Kristen Apolline Castillo(she/her/hers)
News Reporter, Los Angeles

Kristen Apolline Castillo expects to graduate in December 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications. Castillo has interned with Times Media Group and reported and edited for The State Press.

Latest from Kristen Apolline Castillo

‘Like a home:’ Filipino American students join to raise visibility, preserve heritage

LOS ANGELES – Young Filipino people turn to cultural clubs and organizations for a sense of community at the Universities to educate themselves and others. The struggle to better understand their culture and heritage has led them out of their homes and into classrooms.

Children try out the swings in Unidad Park in Los Angeles' Unidad Park, situated in the Historic Filipinotown section of the city, in this photo taken Nov. 21, 2022. (Photo by Emeril Gordon/Cronkite News)

Filipinos in LA look to a gateway as their ‘guiding star’ to salvage a neglected history

LOS ANGELES – Historic Filipinotown, or HiFi, is supposed to be the center of the Filipino community in Los Angeles, but it lacks key identifying factors that many cultural communities have in their respective districts. The strides to make this a reality have been slow, but community members have been working to make the Filipino community’s presence known.

Los Angeles' Historic Filipinotown was given a grand gateway to a community that Filipino Americans say has been overlooked, as seen in this photo taken Nov. 17, 2022 (Photo by Emeril Gordon/Cronkite News)

Symptoms of COVID ‘long haulers’ baffle doctors looking for treatment options

LOS ANGELES – With COVID-19 restrictions having faded away, doctors are seeing an influx of patients with long-term symptoms that are similar to the severe symptoms shown at the peak of the pandemic but are not as lethal. Doctors and other health care providers in Southern California are working with patients to correctly diagnose them and provide proper care to ease their suffering.


Schools superintendent: Hoffman and Horne in tight race

PHOENIX – Incumbent Kathy Hoffman, running a race in which she defended her record, and Tom Horne, a Republican who preached a return to academic basics, were neck and neck as ballots were still be counted.

Kathy Hoffman, the Democratic candidate for Arizona superintendent of public instruction, speaks during the election party for Arizona Democrats at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel Nov. 8, 2022, in Phoenix. Tom Horne is the Republican candidate for superintendent of public instruction. (Photos by Mary Grace Grabill/Cronkite News and courtesy of Tom Horne)

‘Urgent crisis:’ School districts stockpile Narcan as fentanyl kills more students

LOS ANGELES – School districts are stocking up on drug overdose drug Narcan as fentanyl claims the lives of more students. Seven students have died in the LA school district alone. Downey Unified School District began training and planning for emergency administrative response to the Fentanyl crisis over the summer before the 2022-23 school year. Each of their schools has several dosages of Narcan and several faculty and staff members trained to administer doses in the case of a drug-related health emergency.


Latinos working frontline jobs powered U.S. economy during peak of pandemic, report says

LOS ANGELES – At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Latino community made significant contributions to maintaining the country’s gross domestic product. New numbers show the Latino population is making great contributions to the economy as labor workers, homeowners and college graduates.


Casino divide: Tribes split as California voters consider online sports betting

LOS ANGELES – A year after Arizona legalized sports betting, California may follow suit. Propositions 26 and 27 would legalize in-person and online sports betting, and expand in-person games, like roulette and craps. Tribes, however, are in a bind.


Pretty in ink: Woman-owned LA studio making tattoos more accessible, inclusive

LOS ANGELES – Milla Press, 24, opened Girlxfriend LA, a tattoo studio with the goal of an unconventionally feminine atmosphere that makes a diverse set of clients feel welcome, included and supported.


Death by homelessness: Living on the streets cuts lives short, study finds

LOS ANGELES – A new study finds older unhoused people are 3.5 times more at risk of premature death. Leading causes are heart disease and cancer – and drug addiction.