Finally, I've managed to hack into this account to post the following – a political piece I wrote for the Missoula Independent with one of my former professors last summer. 

I'm transitioning to a new site (hence the forgotten password)! So all of my new published work will be posted there, along with my blog, at kettiwilhelm.com. Thanks for reading!

Looking for light 

What doomed the “Stop Dark Money” ballot initiative?

By Ketti Wilhelm and Dennis Swibold

Politics is a cheap game to play in Montana, thanks largely to “dark money,” a furtive type of campaign funding for which the state has a substantial claim to being the nation’s poster child. Liberal and conservative groups flooded Montana with funds from undisclosed donors in 2012, attracted by a high-stakes U.S. Senate race, relatively cheap TV ads and the low cost of reaching the state’s nearly 680,000 registered voters by mail.

According to ProPublica, almost a quarter of the $51 million or more spent in the 2012 Senate race came from issue-advocacy groups that do not disclose their contributors. The dark money—and the influence it represented—drew protests from Democrats and Republicans alike.

But efforts to shed light on dark money have fallen flat. During the state’s most recent legislative session, Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, and Republican state Sen. Jim Peterson, a rancher from Buffalo, collaborated on the proposed Trace Act, which would have closed some disclosure loopholes. It died in committee without fanfare. Peterson and a small band of Republicans then vowed to take the fight directly to voters with Initiative 168, but they abandoned the campaign in June, saying they couldn’t raise enough money to collect signatures statewide.

In a state with such toothless disclosure laws and prevalent, high-profile support for strengthening them, why has every effort to rein in dark money failed?

While Montana’s far right has never supported dark money disclosure, organizers of I-168 were surprised to hear objections from liberal groups that typically support disclosure. Peterson says he reached out directly to potential supporters on the left, but couldn’t get any bites.

“Everybody says, ‘Yeah, I don’t like dark money,’ but when it comes time to raise the money to get the signatures ... people clam up,” he says.

Sandy Welch, a Republican and an organizer for the “Stop Dark Money” initiative, says her group sought support from across the political spectrum, yet managed to raise only about $20,000—a fraction of what it takes to bring an initiative to the ballot in such a large state.

“There are a lot of people who fund political activities who like dark money,” Welch says. “They don’t want it to go away.”

The organizers weren’t the only ones surprised at the initiative’s failure.

“Where were the organizations?” asks Anthony Johnstone, a professor of constitutional and election law at the University of Montana. “Where were the unions? Where was Common Cause? Where were the parties? Without that kind of support, you’re going to have a hard time qualifying an initiative, even on something so recently salient in Montana.”

Jonathan Motl, Montana’s commissioner of political practices, says he was disappointed but not surprised by I-168’s failure. He says Peterson’s decision to require disclosure for money spent on voter mobilization by nonpartisan nonprofits probably doomed the initiative before it got off the ground.

“In my opinion, that was added by Peterson in an effort to bring in some support for it from (conservative) groups, which weren’t going to support it anyway,” Motl says.

One of the people Peterson looked to for support was C.B. Pearson, a veteran organizer of ballot initiative campaigns. Pearson spearheaded the 2012 “corporate personhood” ballot measure, which passed with 75 percent approval in protest of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling. But Pearson says he couldn’t support the Stop Dark Money initiative and agreed with Motl, saying the inclusion of all nonprofits would have forced disclosure on the League of Women Voters and other groups that encourage voting, but refrain from endorsing candidates or ballot issues.

“I just don’t think you can regulate that,” Pearson says. “There’s a right to participate.”

The Missoula-based Forward Montana would have been in the same boat. But under Montana law, nonprofits that do endorse specific candidates, including unions and groups such as Montana Conservation Voters, are already required to disclose their contributors.

Had the measure focused solely on disclosure for the issue-advocacy groups, it might have had a chance, Pearson says. He adds that when people lament the effects of dark money, they’re usually thinking about the nasty, anonymous, third-party attack ads.

“I don’t think anybody likes the third-party stuff at all,” he says.

As Montana’s chief elections watchdog, Motl says dark money still needs to be exposed because it undermines the public’s trust in the political process, which in turn erodes faith in government. He adds that his office is working on legislation that would require disclosure by issue-advocacy groups, which are often the perpetrators of anonymous attack ads.

Campaign finance reform remains a hot issue at the federal level. Newly nominated Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amanda Curtis has said campaign finance reform will be her top priority if she’s elected. And the Federal Communications Commission recently began requiring all TV stations to post their political ad sales data online.

