in the county jail system, which is the nation’s largest. it’s considered a race against time to safeguard those living and working in the crammed quarters against spread of the virus. “the timetable is before the epidemic hits the jail. that’s the greyhound chasing this rabbit,” said ricardo garcia, the public defender of l.a. county. here’s a look at how officials are trying to lower the number of people behind bars. read more>>> we’re at war with covid 19. what lessons can we learn from world war ii? the blinking owl distillery produces just 1,000 bottles a week of its vodka, gin and other handcrafted spirits made from organic grains out of its repurposed corrugated metal hut in a santa ana industrial district. so, after government orders forced the microdistillery to close march 17 and owners robin and brian christenson furloughed four bartenders from its tasting room, they were thrilled to get a call from orange county. would the distillery be interested in producing some critically needed hand sanitizer? read more>>> for many indians, the virus isn’t their biggest concern. it’s hunger mumbai, india  the biggest lockdown in human history   1.3 billion indians ordered to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus   has unleashed chaos across the country as stranded migrant workers sleep in city streets, police beat curfew breakers, fruits and vegetables rot in markets and masses of informal laborers find their livelihoods wiped out. the first two days of the lockdown imposed by prime minister narendra modi have thrown the lives of some of india’s poorest people into disarray. a total shutdown of trains and buses has prevented countless migrant workers from returning to their villages, forcing them into makeshift shelters or open fields where they are subsisting on food handouts, and hand washing and social distancing are impossible. “this is a complete catastrophe,” said ranu bhogal, campaigns director for oxfam india. read more>>> national air passenger traffic down 85%, official says sean burton, president of the los angeles board of airport commissioners, said at a commissioners meeting thursday that air passenger traffic was now down 85% nationally compared with a year ago. at lax and van nuys, the effects on air travel stemming from the coronavirus was just as extreme, he said. lax air passenger traffic numbers are down 85%, concession revenues are down 50%, and rental car transactions are down 80%, he said. the currency exchange is down 70% and duty free revenues are down 60%, he added. “clearly, the magnitude of what we are facing is immense,” burton said. “we must continue to seek out new solutions to address the financial impacts and reduce our expenses and operate more efficiently, while maintaining safety and security. in addition to the austerity measures already in place, our executive leadership team is looking at all existing contracts and identifying where there are opportunities to stop, reduce or defer activities. we’re also looking at all of our planned future capital projects to determine if now is the right time to start them, or if they can be deferred.” burton said, under the final stimulus bill approved by congress, $10 billion in federal assistance would help publicly owned commercial airports such as lax, as well as general aviation airports including van nuys. he said that money would be critical as the “aviation sector grapples with the most steep and potentially sustained decline in air travel history.” read more>>> barack obama joins stephen curry’s session with dr. fauci former president obama was one of more than 50,000 people to view golden state warriors star stephen curry’s coronavirus question and answer session thursday morning with dr. anthony fauci on curry’s instagram. “listen to the science,” obama commented. “do your part and take care of each other. thank you, steph and dr. fauci.” curry and fauci, the director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases, discussed covid 19 for more than 30 minutes in an effort to bring accurate information to a different “demographic,” curry said. read more>>> british government offers cash to the self employed london   the british government has unveiled another massive income support scheme, this time for 5 million or so self employed people, many of whom face financial ruin from the shock of the coronavirus pandemic. treasury chief rishi sunak said the new self employed income support scheme would replicate the one he announced last week for those workers that firms retained rather than laid off. at a virtual news briefing, sunak said the government would pay self employed people who have been adversely affected by the coronavirus outbreak a grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits over the last three years, up to 2,500 pounds ($2,975) per month. he said the scheme would cover 95% of britain’s self employed and would only be open to those who made the majority of their income from self employment, so only the “genuinely self employed” benefit. he said the scheme, which will continue for at least three months, should be in a position to start handing over the grants by the start of june. “the scheme i have announced today is fair,” he said. “it is targeted at those who need it the most and, crucially, it is deliverable.” drew brees pledges $5 million to help those in need amid coronavirus crisis eight days after agreeing to a two year, $50 million contract with the new orleans saints, quarterback drew brees is putting a chunk of that money to good use. brees announced wednesday that he and his wife, brittany, are committing $5 million to the state of louisiana, which now has more than 1,700 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 65 deaths since the state’s first covid 19 diagnosis march 9. read more>>> trump letter to governors suggests eagerness to relax federal guidelines president trump wrote in a letter to governors on thursday that the federal government was working on new standards for categorizing counties as at high, medium or low risk for the coronavirus. “there is still a long battle ahead, but our efforts are already paying dividends. as we enhance protections against the virus, americans across the country are hoping the day will soon arrive when they can resume their normal economic, social, and religious lives,” he wrote. the letter is a further sign that trump is eager to relax federal guidelines on school closures and limiting social gatherings in order to boost the stalled economy. public health experts have warned that the president is moving prematurely and there’s not enough information to show that the pandemic has been slowed. trump said the plan would involve “robust surveillance testing” to “monitor the spread of the virus throughout the country.” myanmar claimed to be coronavirus free. now cases are showing up yangon, myanmar   as its southeast asian neighbors counted cases of the coronavirus in the hundreds and thousands, myanmar recorded its first three infections this week, in citizens who had recently returned from the u.s. and britain. the announcement confirmed what many experts had been saying for two months: that myanmar’s claims to have somehow escaped the pandemic, despite sharing a 1,400 mile long border with china, could not be believed. two weeks ago, myanmar’s health ministry said it aimed “to prevent a single citizen from contracting covid 19.” government spokesman zaw htay suggested the “lifestyle and diet” of myanmar’s people protected them from the novel coronavirus. yet there is growing suspicion that the virus has been circulating for weeks or months in this country of 54 million people   one of the poorest in asia   given its proximity to, and travel and trade links with, china. read more>>> fourth coronavirus cluster identified in san diego county as cases near 300 san diego   a fourth coronavirus cluster was identified in san diego county on wednesday, and health officials warned the outbreak was going to get much worse in the near future, especially if residents ignore critical social distancing orders. the number of people with covid 19 reached 297 on wednesday: 277 county residents and 20 travelers are in local quarantine. the number was up 55 from the day before. of those cases, 20% were hospitalized and 9% required intensive care. the youngest was 6 weeks old, and the oldest was over 80, health officials said. two county residents have died of the disease. read more>>> puerto rico’s top health official resigns san juan, puerto rico   puerto rico’s top health official has resigned, the second to do so in less than two weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic. interim health secretary concepción quiñones stepped down on thursday. she was appointed when health secretary rafael rodríguez resigned earlier this month after the governor and others complained about how the department was handling covid 19 cases. a new health secretary has not been announced for the u.s. territory, which has reported two coronavirus deaths and more than 60 confirmed cases. with more than 6,000 new infections in italy, worldwide total exceeds 500,000 rome   italy has reported 6,153 new coronavirus infections, pushing the global total over half a million, based on a count kept by johns hopkins university. italy now has 80,539 cases, almost as many as china. italy’s civil protection agency reported 662 deaths on thursday, bringing the country’s death toll to 8,165, which is the highest in the world. indianapolis 500 postponed until aug. 23 the indianapolis 500, scheduled for may 24, has been postponed until august because of the coronavirus pandemic and won’t run on memorial day weekend for the first time since 1946. the race has been rescheduled for aug. 23. the indianapolis 500 began in 1911 but did not run in 1917 and 1918 and 1941 45 because of world wars i and ii. tony hulman bought the neglected speedway after the second war, and the indy 500 returned memorial day weekend of 1946. it’s been scheduled for that weekend every year since. although weather disrupted the prestigious race before thursday, it had never been outright rescheduled. read more>>> as coronavirus cases rise in orange county, segerstrom center cancels events through april the segerstrom center for