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  • Halloween pumpkin waste is a methane problem, but chefs and farmers have solutions

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    Don’t let your Halloween pumpkin haunt the landfill this November.More than 1 billion pounds (454 million kilograms) of pumpkins rot in U.S. landfills each year after Halloween, according to the Department of Energy.Video above: Halloween festivities in full swing in Salem, MassachusettsYours doesn’t have to go to waste. Experts told us your pumpkins can be eaten, composted or even fed to animals. Here’s how. If you’re carving a jack-o’-lantern, don’t throw away the skin or innards — every part is edible.After carving, you can cube the excess flesh — the thick part between the outer skin and the inner pulp that holds the seeds — for soups and stews, says Carleigh Bodrug, a chef known for cooking with common food scraps. You can also puree it and add a tablespoon to your dog’s dinner for extra nutrients. And pumpkin chunks can be frozen for future use.”The seeds are a nutritional gold mine,” Bodrug said. They’re packed with protein, magnesium, zinc and healthy fats, according to a 2022 study in the journal Plants.One of Bodrug’s recipes involves removing the seeds, rinsing and roasting them with cinnamon for a crunchy snack or salad topper. Then you can use the stringy guts to make a pumpkin puree for muffins. This version differs from canned purees in grocery stores — which typically use a different type of pumpkin or squash — because carving pumpkins have stringier innards and a milder flavor. A carving pumpkin’s guts can still be used for baking — you’ll just have to amp up the seasoning to boost the flavor.If you don’t want to eat your pumpkins, you can donate them to a local farm, which might use them to feed pigs, chickens and other animals. Edible parts should be collected while you’re carving and before they’re painted, decorated or left on your porch for weeks. Paint and wax aren’t food-safe, and bacteria and mold can grow on the skin in outdoor climates.Once you’ve cooked what you can and donated what’s safe to feed, composting the rest is the easiest way to keep it out of the landfill.”That way, even though they’re not safe to eat, they can still give back to the earth,” Bodrug said. Composting pumpkins keeps them out of methane-emitting landfills and turns them into nutrient-rich soil instead. You can do this at home or drop them off at a local farm, compost collection bin or drop-off site.”A large percentage of what ends up going to the landfill is stuff that could have been composted,” said Dante Sclafani, compost coordinator at Queens County Farm in New York. “So even just cutting down something like pumpkins could really help curb how many garbage bags you’re putting out every week.”Before composting, remove any candles, plastic, glitter, or other decorations — they can contaminate the compost. A little glitter or paint won’t ruin the pile, but it’s best to get it as clean as possible before tossing it in. Then, chop up the pumpkin into 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) pieces so it can break down more easily.”Pumpkins are full of water, so it’s important to maintain a good balance of dried leaves, wood chips, sawdust, shredded newspaper, cardboard, straw — anything that’s a dry organic material — in your compost bin,” Sclafani said. If you don’t maintain this balance, your compost might start to stink.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a healthy compost pile should include a mix of “greens” — like pumpkin scraps and food waste — and “browns” like dry leaves, straw or cardboard, in roughly a 3-to-1 ratio. That balance helps the pile break down faster and prevents odors.And if your pumpkin’s been sitting on the porch all month? That’s actually ideal. “It’s never too far gone for compost,” Sclafani said. “Even if it’s mushy or moldy, that actually helps, because the fungus speeds up decomposition.””Composting anything organic is better than throwing it out because you’re not creating more refuse in landfills, you’re not creating methane gas,” said Laura Graney, the farm’s education director.Graney said autumn on the farm is the perfect opportunity to teach kids about composting since it gives them a sense of power in the face of big environmental challenges. “Even though they’re little, composting helps them feel like they can make a difference,” Graney said. “They take that message home to their families, and that’s how we spread the word.”

    Don’t let your Halloween pumpkin haunt the landfill this November.

    More than 1 billion pounds (454 million kilograms) of pumpkins rot in U.S. landfills each year after Halloween, according to the Department of Energy.