Progress hasn’t been so forthcoming locally, but I-168’s organizers say they hope the short-lived campaign at least helped educate voters about dark money. Welch expects the issue to resurface in the Montana Legislature next year. Peterson, who is limited by law from seeking a fourth consecutive term in the Senate, says he isn’t sure the idea will receive better treatment in future sessions.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I hope so, but I think they’re going to run into the same problem I did.”

Even so, he adds, it’s a fight worth taking on because dark money plays an outsized role in Montana, especially in down-ballot races, such as legislative contests.

“Montana’s a cheap place to play,” Peterson says, adding that $20,000 can have significant influence in a state Senate race, as $10,000 can in a state House contest.

“If you’re going to bring integrity back into the political process,” he says, “you’re going to have to do something about dark money.”

Finally seeing my own byline again.

Downtown 

Merc still looks for options

by Ketti Wilhelm

For nearly four years, Missoula's most prominent downtown retail space has remained vacant. While the Missoula Mercantile building has turned into little more than a billboard for art shows, what with its windows filled with posters and displays, officials say it's an exception to an otherwise healthy downtown.

The Merc, which has been empty since Macy's closed in 2010, has proven more difficult to fill than its Virginia-based owner expected. Octagon Partners bought the 80,000-square-foot building for $2.3 million in 2011 and put nearly another million into deconstructing it to its historically accurate bones—minus the lead and asbestos that contractors removed. But the owner is still looking for tenants willing to move in or someone to buy the site outright.

Several bars and restaurants wanted to move in, says Jed Dennison of Zillastate Realty, the local firm handling the property. But it's been a hard sell because the construction timeline requires signing a lease at least 15 months before a shopkeeper could even start painting the walls, let alone open for business.

"It doesn't make sense to pull the trigger on a $12 million renovation for a 2,000-square-foot tenant," says JP Williamson, of Octagon.

Plus, Dennison says the bank won't fork over the renovation loan without safe, reliable office tenants signed up on the second floor and several retailers on the ground floor.

While the rental situation is caught in a catch-22, Dennison says three local buyers have expressed interest in the building, including the Missoula Public Library. The 40-year-old library has outlived its original lifespan by a decade and outgrown its capacity. With more than 1,700 visitors a day, Executive Director Honore Bray says the library turns down 50 to 100 requests for meeting spaces weekly.

"We'd love [to move into the Merc], but we can't say yes or no yet," Bray says, noting the library is waiting for architects to assess whether the historic building, built in 1887, would be able to support the weight of the bookshelves.

If the library purchases the building, it comes with good and bad news. Bad: The city would lose roughly $1 million a year in taxes, says Missoula Downtown Association Executive Director Linda McCarthy. Good: A single owner-occupier would simplify securing funds for construction, and could finally fill the biggest hole in downtown.

"In a big-picture sense," McCarthy says, "it would be great if it was an active (retail) space and remains on the tax rolls. But having a library in that building is better than a vacant building."

McCarthy adds that while the Merc remains the elephant on the corner of Higgins and Front, downtown is largely healthy. Its 12.8-percent vacancy rate is less than half the national average and shows the area continues to attract new businesses. "But I wouldn't say it's thriving yet," McCarthy says.

National finalists!

Brett Berntsen's Montana Journalism Review cover story "No Place to Hide," edited by yours truly, ended up as a national finalist in the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence Awards!

Plus, at the regional level, our site won Best Affiliated Website and the print magazine was a finalist for Best Student Magazine, as I've mentioned before. Not too shabby, MJR.

And Native News 2013 won Best Independent Online Student News Publication in Region 10. Here's my contribution to the publication, and here's the list of Region 10 winners in all categories.

MJR is winning awards!

Here's some exciting news: Montana Journalism Review, the magazine I edited last fall, won regional Mark of Excellence awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for Best Student Magazine, Best Affiliated Website, and Best Non-fiction Article (for the cover story I edited)! We'll find out in May if we advance to the national competition in any of the categories.

My op-ed that the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune ran on Feb. 27, 2014.

Montana Soap Box: Unpaid internships very often unfair

With the job market still tight, unpaid internships are as close as many aspiring professionals can get to a job in their field. These internships are supposed to be about businesses investing in their future workforces and interns gaining experience and training valuable enough to offset their unpaid hours. So, what’s wrong with having the option to get ahead in competitive industries?

The problem arises when the system closes out people who cannot afford to work for free. This is especially egregious because internships are not just extra flair on a resume anymore. Internships are required to get even an entry-level job in many fields, and to graduate from some university programs. My bachelor’s degree in journalism required a one-credit internship, and I paid my university several hundred dollars to earn the credit for my free labor.

The average U.S. student has $29,000 in student-loan debt at the end of a bachelor’s degree. Students pay extravagantly for their education — much more so now than in decades past, even accounting for inflation — then are obliged to do unpaid work before being rewarded with a degree or job.

