WelcomeSee what our video team has been up to for the past year or so:
kqednews.org/video
UC Nurses StrikeUniversity of California service workers got reinforcements Tuesday, as nurses and technical staffers joined them on the picket lines outside medical centers around the state.
Outside UCSF’s Parnassus campus, union members beat drums, shouted through megaphones and chanted all day long.
How We Talk About TechSince the beginning of the world wide web, people have been talking about how computers can “connect people,” “bring the world closer together” and “build community.” Much of this techno-utopian rhetoric was adopted from the counterculture and back-to-the-land movements of the late 1960s, and in the following decades it came to shape how the public conceived of advances in computing and networking.
As we reassess how technology is affecting our lives today, these phrases and the ideas that they encode persist. But the rhetoric no longer belongs exclusively to a counterculture enthusiastic about the potential of a nascent internet. Now it is infused in the talking points and marketing strategies of CEOs for what have become some of the most powerful companies in the world.
Read more:
For more stories in the series, "REASSESSING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TECHNOLOGY" go to: kqed.org/news/series/reassessing-our-relationship-with-technology
SF Mayoral DebateHousing and homelessness dominated a spirited debate among five mayoral hopefuls Monday night at the Castro Theatre, where the audience was more aggressive at times than the candidates.
Inside a CHP HelicopterCHP Pilot Pete Gavitte and his flight officer Whitney Lowe were flying their helicopter over the North Bay on the night of October 8th, when they heard chatter on their radio about a fire growing on Atlas Peak.
Within minutes, they were over the fire.
The officers landed their helicopter in a field on the peak, and began ferrying people to safety. They returned again and again, even as powerful winds hammered their helicopter. By the end of the night, they would fly 42 people off of Atlas Peak.
To read the full KQED investigation into the north bay fires: kqed.org/fireinvestigation
Bay Area Students Walk OutThousands of students across the Bay Area and California joined a nationwide school walkout Wednesday to protest gun violence and to press for stricter gun laws, one month after a mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school left 17 dead.
Two Types of HomelessnessThe Tubbs Fire in the North Bay created a whole new group of homelessness in Santa Rosa. Since October, those who lost their homes have received most of the attention but many people were already living on the streets.
Hear more on KQED's The Bay: ww2.kqed.org/news/2018/02/27/two-types-of-homeless
SF State Student Strike During the Fall semester of 1968, the Black Student Union at what was then called San Francisco State College presented a list of 10 “non-negotiable” demands to administrators, focusing on the creation of a black studies department and increasing black access to the university. College officials did not grant the demands. So the BSU, along with other student organizations and people of color organized as the Third World Liberation Front, launched what would become the longest campus strike in U.S. history.
San Francisco NeonWalking down San Francisco’s Market Street today, it’s hard to imagine that the street was once a river of neon lights. In fact, the city was once right up there with places like New York, Los Angeles and even Las Vegas.
Tiny Home Pilot ProgramFor the past four months, Couper Orona, a 44-year-old retired firefighter, has taken refuge in one of the tiny, wooden dwellings as part of the Saint Francis Homelessness Challenge's (SFHC) Transitional Sleep and Storage Shelter pilot program. Orona moved into the unit after living in tent encampments and leaving the city's Navigation Center, which limited her stay to 60 days.
"This is sturdy and strong," Orona says describing her home for the past four months. "It gives me stability, it gives me security."
This new program affords her basic housing — a roof over her head, a bed to sleep in and a secure place to keep her possessions — allowing her to work full-time and stay indefinitely while pursuing more permanent housing options.
American SuburbGentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?
Subscribe to the podcast: ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast
El Camino Not-So-RealEl Camino Real – originally part of 101 – runs the length of the Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose. It’s very name implies a regal history. Translated from the Spanish, it means “The King’s Highway.”
Legend has it, the El Camino Real in Silicon Valley is part of the historic Mission trail, an ancient road that connects the Spanish missions, like a string of pearls along the California coast.
But is that true?
Read more:
The Blind KayakerUstunel lost his sight because of eye cancer when he was a child, but that never kept him away from the water. He spent afternoons fishing with his father, and summers swimming in the Black Sea, where his grandmother had a house.
