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Local News

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Regional News

• Gang member gets 15-plus years for drug dealing

A Sacramento gang member was sentenced Thursday to more than 15 years in federal prison for dealing crack cocaine.
• County sees drop in its high school graduation rate



An increasing number of high school seniors in Sacramento County are failing to secure a diploma, according to a report released by a county advisory board Tuesday.

With fewer high school students graduating in the midst of an economic downturn, county officials have expressed concern that the local economy could be further hurt by unschooled workers.

The percentage of seniors who reach graduation fell to less than 80 percent last year from just over 86 percent in 2004, according to California Department of Education data.

The report was part of the yearly "children's report card" presented by the Sacramento County Children's Coalition to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The organization – an advisory body to the board – gathers data on issues affecting county youth, including education, health and safety.

Sinking graduation numbers were at the forefront of their report.

"We need to refocus the policy agenda so kids become a part of the debate," said Jeff Cuneo, an assistant juvenile public defender who works with the Sacramento County Children's Coalition. "Once you include kids, you start asking yourself a new host of questions."

Despite slumping graduation rates among seniors, the number of students who make it through all four years of high school has risen in Sacramento County.

Cuneo questioned the accuracy of those statistics.

"My assumption is that they're losing track of a lot of these kids along the way," Cuneo said. "They just lose them. So they don't count them as people who didn't graduate. They just don't count them at all."

A number of high school students joined the Sacramento County Children's Coalition in alerting the board to the issues facing county youth.

Michael Ximenez, a senior at Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy, said he's seen many of his classmates drop out.

"If a teacher can get on a more one-on-one basis with students, I think that would help bring up the graduation rates," he said.

Organization officials said the slumping graduation rates would likely have a negative impact on county employment rates and average salary numbers.

While the Sacramento County Children's Coalition generally shies away from making policy recommendations, Cuneo said policymakers should consider supporting a "greater variety of schools" including vocational programs.

The organization will now begin sharing its findings with local school boards across Sacramento County.

Cuneo said he hopes the "report card" will also serve as a "tool for normal people" lobbying policymakers for education reform.

• Route set for deputy's funeral procession

Sacramento County sheriff's officials have released details of the processional route planned in connection with Thursday's memorial services for Deputy Larry Canfield.
• 'Straw Hat bandit' gets 3-plus years for bank robberies

A Sacramento man whom authorities dubbed the "straw hat bandit" was sentenced Monday to three years and 10 months in federal prison for a series of bank robberies.
• Judge blocks killer's release from hospital

A Sacramento judge today blocked Napa State Hospital from transferring a patient who killed his mother four years ago into a community placement, court officials said.
• Funeral in Elk Grove Thursday for deputy

A funeral service for the Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy killed in a motorcycle accident last week has been scheduled for Thursday morning in Elk Grove.

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National News

• Lost negatives reveal war, famed photographer

Thousands of photographic negatives, presumed lost for decades, document the Spanish Civil War, thanks to famed photographer Robert Capa. Capa's negatives have found a permanent home at a photography center founded by his brother.





• Prosecutor seeks re-arrest in Holloway case

Aruba's chief public prosecutor has requested that a suspect in the Natalee Holloway case be arrested for a third time based on new evidence, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN.





• Williams breaks silence on Ledger's death

Read full story for latest details.





• Raw sewage spills into San Francisco Bay

Nearly 3 million gallons of raw, untreated sewage spilled into San Francisco Bay when a pump failed at a waste treatment facility, the Marin County Sheriff's Department told CNN on Friday.





• Officer's death shocks New Orleans

Hundreds of officers, some from as far away as Colorado, turned out Friday along with New Orleans residents to mourn slain police officer Nicola Cotton -- whose violent death has shaken the city.





• 6 die in small plane crash in North Carolina

Six people were killed Friday when a small plane crashed into the front yard of a home while attempting to land in fog and low visibility in Mount Airy, North Carolina, authorities said.

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