Students can’t afford to work for free any more than anyone else can, especially if they’re not getting some sort of educational or experiential benefit out of the process. (Bear in mind many undergraduates, people switching careers, and other interns have families to support or other responsibilities and debts.)

Federal law is clear on when it’s OK not to pay interns or trainees. The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes six criteria companies must meet to justify not paying interns. The key elements are the internship must provide the equivalent of vocational training, and the company cannot directly benefit from unpaid interns or use their efforts to replace paid employees.

In 2013, several groups of unpaid interns sued the corporations they worked for, including Condé Nast, Hearst, PBS, Atlantic Records, and Elite Model Management. The plaintiffs allege their internships didn’t have enough, or any, educational value to justify not getting paid for their work. More suits are in progress in the sports, fashion, media, and healthcare industries.

The decision that led to the deluge of lawsuits came last June, when two former Fox Searchlight interns won their lawsuit over unpaid internships in which they were assigned menial tasks, such as fetching coffee, on the set of the 2010 film “Black Swan.” They may have been getting their feet in the door at Fox, but they weren’t getting an education; they were simply doing work that needed to be done.

The message from the federal court was clear: Programs that don’t teach must pay. As a reporting intern at a midsize, daily newspaper in California last year, I didn’t get paid but I did get a lot of experience and a better idea of what kind of career I want. I could afford to be philosophical about the process because I was lucky enough to have a full-ride college scholarship, which helped me absorb the cost of moving from my native Montana to California for a summer of what was essentially volunteer work.

Too many students don’t have that option, which means only the relatively wealthy can afford the experiences needed to land decent jobs. This system entrenches economic inequality, making the dream of bettering one’s station in life increasingly limited to those who don’t start out poor.

It also means companies that don’t pay interns don’t necessarily get the best applicants — merely the best middle-class-and-above applicants — and they expose themselves to costly litigation.

While it’s true that fewer internships may be offered if all companies have to comply with the law and pay their interns, at least then the opportunities would go to the most qualified students who are ready to contribute to a professional workplace. This would also relieve employers of the frustration of dealing with students who are not prepared for professional work, but are forced into internships as a graduation requirement. (Former bosses as well as former professors have told me this is not an uncommon problem.)

The cost of higher education in the U.S. borders on injustice. Colleges and universities make matters worse by offering their students as free labor, driving many students deeper into debt, by requiring internships and making students pay for the credits they earn working these unpaid gigs.

Popular culture tells us not getting paid for labor is an inevitable part of young professional life, and people should just tough it out. But no one benefits when career advancement is limited to wealthier applicants, least of all companies that potentially miss out on discovering some of the greatest talents simply because those people might not be able to afford living and being interns at the same time.

Interns and employers alike deserve a fairer system that promotes learning and rewards merit, not economic class.

One more front page centerpiece, and another story that reminded me community news can be a lot of fun to report.

Monterey Bay Aquarium camp teaches girls about marine science

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/18/2013 06:58:47 PM PDT

Media Center photos - Young Women in Science kayaks in Elkhorn Slough

Click photo to enlarge

A flock of Elegant Terns greets kayakers from Young Women in Science they... ( Shmuel Thaler )

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• »

MOSS LANDING -- A group of middle school girls from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties spent the week learning about ocean conservation in Monterey Bay Aquarium's bilingual Young Women in Science camp.

The camp packs a lot into a week, from surfing and boogie boarding, to meeting with local research groups and female scientists who serve as teachers and role models. One morning's activity was kayaking at Elkhorn Slough, a hot spot of biological diversity with its unusually high number of endemic species of birds, fish, mammals and plants.

As the girls got ready to paddle, their rows of boats sat, looking like bright yellow, beached whales, a few feet from the water while the guide from Monterey Bay Kayaks gave a rundown on slough safety that ended with a call for questions.

Only one hand shot into the air.

"Is this for emergencies?" asked Jennifer Lopez, a petite, outgoing 12-year-old from Salinas with glittery pink glasses, holding up the orange plastic whistle tethered to her life vest.

Luckily, the whistles stayed quiet throughout the morning. The girls toured the tranquil slough, with curious sea otters, which they had spent the previous day studying, swimming along side them and flocks of elegant terns flying overhead.

The Young Women in Science program was established in 1999 in response to what Claudia Pineda Tibbs, the Aquarium's Hispanic marketing and public relations coordinator, called an alarming lack of women and minorities studying and pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math, commonly called STEM.

"STEM careers were really targeted toward men and toward people who were not of color," Pineda Tibbs said.

