Six big stories you might not have seen in local news media in 2025 - 48 hills

"The Gregorian Calendar is a scientific advance, although it was established by a pope. But the idea of January 1 as the start of a "new year" goes back much further, and is probably related to the winter solstice. In some older traditions, the new year started in March, when spring arrived. People in the Chinese and Jewish traditions celebrate the new year in the early fall or in February."

"So the Western tradition of Jan. 1 is a random day. But it's a time that everyone talks about the past year, and the year to come, and that's not a bad thing: Once a year, at the very least, we should reflect on where we are and where we're going. With a nod to Project Censored, let me do my own kind of list: Here are the biggest local stories of the year that you haven't heard much about."

"Economic inequality at home, and its impacts on everything from homelessness to public safety. In a particularly ridiculous oped the Chron ran on Jan 1, Tracy Hernandez, the head of a pro-big-business group funded is part by the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, argues that California is failing as a state because there's too much regulation, and too many "special interests" blocking progress: Wealthy NIMBYs blocking housing in the name of "community character.""

The Gregorian calendar fixed January 1 as a formal new-year date, while many cultures mark the new year according to solstices, equinoxes, or lunar cycles. Annual transitions create a common moment for collective reflection on the past year and planning for the future. Local concerns highlighted include severe economic inequality with cascading effects on homelessness, public safety, and housing affordability. Pro-business arguments blaming regulation are countered by pointing to powerful interests such as wealthy individuals avoiding taxes, real estate investment trusts, and speculative market behavior that exacerbate housing shortages and vacant commercial spaces. Systemic political and regulatory changes are implied as necessary for solutions.

Read at 48 hills