the arts in costa mesa announced another round of cancellations and postponements through april in response to the government’s guidelines for people staying home during the coronavirus outbreak. the center previously announced schedule changes through march. the center’s abt gillespie school and its school of dance and music for children with disabilities will remain closed through april. administrative offices are closed, and staff is working remotely, according to a statement wednesday. read more>>> q&a: how big will your government check be for the corornavirus? washington   the economic stimulus bill poised to be approved by congress this week would provide direct payments to many american adults to help them pay their bills as they navigate through the shutdowns caused by the coronavirus outbreak. here are answers to common questions about the payments. read more>>> navy aircraft carrier diverted to guam after outbreak on board washington   the navy says an outbreak of covid 19 infections aboard an aircraft carrier in the pacific has forced it to divert to guam so that all 5,000 aboard will undergo testing. the acting secretary of the navy, thomas modly, told reporters that the carrier remained “operationally capable.” even so, other officials said the number of infected sailors had risen sharply, from three reported initially to “dozens” as of thursday. modly said the carrier, which is the first u.s. navy ship to have a reported outbreak while at sea, had about 800 covid 19 test kits aboard and more were being delivered. he said the initially reported cases were sailors with relatively mild symptoms. the navy said earlier this week that the theodore roosevelt’s most recent port call was in vietnam. california dmv is scaling back over coronavirus. some employees say it’s not enough sacramento  to slow the spread of covid 19, the california department of motor vehicles has dramatically restricted customer visits to its field offices, barring people who do not have appointments and warning that no new slots to appear in person are currently available. but some field office employees who spoke to the times on condition of anonymity raised concerns that the measures don’t go far enough, leaving staff and customers vulnerable to infection while offices remain open. the employees also say that a recent decision by the dmv to quietly waive knowledge tests that had previously been required for license renewals an read more>>> silicon valley could face 2,000 to 16,000 coronavirus related deaths, new estimate shows millbrae, calif.   silicon valley could see a coronavirus related death toll of 2,000 to 16,000 by the end of may, depending on how seriously people take the order to stay at home, according to projections presented at a san jose city council meeting wednesday. the rough estimates buttress calls by health and elected officials across california to shelter in place in the face of an exponential rise in coronavirus cases since the beginning of march. officials including los angeles mayor eric garcetti and san francisco’s director of public health, dr. grant colfax, have warned about a surge in gravely ill coronavirus patients needing hospitalization in the next week or two. read more>>> wnba to hold a ‘virtual’ draft as scheduled utilizing video conferencing the wnba announced it would continue with its scheduled draft april 17 despite the covid 19 crisis. the league will conduct a “virtual” draft utilizing video conferencing without players, guests and media in attendance. during the event, which will be broadcast on espn 2 beginning at 5 p.m., the league will honor gianna bryant, alyssa altobelli and payton chester, three of the nine victims of the helicopter accident jan. 26 that also took the life of kobe bryant. the wnba also announced plans to honor kobe bryant during the draft and upcoming season, calling him a “passionate advocate of the league.” the league is scheduled to open training camps april 26 and begin the season may 15. both dates are fluid because of the pandemic. read more>>> amid ppe shortages, residents raid personal supplies for coronavirus equipment donations on sunday night, chad loder traversed southern california in the pouring rain. he drove from his south bay home to palms to pick up n95 masks from a ucla student. he then dropped off masks and hazmat suits to a grateful doctor in culver city. and finally, at the end of the night, he drove more than two hours to a rancho mirage hospital to drop off even more supplies. as hospitals run short of personal protective equipment and the number of covid 19 patients surges, residents across the country are scouring their belongings for any gear that can be used to help the doctors and nurses on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. read more>>> how a ceo mobilized a factory deemed essential to keep it running and (he hopes) safe when kevin kelly woke up on march 11, he glanced at his phone, saw a stock market in free fall, and gently shook his head. “overreaction,” he thought. “i was a skeptic. the idea of a global pandemic seemed unfathomable,” said kelly, chief executive at emerald packaging, a manufacturer of plastic wraps and bags for fruits, vegetables and snacks his family owns in union city, southeast of san francisco. he’d change his mind on his 25 mile commute to emerald’s factory. on the radio, disease experts spoke about the seriousness of the pandemic and about lack of preparation in the united states. read more>>> courteney cox is binge watching ‘friends’ while in quarantine: ‘it’s really good’ are you binge watching “friends” to stay sane during the coronavirus shut in? so is courteney cox. the actress, who played the lovably rigid monica in the hit sitcom, appeared remotely on wednesday’s home edition of “jimmy kimmel live” and revealed she’d been making productive use of her time in quarantine by brushing up on her “friends” knowledge. “people love the show so much, i decided to binge watch ‘friends,’” cox said, clarifying that she recently purchased the series in full on amazon prime. “i just started season 1. it’s really good.” read more>>> pregnant women with coronavirus infection can pass it to their babies, study finds a study of 33 pregnant women in china who were infected with the coronavirus found that three of them gave birth to babies with covid 19. all three infants survived after receiving treatment for their symptoms, doctors reported thursday in the medical journal jama pediatrics. one of those infants was delivered by cesarean section nearly nine weeks before its due date because the mother was suffering from pneumonia caused by covid 19. that baby’s health problems were primarily due to being born prematurely, not because it was infected with the coronavirus known as sars cov 2, the authors wrote. “the clinical symptoms from 33 neonates with or at risk of covid 19 were mild and outcomes were favorable,” wrote the authors, who were from two children’s hospitals in wuhan and one in shanghai. read more>>> column: how the coronavirus crisis is saving medicaid from trump it may seem inappropriate to look for a silver lining in the coronavirus disaster, but nevertheless here’s one that specifically applies to our largest public health program: the crisis has put a hard stop to the trump administration’s attack on medicaid. this has happened in two ways. first, it has brought home even to the most ideologically addled members of the administration or benighted state governments how crucial medicaid is to the fight against the virus and covid 19, the disease it causes. the crisis will drive the costs of treating its victims so high that the budgets of numerous hard hit states would utterly collapse without the open ended federal cost sharing of medicaid. read more>>> isolated childcare providers need supplies, guidance as california’s childcare system suffers california’s early childhood care system has long been held together by women like tanya garcía, whose hollywood duplex is home to two licensed daycare operations serving as many as 28 youngsters   among them the children of healthcare workers and public school teachers. as hundreds of large preschools and daycare centers have closed amid statewide school shutdowns and stay at home orders, many children of essential workers are now being watched over by lone providers   mostly women working in their homes with help from family members. in l.a. county, experts say 75% are immigrants. however, these providers are facing intense pressure to not only care for little ones during stressful times, but do so with scarce state guidance, dwindling necessary supplies, and growing fears of contracting covid 19, leaders and advocates in the industry say. read more>>> world central kitchen and l.a. restaurants are banding together to feed hospital workers world central kitchen, the nonprofit global relief organization founded by chef josé andrés, has partnered with a nascent program in los angeles that hopes to supply medical workers with healthy, free meals from local restaurants during the covid 19 crisis. the program, called “feed the frontline,” coalesced last week when a group of westside moms organized a large scale dinner delivery from marmalade cafe to 75 nurses and doctors at a local kaiser hospital. read more>>> china bars all foreign nationals china is temporarily barring all foreign nationals from entry as it seeks to curb the number of imported covid 19 cases. the chinese ministry of foreign affairs announced that foreign nationals with residence permits would be prevented from entering the country starting saturday. all visa free transit policies also will be temporarily suspended. diplomatic workers will be exempt, and foreign nationals coming to china for “necessary economic, trade, scientific or technological activities or out of emergency humanitarian needs” can still apply for visas, the foreign ministry said in a statement. “the suspension is a temporary measure that china is compelled to take in light of the outbreak situation and the practices of other countries,” the statement said. as the number of china’s reported domestic covid 19 cases has dwindled, it has had to contend with imported infections from recent overseas arrivals. these individuals have accounted for the