"It's really to have the girls see that there are women in science, and break that perception of what a scientist looks like," she added. "Scientists can be women, mothers, people of color."

Pineda Tibbs said the biggest challenge, in the beginning, was getting parents to agree to let their kids to participate in the program, especially in the Latino community, where she said some families are not used to girls spending all day out of the house with a program that's not directly related to school. One of the benefits of the program being bilingual is it allows the girls to share what they learn about conservation with their families and friends, no matter what language they speak.

Now, the program fills quickly. Each year, two first-year Otter Camps accommodate 72 girls and one Ocean Guardians Camp for returning students takes another 45. The final camp of the year will be next week and is fully booked.

The girls join the camp with an array of backgrounds and interests. While the program is bilingual and most campers receive scholarships to cover at least part of the $200 cost, there are no requirements for family income, language or even interest in a career in science.

"Some of them say, 'I want to be a police officer,' some say they want to be marine biologists or they want to work in fashion," Pineda Tibbs said of the participants. "And that's OK because, ultimately, it's inspiring conservation of the ocean. And everyone can do that."

The program incorporates other aspects of conservation, as well, including recycling and composting lessons. The coordinators try to make sure the lunches provided are as close as possible to zero waste.

While the girls' families are only asked to pay a maximum of $200 for the program, the aquarium's cost per participant is about $1,000, including busing the girls around Monterey Bay, activities and lunches. Most of that money comes from grants, membership revenue and donations to the Aquarium's Children's Education Fund.

Campers who are interested in science careers have options to continue with related programs in high school and college.

Rita Medina, 19, of Watsonville, is working her first job this summer as a program assistant for Young Women in Science. She has been involved ever since her years as a camper, and was a volunteer for the Teen Conservation Leaders program in high school. She said the program has helped her decide to study marine biology when she starts at Cabrillo College in the fall.

"I'm getting paid and it's my first job," Medina said. "I really love it."

Follow Sentinel reporter Ketti Wilhelm on Twitter at Twitter.com/KettiWilhelm

AT A GLANCE

To donate to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Children's Education Fund, go to: http://www.ittybittyurl.com/Uur

For information about Young Women in Science, or to register for that or other Monterey Bay Aquarium programs, go to: http://www.ittybittyurl.com/Uus

Bull riding event kicks off Big Week in Salinas

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/17/2013 09:20:11 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Robin and Phil Adkins of Corralitos share a blanket Wednesday night at the Professional... ( SCS )

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• »

SALINAS -- The Professional Bull Riding Pro Touring Event held its own Wednesday night at the Salinas Sports Complex as the unofficial kickoff event of the California Rodeo Salinas.

The event filled the stadium as the crowd cheered and country music blared, ushering in the 13th annual PBR event in Salinas.

Mandy Linquist, marketing manager of the California Rodeo Salinas, said the PBR event has always taken place on the Wednesday of Big Week, as rodeo week is known.

"People are already in the Western lifestyle mindset," Linquist said.

"They're busting out their jeans and their cowboys boots and they want to go to as many events as possible this week."

Linquist said about 8,000 people attended last year's PBR event and that ticket sales are slightly up this year.

The event draws cowboys from across the country, as well as some international contestants.

The mood behind the chutes was mixed.

Ryan McConnel, 26, originally from Bloomfield, N.M., was first in line and nervously waited for his chance on Shameless. McConnel was quickly bucked off as his fiancee, Rebekah Zacarias, of Clovis watched from across the arena.

At 26, McConnel said the sport doesn't get any easier with age.

"It gets tough and you don't want to get a lot worse off than you already are," McConnel said.

Sean Willingham, a 32-year-old veteran bull rider from Summerville, Ga., has been a professional in the sport since before the PBR stopped in Salinas and has been riding more than half his life.

"It's a young man's sport, for sure," Willingham said.

Willingham was scheduled to ride a bull named Oops on Wednesday. He waited for his turn at press time for this story.

Early in the program, defending California Rodeo Salinas champion Shane Proctor, 28, of Moorsville, N.C., was in the lead with a score of 86.

Follow Sentinel reporter Ketti Wilhelm on Twitter at Twitter.com/KettiWilhelm

IF YOU GO

California Rodeo Salinas

WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 1:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: Salinas Sports Complex, 1034 N. Main St., Salinas
COST: $7 to $20
DETAILS: www.carodeo.com

California Rodeo Salinas kicks off Thursday

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/13/2013 12:01:34 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

VERN FISHER/MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD Bray Armes hangs onin the steer wrestling at the California...

SALINAS -- The 103rd annual California Rodeo Salinas begins its four-day run Thursday at the Salinas Sports Complex.

Mandy Linquist, the rodeo's marketing manager, said she's been attending the event her whole life.

