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DEBBIE NODA/dnoda@modbee.com Nan Austin, Education reporter at the Modesto Bee(01-12-11)

Nan Austin's On Campus blog

The Bee's education writer follows the latest issues dealing with education in Stanislaus County...

Local

Mixed martial arts fighter Michael McDonald works on a project in his garage, which he’s converted into a woodworking shop, in Oakdale.

Q&A: The nicest guy who’ll ever kick a man in the face

Oakdale’s Michael McDonald has won 16 fights against three losses, and a year ago became the youngest fighter in UFC history to challenge for a world championship. But if you were to meet McDonald on the street, and didn’t know he was a ...

Sports

Cal State Stanislaus draws Seattle-Pacific in NCAA Tournament opener

Rob Walters said he was a little surprised that Cal State Stanislaus was given the West Region’s No. 7 seed when pairings for the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament were announced on Sunday night.

Opinion

Inmates walk through the exercise yard at California State Prison Sacramento, near Folsom. A U.S. district judge made a ruling that rights a little of the wrong committed by two voter-passed laws that tipped the scales of justice too far to one side.

Our View: Ruling rights a wrong that tipped scales of justice too far

Twenty-six years ago, on a statewide ballot overloaded with 29 propositions and a presidential race, California voters approved a measure – Proposition 89 – allowing the governor to reverse decisions of the state parole board. It’...

State

Powerful quake shakes California; no injuries

A very strong earthquake that struck offshore rattled the Northern California coast and was widely felt across the region, but authorities said early Monday that there were no reports of any injuries or damage. 17 minutes ago

Living & Entertainment

FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2013, file photo, Brady Williams talks while his wives, from left to right, Robyn, Paulie, Rosemary, Nonie, and Rhonda, look on during an interview at their home in a polygamous community outside Salt Lake City. The newest Utah polygamous family featured in a reality TV show says sharing their story with a wide audience has been liberating. Brady Williams and his five wives were a bit apprehensive ahead of the airing of a pilot episode in September, but they said this week an interview with The Associated Press that it felt liberating to be open about who they are and what they believe.

Utah polygamous family says going on TV liberating

The newest Utah polygamous family featured in a reality TV show says sharing their story with a wide audience has been liberating. 6 minutes ago

Business

FILE - This March 1, 2014 file photo shows part of the website for HealthCare.gov as photographed in Washington. Welcome news for the Obama administration: A major new survey out Monday says the U.S. uninsured rate kept dropping last month and it’s now on track to reach the lowest levels since 2008, before President Barack Obama took office. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index finds that 15.9 percent of Americans lack health insurance so far in 2014, down from 17.1 percent in the last three months of 2013. Gallup interviewed more than 28,000 adults, making the results highly accurate.

Survey: Uninsured rate drops; health law cited

With just three weeks left to sign up under President Barack Obama's health care law, a major survey tracking the rollout finds that the uninsured rate keeps going down. 6 minutes ago

Nation & World

Powerful quake shakes California; no injuries

A very strong earthquake that struck offshore rattled the Northern California coast and was widely felt across the region, but authorities said early Monday that there were no reports of any injuries or damage. 17 minutes ago