    Video above: Halloween festivities in full swing in Salem, Massachusetts

    Yours doesn’t have to go to waste. Experts told us your pumpkins can be eaten, composted or even fed to animals. Here’s how.

    If you’re carving a jack-o’-lantern, don’t throw away the skin or innards — every part is edible.

    After carving, you can cube the excess flesh — the thick part between the outer skin and the inner pulp that holds the seeds — for soups and stews, says Carleigh Bodrug, a chef known for cooking with common food scraps. You can also puree it and add a tablespoon to your dog’s dinner for extra nutrients. And pumpkin chunks can be frozen for future use.

    “The seeds are a nutritional gold mine,” Bodrug said. They’re packed with protein, magnesium, zinc and healthy fats, according to a 2022 study in the journal Plants.

    One of Bodrug’s recipes involves removing the seeds, rinsing and roasting them with cinnamon for a crunchy snack or salad topper. Then you can use the stringy guts to make a pumpkin puree for muffins. This version differs from canned purees in grocery stores — which typically use a different type of pumpkin or squash — because carving pumpkins have stringier innards and a milder flavor. A carving pumpkin’s guts can still be used for baking — you’ll just have to amp up the seasoning to boost the flavor.

    If you don’t want to eat your pumpkins, you can donate them to a local farm, which might use them to feed pigs, chickens and other animals.

    Edible parts should be collected while you’re carving and before they’re painted, decorated or left on your porch for weeks. Paint and wax aren’t food-safe, and bacteria and mold can grow on the skin in outdoor climates.

    Once you’ve cooked what you can and donated what’s safe to feed, composting the rest is the easiest way to keep it out of the landfill.

    “That way, even though they’re not safe to eat, they can still give back to the earth,” Bodrug said.

    Composting pumpkins keeps them out of methane-emitting landfills and turns them into nutrient-rich soil instead. You can do this at home or drop them off at a local farm, compost collection bin or drop-off site.

    “A large percentage of what ends up going to the landfill is stuff that could have been composted,” said Dante Sclafani, compost coordinator at Queens County Farm in New York. “So even just cutting down something like pumpkins could really help curb how many garbage bags you’re putting out every week.”

    Before composting, remove any candles, plastic, glitter, or other decorations — they can contaminate the compost. A little glitter or paint won’t ruin the pile, but it’s best to get it as clean as possible before tossing it in. Then, chop up the pumpkin into 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) pieces so it can break down more easily.

    “Pumpkins are full of water, so it’s important to maintain a good balance of dried leaves, wood chips, sawdust, shredded newspaper, cardboard, straw — anything that’s a dry organic material — in your compost bin,” Sclafani said. If you don’t maintain this balance, your compost might start to stink.

    According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a healthy compost pile should include a mix of “greens” — like pumpkin scraps and food waste — and “browns” like dry leaves, straw or cardboard, in roughly a 3-to-1 ratio. That balance helps the pile break down faster and prevents odors.

    And if your pumpkin’s been sitting on the porch all month? That’s actually ideal. “It’s never too far gone for compost,” Sclafani said. “Even if it’s mushy or moldy, that actually helps, because the fungus speeds up decomposition.”

    “Composting anything organic is better than throwing it out because you’re not creating more refuse in landfills, you’re not creating methane gas,” said Laura Graney, the farm’s education director.

    Graney said autumn on the farm is the perfect opportunity to teach kids about composting since it gives them a sense of power in the face of big environmental challenges.

    “Even though they’re little, composting helps them feel like they can make a difference,” Graney said. “They take that message home to their families, and that’s how we spread the word.”

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  • Northern California principal on leave after dancing with school mascot to Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’

    Northern California principal on leave after dancing with school mascot to Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’

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    Some ruckus is always expected at a high school rally but instead of it coming from students this time, it was the actions of an administrator that has landed them in hot water.

    Principal Robert Nunes from Buhach Colony High School in Atwater has been put on administrative leave after dancing with the school’s mascot “Thor” at last Friday’s rally, according to media reports.