"There are people who've been coming here for 60 or 70 years," Linquist said. "It is great to be part of something that's got a legacy like that."

As an appetizer for rodeo fans, the 13th annual Professional Bull Riding Touring Pro Event will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Salinas Sports Complex, the same location as the rodeo.

The rodeo's main events begin 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the performance begins at 1:15 p.m.

Thursday's California Rodeo Salinas will begin with the grand entry and crowning of 2013 Miss California Rodeo. Bull riding will be the first event in the arena and one of this year's speciality acts, Cowboy Kenny's Steel Rodeo Tour, will also debut Thursday and continue for every performance of the rodeo.

Cowboy Kenny is a motocross champion from Oklahoma who will perform a motorcycle jumping act.
Other events include mutton busting, open-ranch doctoring and the traditional rodeo events such as barrel racing, team roping, tie-down roping, bull riding and bronc riding.

The Salinas rodeo hasn't always included such an array of events. When the event began, more than a century ago, it was known as the Wild West Show and mostly featured local cowboys and cowgirls riding bucking horses. Still, the show drew crowds of 4,000 strong.

This is the first year motocross has been part of the rodeo.

"We typically try to change up the acts each year to keep it new and fresh," Linquist said.

Linquist said she's expecting 45,000 spectators for the four-day event. Sunday usually draws the largest crowd, about 13,000.

Tickets range from $7 to $20.

Follow Sentinel reporter Ketti Wilhelm on Twitter at twitter.com/KettiWilhelm

IF YOU GO

California Rodeo Salinas

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday Professional Bull Riding Touring Pro, 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 1:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: Salinas Sports Complex, 1034 N. Main St., Salinas
COST: $7 to $20
DETAILS: www.carodeo.com

IF YOU GO

California Rodeo Salinas Carnival

WHEN: 4-10 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday
WHERE: 295 Sun Way, Salinas
COST: $3 to enter, $25 for unlimited rides weekdays, $30 for unlimited rides Saturdays and Sundays
DETAILS: http://www.ittybittyurl.com/Uqb

Watsonville, Santa Cruz community events to discuss juvenile incarceration issues

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/12/2013 05:36:02 PM PDT

SANTA CRUZ -- The Santa Cruz Community Coalition to Overcome Racism will host two screenings of the film "Juvies," about the California juvenile justice system.

The events will be accompanied by dinner and open discussion sessions with Spanish translation.

Jenn Laskin, a longtime teacher and law student interning with the Santa Cruz County Probation Department, organized the events. Laskin said she and the group Barrios Unidos, which works to prevent youth violence, are trying to establish a permanent support group for friends and families of incarcerated youths, something she said is lacking in the community.

"Everybody knows somebody," Laskin said. "Our country incarcerates more people than any other country. There's all kinds of reasons why people get into the system."

Both screenings are open to the public

"Juvies" follows 12 teens incarcerated in Los Angeles County Juvenile Hall who were charged as adults.

The system changed in 2000, when voters approved Proposition 21, shifting the authority to charge minors in adult court from judges to district attorneys and allowing the options for crimes other than murder.

"Courts used to look at the potential for a juvenile to be rehabilitated," Laskin said. "Now, it's just whether the prosecutor thinks they deserve it."

Rob Wade, assistant district attorney for Santa Cruz County, said only serious violent crimes, such as shootings or stabbings, but not simple fistfights, are eligible for direct filings in this county. Each person's role in the crime is considered, so everyone being charged will not necessarily be direct filed because one person is.

"Just because you're a juvenile, doesn't mean you're going to get direct filed," Wade said. "There's a real gravity to the decision to direct file someone and we don't do it for all violent crimes."

When minors are convicted in adult court, Wade said, they serve their time in juvenile facilities until they turn 18.

Yesenia Molina, an intervention and prevention specialist at Barrios Unidos, works with kids in Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall. She said she doesn't think charging minors in adult court deters crime or reduces recidivism.

"If you were going to get out, even then, you would be such a different person because your adolescence was entirely taken away," Molina said. "They don't have the opportunity to develop themselves as adults in the right way."

Rather than discouraging gang affiliation, Wade said direct filing, and the prison system in general, often encourages it by putting people in an environment permeated by gang culture, where they often choose to be housed with others members of their gang.

Direct filing will be a topic of discussion at the screening events, as well as other legal issues affecting families of incarcerated kids, such as gang enhancement sentencing and what Laskin calls "the school-to-prison pipeline."

"When kids are missing time in school, it's harder for them to go back to school," she said. "And when they're in the corrections system, it's easier for them to stay there."

