The latest standardized test scores are out, round-up of protests in the athletic world and how they've inspired CIF on-field protest guidelines.
In a year of flat test scores, a middle school in LA's Boyle Heights continues its rise
Construction begins on border wall prototypes, with no protesters in sight
Construction crews broke ground on prototype designs for the border wall Tuesday morning. It's the beginning of a 30-day period during which companies are building templates of what a future border wall might look like.
"There's a lot of police presence," said Greg Moran, reporter for the San Diego Tribune, in an interview with Take Two's A Martínez. "That's probably the first thing you notice."
Moran was at the construction site when Take Two caught up with him. He noticed that there was a lot of security at the sight—and not just the local police.
"There's also the [California Highway Patrol], there's a lot of federal law enforcement, and things like that," Moran said. "And that's pretty much what you can see."
But where were the protesters that law enforcement had expected? Not at the site, Moran said.
"I haven't seen a protester, I haven't seen a sign, I haven't heard even a mild objection," he said. "I mean, there's no one here other than people who are involved either with the construction, and, as I said earlier, the police."
To hear more about the border wall prototypes and the next steps, use the blue media player above.
Metropolitan Water District weighs participation in statewide water tunnels project
We may have the monopoly on sunshine here in Southern California, but up north, they've got most of the water. Now, a plan to construct underground tunnels to bring some of that water down south has hit yet another roadblock.
A central valley water agency has pulled out of the project leaving the SoCal Metropolitan Water District to decide if it can stay the course. MWD's board is scheduled to vote on the decision on October 10.
Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Deven Upadhyay, Water Resources Manager with the MWD, about what's at stake and how the MWD is navigating the decision-making process.
"What we're looking at right now is our share of the project being about... 26% of the cost and then getting out in the future, about 26% of the water supply," Upadhyay said. "That's really what our board is going to be considering over the next couple weeks."
Upadhayay stressed that the success of the tunnels requires agencies across the state to participate. If the project falls apart, he says SoCal's supply would become less reliable. "We would have to look elsewhere and frankly, those other alternatives, at least right now from what we see, are significantly more expensive."
To hear the segment, click on the media player above.
The strange story of the abolitionist buried in the Altadena hills
For some, California in the post-Rancho era seems like a place without a past. But on a remote plateau high above Altadena California, there's a gravesite that says otherwise.
It's the burial ground of Owen Brown, the abolitionist and son of the notorious anti-slavery activist John Brown, and for over a century it has been a pilgrimage point for local hikers with a taste for history.
Owen stood with his father as part of the Harper's Ferry raid in 1859, an attack launched by the Brown clan and others against the Federal government, which was intended to cause a slave uprising. In 1856, Owen also served under his father's command in Kansas as a guerrilla warrior during a bloody period of slavery-related unrest. He is believed to have taken part in the massacre of five unarmed pro-slavery militiamen there, acting on his father's orders.
After the Civil War, Owen Brown followed his sister Ruth west to Pasadena, where he became a hero to the local population as the last surviving participant in the Harper's Ferry raid. Shunning the spotlight, Owen moved up into Altadena's hill country, and died there.
Owen's grave marker was paid for by public subscription of the people of Pasadena, a sign of the town's respect for him. It remained on its plateau from 1898 through 2002, and then vanished without a trace.
And therein lies a tale.
Click the blue bar to listen to R. H. Greene's story about Owen Brown's grave marker.
What happens when California's student athletes 'take a knee'
This past weekend, many NFL players reacted to the controversial comments of President Donald Trump, who blasted athletes that chose to sit or kneel during the national anthem.
But this time, some team owners decided to join the protest, locking arms with players in a sign of solidarity.
It became a much talked about topic across the broadcast spectrum and on social media, sparking conversations about patriotism, the flag and the military, and whether or not it was disrespectful.
That's why many high school administrators and coaches are nervous about what may happen at games this upcoming weekend, particularly football games. It's also the reason why on-field protests became a focal point for the California Interscholastic Federation or CIF.
It's the governing body for high school sports in California, and John Aguirre is the Commissioner for its
. This week the federation held a meeting, that in part focused on these types of protests.
He spoke to Take Two about why it was important to address the topic.
"Past history has shown us that things usually start at the professional level and spread to the high school ... whether it's the styles they're wearing, or the celebrations they're doing, or the protests, they're gonna be mimicked by those that watch NFL football, which is the great majority of the kids who play in football."
Aguirre said that a student's constitutional rights do not end at the gate of the school, so they do have a right to stage a protest, so long as it was done in a peaceful and respectful manner, there would be no actions taken against the player.
Aguirre did say that the only action they could not duplicate was to be on the sideline during the national anthem, but that was due to a procedural rule. He provided this statement via email:
When the national anthem is played at a contest, regardless of the sport, both teams shall be present on sideline or bench and shall stand respectfully until it has been completed. In the sport of football, the national anthem will not begin until both teams are on their respective sidelines. If the start of the game is delayed, the violating team(s) will be charged with a fifteen yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, assessed at the kickoff. In the event that both teams violate the rule, the penalties will be assessed on their respective kickoff.
The purpose of Bylaw 1317 is to maintain a timely event with the kickoff at a football game occurring at the scheduled time. It is therefore necessary that the teams are on the sideline prior to the playing of the national anthem. The CIF Los Angeles City Section shall support the school administrative efforts to discuss the current issues with their student athletes to allow the students to understand the issues and make an informed decision to the value of a respectful protest. It is therefore the position of the CIF LA City Section that there shall be no penalty or infraction assessed for teams/players that participate in a respectful sideline protest during the playing of the national anthem.
We ended our conversation by asking Aguirre, who is a veteran, what he thought about the ongoing protests, and if it was disrespectful or unpatriotic.
"On the contrary, that's the reason I served. That's the reason my son served. And that's the reason my dad served. We served this country so that we have the right to express ourselves. So we have the right to protest when we believe we're being mistreated, misrepresented or just the direction of the country is not equitable to everybody to everyone in the country ... I truly believe that this is what makes our country great."
To hear more about the CIF's guidelines, click the blue play button above.
K2 Sports: The evolution of Colin Kaepernick's NFL protest
First they sat, then they took a knee -- and now they're standing arm in arm. Over the past year, Colin Kaepernick's protest against police brutality and racial injustice hasn't just grown - it's become a national phenomenon.
Some NFL players began following his lead, along with other pro athletes, prompting reactions ranging from support to outrage.
But last weekend, President Trump weighed in on the controversy, and blasted players and the NFL as a whole.
As a result, many team owners joined players on the sidelines - locking arms in solidarity.
But for some athletes, it's been a very personal and emotional issue, one that may be getting diluted. We'll talk about that and a lot more with Brian and Andy Kamenetzky.