Katie Anastas

San Diego

Reporter at Alaska Public Media

Civic Engagement Reporter at KTOO Public Media (Juneau, AK)

[email protected] | she/her

Articles

University of San Diego faculty on strike Wednesday and Thursday

1 week ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

Adjunct faculty in the University of San Diego’s College of Arts and Sciences went on strike Wednesday over what they called an unfair labor practice by the university. The faculty members joined the Service Employees International Union Local 721 last summer and started negotiating a contract in September. They say the university cut courses without bargaining over the impact on union members. Theatre lecturer Soroya Rowley said she’s taught two classes each fall for the last four years.
In rural East County, school pantry sends food home with students

1 week ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

The Mountain Empire Unified School District covers more than 650 square miles in Southeast San Diego County. Much of the area is considered a food desert, meaning residents don’t have access to fresh, healthy food. “We have just two or three liquor stores and then one small grocery market,” said Hannah Hong, a mother of two kids in the district.
Estudio: La mitad de las familias del condado de San Diego con niños pequeños luchan con los costos

1 week ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

El nivel de pobreza federal se basa en gran medida en el costo de los alimentos. Durante los últimos 10 años, la organización sin fines de lucro United Way ha considerado costos como vivienda, cuidado infantil y atención médica para medir el costo real de vida en California.
UC San Diego Health workers strike on International Workers’ Day

1 week ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

Hundreds of UC San Diego health workers and supporters marched from the Hillcrest Medical Center to Balboa Park on Thursday to call attention to ongoing contract negotiations. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, and the University Professional and Technical Employees, or UPTE, went on a one-day strike. It’s their fourth strike since November, according to the university.
Half of San Diego County families with young kids struggle with costs: study

2 weeks ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

The federal poverty level is largely based on the cost of food. For the last 10 years, the nonprofit United Way has factored in costs like housing, child care and health care to measure the real cost of living in California. The most recent census data show a family of four — with two adults, one preschooler and one school-aged child — would need at least $116,000 in income to cover all of those costs in San Diego County. That’s according to the organization’s latest report, released Tuesday.
Eastlake mountain biking team welcomes kids of all abilities

2 weeks ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

Three times a week, the Eastlake High School and South Bay Composite mountain biking team meets for practice at the Lower Otay Reservoir. They compete against other teams in the Southern California league. “At the start of the race, you just feel so scared and your heart is beating,” said Delilah Gonzalez, 11. “When you hear them count down, ‘Three, two, one,’ it's so scary.
Grossmont Union High School board declines chance to reconsider layoffs

2 weeks ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

The Grossmont Union High School District board had a chance to rescind dozens of layoff notices on Thursday, but its members didn’t take it. In late February, the board voted to cut dozens of positions, including all of the district’s librarians. Layoff notices must be sent by May 15. Teachers, staff, students and families protested outside the Grossmont High School theater before the meeting.
Draft city budget would close San Diego’s libraries on Sundays and Mondays

3 weeks ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

Nearly every day, Claudia Martinez and her kids drive from National City to the Logan Heights Library. The kids, aged 7 and 9, can get one-on-one help with homework there from Monday through Thursday. “The teachers, specifically here, have a kind of connection with the kids,” Martinez said in Spanish. “At home, they don’t want to do homework. Here, they do.”Her son has an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. "The help he gets at school isn’t enough,” Martinez said.
San Diego City College to upgrade planetarium with federal STEM funds

3 weeks ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

Bianka Sanchez is studying philosophy at San Diego City College. Twice a week, the 19-year-old takes an astronomy course in the school’s planetarium. “It's the part of my day that I look forward to on my Tuesdays and Thursdays,” she said. City College’s planetarium opened in 2014. Professor Lisa Will taught the first astronomy lecture there that spring. “What I remember the most from that day was, a student said, ‘It's good to see City College finally getting what it deserves,’” Will said.
San Diego elephants form ‘alert circle’ during earthquake

4 weeks ago | kpbs.org | Katie Anastas

During Monday’s 5.2 magnitude earthquake, African elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park gathered together to protect their youngest, forming a circle and facing outward. Elephants can hear very low frequencies and feel sound through their feet, said Mindy Albright, a mammal curator at the Safari Park. “They sensed something was off and potentially dangerous. Immediately, they ran together and formed what we call an alert circle,” Albright said.