The problem is exacerbated by underfunded school systems. A 2008 study by Pew Charitable Trusts found California spends 2.5 times more on corrections than education.

Laskin said that race and location can complicate the issue.

"The same crimes committed by white kids in Santa Cruz get rehabilitation or treatment," she said. "South County gets more enforcement."

Gang enhancement sentencing means that if prosecutors determine a crime was related to a gang, judges can add years to a sentence.

Wade said his office uses the recommendations of local police to decide whether to add a gang enhancement to a charge.

"As prosecutors, we have an ethical obligation to charge what we think we can prove," Wade said. "We do that with a good-faith belief that we think that person is a gang member."

Prosecutors charge people with a gang enhancement for participating in gang crime even if they are not members of the gang.

Laskin and Barrios Unidos work with youth to help them understand these laws and to teach them impulse control.

"There isn't any kind of simple answer to it," Wade said. "Whether gang statutes are deterring crime is a philosophical question, and I'm not sure I know the answer to that."

Follow Sentinel reporter Ketti Wilhelm on Twitter at twitter.com/KettiWilhelm

If You Go

'Juvies'

WHAT: 'Juvies' film screenings, family/community support meetings and dinners. Spanish interpretation and child care will be provided.
WHEN: 4 to 6 p.m., Sunday in Santa Cruz; 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday in Watsonville.
WHERE: Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, 734 E. Lake Ave., Suite 14 (upstairs), Watsonville.
COST: Free
INFORMATION: Contact Jenn at 202-802-7626 or jennlaskin@gmail.com.

Front page, my first time covering national news, and my first press conference – although I did get to interview Stone afterward to get a lot more useful detail.

Scotts Valley survivors of SFO crash describe wreck, confusion

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/09/2013 07:19:34 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Elliot Stone (center) and his fianc Elena Jin (right) make their way to a press... ( SCS )

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

SCOTTS VALLEY -- Elliot Stone has had a lifetime of training in martial arts, but none in emergency medicine. Still he was one of the first responders to reach four victims who were torn from the Asiana jumbo jet Flight 214 as it crashed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday.

The plane came in for a landing flying too low and too slow. The landing gear crashed against the seawall, ripping open the back of the airplane and scattering people onto the runway, while the rest of the plane careened down the tarmac.

Just seconds came between Stone's realization that something was wrong and the impact. He was seated next to Elena Jin, 23, his fiancee from Santa Cruz whom he had proposed to a day earlier at their hotel in Suwon, South Korea.

"All that went through my mind was grabbing her arm, looking in her eyes and saying, 'This might be it,' " he said.

When the plane finally stopped, Stone, 25, said he and his friends and family were able to escape quickly.

Stone, the owner of Elite Martial Arts Academy in Scotts Valley, and a group of nine people including family and clients, had been in South Korea for 10 days on a vacation and to compete in an international competition in the Korean martial art of ho kuk mu sul.

He said he's been studying the art since he was 7, and credits it with helping him to remain calm in any situation.

WHAT IF

While in Korea, he tested for his fourth-degree black belt in the sport. One of his students, David Schimmel, 19, of Scotts Valley won first place in the competition.

On the trip back, Stone and the rest of the group, including Brian Thomson, 45, Elliot's parents, Walter Stone, 64, and Cindy Stone, 63, and his brother Oliver Stone, 29, all of Scotts Valley, and Elena's 16-year-old sister, Alisa Jin, of Santa Cruz, were seated in the middle of the plane above the wings.

"One of the things that causes me extreme anxiety is the what if," Walter Stone said about his whole family being on one ill-fated flight.

After the crash, some of the group escaped on inflatable chutes, while Elliot Stone and others had to climb out over piles of rubble and luggage, through holes in the warped, Fiberglass walls of the fuselage, jumping about 5 feet from the tilted wreck to the ground. All were lucky enough to walk away from the crash with just a few scratches and bruises.

Stone said it only took a minute for the group to reunite on the ground. They hugged and ran away from the wreck, still stranded in the middle of the vast runway. He called his grandmother so she wouldn't worry when the crash made the news. Then they went looking for people they could help.

Looking back down the path the plane had slid along, Elliot Stone said they saw a woman covered in blood, stumbling toward them, calling out for help from about 500 yards away. He, his father, brother, Schimmel and Thomson ran toward the woman and realized three more were still in the wreckage, at the end of the runway closest to the water of the San Francisco Bay, where the plane had first hit the tarmac. They split up and each stayed with one of the injured women, at least two of whom were flight attendants.

When an ambulance had not arrived about 25 minutes after the crash, Elliot Stone said he called 911. As soon as police arrived, the men were told to stop and wait with the other survivors.

"They were yelling at us, 'Go back! Go back!' " Stone said. "But we were finding people."