    Video of the incident posted on social media shows Nunes in an office chair in the school’s gymnasium while the school mascot dances near him and Ginuwine’s “Pony” plays in the background.

    The mascot then sits down in the chair and Nunes slides his hands down the mascot’s chest.

    “What happens at Buhach stays at Buhach,” Nunes told the crowd of cheering students.

    In a statement obtained by YourCentral Valley, the Merced Union High School District says it will be “conducting a comprehensive review of the situation.”

    Nunes won’t be participating in any school-related activities or responsibilities during the investigation, school officials said. Executive Director Torrin Johnson and Associate Principal David Rogers will be acting principals of Buhach Colony High School in the meantime.

    The Merced Union High School District didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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    Summer Lin

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  • Leave Your Comfort Behind

    Leave Your Comfort Behind

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    I’d long forgotten the enlightening words I heard from the depths of my mind on an lsd trip as a young man. I was upon a sailing ship in the vacuum of space when a tidal wave of cosmos crashed down and pitched the boat around. The words, “your greatest joy will be furthest from shore” rang out.

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  • After Seven Years, S.K.Y. Will Leave Pilsen for the North Side

    After Seven Years, S.K.Y. Will Leave Pilsen for the North Side

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    After seven years in Pilsen, S.K.Y. will close and move to the North Side. Stephen Gillanders announced via Instagram on Wednesday afternoon, reiterating what he earlier told food writer Ari Bendersky: the chef is bringing his first restaurant to the former Intro Chicago space, the restaurant he worked at when he first moved to Chicago nearly a decade ago.

    Intro, owned by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, was a restaurant that cycled through chefs and menus, giving the inexperienced a foundation so they could open their own restaurants. Gillanders joined the operation in 2015 and LEYE co-founder Rich Melman eventually elevated him to the restaurant’s first executive chef where Gillanders oversaw operations. Gillanders left in 2017 after deciding that Chicago, not LA, would be the home of his first restaurant. S.K.Y. (named after his wife). He would open in Pilsen later that year. Lettuce would later close Intro in July 2017.

    There’s no public date of when S.K.Y. will close in Pilsen and open in Lincoln Park. In an interview with Bendersky, Gillanders was complimentary of Pilsen, a neighborhood that didn’t welcome the restaurant with open arms back in 2017. The chef says about 70 percent of S.K.Y.’s customers live near the restaurant’s new home at 2300 N. Lincoln Park West inside the Belden-Stratford. S.K.Y. was also impacted in 2022 after the Jean Banchet Awards pulled a nomination for the restaurant’s sommelier, Jelena Prodan, following a controversial incident at the Pilsen restaurant. That move, quickly pushed by the awards’ former beneficiary (the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation), led the Banchet team — which annually honors Chicago restaurants — to part ways with the foundation and team with a new charity.

    S.K.Y. is hoping to leave that history behind. But still, popular dishes, like the lobster dumplings, should make the move north. The new version of S.K.Y. will have a private dining room dedicated to a tasting menu. Tasting menus are something Gillanders has been fond of, as Valhalla, his newly relocated Wicker Park restaurant, is built around the concept. Lettuce housed several restaurants inside the cavernous space, and Gillanders is planning to renovate the former Naoki Sushi space into a speakeasy-style bar. There are also plans for a 20-seat patio overlooking Lincoln Park Zoo.

    Beyond S.K.Y. and Valhalla, Gillanders has a South Loop restaurant, Apolonia, and he worked on the menu at Signature a sports bar owned by former Chicago Bear Israel Idonije. Gillanders, along with star pastry chef Tatum Sinclair, are also opening Haven, a cafe with a pastry gallery during the day and an “intimate chefs counter dessert tasting menu” at night in West Town.

    S.K.Y. 2.0, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, opening date TBD.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • As California water agency investigates top manager, some worry progress could be stymied

    As California water agency investigates top manager, some worry progress could be stymied

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    In the three years that Adel Hagekhalil has led California’s largest urban water supplier, the general manager has sought to focus on adaptation to climate change — in part by reducing reliance on water supplies from distant sources and investing in local water supplies.