majority of china’s new cases for more than a week. national theatre live to release productions on youtube for free national theatre live, which records and broadcasts stage shows from london’s west end to movie theaters worldwide, is unveiling a new at home initiative amid the closure of theaters due to the novel coronavirus. beginning april 2, audiences can watch a number of nt live’s live captured productions for free via the national theatre’s youtube channel. every thursday at noon pst, a production   filmed in front of an audience in the theater   will be streamed and then be available on demand for seven days. the “national theatre at home” lineup kicks off with richard bean’s comedic play “one man, two guvnors,” featuring james corden’s tony award winning performance as “an insatiable humpty dumpty who has hired himself out to two masters he’s determined to keep apart while doubling his wages and calories,” wrote times critic charles mcnulty in 2012. read more>>> idris elba, still quarantined with coronavirus, is fine but missing home status update: idris elba is still in quarantine   and is feeling homesick. the “cats” actor took to twitter on wednesday to let fans know that, yes, he’s still quarantined, but he’s feeling ok. the 47 year old tested positive for the coronavirus last week. “hoping everyone is coping with this $@@!! currently still in quarantine. sab [elba’s wife, sabrina dhowre elba] and i still feel ok so far with no changes. dr told us that after quarantine we will be immune for a certain time since our antibodies fought this,” he wrote beneath his selfie. “at some point we’d like to go home to london. bsafe.” read more>>> pelosi predicts house will pass senate bill with bipartisan support washington   house speaker nancy pelosi says the massive $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic relief bill approved by the senate will pass the house on friday with “strong bipartisan support.” pelosi spoke to reporters at the capitol on thursday a day after the senate unanimously approved the measure. the package comes to the house as fresh evidence emerges that the economy is in a recession. the government reported 3.3 million new weekly unemployment claims, four times the previous record. “we will have a victory tomorrow for america’s workers,” pelosi said, praising the bill’s expansion of unemployment benefits. she encouraged companies battered by the pandemic to keep paying their workers, even those who are furloughed. read more>>> the virus forces adjustments for sex workers in germany, where prostitution is legal berlin   some german brothels closed with hardly any warning. sex workers who had been fully employed suddenly feared homelessness. many sought ways to keep working, at home or on the streets. the coronavirus induced changes to prostitution in germany, where sex work has long been legal, in recent days has left many in the business with as many troubles and fears as anyone, scrambling to find a way to adjust. “it’s impossible to know now what the long term economic impact of this crisis will be   and harder to predict what the impact will be for us,” said undine de riviere, a sex worker in germany for the last 25 years. “what we offer is a luxury article, not a daily need. this could be the first thing people cut back on.” read more>>> nbcuniversal ceo jeff shell says he’s been diagnosed with covid 19 nbcuniversal chief executive jeff shell says he has tested positive for covid 19, becoming the highest profile media executive known to have contracted the disease. “i recently have been feeling under the weather and just learned that i have tested positive for covid 19,” shell wrote in an email to nbcuniversal staff. “although the virus has been tough to cope with, i have managed to work remotely in la and am improving every day.” shell became ceo of nbcuniversal in january, taking over for steve burke who has run the company for nine years. burke remains on as executive chairman. read more>>> this bay area college wants students to return and clean their dorm rooms menlo park, calif.   as colleges across california shuttered their campuses and sent most students home last week, one campus in the bay area is requiring its students to return   amid a pandemic   and clean out their dorm rooms. on march 18, evette castillo clark, st. mary’s college dean of students, emailed parents and students that the moraga campus was closing and students needed to return and get their dorm rooms cleaned out by april 14. the day before, six bay area counties, including contra costa, where the college is located, announced a shelter in place order in response to the growing threat of the coronavirus. health officials want people to maintain distance from everyone but their immediate families. read more>>> men are cutting their own hair in quarantine. it’s not pretty there’s something going on with american men in coronavirus isolation ... something akin to the communal visions people were having of devil’s tower in steven spielberg’s “close encounters of the third kind.” one by one, many of us, alone, without prompting   motivated perhaps by a reasonable fear that we’ll never see our barber again, perhaps by garden variety mania brought on by our world going to pieces   have unilaterally decided that it it’s high time to cut our own hair. celebrities have been getting in on the self coiffing act   pink posted an instagram video on tuesday revealing her solo cut, snipped drunkenly the night before, and “grace and frankie” actor scott evans posted a video on twitter of his avengers star brother, chris evans, correcting his uneven diy shearing. read more>>> a love letter to video games in a time of coronavirus my favorite childhood bedtime stories were not “charlotte’s web” or “the hobbit.” no, my most treasured nighttime texts were “king’s quest” and “the secret of monkey island.” guybrush threepwood, the hero of “monkey island,” would never be mistaken for a creation of robert louis stevenson, but he was perhaps the first pirate to come equipped with a rubber chicken   a rubber chicken that could be used with an aerial cable as a sort of makeshift zip line. it was an early lesson in looking at every object that surrounds us as an item of potential discovery. of course, “king’s quest” and “the secret of monkey island” are not books at all. they’re early attempts at merging storytelling, animation worthy visuals and gameplay. so yes, they’re games. but even today, when games are arguably the largest entertainment medium and the industry best equipped for a stay inside, work from home lifestyle, that word carries a stigma, a symbol of a childish medium not on par with the literature of books or the authorship of cinema. read more>>> looking down on coronavirus: 12 aerial photos of southland’s new normal new normal. the coronavirus outbreak has changed everything. california gov. gavin newsom has issued a stay at home order, all nonessential businesses are closed, and local law enforcement agencies are doing what they can to keep us off the streets. so what does it look like outside   from above? times photographer robert gauthier captured these images during an aerial tour of the southland. read more>>> rows of tanks? national guard patrols? police stops? officials debunk coronavirus rumors as los angeles focuses on the coronavirus, officials are trying to debunk rumors about supposed government actions. the latest involved photos showing a train carrying tanks in southern california. naval base ventura county put out a tweet saying the tanks had nothing to do with coronavirus preparation and instead were routine movements. “any logistical movements at port hueneme and naval air station point mugu are just routine in nature to keep america’s deployed forces ready,” the base said. the base said it continued to support the “department of defense in routine air and port operations.” read more>>> 10 ways to work out at home while you’re stuck inside gyms and exercise studios may have closed their doors, but there are still plenty of ways to get your sweat and stretch on at home with free youtube channels, social media livestreams and free on demand classes from some of the hottest names in boutique fitness. what do you prefer? a workout that puts you in a better headspace? one that the whole family can enjoy? or a different workout every day? here are 10 different approaches to fitness, all to help you stay motivated, sane and active while you make the transition to working out at home. and remember, as social distancing continues, check your favorite studios and fitness trainers’ instagram and facebook accounts for more free livestreaming workouts and support from the online #fitfam. read more>>> russia halts international flights moscow   russian government officials announced the halting of all international flights beginning friday amid the covid 19 pandemic. an exception will be made for flights bringing russians home from abroad, according to a statement published thursday on the cabinet’s website. earlier this month, russian authorities limited its air traffic to regular flights to world capitals and charter flights. the new measure comes as the number of coronavirus cases in russia rapidly grows. on wednesday, the government reported a total of 658 cases, with 163 new cases registered since the previous day. that is a significantly larger daily increase than in previous weeks, when the number of cases was growing by several dozen a day. malaysian royalty under quarantine after palace staff test positive kuala lumpur, malaysia   malaysia’s king and queen are under quarantine after seven palace staff members tested positive for covid 19. the palace said thursday that seven staff were hospitalized tuesday and health authorities were trying to identify the source of the transmission. it said king sultan abdullah sultan ahmad shah and his wife, tunku azizah aminah maimunah iskandariah, were tested for the virus, but both were negative. it said the royal couple decided to observe a 14 day self quarantine from wednesday, with deep cleaning to be carried out in the palace. malaysia, which has 21 deaths and the highest total of cases in southeast asia at 1,796, has extended its lockdown by another two weeks, to april 14. unhappiest hour: