Emma Hall

1 day ago | sacbee.com | Emma Hall

Kai, a 9-year-old North American river otter living at the Sacramento Zoo, was found dead in her habitat Monday morning, according to zoo officials. Taken as an unexpected loss, Kai is remembered for her curious and playful personality by her keepers. She lived at the Sacramento Zoo for eight years, sharing a living space with another otter Jackson. Zoo officials said Kai brought joy to guests and staff. The zoo is conducting an animal autopsy to investigate the cause of Kai’s death.

1 day ago | sacbee.com | Emma Hall

County employees urged the Sacramento Board of Supervisors to improve working conditions and increase worker wages as unions entered negotiations on Tuesday morning. If their needs aren’t met, the union representative said they are ready to strike. Employees flooded the Board of Supervisors’ public comment with allegations of dangerous working conditions, especially in the county’s Child Protective Services. Concerns ranged from the lack of frequency of raises to poor employee retention.

4 days ago | sacbee.com | Emma Hall

Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter is letting residents take adoptable dogs out for the day with the Barks and Recreation program. From having dogs go on hiking trips, pup cup runs to playing in residents’ backyards, this new program seeks to reduce overcrowding rates within Bradshaw Animal Shelter, where, on average, the shelter has 200 adoptable dogs in a year, said Brittani Peterson, a spokesperson for the shelter.

6 days ago | sacbee.com | Emma Hall

Only 38% of third graders in Sacramento County are reading at grade level, according to a report from the nonprofit Sacramento Literacy Foundation. These rates, researchers said, is a “crisis.”Sacramento County’s rates fall slightly lower in proficiency than statewide rates, representatives from the Sacramento Literacy Foundation told the county Board of Supervisors April 8. Foundation staff urged the board to include reading initiatives in their educational and municipal budgeting.

1 week ago | sacbee.com | Emma Hall

Wicahpi Cuny’s passion for basketball led her to Sacramento State. Cuny, who is Lakota and from Rapid City, was recruited by the California Tribal College last year to play for the Lady Eagles, an all-women, all-Indigenous basketball team affiliated with the university. The team held a predominantly victorious record of 15-5 and 8-1 in the Southwestern States Intercollegiate Conference. But the spacial partnership that brought Cuny and many of her teammates to Sacramento no longer exists.