Federal EPA Fires Top Official in California Mike Stoker, the controversial head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in California and other Western states, was fired this week. Stoker says his firing may have stemmed from praise he received from Democrats for his work on contaminated sites in their communities. However, Stoker received criticism for his extensive travel and for managing hundreds of San Francisco-based staff remotely from Southern California.Reporter: Kevin Stark, KQED
Company Behind Controversial Pesticide Says it Will Halt Production Corteva Agriscience, the main manufacturer of a pesticide called chlorpyrifos, said yesterday it will stop making the product. That announcement comes as California moves to ban the pesticideâs sale, citing studies that link the popular agricultural pesticide to brain damage in kids and harm to wildlife.Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED
Native American Actress Reflects on Film Industry’s Changes Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather stepped in for Marlon Brando at the Academy Awards in 1973 to protest the mistreatment of her people. Littlefeather says there still arenât many lead roles for Native Americans today, but things are slowly changing.Reporter: Chloe Veltman
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