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New York Times
Higher education reporter for the New York Times
PROFILE
Richard Perez-Pena
Guest
FROM Richard Perez-Pena
The Mixer
A Tale of Two Cities and Their Email Threats LAUSD closed all of its campuses and facilities this week because of an emailed terror threat which claimed bombs, nerve gas and automatic weapons were stashed at several schools, and an attack – the threat said – was imminent. Public school officials in New York City received a similar threat, but quickly deemed it a hoax.
To the Point
Where Are the Poor Students at Elite Universities? For 30 years or more, America’s elite colleges and universities have promised to open their doors to more high-school seniors from low-income families. There are large numbers of poor kids with grades and test scores high enough for admission, but those elite institutions are still bastions of privilege. That’s according to a recent story in the New York Times by Richard Perez-Pena.
Which Way, L.A.?
Black and Outnumbered at UCLA A spoken word video made at UCLA has gone viral. With 12 black students behind him on the steps of a university building, third year student Sy Stokes provides facts and figures and recounts what it's like to be one of so few African Americans on a campus supposedly pledged to diversity. There are 25,000 undergraduates at UCLA. This year's freshman class includes just 75 African Americans. University officials declined to appear on our program, but a written statement says the video "eloquently and powerfully expresse[s] their frustration and disappointment."
To the Point
Is the Newspaper Industry Stumbling? Crumbling? Newspapers are shedding staff and reducing services, just like other industries, but even if the economy picks up, they may not bounce back. Tumbling ad revenues and stockholders hungry for profit are creating a familiar scenario, but the Internet is what's making things different. Major papers in New York, Washington and Los Angeles give readers national and international perspective. Local papers keep watch on business interests and City Hall. Will technology lead to the erosion of institutional memory and professional standards?
Recommended
Zócalo's Connecting California
Hot for the holidays The Coachella Valley is the next best thing to the Judaean Desert when it comes to Christmas.
The Mixer
Heading for the fire exit Thousands of Californians are spending the holidays deciding what to do next after devastating wildfires. The Camp Fire – in northern California – took out nearly an entire town, killing at least 86 people. And the Woolsey Fire, closer to home, left 3 people dead, chewing through nearly 100,000 acres in L.A. and Ventura Counties. Ken Pimlott knows those names all too well. He heads up the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and today is his last day on the job.
KCRW Features
One Year Later: How Ojai Weathered the Thomas Fire Ventura County residents recall how the largest fire in state history, at the time, ignited and threatened to engulf the city of Ojai.
To the Point
California Gets Back into Presidential Politics In 1972, California clinched the presidential nomination for Democrat George McGovern. Since then, the biggest state has become an ATM for candidates of both parties. But starting in 2020 all eyes will be on California as it moves its primary up to a month after the Iowa caucuses.