A report released recently by the University of Michigan says minorities are woefully under-represented in the ranks of environmental organizations.

In Gaza, a 72-hour cease fire began early today. Israel says it has withdrawn its troops. Hamas says it will participate in talks to secure a lasting peace. It remains to be seen if the latest truce will hold.

The Catholic population continues to grow in the U.S. at a steady one percent per year, but the number of priests has been declining for decades. There are only around 38,000 priests to serve nearly 77 million Catholics.

In Hollywood, celebrities of all political persuasion are known to chime in with their opinion on all manner of topics. But the situation in Gaza has proven to be a minefield for celebrity activists.

The second American health worker infected with the deadly ebola virus in Liberia arrived in the U.S. today. Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantley are both being treated at an isolation unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

The state held a lottery for the licenses, and some of the winners say they have no idea when they'll open their doors. However, where there's a would-be stoner, there's a way. Delivery services, which are technically illegal, are filling the gap.

"These are Chicano people who will say, 'We were in many ways unfairly stigmatized for the use of marijuana. Now that it's legal, we have been shut out because now we have criminal records, we don't have the money to invest, we don't have the credit scores that are required.'"

It's not unusual for patients to have to track down their medical records as they move from one doctor to another, or if they end up in the emergency room. However, two of California's largest insurers are collaborating to solve that problem. They're launching what could be the largest electronic medical record base in the country.

New research suggests that smoke from wildfires may play a bigger role in contributing to climate change than previously thought.

A special unit of firefighters is one of the only groups that can reach remote wildfires quickly enough to stop them from spreading.

Ever since California became a state in 1850, the state archives has been the official repository of public records. From maps to legislation, one can find contains every imaginable kind of document. But now, the state archives are running out of space.

It’s a topic few of us think about: How to care for senior citizens, maybe your parent or your grandparent, when they're no longer able to live alone, but aren't sick enough for a nursing home.

Facing a series of incidents in which they say young people are rowdy and disturbing the peace of this residential community, the city now says vacation homes must have one guest in the rental party who's at least 30 years old.

Joining A Martinez in studio this week is Justino Aguila, Associate Editor of Latin at Billboard Magazine and Oliver Wang from Soul-Sides.com.

Most politicians, and their spokespeople, prefer email to communicate with their constituents and the press. Some even use Twitter as a means to get the word out. However, California Representative Paul Cook prefers the old-fashioned way: He sends out more snail mail than anyone else in the House of Representatives.