Community

AIMS board members fire director; board president resigns

During a volatile meeting of the American Indian Model Schools (AIMS) board Friday, the board members lost two of the schools’ most fierce defenders: AIMS Director Sylvester Hodges was fired during a closed session, and board President Toni Cook resigned soon after the closed session and left the meeting. AIMS site administrator Jennifer Avelino was also fired. The four board members who were present conducted no public discussions on the matter and gave no reasons for the dismissals. Board members…

Women veterans find peace in Alameda community group

When former Staff Sergeant Starlyn Lara joined the Army fresh out of high school in Roswell, New Mexico, it was a time of peace for those who were serving in the military. Then came September 11. Suddenly, for many who joined the armed forces in search of serving their country—what Lara calls a desire to “be a bigger person than I was”—that peacetime was no more. “I sat there for about an hour, just dazed and confused, in awe of…

After 14-year study, Kaiser finds chickenpox vaccine highly effective

A rash followed by itchy, fluid-filled blisters all over a child’s body, usually tells parents their child has chickenpox. The illness was once a standard part of growing up—and many have the scars to prove it—but since a vaccination became common practice, fewer kids contract the virus. In 1995, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a group of medical and public health experts at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who recommend which vaccines should be used routinely…