An unusual gathering of educators, service providers parents and tomorrow (Tuesday) will look at ways local schools can meet the needs of the rapidly growing number of students diagnosed with autism.

Andrew Bailey is  Executive Director of Anova Center for Education , which has campuses in Santa Rosa, San Rafael and American Canyon in Napa County. Anova was founded in 200o.

SONOMA COUNTY'S 1ST ANNUAL AUTISM COMMUNITY SYMPOSIUM

When:             Tuesday, October 21st, 3:30pm-6:30 pm

Where:            The Anova Center for Education 

                         3033 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA

Cost:                FREE to participants and attendees

For more information or to reserve your seat, contact Anova at: (707) 527-7032

 

Anova will be hosting the Autism Community Team (ACT!) of Sonoma County in the First Annual Autism Community Symposium, "Meeting Challenges and Creating Opportunities". This forum brings together parents, public schools, regional centers and private providers to increase understanding of what services are currently available to those impacted by autism, and to discuss all that remains to be accomplished.

Autism is the fastest growing disability in the US.  With 1 out of every 150 children diagnosed with autism, autism is more prevalent than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. Here in California, the number of students with autism in grades K-12 has increased more than 1000% over the past 20 years. With statistics such as these, there is no question: autism has a widespread emotional, social and economic impact on our community, and has ramifications our community must be prepared to fully address.

 

As autism spectrum diagnoses become more frequent among local students, Andrew Bailey says it is increasingly important for schools to implement cost-effective approaches to meeting their needs.

 From dogs to pigs to chimpanzees, The Animal Legal Defense Fund represents an interesting and unusual array of interests.

ALDF is an active supporter of Proposition 2, a major initiative for farm animal rights.

 

 

Stephen Wells explains why roadside zoos are an area of interest to the ALDF, and how they found a way to sue one such zoo that did not treat its animals very well.

 

 

 

 

Proposition Five on the November ballot would make widespread changes in the ways that drug users are treated by California's prison system.

 

The Yes on Prop 5 website is here.

The No on Prop 5 website is here .

There's an impartial analysis of the measure here. And you can read the actual text of Proposition 5 here. (pdf, 61 pages)

 

The September 24th forum on Proposition 5, to be held at 7 pm in the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors' chambers (575 Administration Drive, Suite 100A, Santa Rosa), is hosted and sponsored by the Sonoma County Advisory Board on Drug and Alcohol Problems.

 

Job training, social work and gourmet food all converge in chef Evelyn Cheatham's unique Worth Our Weight culinary apprentice program.

 

Chef Cheatham explains the origin of her program's name.

 

Luke, one of the current students in the WOW program, talks about what he hopes to get out of it.

 

 Worth Our Weight is currently open Fridays and Saturdays from 9 to 4, and serving Sunday Brunch from 9 to 1.They also have a catering service and a tent at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

The new location is at 1021 Hahman Drive, next to the Boys and Girls Club, between Montgomery Village anMontgomery High School.

 

 

The most critical natural resource on the planet is at risk, but its not one we’re accustomed to thinking of as endangered.

 

Dr. Vandana Shiva is the founder of Navdanya International , an India-based science and policy research center. Its mission: "To protect nature and people's rights to knowledge, biodiversity, water and food."

 

Dr. Shiva notes that pesticide use contributes to the "desertification" of soils, a process that is accelerated when the soil is poor to begin with.

One little-known consequence of the widespread adoption of genetically modified cotton seed by farmers in India has been a surge in suicides by debt-ridden farmers whose crops do not earn enough to pay their seed bills. Dr. Shiva says that a generation ago, suicide was rare in India, but the numbers now suggest there is a new death approximately every 20 mintes.

On August 27^th, the Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School in Santa Rosa will host an evening with Dr. Shiva, advocate and author as well as winner of the alternative Nobel Peace Prize. For more information about the speaking event, click here . KRCB will also record her presentation for later broadcast next month.