BACK TO school in California will mean back to masks, after all (Shutterstock).

Back to school in California will mean back to wearing masks, after all.

Contrary to guidelines issued this week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, students, teachers and staff will have to wear face coverings to start the new school year.

The CDC had said that fully vaccinated teachers and pupils could go barefaced, but California is saying “no.”

“Masking is a simple and effective intervention that does not interfere with offering full in-person instruction,” said Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services agency secretary.

The decision by the Golden State seemed to also have a child psychology element to it.

“At the outset of the new year, students should be able to walk into school without worrying about whether they will feel different or singled out for being vaccinated or unvaccinated — treating all kids the same will support a calm and supportive school environment,” said Ghaly.

The CDC guidelines also call for social distancing of at least three feet between student desks, but acknowledge that some classrooms aren’t large enough to accommodate such spacing.

Statue of Robert E. Lee is removed

ROBERT E. LEE Monument (Wikipedia).

The statue of Confederate hero Robert E. Lee was removed on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, to the cheers of many and the consternation of some.

Lee was the leading general for the rebel Confederate States of America during the Civil War of 1861-65. He commanded the Army of Northern Virginia for most of the war and served as general of the army toward the end of the conflict. The statue of him on his horse Traveler was a rallying point for white supremacists in the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in Aug. 12, 2017 that ended in violence and two deaths.

“To young people out there, I hope that this empowers you to speak up on the issues that matter and take charge in your own cities and communities,” said Zyhana Bryant, who started the movement to remove the statue from a city park, according to the Associated Press.

Also removed is a statue of another leading Confederate general, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

$55.6 million in student debt is cancelled

$55.6 MILL in student debt gone.

The U.S. Department of Education on Friday announced it would cancel $55.6 million in college student debt for those who were victims of for-profit college fraud.

That brings to $1.5 billion in student debt that the Biden administration has cancelled since the new president took office in January.

“Today’s announcement continues the U.S. Department of Education’s commitment to standing up for students whose colleges took advantage of them,” said Miguel Cardona, secretary of education, according to USA Today.

Angels, Dodgers each take a step back

A chance to gain ground in division races turned into a step backward for the Angels and Dodgers on Thursday.

The Halos (44-43) lost 7-3 to the Seattle Mariners (47-42) when the M’s broke a 3-3 tie on an eighth-inning grand slam by Mitch Hanigar. Shohei Ohtani and David Fletcher each homered to help the Angels build an early 3-0 lead. It was Ohtani’s 33rd home run of the season. A win would have allowed the Anaheim team to tie the Mariners for third in the AL West.

LAA will face the Mariners again today (Saturday) in Seattle in a 7:10 p.m. game and conclude the series on Sunday.

The Dodgers (54-35) lost 5-2 on Friday to the Arizona Diamondbacks (26-64), the team with the worst record in Major League Baseball. The loss dropped LAD 2.5 games back of the first place San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

Two fielding errors proved costly in the loss, resulting in two unearned runs for the D-backs.  A.J. Pollock hit his 10th homer of the season for the Dodgers.

Those two teams will face off again today (Saturday) at 7:10 p.m. at Chavez Ravine.