    His efforts to help shift priorities at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which has traditionally focused largely on delivering imported water to the region, have won praise among environmental advocates who hope to reduce dependence on supplies from the Colorado River and Northern California.

    However, now that Hagekhalil is under investigation for harassment allegations and has been placed on leave by the MWD board, some of his supporters say they’re concerned that his sidelining might interfere with the policies he has helped advance.

    “I would hope this doesn’t mean that we undo the progress that’s been made since Adel came in,” said Conner Everts, executive director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance, who has supported Hagekhalil’s policies.

    Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.

    The accusations against Hagekhalil surfaced Thursday while he was traveling in Singapore for a water conference.

    Chief Financial Officer Katano Kasaine made the allegations in a confidential letter to the board, which was leaked to the media. She said Hagekhalil has harassed, demeaned and sidelined her and created a hostile work environment.

    Hagekhalil denied the accusations, saying he has always treated the staff with respect and professionalism, and that the claims amount to “disagreements on management decisions.”

    The MWD board voted to place Hagekhalil on administrative leave for 90 days while Kasaine’s complaint and other allegations are investigated. In his place, the board temporarily appointed assistant general manager Deven Upadhyay, who has been at the agency for 29 years, as interim general manager.

    Everts has for more than three decades been advocating for Southern California to reduce reliance on imported water supplies by boosting local supplies. He said he has been pleased to see Hagekhalil and MWD moving forward with plans for the country’s largest wastewater recycling facility in Carson, and working to develop a plan for adapting to climate change.

    Everts said he hopes that whatever results emerge from the investigations, the agency doesn’t revert to an outmoded focus on imported water that he believes some “old guard” leaders of MWD still favor.

    Everts, like many others who spoke at Thursday’s board meeting, said the accusations demand a fair and impartial investigation.

    “Hopefully, Adel comes back and continues to lead in this direction. And if not, whoever would step in would do that,” Everts said. “Does the culture change of the agency continue to progress? That’s my question.”

    MWD is the nation’s largest wholesale supplier of drinking water, serving cities and agencies that supply 19 million people across Southern California.

    MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr. said that while the board made “difficult decisions” regarding the allegations against Hagekhalil, “we maintain our commitment to the policies and direction of this organization.”

    Ortega said he doesn’t expect any change in the district’s “current policy course.”

    “Our task at hand is tackling climate change,” Ortega said in an interview with The Times. “Anybody that would challenge that is up against a pretty embedded policy framework for tackling climate change.”

    Ortega was involved in selecting Hagekhalil, who previously worked for the city of Los Angeles and who was hired after a bitter struggle among board members in 2021. Ortega said his priorities as board chair have been the same priorities that Hagkhalil has been pursuing.

    As for the accusations against Hagekhalil, Ortega said he was upset that someone leaked the confidential letter.

    “I believe that whoever leaked it was trying to box in the board. But we’re not going to let them, and I don’t think it worked,” Ortega said.

    He said all the initiatives that Hagekhalil was working on will continue under Upadhyay while the matters are investigated.

    “The board drives the agenda,” he said. “I think the board has been united on things that Adel and I have both shared.”

    Hagekhalil has led the agency at a time of major initiatives, including negotiations aimed at addressing water shortages on the Colorado River, plans for building the water recycling plant in Carson, and the MWD board’s consideration of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to build a $20-billion water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

    Some of Hagekhalil’s supporters questioned why the matter was brought to the board while he was traveling, and suggested the public airing of grievances appeared to be aimed at pushing aside a leading advocate for transforming the district’s focus.

    But Ortega said any speculation that placing Hagekhalil on leave might derail the MWD’s current policy agenda is unfounded.

    “The board is fully organized in support of that agenda,” Ortega said. “So I don’t feel any nervousness or doubt about our continued policy direction.”