WAITING AND WONDERING

About 90 minutes later, a bus took them to the United Airlines terminal, where they waited another six hours.

"The biggest thing we noticed was just the lack of protocol," he recalled. "It wasn't necessarily individuals' faults, it was just they didn't know the protocol or there was no protocol. No one was directing the show."

When Elliot Stone and the rest of the uninjured passengers were ushered to the airport, he said they were shuffled around between rooms, told to write their contact information on a list, and not allowed to leave or informed about what was happening. He called CNN and told his story to Wolf Blitzer while he waited.

"It makes sense that if they were ruling out terrorism or something they wouldn't let us go, but it seemed pretty straightforward what happened," he said.

The Boeing 777 had taken off in Shanghai and stopped in Seoul before crossing the Pacific on a flight that Stone described as uneventful, until the end. The crash landing injured at least 180 of the 307 people on board and killed two 16-year-old Chinese girls who were on their way to a summer camp in Southern California.

Stone said he thinks one of the deceased was among the four women he and his family and friends found in their initial search for survivors.

Despite the ordeal, Stone said thinks he will fly again.

"We'll get there when get there," he said. "It shouldn't stop us from living our lives."

Here's a little story I wrote about the weather. Made the front page.

Santa Cruz Mountains expecting a hot 4th, road closures county-wide

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/03/2013 05:10:19 PM PDT

SANTA CRUZ -- The upper Santa Cruz Mountains will be scorching this Independence Day, with temperatures topping 100 degrees at elevations above 1,000 feet prompting the National Weather Service to issue an extreme heat warning for the area through 7 p.m. Thursday.

While the higher elevations will have the county's highest temperatures, the mountain towns are feeling the heat, too. Accuweather predicts a high of 90 degrees for Boulder Creek, 88 for Ben Lomond, 89 for Bonny Doon, 89 for Scotts Valley and 88 for Felton. Overnight lows are expected to be in the upper 50s and low 60s.

At least one resident isn't fazed by the high temperatures.

Santa Cruz-based artist Jody Bare works at the un-air-conditioned Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center in Ben Lomond and said she's embracing the heat.

"When you go in and out of air conditioning, then you really notice it," Bare said. "But if you acclimate to it then you don't really suffer too much."

Scotts Valley, where a fireworks display is scheduled for 9:15 p.m., is expected to have patchy evening fog.

Drivers should allow plenty of time to get to holiday events, such as the fireworks show, and expect heavy traffic and road closures throughout the county.

The coast will be cooler, with morning fog, partial afternoon cloudiness, and temperatures in the mid- to high 70s in Santa Cruz, Live Oak, Capitola and Watsonville.

Aptos, site of the 52nd annual World's Shortest Parade, beginning at 10 a.m., should be mostly sunny with a high of 72.

Temperatures are expected to drop several degrees across the county Friday and through the weekend.

For those looking to hit the waves, Surfline.com is forecasting waves of 1 to 2 feet on Thursday and 2 to 3 feet on Friday and Saturday in Santa Cruz.

National Weather Service meteorologist Austin Cross reminded those headed to the beaches to be aware of dangerous rip currents despite the calm waters.

Santa Cruz County holiday travel staying strong

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/02/2013 05:30:08 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Jason Berberian of Castro Valey fires up the stove for breakfast with the Rogers... ( Dan Coyro )

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

SANTA CRUZ -- After setting travel records during the Fourth of July holiday last year, the number of Californians vacationing this week is expected to dip slightly.

"Last year, we had the calendar effect," said Cynthia Harris, spokeswoman for AAA of Northern California.

In 2012, Independence Day fell on a Wednesday, which spread out holiday travel and allowed many people to vacation the entire week, creating the busiest Fourth of July for travel the state has seen in a decade.

AAA expects a 0.7 percent decrease this year, though the 4.7 million Californians expected to travel falls within the typical range of 4.2 million to 4.8 million.

The economy isn't stopping people from taking road trips and booking luxury hotels, a testament to consumer optimism while markets remain uncertain, according to AAA. A family of four will spend an average of $894 during the holiday this year, Harris said.

"Travel is most indicative of how people are feeling about their discretionary budget," she said.

Santa Cruz's Dream Inn raised its rates in step with the expected tourism boost. The basic daily room rate is $419 on Thursday through the weekend, about $100 more than this time in 2012, and the hotel is booked for those nights.

"We raise the rates and see if people keep booking," said Christopher Johnston, supervisor of the Dream Inn. "This year, people are very willing."

The Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley is charging $189 for a basic room this week, 5 percent to 10 percent more than last year for the Fourth of July weekend, and the hotel is almost full.