what the coronavirus shutdown has meant for two l.a. bars zach negin turned down the volume on the hugh masekela album he was playing at his thai town wine bar tabula rasa. “last call,” he shouted. the bleak new meaning of the phrase bloomed suddenly. it was march 15, the day that mayor eric garcetti announced the bar and restaurant shutdown in los angeles. negin didn’t know when he would be making the announcement again in the foreseeable future. “i surprised myself by choking up as the words came out,” he said later. customers began leaving $50 and $100 tips. californians have been ordered to stay at home; restaurants have been restricted to takeout and delivery to help impede the spread of the novel coronavirus. bars closed outright. the moratorium, originally set to end march 31, was extended last week to april 19. read more>>> oedipus rex vs. president trump: leaders reveal themselves in times of plague tragedy isn’t donald trump’s natural habitat. as a protagonist, he’s bursting with hubris but woefully short on gravitas. his grandiose personality defects   the blustering, mendacity and truculent solipsism   are made for “south park,” not sophocles. yet watching trump perform his carnival barker act on the podium at the daily white house briefings on the coronavirus crisis, i am stuck by the parallel between our president and that quintessential sophoclean sufferer, oedipus. no, i’m not making any innuendos about trump’s unconscious desires. freud elaborated a theory of psychoanalysis from sophocles’ play “oedipus rex,” extrapolating from the myth a stage in psychosexual development in which a boy secretly longs to supplant his father in his mother’s affections. read more>>> california coronavirus surge on par with new york, alarming officials. cases top 3,000 the number of coronavirus cases in california has surged past 3,000, and officials say the growth rate is so big that it could overwhelm hospitals in the coming days and weeks. the stateside death toll now stands at 67, far less than the 285 deaths in new york, which has become the national epicenter of the coronavirus crisis. but officials said california needs to brace itself for far more cases and deaths. “the worst days are still ahead,” los angeles mayor eric garcetti said wednesday. “we’ve taken actions earlier and swifter [than other cities], but no one is immune from this virus.” california’s top medical advisor said wednesday that covid 19 cases continue to double in the state every three to four days. read more>>> stocks climb 3% after senate passes coronavirus relief bill stocks on wall street opened broadly higher thursday after the senate approved a $2.2 trillion bill to provide economic relief for damage done by the coronavirus outbreak. the standard & poor’s 500 index and dow jones industrial average were both up 3% at 7 a.m. pacific. that followed their first two day win streak since a dramatic sell off took hold of markets five weeks ago. investors were relieved that a massive surge in unemployment applications, despite busting records at 3.3 million, fell short of the worst forecasts. the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 21,000 people worldwide, has escalated so quickly that the jobless report is one of the first points of data showing how much economic pain it’s creating in the united states. read more>>> china pushes back against ‘wuhan virus’ label beijing   china is strongly pushing back on u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo’s insistence on referring to the deadly novel coronavirus that has sparked a global pandemic as the “wuhan virus” after the city in china where it was first detected. foreign ministry spokesman geng shuang said thursday that it was an effort to “stigmatize china and discredit china’s efforts in an attempt to divert attention and shift responsibilities.” “he has a very sinister motive,” geng told reporters at a daily briefing. geng also defended china’s efforts at tackling the virus and denied it was seeking to place responsibility for the outbreak elsewhere. china has been accused of trying to squelch information about the outbreak during its early stages, and some of its diplomats have openly suggested that the virus may have been brought to china from the united states. pompeo’s call for the virus to be identified by name as the “wuhan virus” at a virtual meeting of foreign ministers from the group of 7 leading industrialized countries resulted in their opting against releasing a group statement. the world health organization and others have cautioned against giving the virus a geographic name because of its global nature, and even president donald trump has steered away from those terms as critics have said they foster discriminatory sentiments and behavior against asians and asian americans. ladysmith black mambazo, comedyquarantine: today’s culture binge online for a little culture during your home quarantine, we’ll be offering daily recommendations of streaming concerts, online musicals, virtual art exhibitions and more. here are six picks for thursday; all times pacific: ladysmith black mambazothe south african vocal group known for its shimmering harmonies and fancy footwork, as well as its contributions to paul simon’s grammy winning 1986 album “graceland,” can be seen in a concert recorded   sans audience   at ucla’s royce hall on march 16. it’s presented by center for the art of performance at ucla and radio station kcrw. 9 p.m. thursday. free. watch at facebook.com/kcrw and youtube.com/kcrw; listen at kcrw.com/live streams read more>>> spain remains hotbed for case expansion madrid   spain has become the country in europe where the coronavirus outbreak is expanding fastest. it’s second only to the united states in the number of new cases reported. spain’s health ministry reported 8,578 new infections and 655 deaths on thursday, bringing the total infections to 56,188 and more than 4,000 fatalities. italy’s initial steep rise in confirmed cases has started to level off more than two weeks into a nationwide lockdown. on wednesday, the country reported 5,210 new cases and 683 deaths. the outbreak is straining spain’s health care system, with medical staff struggling to treat the infected amid a shortage of protective gear and enough ventilator machines and other medical equipment. one out of 10 of the country’s covid 19 fatalities have been recorded in nursing homes. mookie betts might never play for the dodgers because of the crisis the dodgers’ trade for mookie betts was a win now move, acquiring one of baseball’s great players for one chance to win the world series. the dodgers were guaranteed nothing beyond the 2020 season because betts could leave as a free agent after the season. now, because of the coronavirus crisis, the dodgers are not even guaranteed a 2020 season. that could mean betts leaves the dodgers without ever playing a game for them. as the league office and the players’ union negotiate contingency plans, a proposal on the table wednesday would make betts a free agent next fall no matter what. in the event the season is canceled entirely, a player who completed a full season in 2019 would get credit for a full season in 2020. that would give betts the service time he needs to be eligible for free agency. read more>>> empty malls. closed stores. will coronavirus forever change how we shop? the prognosis for restaurants and other retailers forced to close by the novel coronavirus pandemic is so grim that many are expected to skip rent payments on april 1. many may never reopen. the economic pain   especially for laid off workers   will be unprecedented. although analysts predict a rebound by the end of the year, the new retail landscape may look different from the old one, as mandated closures knock out weak malls and merchants. online shopping is likely to permanently grab an even bigger share of buyers’ money, particularly for groceries because house bound consumers grew comfortable getting their food picked out by someone else and delivered. “after the coronavirus effect is over, many of those people who are ordering online right now will continue to do so,” said analyst robin trantham of real estate data provider costar. read more>>> how a vital record of mexican indigenous life was created under quarantine it is the middle of a plague   “a pestilence so great and universal, that already it has been three months since it started, and many have died and many more continue to die.” this does little to stop a group of scholars who have sealed themselves off from the world in a mexico city convent, where they toil on a series of volumes devoted to indigenous knowledge. if before the plague their goal was to create a historical record, it’s now become a race against time and disease: the pandemic is claiming lives outside of their walls. they continue to work even as they run out of pigments to color the illustrations that will accompany their text. it is simply too risky to leave the safety of their cloister to go looking for supplies. read more>>> l.a.’s beloved taco trucks are in survival mode on the evening of march 19, shortly after mayor eric garcetti announced that los angeles would be placed under a “safer at home” ordinance in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the rolling avenues of boyle heights were unusually quiet. at primos tacos on breed street, normally a crowded lonchera selling tacos, burritos and the chile sauce dipped sandwiches called pambazos, only one customer stood in line. “service has been down about 20% this week,” said mario sedano torres, whose uncle owns the truck. “people are afraid to come out. i’ve never seen anything like it.” the scene was equally grim on nearby soto street, where the tacos el pecas food truck perches nightly at the edge of a spacious, well lighted car wash. normally the wait for its dollar al pastor and suadero tacos is formidable, but on this night only one family milled around the truck. read more>>> which patient gets the ventilator? doctors may have tough choices ahead it’s a choice most doctors never thought they would have to make: who lives and who dies. but in coming weeks, if covid 19 continues to surge, such decisions will be inevitable. the coronavirus will attack so many people’s lungs that thousands