    “It’s a mistake to think that the fate of our policy agenda rests on one person,” he added. “Nothing is changing in terms of the board’s organization or the items that we’re considering in future months, or the composition of the committees. All of that is intact. And so nothing changes.”

    Still, some environmental advocates have said they’re concerned about a potential link between the surfacing of allegations against Hagekhalil and efforts by some within the agency to push for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, a 45-mile tunnel that would create a second route to draw water from the Sacramento River into the aqueducts of the State Water Project. They pointed out that Kasaine currently serves as treasurer of the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority, the entity that was created to finance the tunnel project.

    “I think it is a calculated ambush that is designed to get the tunnel approved, over the objections of other members of the Metropolitan board,” said Patricia Schifferle, director of Pacific Advocates, an environmental consulting firm.

    During an MWD committee meeting on Monday, supporters and opponents of the proposed tunnel debated the costs and benefits of the project.

    Karla Nemeth, director of the State Department of Water Resources, told board members that the project is essential to improving the reliability of water supplies in the face of climate change, sea-level rise and a major earthquake.

    Other supporters made similar arguments, while opponents argued that building the tunnel would harm the delta’s deteriorating ecosystem and would be more expensive than other water-supply alternatives.

    The costs would be paid for by urban and agricultural water districts that decide to participate. The state recently released a cost-benefit analysis that is intended to provide information for local water agencies to consider.

    The MWD would receive a large share of the water, and the board’s eventual decision on whether to participate is expected to be pivotal in determining whether the state’s plan goes forward.

    The MWD board in 2020 agreed to contribute $160.8 million toward planning and pre-construction costs. District officials say the board could consider whether to provide additional funding for planning and pre-construction costs at the end of this year, and it will likely be several years before there is a decision on long-term financial participation.

    When the state’s cost-benefit analysis was released last month, Hagekhalil said: “The questions are, how can this project be implemented, what kind of assurances can we have in the resilience it provides to the Delta and our water supply future, and at what price?”

    Leaders of several environmental groups said they were disappointed to see Hagekhalil placed on administrative leave before the accusations against him have been investigated.

    “It is critically important and appropriate for MWD to take these allegations seriously and we applaud the agency’s decision to investigate the claims made, so that the board can have an accurate understanding of what has been happening among the organization’s senior leadership,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of the group LA Waterkeeper. “That said, the public needs more information to ensure the complete independence of this review.”

    He said any action against Hagekhalil should have come after an independent investigation.

    Reznik called Hagekhalil a “visionary, inclusive and transparent leader” who is helping the agency reform its approach to adapt to the effects of climate change.

    “He has been vocal about his vision and plans to transform the agency,” Reznik said. “That focus must continue at MWD.”

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    Ian James

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  • Sonoma State president retires after being placed on leave for supporting anti-Israel boycott

    Sonoma State president retires after being placed on leave for supporting anti-Israel boycott

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    The president of Sonoma State University has retired from his role after being placed on leave for issuing a controversial campuswide message on the Israel-Hamas war.

    California State University chancellor Mildred Garcia said in a statement Thursday that President Ming Tung “Mike” Lee informed her of his decision to retire. Garcia placed Lee on leave for “insubordination” on Wednesday, one day after he released a message in support of a boycott against Israeli universities and said that the university would pursue “divestment strategies.” Garcia said Lee did not receive approval for the message.

    In a letter to the community, Lee apologized for the “unintended consequences of my actions” and acknowledged that his message had not been reviewed by CSU officials.

    “I want to be clear: The message was drafted and sent without the approval of, or consultation with, the Chancellor or other system leaders. The points outlined in the message were mine alone, and do not represent the views of my colleagues or the CSU,” Lee wrote.

    Amy Bentley-Smith, Cal State director of strategic communications and public affairs, said “there is no written policy” when it comes to approval from the chancellor’s office over campus leadership’s communications related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    “The chancellor and presidents have been in constant communication during protest activities on campuses with the intent that decisions at the university level are made in consultation with the chancellor’s office and align not only with shared university values and mission, but with applicable CSU system policies, and state and federal laws,” Bentley-Smith said.