Jim Maggio, general manager of Seascape Resort, said rates haven't risen from last year, but occupancy has. With a basic room rate of $350, Seascape is nearly booked through the weekend.

More casual options for the Fourth of July holiday are sold out, too.

Campgrounds at Seacliff, New Brighton, Manresa and Sunset state beaches and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park are booked Wednesday through Saturday nights, with only a handful of spaces remaining Sunday.

The Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay KOA and the Santa Cruz RV Resort are booked through Sunday night.

"Santa Cruz is one of our most popular places to go," said Dennis Weber, State Parks spokesman. "It's easier to find a campground the further north you go and the further inland you go."

With a statewide average gas price of $3.99 a gallon, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, only Hawaii and Alaska have more expensive gas than California.

"Even if gas prices go up 5 cents or 3 cents before a holiday, that is not preventing a family from taking a road trip," Harris said of the 3.7 million people who are expected to drive more than 50 miles this weekend.

The average road trip will cover 584 miles, with popular destinations including Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Las Vegas, Zion National Park in Utah and national parks in California.

Harris said drivers should expect heavy freeway congestion from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, when many people will be leaving work early for the holiday. Whether driving or flying, she recommends avoiding midday travel.

"The earlier you leave or the later you leave, you'll see fewer delays," Harris said.

For those visiting or remaining in Santa Cruz County for the Fourth of July, the sale and use of fireworks are only allowed in Watsonville and the county's only legal fireworks show will be in Scotts Valley, beginning at 9:15 p.m. Thursday in Skypark.

According to the Sheriff's Office, there are also numerous prohibitions on county beaches, including fireworks, alcohol, glass containers, wood pallets, unleashed pets, vehicles and pieces of wood with nails.

After a spell of Blogger not working, I'm back up and running. This was a fun story to report last week, and I might have even learned something. But it's tricky to get engineers to speak English, even when they're not old enough to vote.

Aptos HS Robotics Club wins international competition for underwater robot

By Ketti Wilhelm

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   06/28/2013 06:32:25 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Contributed Members of the Aptos High School Robotics Club, winners of the international... ( SCS )

APTOS -- Seventeen-year-old Chris Randolph is the president of Aptos High School's Robotics Club, but his business card gives him a different title: CEO, pilot and director of software engineering for Aptos Mariners Robotics LLC.

The "company" beat out 29 teams from around the world with their underwater robot, called The Kraken. They designed and built the robot, or remote operated vehicle, to repair a permanent ocean observation system, a collection of sensors used to gather data such as water temperature and salinity.

The annual competition, held by Monterey Peninsula College's Marine Advanced Technology Education, poses a reality-based problem for students to creatively engineer their way out of each year.

"At the competition, you'll see ROVs that look completely different, and you'd never guess they do the exact same thing," Chris said.

The 13-member Aptos team took first place for their mission performance, written technical report and in the competition overall.

In response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the challenge in 2011 was to build a robot capable of capping an underwater oil well.

The Aptos team won the international competition that year, too.

That was also the year Chris joined the team as a freshman, specializing in software design. He's spent the past three years tweaking his program that uses an Xbox controller to command the underwater robot.

Chris' younger sister, Catie Randolph, 16, started with the team this year as a sophomore and designed The Kraken's claw. Her brother then used his Xbox controller to tell the claw to open locks and doors and unplug and plug in cables on the station.

While competing with teams from Egypt, Scotland, Singapore and elsewhere, Catie said she stays focused on her job, not on the competition.

"At the international competition, I don't look at the other teams," Catie said. But when the teams are done competing, they get a chance to network, exchange ideas and make friends with young scientists from across the globe.

Another requirement of the competition is that teams present their work like a business.

"There's a lot more to it than just building. A lot more that people expect," said Kayla Zoliniak, 17. As the director of business development, she was in charge of fundraising more than $10,000 for parts and travel to get to the competition in Seattle.

"She's the other half of my brain," Chris said of Zoliniak. "I may be the technical president, but she does the actual organizing. I just give her word law."

Chris said Zoliniak also excels in the presentation aspect of the competition, when each team member has to explain his or her portion of the project to the judges. Chris and Katie said that's the hardest part of the competition for them.

Aptos' team is known for dressing up in suits for their presentation. Now, it's catching on and other teams are stepping up their game.

In addition to engineering and business, the team also includes specialists in areas such as environmental research and safety.

Joseph Manildi, a physics teacher at Aptos High and one of the team's mentors, said seeing kids with different interests work together has been his favorite part of the process.

"They were kids who didn't necessarily know each other (before joining the club)," Manildi said. "And they were able to bond and listen to each others' ideas and realize that they all have something to offer."