could show up at hospitals gasping for air, needing to be hooked up to machines that breathe for them. but there won’t be enough ventilators for everyone, forcing doctors to make impossible calls about which lives to save. “you have an 80 year old and a 20 year old and both need a vent and you only have one. what do you do?” said dr. christopher colwell, the chief of emergency medicine at zuckerberg san francisco general hospital and trauma center. read more>>> column: we cannot let giant chains take over the restaurant space on a drive last week, passing dozens of closed small restaurants and other businesses, i saw one place that seemed to be operating as if we weren’t in the throes of a global health crisis: chick fil a. there was a line at least eight cars deep, full of people waiting for chicken sandwiches and waffle cut fries. i’m not judging fast food or those who consume it (i’ve written effusively about it in the past). times are uncertain and people need to eat, preferably cheaply, given the fact that they’re also worried about   or have already lost   their jobs. but our multibillion dollar fast food industry is equipped to weather this shutdown. our small restaurants are not. read more>>> california needs nurses. so why is the state about to give up 10,000 prospects? sacramento   amid a frantic scramble to open hospitals and increase the number of healthcare workers, california nursing schools are warning state officials that an estimated 10,000 nursing students are in jeopardy of not graduating, meaning they will be unable help evaluate and treat patients amid the coronavirus outbreak. under state rules, nursing students must spend a substantial part of their clinical education in hospitals, but they are barred from doing so now because of hospital lockdown orders. unless the state loosens its rules, students set to graduate in coming months will find it impossible to become licensed nurses. as a result, public and private nursing schools are pleading with gov. gavin newsom and the state’s board of registered nursing to allow greater flexibility in how students meet their clinical education requirement after many hospitals discontinued training placements because of safety concerns and to focus on the tidal wave of covid 19 patients. read more>>> this champion academic decathlon team studied pandemics. now, they’re living one the subject seemed so remote   medieval maladies spreading illness and death across the globe, altering economies, culture and even history. for the bell high school academic decathlon team, the l.a. area champions, the black death and other pandemics on their study list represented little more than obscure facts to memorize in preparation for state competition. but now a modern pandemic is unfolding before them, offering perspective and difficult lessons in real time. “you get to see a lot of parallels with the coronavirus,” said senior gilbert castro. during the black death, he said, people gradually came to understand that a quarantine had the potential to slow the spread of disease, but there’s so much people did not know. “now, you have germ theory and you know this new one is caused by a virus,” he said. “knowing the science behind the virus, it’s easy to see clear preventives.” read more>>> those irs coronavirus extended deadlines apply to more than just taxes dear liz: now that we’re not required to file our taxes until july 15 this year, has anything been said about pushing back the 2019 contribution deadline for iras and roth iras? answer: the irs recently confirmed that the deadline for making contributions to iras had also been extended to july 15, 2020. the deadlines were pushed back from april 15 because of shelter in place orders and other disruptions stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. you can contribute up to $6,000 to iras for 2019 if you’re under 50, or $7,000 if you’re 50 or older. the limits are the same for 2020. you didn’t ask, but the deadline for contributing to a health savings account also has been extended. read more>>> weekly jobless claims soar amid coronavirus outbreak washington   the number of americans applying for jobless benefits soared to unprecedented levels last week as new government data put into stark relief the magnitude of the economic pain caused by the coronavirus outbreak. the labor department said thursday that more than 3.3 million people had filed for first time unemployment claims in the week ending last saturday. that number was five times greater than in any single weekly period of new filings since record keeping began in 1967   and it points to what many expect will be a dramatic increase in the jobless rate, possibly even into double digits later this spring. read more>>> follow us more from the l.a. times

recent and archived work by josh ocampo for the new york times the jazz legend lived in the five story building on west 139th street as a teenager with her mother. by josh ocampo last year, city residents called in more than 750,000 noise complaints. incredibly, nearly 10 percent of them came from one area. by josh ocampo binge worthy guilty pleasures like “the real housewives of beverly hills” and “selling sunset” document luxury real estate in los angeles, a market that now faces an uncertain future. by addie morfoot, josh ocampo and debra kamin furniture resembling food   fruit, sandwiches and more   has gone viral on social media and led to a shopping frenzy. by josh ocampo and george etheredge the winner   that is, the loser   was delayed 40,360 times between december 2023 and november 2024. by josh ocampo the new york times would like to help tell the stories of people who are facing this devastating reality by sharing photos and memories of what has been lost. by josh ocampo thousands of wildfires rage across california every year. no matter where you are, it’s important to learn how to minimize their threat. by josh ocampo a look at service requests filed with the city reveals the biggest sources of vexation. by josh ocampo with the year safely in the rearview mirror, streeteasy looked at the most sought after amenities and neighborhoods. by josh ocampo as holiday joy transitions to wintry malaise, new yorkers throw tons of trees to the curb. by josh ocampo

the history of higher education in the united states begins in 1636 and continues to the present time. american higher education is known throughout the world for its dramatic expansion. it was also heavily influenced by british models in the colonial era, and german models in the 19th century. the american model includes private schools, mostly founded by religious denominations, as well as universities run by state governments, and a few military academies that are run by the national government. religious denominations established most early colleges in order to train ministers. they were modeled after oxford and cambridge universities in england, as well as scottish universities. harvard college was founded by the massachusetts bay colonial legislature in 1636, and was named after an early benefactor. most of the funding came from the colony, but the colleges began to collect endowments early on. harvard first focused on training young men for the ministry, and won general support from the puritan government, some of whose leaders had attended either oxford or cambridge.[1] the college of william & mary was founded by the virginia government in 1693, with 20,000 acres (81 km2) of land for an endowment, and a penny tax on every pound of tobacco, together with an annual appropriation. james blair, the leading church of england minister in the colony, was president for 50 years, and the college won the broad support of the virginia gentry. it trained many of the lawyers, politicians, and leading planters at the time.[2] yale college was founded in 1701, and in 1716 was relocated to new haven, connecticut. the conservative puritan ministers of connecticut had grown dissatisfied with the more liberal theology of harvard and wanted their own school to train orthodox ministers.[3] new light presbyterians in 1747 set up the college of new jersey, in the town of princeton; it was later renamed princeton university in 1896. in new york city, the church of england set up king's college by royal charter in 1746, with its president doctor samuel johnson the only teacher. following the american revolutionary war, the tory administration of the college was overthrown and it was renamed columbia college in 1784, then later renamed columbia university in 1896. rhode island college was founded by baptists in 1764, and in 1804 it was renamed brown university in honor of a benefactor. brown was especially liberal in welcoming young men from other denominations. the academy of pennsylvania, a secondary school, was founded in 1749 by benjamin franklin and other civic minded leaders in philadelphia. in 1755, it received its charter, was renamed college of philadelphia and was converted into an institution of higher education. unlike the other universities, it was not oriented towards the training of ministers. it was renamed the university of pennsylvania in 1791. the dutch reformed church in 1766 set up queen's college in new jersey, which later became rutgers university. dartmouth college, chartered in 1769, moved to its present site in hanover, new hampshire, in 1770.[4][5] although european nations did not have a national university, many political and intellectual leaders called for one to unify the new nation intellectually, promote republicanism, enhance the status of learning, and keep up with european standards of scholarship. george washington as president was the most prominent advocate along with benjamin rush, thomas jefferson, james madison, charles pinckney, james wilson, john adams, john quincy adams, alexander hamilton, joel barlow, and james monroe. strong opposition came from the economy  and provincial minded men who distrusted imposed uniformity in ideas. anti intellectualism, states rights ism, and indifference defeated the dream. however repeated efforts produced some smaller scale operations: columbian college in 1919 (now george washington university) as well as national scientific centers including a national observatory, the smithsonian institution, and in 1863, the national academy of sciences.