There’s a particular kind of frustration that comes from walking through an orchard and hearing fruit fall to the ground. Not picked, not packed, not sold — just dropping. When discussing what transpired with his nectarine harvest in 2025, Cesar Mora expressed precisely that emotion. Every step through his Reedley orchard, he said, was marked by the sound of fruit hitting the dirt. Thump, thump. It’s the kind of information that sticks in your memory. Mora made the decision this summer that he would not allow it to occur once more. The third-generation Central Valley farmer opened his orchard gates…
Author: Sierra Foster
Sierra Foster
Born in Kansas City, Sierra Foster writes about politics and serves as Senior Editor at kbsd6.com. She was raised paying attention to this city, not just living in it. Sierra has a strong, deep connection to Kansas City, from the neighborhoods east of Troost to the discussions that take place in the city hall halls. Sierra, who is presently enrolled at the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in Political Science, applies the rigor of academic study to her journalism. She writes about politics in Missouri and Kansas as someone who genuinely cares about what happens to the people in these communities—the policies that impact them, the leaders who represent them, and the civic forces influencing their futures—rather than as an outsider watching from a distance. Her editorial coverage encompasses state-level policy, local government, and the national political currents that permeate bi-state regional life. Whether it's a city council vote or a Senate race, she has a special gift for turning complex policy language into writing that feels urgent, relatable, and worthwhile. Sierra seldom sits still off the page. She claims that playing soccer on a regular basis has sharpened her instincts for political reporting because of the sport's teamwork, strategy, and requirement to read a changing game in real time. She's probably somewhere in Kansas City with her friends when she's not writing or on the pitch, discovering new reasons to adore a city she already knows so well.
When Nicola McKay started taking Depo-Provera in the early 2000s, she did what most people do with a doctor-recommended contraceptive — she assumed it was safe. The nurse from Portmahomak, a small coastal village in the Scottish Highlands, received the injection every three months without much second thought. It was convenient. It worked. She had a career to focus on and a life to live. Then, in February of last year, she had five seizures in a single day. The scan that followed delivered news she wasn’t prepared for: three non-cancerous brain tumours, known as meningiomas, sitting inside her skull.…
There’s something almost counterintuitive about a discrimination lawsuit targeting a minority-owned business. 99 Ranch Market, a chain with fresh lychee, live fish tanks near the entrance, and brands that many immigrant families grew up with, established its reputation by catering to Asian-American communities across the nation. But federal regulators are now saying that what happened behind the scenes, in manager offices and on scheduling spreadsheets, tells a very different story. Tawa Supermarket Inc., the parent company of 99 Ranch Market in Buena Park, was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which claimed that the chain routinely discriminated against…
The beginning of this seems almost unremarkable. After paying for groceries, a customer receives a receipt, which they may stuff into a bag or discard. It turned out that the easily misplaced, thermal-printed slip of paper contained more information than was permitted by law. A $7.4 million class action lawsuit against one of the most reputable grocery chains in America was sparked by that minor detail. The case focuses on a remarkably narrow time frame: March 5–July 19, 2019. Some Trader Joe’s locations printed the first six and last four digits of a customer’s credit or debit card number on…
It has an almost ridiculous quality. You leave a Trader Joe’s with a canvas bag full of organic crackers and two-buck chuck, and you quickly tuck your receipt into your pocket. The majority of people act in this way. However, that crumpled receipt may have been discreetly printing more information than it should have for customers who visited specific Trader Joe’s locations between March and July of 2019. Years later, this has resulted in a $7.4 million legal settlement. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), a federal law that restricts the number of card numbers that can appear…
A grocery receipt was the first step. Not a dramatic hack, not a scandal, not a breach. A few too many digits of a customer’s credit card number were displayed on a slip of thermal paper that was printed at a Trader Joe’s in Florida in 2019. Brian Keim was that client. What he saw on that receipt ultimately led to a $7.4 million class action settlement that may now protect thousands of consumers nationwide. Although the complaint’s main point is rather technical, it is important. A particular provision of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, or FACTA, states…
Watching a company worth tens of billions of dollars struggle to explain why childlike sex dolls started to appear for sale on its platform is almost disorienting. Shein is currently facing accusations ranging from dishonest shipping practices to the kind of content moderation errors that keep regulators up at night, not just once, in one courtroom, but in several jurisdictions. Citing potential infractions of the Digital Services Act, the European Commission launched a formal investigation into Shein earlier this year. The issues are serious. Investigators are examining whether the platform’s systems effectively stop the sale of illicit goods, including what…
Winning a class action settlement and then learning you can’t really use the money is almost ridiculous. After receiving a $28.34 Tremendous prepaid Mastercard as part of a 2022 settlement payout, a man from New Jersey found himself in a situation similar to that. He entered Walmart. He gave McDonald’s a try. He made a stop at a nearby store. Each and every one of them rejected him. The card would just not be accepted at any physical register. A proposed class action lawsuit based on that story has been filed in a federal court in New Jersey. It raises…
It is rare for fifteen states to go to court together over a vaccination schedule. Public health does not typically operate that way. However, a subtle and swift change occurred in January, and the consequences are still being felt. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC’s decision to revoke the universally recommended status of seven childhood vaccines is at its core. No input from the public. No discussion using the conventional scientific methods. Public health officials nationwide claim that this policy change directly contradicts decades of medical evidence. Along with 14 other states, California co-led the…
Observing a company that claims that product safety is a “top priority” while selling 10,000 new clothing designs every day is almost ridiculous. Shein is in this predicament, and it is getting harder to ignore the discrepancy between its public claims and what independent researchers are actually discovering in its apparel. According to data released by Greenpeace Germany in November 2025, 18 out of 56 tested Shein clothing items had hazardous chemical levels higher than those allowed by the European Union. Not just a little bit. Extreme margins, in certain instances. Phthalates, plasticizers associated with reproductive disorders, and PFAS, the…