One of the biggest student advocacy group’s efforts to stop the rise of textbook prices have culminated in the second edition of Ripoff 101, a report published a year ago that finds how the “publishing industry’s practices needlessly drive up textbook costs.” This report was released simultaneously on Tuesday at a multitude of California Public Interest Research Group chapters. Read more...

The observation of Black History Month has become a bittersweet celebration for some black scholars. While the recognition of the societal impact blacks have had on American culture is generally thought by scholars to be positive, some believe that the condensing of black history into a single month, rather than having it be a part of day-to-day education and cultural understanding, has its downsides. Read more...

A major water main broke near the UCLA campus about 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, leaving thousands on campus and across the Westside without water. Jack Powazek, assistant vice chancellor for general services, said the problem had been repaired by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and that the campus water pressure was being restored. Read more...

Jackson trial jury selection begins SANTA MARIA “”mdash; Michael Jackson smiled Monday facing the first group of prospective jurors to undergo screening for possible service in his trial on child molestation charges. Read more...

Some teams have harder scrimmages than others. But they don’t get much tougher than those of the UCLA men’s soccer team, which will face the full U.S. Read more...

Kenneth Stein, discussing the future of the Palestinian people, cited high voter turnout in the 2005 Palestinian elections to emphasize the potential for democratic rule in the region and to emphasize the changes underway. Read more...

Former assemblyman Marco Firebaugh launched his quarter-long tenure as a visiting professor with a lecture focusing primarily on the state of education funding in California. Firebaugh, who served the maximum three terms as an assemblyman representing Bell Gardens, Commerce and South Gate among other cities, repeatedly criticized Gov. Read more...