Latest news with #ElkGrove
CBS News
12-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Elk Grove 8th graders' final-quarter grades will only count toward promotion participation
ELK GROVE — Grades will not count as much for 8th-grade students in the Elk Grove Unified School District after it passed a policy that said only grades from the fourth quarter of the school year will count when deciding whether to participate in the promotion ceremony. This means a student could technically fail most of the year, but if they get good grades in the final quarter of 8th grade, they will be able to walk across the stage with their classmates. "What's the point of me showing up?" said Derrick Brown, an 8th-grade science teacher at Samuel Jackman Middle School. Brown has been dedicated to preparing his students for high school for decades and told CBS13 that kids used to need to complete 50 out of 60 credits in order to participate in the promotion ceremony. "Now you're discrediting me as a teacher. How can I hold kids accountable if they are sitting there saying, 'Well, it doesn't count anyway?' " said Brown. It is a district-wide middle school criteria change that states to participate in the promotion ceremony, you can have no more than one "F" in the 4th quarter of 8th grade, you must pay off any fees like library books and you cannot get suspended in the fourth quarter of the school year. "I have gotten straight-A's basically all my life, and so I want to keep it that way," said incoming 8th grader at Joseph Kerr Middle School, Tessa McMahan. She is curious how the policy could impact classrooms and students' willingness to participate and learn. "I know it was really hard keeping my grades up and staying focused when the other students were always interrupting my teacher and stuff," said McMahan. Elk Grove Unified told CBS13 that several of its middle schools already had this policy, so the change was about equity and consistency. "We really care about his grades, and we think it's important to get good grades," said parent Euna Helms. Helms said the grades her incoming 8th grader son gets reflect his hard work and create habits she hopes will carry him through life. "Folks who say middle school grades don't matter anyway. It doesn't go on your permanent record," said Brown. "That's not the point. The point is accountability." The policy will be in place for all nine Elk Grove Unified middle schools for the 2025-2026 school year.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Elk Grove's eco-friendly recycled water plan faces major setback amid rising costs
ELK GROVE — A plan to irrigate Elk Grove parks, trees and plants with treated sewage water is in jeopardy. The recycled water was supposed to benefit the city's last large-scale urban development, but city officials now say using recycled water won't work. A new 1,200-acre neighborhood near Bruceville and Kammerer roads in Elk Grove was supposed to be an example of environmental conservation. It is designed to be drought-tolerant by using treated sewage water in parks and landscaping. "It's really an environmental stewardship," said public works director Jeff Werner. "Recycled water preserves the use of surface water and potable water." Many streets are already equipped with dedicated purple pipes to deliver reclaimed water, but now this eco-friendly Harvest Water project is going down the drain. Werner is recommending that the city cancel the recycled water program in this southeast neighborhood. "The estimated cost of the system has jumped nearly $17 million over the past couple of years," he said. "The city and taxpayers in other areas would have to subsidize the cost of the system." Construction on the Harvest Water project is already underway along Franklin Boulevard. Crews are laying more than 40 miles of underground pipes that will deliver recycled water from the regional sewage treatment plant, through Elk Grove, and to farms in southern Sacramento County. Up to two and a half million gallons of recycled water a day were supposed to go to this neighborhood, which will eventually add 17,000 new residents. "If the project isn't affordable, really, this becomes a burden on the taxpayer," Werner said. The Sacramento Area Sewer District says the loss of Elk Grove customers won't jeopardize the project and reclaimed water will still be used in the East Franklin and Laguna Ridge areas. "This was really an initiative that the city was hopeful to implement, but that doesn't always work out," Werner said. The total Harvest Water project is expected to cost nearly $600 million, and construction is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- CBS News
Elk Grove elementary student struck by vehicle while on his way to school
An Elk Grove elementary school student was struck by a vehicle while bicycling to class Friday morning. California Highway Patrol says the incident happened near Barrymore and Underhill drives a little before 8 a.m. Exactly what led up to the collision is still under investigation, but officers say a 10-year-old boy was hurt. His bicycle ended up under the vehicle and officers say he suffered leg abrasions. The boy was transported to the hospital as a precaution, officers say. Elk Grove Unified confirmed that the boy is a Case Elementary School student.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
New California fire maps show which areas in the Sacramento region are most at risk. See where your home stands
A recent CBS News study revealed that more homes in the Sacramento area are at risk of wildfire. The findings show that more than 90% of homes are in the Wildland Urban Interface, or areas where urban communities and houses meet forested or natural landscaped areas. "Well, it's very surprising," said Jenny Ferreira, who lives in Elk Grove. The findings come as a surprise to some residents like Ferreira. CBS News collected data that shows the number of homes in the WUIs has exploded in Elk Grove, specifically in the southern area near the Sky River Casino. According to the data, 85 homes were in the WUI in 1990 compared to close to 10,000 homes in 2020, and the area just keeps growing. Cal Fire recently released fire hazard severity maps, but on the maps, one part of Elk Grove is not highlighted as a severity zone. CBS News Sacramento got answers directly from the state fire marshal on why. "Hazard is really the likelihood of a fire and risk is really looking at the damage the wildfire is going to do," said California State Fire Marshal Chief Daniel Berlant. Berlant said the Cal Fire maps only look at hazards, which are based on long-term factors like topography, weather, fire history and vegetation type that cannot change, whereas fire risk can change. "What was the home built out of? Does that home have defensible space? Is there water supply? Is there a fuel break? Is there fire protection?" Berlant said. CBS News Sacramento asked him if it is safe to build communities in the WUIs. Chief Berlant responded, yes, as long as you follow Cal Fire's building codes, home harden and have five feet of defensible space. "The challenge is 90% of homes in wildfire-prone areas were built before this current code went into effect in 2008," Berlant said. "Our challenge is how can we help homeowners retrofit their home." Consumnes Fire defines most areas around Elk Grove as grassland. Cal Fire said if a fire were to ignite here, it would not burn as severely as in a mountain community that is surrounded by forest. Although that does not mean the homes are completely out of the woods. According to CBS News' data collected from the First Street Foundation, 35% of homes in the Sacramento region could be at "major risk" of wildfire in the next 30 years and 19% of homes at "severe risk." "I might look into converting my grass into rocks," said Vonn Lam, who lives in Elk Grove. Lam has lived in the area since 2005 and never felt threatened by fire, but it is on her radar now. "I do need to be mindful of all the vegetation near me," Lam said. "I am very worried about the insurance going up and a lot of insurance is not covering California because of the fires." Berlant said the issue is that there is no consistency with risk models, which are typically what insurance companies use to determine who to insure. "While we are mapping hazards, insurance companies are mapping risk," Berlant said. Cal Fire is researching how fire spreads from one home to another to better understand risk. "Regardless, if you live near an area that is near a field, a grassland, a forested area, you should be prepared," Berlant said. We cannot change the terrain, but we can change how we live in the terrain - working together to prevent another devastating wildfire.
CBS News
04-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Alleged burglar tried to hit Elk Grove home that burned only hours before
An Elk Grove family already facing the tragedy of their home burning also had to deal with an alleged thief breaking in, police say. Elk Grove police say the home suffered significant damage in a fire on Tuesday. Then, early Wednesday morning, police say someone apparently broke into the partially burned home and tried to burglarize the place. Officers were able to catch the suspect as he ran out, however. The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Marcus Miller. "It's hard to understand someone trying to victimize a family already going through such a devastating event, but we're thankful no further harm came to the residents," Elk Grove police said in a statement. Miller is facing charges of burglary, possession of burglary tools, and resisting arrest. He has been booked into Sacramento County Jail.