    While the university system’s 23 campus presidents report to the chancellor, they are considered the executive officers of their respective campuses and have some autonomy over campus decisions.

    Also Friday, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) sent a letter to Garcia and University of California President Michael V. Drake, calling for accountability when a campus leader appeals to “antisemitic demands of encampments.”

    “There is an urgent need for system-wide action in both the UC and CSU systems to restore order on campus, stop the adoption of [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] policies, and, where appropriate, appoint new campus leadership,” wrote Kiley, who previously called on Lee to resign.

    Other state lawmakers had raised concerns over Lee’s message. Sen. Bill Dodd’s (D-Napa) office reached out to the chancellor’s office Wednesday to ask if Garcia had approved the message, press secretary Paul Payne told The Times.

    Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) also expressed opposition.

    “This is horrific and wrong,” Wiener told KRON-4 this week.

    The chancellor said she will continue to work with acting President Nathan Evans and the Board of Trustees during this “transitional period.” In a statement to the Sonoma State community, Evans said that Lee’s retirement will not overshadow Saturday’s commencement activities.

    “We will create spaces and places to process President Lee’s retirement and other recent developments as a community in the coming days and weeks. For now, I encourage all of us to focus on our graduates and their supporters,” Evans said.

    Lee worked at Sacramento State for 28 years. He came out of a brief retirement in 2022 to become Sonoma State’s president after Judy Sakaki resigned amid outcry over sexual harassment and retaliation allegations against her and her husband.

    Times staff writer Jaweed Kaleem contributed to this report.

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    Colleen Shalby

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  • Sonoma State president put on leave for ‘insubordination’ for supporting Israel academic boycott, divestment

    Sonoma State president put on leave for ‘insubordination’ for supporting Israel academic boycott, divestment

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    The president of Sonoma State University was placed on leave Wednesday, a day after he released a controversial campuswide message on the Israel-Hamas war that said the university would pursue “divestment strategies” and endorsed an academic boycott of Israeli universities.

    California State University Chancellor Mildred García announced the decision in a statement posted to the CSU website, saying that Sonoma State President Mike Lee was taken off the job for his “insubordination” in making the statement without “appropriate approvals.”

    Pro-Palestinian student encampment protesters celebrated when Lee released a letter to the roughly 6,000-student member Rohnert Park campus on Tuesday that met enough of their requests for activists to agree to dismantle their camp by Wednesday evening.

    “SSU Demands Met!” said a post on the SSU Students for Justice in Palestine Instagram with the caption “brick by brick, wall by wall” that showed screenshots of Lee’s letter.

    In his letter, Lee promised to pursue “divestment strategies that include seeking ethical alternatives” in consultation with pro-Palestinian activists and said he supported an academic boycott of Israel.

    “SSU will not pursue or engage in any study abroad programs, faculty exchanges, or other formal collaborations that are sponsored by, or represent, the Israeli state academic and research institutions,” Lee’s Tuesday letter said.

    Lee’s statement stood out. While other universities have recently said they will look into divesting from weapons companies, including UC Berkeley and UC Riverside, nearly all in the U.S. have rejected calls to target Israel specifically or to boycott formal exchange or research partnerships with Israeli universities.

    In rejecting such calls, the universities have cited their support of academic freedom and anti-discrimination policies. Some have also noted that a 2016 state law signed by then Gov. Jerry Brown banned giving state grants or contracts worth more than $100,000 to state universities that targeted Israel in endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

    Lee’s statement immediately drew criticism from Jewish students, parents and community groups.

    Speaking at a Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California conference in Sacramento on Wednesday, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who serves on the CSU Board of Trustees, slammed campuses for moving forward with agreements to quell protests.

    “Each campus is handling these situations in their own way with inconsistencies and frankly, sometimes coming up with agreements that they really don’t have the authority to come up with,” said Kounalakis, who spoke before Lee was put on leave.

    Kounalakis, a Democrat, said campuses were “woefully unprepared” for the recent protests.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom, who made a video appearance at the same Wednesday event to promote his plan to counter antisemitism, said last week that he did “not support divestment.”

    Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), co-chairs of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, commended García‘s decision, saying in a statement that Lee’s support of an academic boycott “was totally unacceptable and evidence that former President Lee is unfit to lead one of our great state institutions. We look forward to working with Chancellor García and the CSU Trustees to pursue a different path that will promote learning, respectful dialogue, mutual respect, inclusivity, and peace.”

    In her letter announcing that Lee would step aside, García said she was “deeply concerned” about his words.

    “Our role as educators is to support and uplift all members of the California State University. I want to acknowledge how deeply concerned I am about the impact the statement has had on the Sonoma State community, and how challenging and painful it will be for many of our students and community members to see and read,” García said. “The heart and mission of the CSU is to create an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone we serve, not to marginalize one community over another.”

    In his own letter on his departure, Lee apologized, saying he had “marginalized other members of our student population” and that “I realize the harm that this has caused, and I take full ownership of it. I deeply regret the unintended consequences of my actions.”

    “I want to be clear: The message was drafted and sent without the approval of, or consultation with, the Chancellor or other system leaders. The points outlined in the message were mine alone, and do not represent the views of my colleagues or the CSU,” Lee wrote.

    It was unclear how long Lee will be out. He has been on the job for 20 months, about half the time as interim president.

    In an interview with The Times, kinesiology professor Lauren Morimoto said she supported Lee.

    “As of now, the Academic Senate has not made a statement about Mike Lee’s announcement. However, I’m meeting with the Board of the Asian Pacific Islander American Faculty and Staff Association and we stand in solidarity with Mike Lee and the student protesters…,” said Morimoto, the former chair of the academic senate. “I will ask to be added to tomorrow’s agenda to present a resolution of support for Mike Lee and the student protesters and the demands they were able to negotiate with the university.”

    Staff writers Colleen Shalby and Mackenzie Mays contributed reporting.

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    Jaweed Kaleem

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  • Luella’s Southern Kitchen to Leave Lincoln Square

    Luella’s Southern Kitchen to Leave Lincoln Square

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    For years, Darnell Reed has pondered the future of Luella’s Southern Kitchen, the ode to his grandmother which opened in 2015 in Lincoln Square. Should he expand? Maybe it’s time to leave Chicago? For Reed, the father of two girls, being a family man has helped him make his decision.

    “My goal is to spend more time with the family,” Reed says.

    His lease is up in October and Reed says he’ll close Luella’s sometime that month. He’s in the process of searching for a new location that will serve brunch daily. He’d rather spend his nights with his family rather than offer dinner service. While some items could be holiday specials at the new restaurant, say goodbye to classics like Luella’s gumbo and cornbread. Shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles should make it over to the new place.

    So why can’t he stay in Lincoln Square? Reed doesn’t feel the neighborhood could sustain a full-time brunch restaurant with morning and afternoon hours. He’s considering neighborhoods including Bronzeville, Lincoln Park, Logan Square, and suburban Oak Park. Reed says his staff has known for about a year that a change was coming. When he shared the news with the local chamber, they reacted as if Reed could change his mind over the next 10 months. Might as well give workers ample notice, unlike some restaurant owners who don’t give their employees that luxury.

    It’s been a journey since opening. Luella’s would open a second restaurant, one that focused on fried chicken, but it closed in 2020, part of the first wave of shutters during COVID. Reed would also open a stall at Time Out Market Chicago, the food hall in Fulton Market. But as rent and expenses increased, Luella’s would depart. Luella’s has also enjoyed success selling food to Bears fans and others at Soldier Field. Reed is hopeful to expand operations next season in the stadium.

    After spending 18 years working for Hilton Hotels, Reed reserves a special place for breakfast and brunch with hotel restaurants needing to serve those meals to hotel guests, especially during holidays. The lifestyle is different. Reed also has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He feels hotel chefs get a bad rap, that they’re not considered as talented as restaurant chefs.

    While he’s happy to prove that notion wrong, experience as a restaurant owner has mellowed him.

    “It’s going to be a good brunch, and I’m content being with comparisons,” Reed says. “I’m going to give you great food, and if you think somebody else does it better? I think I’m good, and I’ll leave it at that.”

    Luella’s 2.0 will be a bit of a departure, but he knows one thing: Grandma’s name will definitely be part of the new space’s name.

    In the meantime, fans have a little less than 10 months to visit Reed in Lincoln Square.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Rumaan Alam on Writing and Adapting ‘Leave the World Behind’

    Rumaan Alam on Writing and Adapting ‘Leave the World Behind’

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    Bakari Sellers is joined by writer Rumaan Alam to unpack his 2020 novel Leave the World Behind (4:35), and the process of adapting it for the screen with director Sam Ismail (11:43).

    Host: Bakari Sellers
    Guest: Rumaan Alam
    Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr.
    Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts

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    Bakari Sellers

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  • Two teachers at public charter school placed on leave over “lesson on the genocide in Palestine”

    Two teachers at public charter school placed on leave over “lesson on the genocide in Palestine”

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    Two first-grade teachers at a public charter school located at a Los Angeles-area Jewish synagogue were placed on leave this week over statements about Israel and Gaza they allegedly shared in the classroom and on social media, according to synagogue and school officials.

    On Friday, Senior Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei told KTLA that one of the teachers at Citizens of the World Charter School, which leases classroom space at Adat Ari El Synagogue in Valley Village, described on social media about teaching “a lesson on the genocide in Palestine” to first-graders.

    According to a copy of the post provided to The Times by a representative of the charter school, the teacher wrote on Instagram that they “did a lesson on the genocide in Palestine today w my first graders…” In a separate post, the teacher said that “my fav was a kid who was like “What if they just give the land back to Palestine and find somewhere else to live?”

    The school said the second teacher also posted about the lesson.

    In a statement, Citizens of the World L.A. executive director Melissa Kaplan said the personal social media posts “raised significant concerns, fear, anger, and harm for many” in the charter school and synagogue community, and that the school will coordinate with the Anti-Defamation League on training for school staff.

    The school is investigating the exact content of the lesson, a school representative said Saturday. If the teachers are reinstated, they will not return to the Valley Village campus, the representative said.

    Neither of the teachers could be reached for comment Saturday.

    In addition, the charter school’s principal will be taking a two-week leave of absence to focus on “sensitivity training,” the school said in a statement. In a statement, the principal apologized for “insensitive questions” she directed to the rabbi about when the synagogue would remove Israeli flags hanging in the courtyard.

    The flags have been on display in the courtyard ever since Hamas militants launched an ambush from Gaza on southern Israel on Oct. 7, leaving 1,200 Israelis dead with another 240 taken hostage. In the weeks since, as Israel launched its offensive, more than 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

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    Samantha Masunaga

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  • Bay City announces retirement of public safety director following complaint

    Bay City announces retirement of public safety director following complaint

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    BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) – The city of Bay City announced its public safety director, Michael Cecchini, is retiring.

    This comes after Cecchini was placed on administrative leave following a complaint from a Bay City resident.

    The complaint stems from an incident that happened Sept. 17 near Rivers Edge in Bay City.

    In a video obtained by TV5, Cecchini appears to jab an 18-year-old man with his flashlight. As the video continues, Cecchini admits to hitting the man with his flashlight.

    Cecchini was allegedly upset with the man because he thought he was disturbing the peace.

    Shortly after the incident, Cecchini was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

    On Oct. 3, the city said Cecchini has chosen to retire.

    “He was the architect for the public safety plan saving the taxpayers millions of dollars in addition to working with community partners to increase diversity in the department. Our public safety staff is committed to providing safety services in a professional and caring manner and we are confident that Deputy Director Caleb Rowell will appropriately lead the staff in the interim while we determine a permanent replacement for Cecchini,” the city said.

    Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved.

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