pragmatic hope from the California Report

Both of these stories were in last week's California Report Magazine and are well worth the time
Keeping Kids in School
New figures show the state's unemployment rate soared to 11.2 percent last month. In Fresno County, unemployment has hit 17 percent. To compound the problem there, one out of four students drops out of high school. But one school district in Fresno is bucking the trend -- successfully graduating nearly all its students. We spent some time in its classrooms to find out what's working.
The Smart Grid
Today, the EPA declared that greenhouse gases "endanger public health and welfare." That opens the door to federal limits on carbon dioxide emissions, part of President Obama's efforts to put global warming near the top of his agenda. In fact, the president's stimulus plan set aside billions for developing wind and solar power. There's also stimulus money to create what's called a 'smart grid.'