The warden at a troubled prison in northern California is retiring this month, and the governor has just given the former chief deputy warden there a big promotion. KQED reporters Julie Small and Sukey Lewis investigated this prison for their podcast On Our Watch, and they have an article out this week that tells the emotional story of a pair of whistleblowers who work there and the challenges they faced.Guest: Julie Small, KQEDThe co-founders of failed Fresno startup Bitwise Industries have been sentenced to prison for wire fraud. Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays are a time where we tend to eat a lot of food, and throw a lot out. Americans throw away about four pounds of waste per day, higher than anywhere in the world. But where does all that food waste go?Reporter: Erin Stone, LAistCalifornia Resources Corporation and Aera Energy joined forces to become the state’s largest oil company. But a new investigation from KVPR and Inside Climate News finds that the merger could leave taxpayers on the hook for millions.Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first time Donald Trump was elected president, blue state Democrats -- particularly those from California -- asserted themselves as the frontline of the resistance. Eight years later, they say they’re making an intentional decision to stay calm, at least for now.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQEDIt’s official. California regulators are enforcing an agreement with the state’s largest insurance companies that they hope will stem the insurance crisis.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQEDCrews have been working around the clock in the community of Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains after a rare tornado touched down in the city on Saturday. At least five people were injured. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1990, a federal law required universities to return Native American remains to their homes. Many institutions had been using them for research and display. But a recent state audit shows many universities have been breaking that law ever since.Reporter: Rachel Livinal, KVPRThe season for kissing under the mistletoe has arrived! While there’s no guarantee for holiday smooches, you can get a permit to harvest your own mistletoe this season.Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Diego's police commission is reviewing the department's K-9 policy, after complaints of excessive force. Data show large racial disparities in who gets bitten by police dogs.Reporter: Katie Hyson, KPBS Former San Joaquin Valley Congressman TJ Cox has agreed to plead guilty to two financial crimes.Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is pushing the trucking industry to electrify to cut pollution. That effort so far has focused on swapping out old trucks for shiny new electric ones. But that doesn’t always have to be the case.Reporter: Erin Stone, LAistThe Franklin Fire continues to threaten homes in the Malibu area. Since starting Monday night, the fire has destroyed at least seven structures. Thousands of people remain under evacuation orders and warnings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 1990s, California voters approved a law that required public schools to teach most classes only in English. After that, many public school districts across the state essentially eliminated their bilingual programs. Voters eventually repealed this law back in 2016. But a new investigation from our partner CalMatters has found that the state's bilingual education system is still recovering, while students struggle to get the support they need.Reporter: Tara García Mathewson, CalMatters Crews are trying to get a handle on a fast growing wildfire burning in Malibu. The Franklin Fire was first reported around 11 pm Monday night. It's since burned through more than 2,200 acres in the hills north of Pepperdine University. The LA Unified School District is opening up its state subsidized preschools to higher income families.Reporter: Elly Yu, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are more than 40,000 foreign nationals serving in our military. And most of them are just one mistake away from being deported. But some veterans are advocating for a federal law that would make it easier for foreign-born soldiers to become American citizens. Reporter: Gustavo Solis, KPBS Los Angeles Congressman Adam Schiff will be sworn in Monday as California’s junior U.S. Senator, filling a seat held by Dianne Feinstein for decades.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQEDPresident-elect Trump has pledged to conduct mass deportations. That's stoked fears among financial aid experts, who worry about how his administration might use data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA.Reporter: Julia Barajas, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Residents and authorities of California’s North Coast are assessing the aftermath from Thursday’s 7.0 earthquake centered 70 miles off the coast of Eureka. The quake triggered a tsunami warning from as far north as Oregon to Santa Cruz. In Humboldt County, business owners and residents have been hit hard by earthquakes in the past.Reporter: Sukey Lewis, KQEDThe man who shot two kindergarteners at an Oroville school Wednesday grew up in Butte County. Authorities say they're learning more about the suspect and victims. Reporter: Alec Stutson, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immigrant communities worry Donald Trump will make good on promises of mass deportations now that he has been elected to a second term in the White House. That could have big consequences for California’s agricultural communities. The state says about half of all farmworkers are undocumented.Reporter: Esther Quintanilla, KVPR In Northern California, law enforcement authorities say two kindergarteners who were shot at a school in Butte County are in extremely critical condition. Reporter: Adia White, North State Public RadioCalifornia prisons will no longer withhold money they’re supposed to give people at the time of their release. The directive comes after a class-action lawsuit and order from the state legislature. Reporter: Cayla Mihalovich, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices