Beth Thornton
Freelance Reporter/Contributor to Issues & IdeasBeth Thornton is a freelance reporter for KCBX, and a contributor to Issues & Ideas. She was a 2021 Data Fellow with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, and has contributed to KQED's statewide radio show The California Report.
Before radio, Beth worked in print and video for newspapers, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. She was the editor of Connections, a monthly e-newsletter published by the Center for Media Literacy that included research and media activities for K-12 educators. Beth received her BA from UC Santa Barbara, where she wrote for the college paper, and also has a certificate in creative writing from UCLA Extension Writers' Program. She listens to public radio at every opportunity, and enjoys cycling on the Central Coast.
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The race for 1st district supervisor in the County of Santa Barbara turned out to be much closer than expected. Challenger Roy Lee has come out ahead of incumbent Das Williams, though it won’t be officially certified for another week or so.
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The process to apply for federal student aid is nearly impossible to navigate this year according to local colleges and high schools. Central Coast Representative Salud Carbajal convened a meeting to discuss FAFSA.
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For almost two years, a harbor commission subcommittee has worked with community members, business owners, and environmentalists to understand their concerns related to cruise ships anchoring off Santa Barbara.
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A recent study shows that the presence of sea otters helps stabilize Elkhorn Slough in Monterey County. By consuming lots of burrowing shore crabs, otters slow erosion of the creek banks in the salt marsh habitat.
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County Supervisor Laura Capps has been working to implement safety features like higher fences and improved lighting on county land, but most buildings on the bluffs are privately owned.
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The County of Santa Barbara received one million dollars to develop programs that will make the rural community more resilient in extreme weather events.
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This year’s festival runs from February 7-17th at theaters in downtown Santa Barbara. More than 80,000 people are expected to attend.
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UCSB researcher Kyle Emery said giant kelp is an extremely important foundation species for the food web on our sandy beaches.
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Representative Carbajal said the goal of the bill is to open up federal funding for Safe Parking sites.
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The City of Goleta is offering safety tips and skills training as part of e-bike safety awareness week.