[6][7] most protestant, as well as catholic, denominations opened small colleges in the nineteenth century, mostly after 1850.[8][9] nearly all taught in the english language, although there were a few german language seminaries and colleges.[10] while colleges were springing up across the northeast, there was little competition on the western frontier for transylvania university, founded in lexington, kentucky in 1780.[11] in addition to its undergraduate program, it boasted law and medical programs. it attracted politically ambitious young men from across the southwest including 50 who became united states senators, 101 congressmen, 36 governors and 34 ambassadors, as well as jefferson davis, the president of the confederacy.[12] many of the colleges started at this time were funded by churches and denominations, instructing pastors and teachers. it wasn't until the morrill land grant acts of 1862 and 1890 that public colleges and universities were started in the midwest, including many of the first public hbcu's[13] all the schools were small, with a limited undergraduate curriculum based on the liberal arts. students were drilled in greek, latin, geometry, ancient history, logic, ethics and rhetoric, with few discussions and no lab sessions. originality and creativity were not prized, but exact repetition was rewarded. the college president typically enforced strict discipline, and the upperclassman enjoyed hazing the freshman. many students were younger than 17, and most of the colleges concurrently operated a preparatory school. there were no organized sports or greek letter fraternities, but literary societies were active. tuition was very low and scholarships were few. many of the students were sons of clergymen; most planned professional careers as ministers, lawyers or teachers.[14] by the 1820s there was a growing demand to replace greek and latin with modern languages, as had been proposed by jeffersonians at the university of virginia and the newly opened university of the city of new york. the yale report of 1828 was a defense of the latin and greek curriculum. it called to maintain traditions, especially against the forceful reputation of the german research universities that were starting to attract young american postgraduate scholars. most critics viewed it as a reactionary move, although pak depicted in terms of attracting students from the growing number of private academies that continued to stress the classic languages. the reformers failed, and the classical languages continued as the centerpiece of the rigid traditional curriculum until after the civil war.[15][16] for example, at east alabama male college, a small methodist school was founded in 1856 with a curriculum centered on latin, greek, and moral science; it resembled most other antebellum southern colleges. it closed during the civil war and reopened as the agricultural and mechanical college of alabama, becoming the state's land grant institution. while retaining some of the antebellum classical curriculum to accommodate the returning faculty, it added new courses in agricultural and industrial arts, as well as applied sciences. it became alabama polytechnic institute in 1899, and is now known as auburn university.[17] the liberal arts colleges flourished and only a few added graduate programs. summarizing the research of burke and hall, katz concludes that in the 19th century:[18] many american scholars and scientists studied at german universities before 1914. they returned with phds and built research oriented universities based on the german model, such as cornell, johns hopkins, chicago and stanford, and upgraded established schools like harvard, columbia and wisconsin.[19] historian laurence veysey in his book the emergence of the american university (1965) explained how higher education was revolutionized after 1865 by the creation of the modern university. stressing johns hopkins, cornell, clark, harvard, yale, columbia, michigan, chicago, stanford and berkeley, veysey showed how the newly created and newly reformed schools were influenced by german approaches that taught new findings based on experimental and empirical research techniques. the new model rejected the british model that reiterated over and over the latin and greek classics. the new university introduced new teaching methods such as lectures and seminars. it made graduate school training, culminating in the phd, the mark of the true scholar. the doctoral dissertation required students to create new knowledge, preferably through experimental methods or research in original sources. the new land grant state universities generally followed the new model and deemphasized classical latin and greek while adding science, technology, industrial engineering and agricultural science.[20] there were no schools of law in the early british colonies, thus no schools of law were in america during the colonial times. a few lawyers studied at the highly prestigious inns of court in london, while the majority served apprenticeships with established american lawyers.[21] law was very well established in the colonies, compared to medicine, which was in a more rudimentary condition. in the 18th century, 117 americans had graduated in medicine in edinburgh, scotland, but most physicians in the colonies learned as apprentices.[22] in philadelphia, the medical college of philadelphia was founded in 1765, and became affiliated with the university in 1791. in new york, the medical department of king's college was established in 1767, and in 1770 awarded the first american m.d. degree. it is now columbia university vagelos college of physicians and surgeons.[23] on the frontier after 1799, medical professionalism and medical education was heavily influenced by the medical program at transylvania university in kentucky, which graduated 8000 doctors by 1860.[24][25] mary lyon (1797 1849) founded mount holyoke female seminary in 1837; it was the first college opened for women and is now mount holyoke college, one of the seven sisters. lyon was a deeply religious congregationalist who, although not a minister, preached revivals at her school. she greatly admired colonial theologian jonathan edwards for his theology and his ideals of self restraint, self denial, and disinterested benevolence.[26] georgia female college, now wesleyan college opened in 1839 as the first southern college for women.[27][28] oberlin college opened in 1833 as oberlin collegiate institute, in a heavily yankee section of northern ohio. in 1837, it became the first coeducational college by admitting four women. soon women were fully integrated into the college, and comprised from a third to half of the student body. some of oberlin's early leaders, especially evangelical theologian charles grandison finney, saw women as morally superior to men. indeed, many alumnae, inspired by this sense of superiority and their personal duty to fulfill god's mission engaged in missionary work. historians have typically presented coeducation at oberlin as an enlightened societal development presaging the future evolution of the ideal of equality for women in higher education.[29] intensely anti slavery, oberlin was also the only college to admit black students in the 1830s. by the 1880s, however, with the fading of evangelical idealism, the school began segregating its black students.[30] the enrollment of women grew steadily after the civil war. in 1870, 9,100 women comprised 21% of all college students. in 1930, 481,000 women comprised 44% of the student body. along with the destruction of slavery the american civil war and reconstruction era emphasized the creation of schools for the african american population in the south that was largely prevented from formal education. some of these universities eventually became public universities with assistance from the government. most "historically black colleges and universities" (hbcus) were established in the south with the assistance of religious missionary organizations based in the northern united states. hbcus established prior to the american civil war include cheyney university of pennsylvania in 1837,[32] university of the district of columbia (then known as miner school for colored girls) in 1851, and lincoln university in 1854.[33] wilberforce university was also established prior to the american civil war.[34] the university was founded in 1856 via a collaboration between the african methodist episcopal church of ohio and the predominantly white methodist episcopal church.[35] atlanta university   now clark atlanta university   was founded on september 19, 1865, as the first hbcu in the southern united states. atlanta university was the first graduate institution to award degrees to african americans in the nation and the first to award bachelor's degrees to african americans in the south; clark college (1869) was the nation's first four year liberal arts college to serve african american students. the two consolidated in 1988 to form clark atlanta university.[36] shaw university, founded december 1, 1865, was the second hbcu to be established in the south. the year 1865 also saw the foundation of storer college (1865 1955) in harper's ferry, west virginia.[37] storer's former campus and buildings have since been incorporated into harpers ferry national historical park.[38] protests at historically black colleges included shaw university (1919), fisk university (1924 1925), howard university (1925) and hampton institute (1925, 1927). the protests often involved civil rights issues between black students and white administrators.[39][40] african american studies bloomed in colleges during the black power protests and changing cultural views which created a different campus experience. these changes occurred during the civil rights movement and the vietnam protests. during this time colleges started to change over to be co educational. more women were then allowed to attend schools that previously only accepted male students. the baby boomers who were attending college at this time changed many aspects of college life, which included a more inclusive structure for women and minorities.