June 2009 Archives

Even though Locke High is now a charter school with higher academic standards, students are still as likely to drop out as graduate. The odds were against the three students we followed on Inside Locke High and Return to Locke High - Joanna Alatorre, Damon Horton and Bryan Ordaz - did they make it?

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KPCC's John Rabe, from the award-winning radio show Off-Ramp, stopped by the Locke High graduation to interview producer Angela Shelley and all three Locke High students. 

All three students profiled in our award-winning shows, "Inside Locke High" and "Return to Locke High," attended Prom Night together. Producer Angela Shelley, Editor Michael Bloecher and Associate Producer Alexandria Gales crashed the event and brought back these memories.

Enjoy!

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Will sin be the next victim of the new economy? We take the well-known route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to find out. Tune in Thursday, 8:00 PM.

Watch the full episode:

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What's a "move-away"?  While producing "He Said / She Said" the story of the effects of the bad economy on out of work parents paying child support,  Producer Angela Shelley found out the meaning of this term.  Attorney Rozanna Velen, who specializes in Family Law, explains.

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California’s child support system is the largest in the nation and L.A. County’s is the largest in the state with over 425-thousand cases. Each one is an individual drama that’s playing out more and more often in these tough economic times. Increasingly, people are filing for what’s called “support modification” - which is when parents say they’re facing financial hardship and can’t afford to pay child support.

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We still have the right to sit back and enjoy a few days of summer…and to show them that they haven’t taken everything.

SoCal Connected, KCET’s weekly TV news magazine, swept the Los Angeles Press Club’s 51st Annual Southern California Journalism Awards Sunday night, winning in four of the five TV categories for a total of five awards - three first place and two second place. One of the country’s oldest and most prestigious journalism competitions, the awards honor the best reporting in a variety of categories for broadcast, print and online media.

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Following our story, "Return To Locke High" one of the students we profiled, Bryan Ordaz, was invited to Burroughs High School Spring Band Concert as a guest musician. Bryan was accompanied by Locke Musical Director Reggie Smith, leading the Burroughs High School Band as Guest Conductor.

This was truly an honor for both teacher and student and we wanted to share it.

Enjoy.

Produced and Edited by: Tom Duncan at Good Job Rob Video Productions

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We at SoCal Connected have practically made a cottage industry out of covering the seemingly out-of-control spread of billboards and digital signs in our city.

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Is the economy the new villain in the battle over child support? Plus, Blueprint America: Green Collar Jobs.

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In the spirit of giving back that our story Second Helpings celebrates, LA author and founder of the website DoOneNiceThing.com, Debbie Tenzer, has some ideas about what you can do to give back once a day or once a week in easy, inexpensive and badly needed ways.

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SoCal Connected cameras were there as a crowd of about 1,000 people gathered in Santa Monica to show support for the two American journalists imprisoned by North Korea. SoCal contributor Lisa Ling helped organize the vigil on behalf of her sister Laura Ling and colleague Euna Lee. The two journalists are accused of "illegal entry" and "hostile acts" for reporting on North Korean refugees in China. Lisa Ling spoke with producer Angela Shelley just before SoCal Connected joined the candlelight procession through the streets of Santa Monica.

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What was your reaction to Gov. Schwarzenegger's speech on the state of California's budget crisis?

For our story on food waste, I went to the L.A. Regional Food Bank and talked with Michael Flood. He said demand for food is up 35% from a year ago. But at the same time, taking cooked food or leftovers from caterers is hard for them. They are not set up to store it or turn it around fast enough. But they have increased their store of fresh fruits and vegetables thanks to some innovative relationships with grocery stores and produce suppliers.

So do pickups from catered events make sense for a large food bank?

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On June 2nd, Governor Schwarzenegger addressed a special session of the state legislature, beginning his speech with the stark admonition that “California’s day of reckoning is here.” The state budget, which has been in and out of crises for years, is facing its biggest ever deficit, and action must be taken within weeks, not months.

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I care about the environment as much as anyone. If the environment weren’t looking where it was going and was about to get hit by a car, I’d yell, “Hey, environment, watch out!”

At a time of tremendous need why is there also tremendous waste? From banquet halls, caterers and hotels across southern California tons of perfectly good food ends in landfills. It seems simple -- get this food to the hungry. But as Val Zavala found out, it's more complicated than it sounds. Meet the people who have found ways to waste less food and feed more people.

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When a 70-foot commercial fishing boat sank off the coast of Catalina Island in 2006, it created a deathtrap for marine life. The eerie shipwreck - just a mile off the coast, but 150 feet deep - is shrouded by a 9,000-pound fishing net, which is now catching and killing sea lions, sharks, seals and dolphins.

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