Chevron legal skirmish shows no sign of ending

In the 22-year-old battle between members of the Ecuadorian Secoya tribe and Chevron Corp., both sides are claiming important victories within the past few weeks. But independent analysts say there is still no real end in sight. On Aug. 28, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled the Ecuadorian indigenous group has the legal right to sue…

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Dover Elementary educator Maribel Lopez named teacher of the year

It’s an early Thursday morning and Maribel Lopez is about to read Eric Carle’s “The Tiny Seed” to her bilingual second grade class as they learn about a plant’s growth cycle. The students are all seated “crisscross applesauce” in their blue and white uniforms, waiting patiently to hear Lopez begin reading. Lopez was just recognized as…

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Balancing life as a roller derby girl

Huck Sinn’s life was falling apart, including her relationships. After she stopped going to grad school, she moved from San Francisco to the East Bay, where she started “dating herself.” “I was taking myself out. I took myself to concerts and I took myself to a roller derby bout,” she said. It was at that…

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West Contra Costa school board meets for a six-hour, packed discussion on charter schools

On Wednesday night, West Contra Costa Unified School District’s (WCCUSD) first board of education meeting of the year was packed with chatty bouncy children, a sea of blue shirt-wearing Caliber Beta Academy teachers, and people holding orange public comment sheets. Newly-elected school board president Todd Groves began the meeting promptly at 6:30 pm as eager…

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