[41] local wealthy families supported local schools, especially of their religious denomination, often by donating land. wealthy philanthropists for example, established johns hopkins university, stanford university, carnegie mellon university, vanderbilt university and duke university. john d. rockefeller funded the university of chicago without imposing his name on it.[43] protestant denominations set up funds that by 1830 subsidized about a fourth of the prospective ministers then in college. the american education society, founded in 1815, raised funds from local protestant churches to support their students. furthermore, it aided academies, colleges, and seminaries and helped to maintain high academic standards. it was a champion of the classical curriculum against the demands for more modern skills.[44][45] each state used federal funding from the morrill land grant colleges acts of 1862 and 1890 to set up "land grant colleges" that specialized in agriculture and engineering. among the first were iowa state university, in iowa, purdue university in indiana, michigan state university, kansas state university, cornell university (in new york), texas a&m university, pennsylvania state university, the ohio state university and the university of california. few alumni became farmers, but they did play an increasingly important role in the larger food industry, especially after the extension system was set up in 1916 that put trained agronomists in every agricultural county. the engineering graduates played a major role in rapid technological development.[46] indeed, the land grant college system produced the agricultural scientists and industrial engineers who constituted the critical human resources of the managerial revolution in government and business (1862 1917) laying the foundation of the world's preeminent educational infrastructure that supported the world's foremost technology based economy.[47] pennsylvania state university is a good example of this. the farmers' high school of pennsylvania (later the agricultural college of pennsylvania and then pennsylvania state university), chartered in 1855, was intended to uphold declining agrarian values and show farmers ways to prosper through more productive farming. students were to build character and meet a part of their expenses by performing agricultural labor. by 1875, the compulsory labor requirement was dropped, but male students were to have an hour per day of military training in order to meet the requirements of the morrill land grant college act. in the early years the agricultural curriculum was not well developed, and politicians in harrisburg often considered it a costly and useless experiment. the college was a center of middle class values that served to help young people on their journey to white collar occupations.[48] in 1890, congress funded all black land grant colleges, which were dedicated primarily to teacher training. these colleges made important contributions to rural development, including the establishment of a traveling school program by the tuskegee institute in 1906. rural conferences sponsored by tuskegee focused on improving the efficiency and living standards of black farmers. its founder, booker t. washington, was the most influential black spokesman of the 1895 1915 era, and he obtained many academic grants from northern philanthropists and foundations.[49] starting in 1900, he worked to open connections with educators in africa; for example he worked with the phelps stokes fund and the firestone rubber company to design the booker t. washington agricultural and industrial institute in liberia. it was delayed by world war i and opened in 1928, 13 years after washington's death.[50] since the 1960s, the 19th century schools had helped train many students from less developed countries who returned home with the ability to improve agricultural production.[51] at the beginning of the 20th century, fewer than 1,000 colleges, with 160,000 students, existed in the united states. explosive growth in the number of colleges occurred in bursts, especially in 1900 1930 and in 1950 1970. state universities grew from small institutions of fewer than 1000 students to campuses with 40,000 more students, as well as a network of regional campuses around the state. in turn the regional campuses broke away and became separate universities. to handle the growth of k 12 education, every state set up a network of teachers' colleges, beginning with massachusetts in 1830s. after 1950, they became state colleges and then state universities with a broad curriculum. advanced degrees were not a criterion for professorships at most colleges. this began to change in the mid 19th century, as thousands of the more ambitious scholars at major schools went to germany for one to three years to obtain a doctor of philosophy (phd) in the sciences or the humanities.[54][55] graduate schools slowly emerged in the united states. in the 1860s and 1870s, yale and harvard awarded a few phd's. the major breakthrough came[according to whom?] with the opening of clark university, which only offered graduate programs, and johns hopkins university, which began focusing more seriously on its phd program. by the 1890s, harvard, columbia, michigan and wisconsin were building major graduate programs; their alumni were in strong demand at aspiring universities. by 1900, there were 6,000 enrolled graduate students. the six main universities awarded about 300 phd's annually.[56] in germany, the national government funded the universities and the research programs of the leading professors. it was impossible for professors who were not approved by berlin to train graduate students. in the united states, private universities and state universities alike were independent of the federal government. independence was high, but funding was low. this began to change when private foundations began regularly supporting research in science and history; large corporations sometimes supported engineering programs. the postdoctoral fellowship was established by the rockefeller foundation in 1919. meanwhile, the leading universities, in cooperation with the academic scholars of the time, set up a network of scholarly journals. "publish or perish" became the formula for faculty advancement in the research universities. after world war ii, state universities across the country expanded greatly in undergraduate enrollment, and eagerly added research programs leading to master's or doctorate degrees. their graduate faculties had to have a suitable record of publication and research grants. late in the 20th century, "publish or perish" became increasingly important in colleges and smaller universities, not just large research universities.[57][58] major new trends included the development of the junior colleges. they were usually set up by city school systems starting in the 1920s.[59] by the 1960s some were renamed "community colleges". junior colleges grew from just 20 in 1909 to 170 in 1919. by 1922, 37 states had set up 70 junior colleges, enrolling about 150 students each. meanwhile, another 137 were privately operated, with about 60 students each. rapid expansion continued in the 1920s, with 440 junior colleges in 1930 enrolling about 70,000 students. the peak year for private institutions came in 1949, when there were 322 junior colleges in all; 180 were affiliated with churches, 108 were independent non profit, and 34 were private schools run for profit.[60] many factors contributed to rapid growth of community colleges. students, parents and businessmen wanted nearby, low cost schools to provide training for the growing white collar labor force, as well as for more advanced technical jobs in the blue collar sphere. four year colleges were also growing, albeit not as fast; however many of them were located in rural or small town areas away from the fast growing metropolis. community colleges continue as open enrollment, low cost institutions with a strong component of vocational education, as well as a lower cost preparation for transfer students into four year schools. they appeal to a poorer, older, less prepared element.[61] the great depression that began in 1929 was a major blow to higher education. only the richest schools like harvard had endowments big enough to absorb the losses. smaller prestigious schools, such as mit and northwestern, had to cope with serious cutbacks.[62] despite appeals from eleanor roosevelt, howard university the federally operated school for blacks saw its budget cut below hoover administration levels.[63] after the golden years of the 1920s, the downturn hit hard at northwestern university, a private school in illinois. its annual income dropped 25 percent from $4.8 million in 1930 31 to $3.6 million in 1933 34. the endowment investments shrank, fewer parents could pay full tuition, and annual giving from alumni and philanthropy fell from $870,000 in 1932 to a low of $331,000 in 1935. the university responded with two salary cuts of 10 percent each for all employees. it imposed a hiring freeze, a building freeze, and slashed appropriations for maintenance, books, and research. from a balanced budget in 1930 31, the university had deficits in the range of $100,000 for the next four years, which was made up by using the endowment. enrollments fell in most schools, with law and music hardest hit. however, the movement toward state certification of school teachers enabled northwestern to open up a new graduate program in education, bringing in a new clientele. at this financial low point, in june 1933, president robert maynard hutchins of the university of chicago proposed to merge the two universities, estimating annual savings of $1.7 million. the two presidents were enthusiastic, and the faculty were supportive. however, the northwestern alumni were vehemently opposed, fearing the loss of their traditions. the medical school was oriented toward training practitioners, and felt it would lose its mission if it was merged into the larger, research oriented university of chicago medical school. the merger plan was thus dropped. the deering family gave an unrestricted gift of $6 million in 1935 that rescued the budget, bringing it up to $5.4 million in 1938 39. that allowed many of the spending cuts to be restored, including half the salary reductions.[64] state colleges and universities had depended largely on grants from the legislature, ignoring fund raising, philanthropy. they kept tuition close to zero. many were very hard pressed by the great depression it almost shut down the university of colorado, as the legislature slashed its budget, there was practically no endowment, and tuition was already very low. the medical school was nearly closed in 1938   it survived when the legislature allowed it to borrow more money. in 1939. the main campus in boulder came within a few days of having to close. the bright spot came in the building projects. the pwa spent nearly $1 million on 15 new buildings on the boulder campus and the medical school campus in denver. that included a fieldhouse, a natural history museum, new wings for the college of arts and sciences, a faculty club, a small library and a new hospital. the rfc loaned $550,000 in 1933 to build women's dormitories, with the loans repaid through room and board charges.[65] indiana university fared much better than most state schools thanks to the entrepreneurship of its young president herman wells. he collaborated with frederick l. hovde, the president of iu's cross state rival, purdue; together they approached the indiana delegation to congress, indicating their highest priorities. for wells, it was to build a world class music school, replacing dilapidated facilities. as a result of these efforts, the works progress administration (wpa) built one of finest facilities in the country. he added matching funds from the state legislature, and opened a full scale fund raising campaign among alumni and the business community. in 1942, wells reported that "the past five years have been the greatest single period of expansion in the physical plant of the university in its entire history. in this period 15 new buildings have been constructed.[66][67] higher education was much too elitist to fit into the new deal agenda. the educational establishment was ignored. president franklin roosevelt even ignored his commissioner of education john ward studebaker and cut his budget. pleas for emergency assistance for higher education, or for research projects, were rejected.[68] however, relief agencies such as wpa and pwa were in the construction business, and work closely with local and state government which sometimes included new buildings and athletic facilities for public universities. while the new deal would not give money to colleges or school districts, it did give work study money to needy students, from high school through graduate school. the average pay scale was $15 a month for part time work.[69] eager to avoid a repeat of the highly controversial debates over a postwar years and then the bonus to veterans of the first world war, congress in 1944 passed the g.i. bill. it was promoted primarily by the veterans organizations, especially the american legion, and represented a conservative program of financial aid not to poor people, but one limited to veterans who had served in wartime, regardless of their financial situation. the gi bill made college education possible for millions by paying tuition and living expenses. the government provided between $800 and $1,400 each year to these veterans as a subsidy to attend college, which covered 50 80% of total costs. this included forgone earnings in addition to tuition, which allowed them to have enough funds for life outside of school. it opened up higher education to ambitious young men who would otherwise have been forced to immediately enter the job market. when comparing college attendance rates between veterans and non veterans during this period, veterans were around 10% more likely to go to college than non veterans. most campuses became overwhelmingly male thanks to the gi bill, since few women were veterans. however, by 2000, women had reached parity in numbers and began passing men in rates of college and graduate school attendance.[70] under the leadership of president lyndon b. johnson, congress in 1964, passed numerous great society programs that greatly expanded federal support for education. the higher education act of 1965 set up federal scholarships and low interest loans for college students, and subsidized better academic libraries, ten to twenty new graduate centers, several new technical institutes, classrooms for several hundred thousand students, and twenty five to thirty new community colleges a year. a separate education bill enacted that same year provided similar assistance to dental and medical schools.[71] a major development[according to whom?] of the late twentieth century was the emergence on a very large scale of for profit higher education institutions. they have traditionally appealed to low income students, who could borrow money from the federal government to pay the tuition, and to veterans who received tuition money as part of their enlistment bonus. they have become very controversial in the 21st century, because of the high proportion of students who fail to graduate, or who do graduate and fail to get appropriate jobs; many default on repayment of their federal loans as a result. there has been additional concern over for profit colleges as they fundamentally changed the view of colleges as a public good.[72] as of 2016, some for profit colleges have been sanctioned by federal agencies for preying on vulnerable populations who accrue massive student loan debt in the course of earning a degree that has less value than those obtained from public or private institutions of higher learning.[73] federal and state officials started cracking down on for profit universities, and some have gone out of business.[74][75] the first catholic college in the united states was georgetown university, founded in georgetown (now washington, d.c.). some of the small colleges of the 19th century have become major universities and integrated into the mainstream academic community.[76] the association of catholic colleges and universities was founded in 1899 and continues to facilitate the exchange of information and methods.[77] vigorous debate in recent decades has focused on how to balance catholic and academic roles, with conservatives arguing that bishops should exert more control to guarantee orthodoxy.[78][79][80] the orders of nuns, and some dioceses, founded numerous colleges for women. the first was the college of notre dame of maryland, which opened elementary and secondary schools in baltimore in 1873 and a four year college in 1895. it added graduate programs in the 1980s that accepted men and is now notre dame of maryland university.[81] another 42 women's colleges opened by 1925. by 1955, there were 116 catholic colleges for women. most but not all of them went co ed, merged, or closed after 1970.[82] the twenty first century has been characterized by the growth of for profit higher education, including the continued evolution of online learning. by 2010, student enrollment had peaked, and enrollment at community colleges, for profit colleges, regional institutions, and smaller colleges and universities began to drop. but online education, boosted by online program managers continued to grow. in 2020 and 2021, the federal government provided billions of dollars in relief to schools that suffered from the covid 19 pandemic. a number of faculty and student worker strikes occurred in the 2020s, including columbia university in 2021, the university of california system in 2022 and rutgers in 2023.[83][84] in 2024, students at more than 20 colleges staged protests about the genocide in palestine, in some cases demanding that their schools divest in israeli companies. at least 1000 students and faculty members were arrested.[85][86]
supported by times insider soumya karlamangla, who writes the times’s california newsletter, wants to balance uplifting stories and hard news happening in the golden state. by josh ocampo times insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind the scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. when soumya karlamangla, who lives in san francisco, tells someone she works for the new york times, the reaction is often the same: a look of confusion. “people that i’m interviewing in the field will say, ‘oh, they flew you out here for this?’” she said in a recent conversation. “i usually tell them that there’s a good number of times reporters in california. we have two bureaus.” ms. karlamangla, who writes the california today newsletter, joined the times in july 2021 from the los angeles times, where she covered health care news. “i was tired of writing about covid 19,” she said. when the times approached her with an opportunity to cover news in the golden state, she didn’t hesitate. ms. karlamangla grew up in a suburb of los angeles, where she moved from the midwest when she was 4. now living in the richmond neighborhood of san francisco, she finds much of her inspiration for the newsletter, which publishes every weekday, in her surroundings. last year, for example, she observed a number of burmese restaurants in her neighborhood and wrote about the rise of the cuisine. she recently reported on how california got its name, answering a question she’d long had. in a phone interview, ms. karlamangla shared her favorite part about reporting from california and her pursuit to report from all 58 of its counties. the conversation below has been edited and condensed.

 soumya karlamangla joins the times from the los angeles times, where she has reported across the golden state to bring californians’ stories to light with empathy and grace. we are excited to announce that soumya karlamangla is going to be the next lead writer for california today, our daily newsletter for helping hundreds of thousands of readers stay on top of what they need to know about a state that is vital to the country’s culture, politics and economy. as a los angeles times journalist for the past eight years, soumya has reported from up and down the golden state, bringing californians’ stories to light with empathy and grace. she has traveled cross country with bay area abortion providers, shadowed hollywood’s favorite rattlesnake wrangler and ridden on the back of produce trucks in l.a. she has covered devastating fires and mass shootings across california, including one in her hometown of thousand oaks in 2018.