Now, he’s 37 and still loves being on the water. But instead of going out in another person’s boat, Ustunel wants to go out on his own.
Sunrise Ceremony on AlcatrazOn October 9th, a crowd of early risers visited Alcatraz on Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate the history and culture of native peoples.
Before the sunrise broke through the fog, people quietly circled around a fire to honor their ancestors with a sunrise ceremony, commemorating the occupation of Alcatraz Island from November 1969 to June 1971 by "Indians of All Tribes," a pan-tribal group of Native American leaders and activists.
Read more:
Video: Arash Malakzadeh
Santa Rosa FireRead more: ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/10/09/wind-whipped-wildfires-forcing-evacuations-in-napa-and-sonoma-counties
Anchor-OutsIn Sausalito, two communities coexist. There are the people who live in homes scattered across the rolling hillside, and another floating population of mariners anchored indefinitely in Richardson Bay. The “anchor-outs,” as they’re called, live predominately rent-free, escaping the high prices of Bay Area housing for a more calm and autonomous lifestyle.
Video: Arash Malekzadeh
Visually Impaired GamingHard-core gamer Marco Salsiccia of San Francisco misses the visually immersive games he used to play before he became totally blind four years ago. A growing number of game developers are waking up to the audience demand for accessibility options.
Read more: kqed.org/arts/13827545
Heartbeat of the Oakland A'sOn any given Oakland A’s home game — night or day, winning or losing — you’ll find charged-up, colorful and sometime cacophonous A’s fans sitting far out in the right field bleachers at the Oakland Coliseum. You can’t miss them. They bang drums, wave flags, chant, sing and make a lot of noise.
But what they create is more than a big, enthusiastic sound. It’s a pounding beat and jangling rhythm with a point, a mission and a history. Metallic pops, stick snaps and rimshots let radio and TV audiences know immediately. This is Oakland.
Welcome to Section 149.
Video: Serginho Roosblad and Tena Rubio
Archive: Vietnam War ReactionsScenes from around the Bay Area as both sides respond to the rising tensions in Vietnam.
Rainbow CampThe Bay Area Rainbow Camp in El Cerrito is a welcoming place "where gender-diverse youth can come together, have fun and feel a sense of gender identity pride and resilience and feel safe and belonging in a community," says camp founder, Sandra Collins.
Reporter: Jon Brooks
Video: Serginho Roosblad, Arash Malakzadeh
Trump vs. ObamacareFrom the day he was inaugurated into office through today, President Trump has had it in for the Affordable Care Act. After months of trying to repeal and replace Obamacare, Congress has moved on to other issues. But there are still things the administration can do, and is doing, to undermine the health insurance markets. Indeed, Trump has said multiple times he wants to “let Obamacare explode.” Here are three ways his administration is helping things along, and three ways California is trying to counteract the federal moves.
Drawings by: Mark Fiore
Written by: April Dembosky & Mark Fiore
Dog Surfing Dozens of dogs — and more than 1,000 people — showed up for the second annual World Dog Surfing Championships Saturday in Pacifica.
Potrero Hill ProjectsA massive redevelopment project is underway to transform the city's public housing projects on Potrero Hill. Current residents wait to see what an uncertain future holds for them.
Ghost Town: DrawbridgeOn an island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay sits a series of abandoned wooden buildings, slumped over and sinking into the ground. They’re all that’s left of the town called Drawbridge — often referred to as the last ghost town left in the Bay Area.
UPS ShootingA UPS employee shot and killed three coworkers at the company’s main shipping facility in San Francisco Wednesday morning before turning his gun on himself and taking his own life. Two others, also UPS workers, were wounded.
The Bison at Golden Gate ParkSeeing the animals in the park is unexpected, says Bay Curious listener Paul Irving. After all, bison aren't native to San Francisco, and they certainly stand out in today's urban setting. After years of cycling past the paddock, Irving asked Bay Curious: What’s the story behind the bison in Golden Gate Park?
Distribution Centers Distribution jobs in California spiked rapidly in the past three years. Cities in the Central Valley, like Tracy and Patterson, are home to several distribution centers and the training programs for the warehouses. But do the wages support residents in the area? And what will these jobs look like as automation grows?
Meet a MuslimFremont resident Moina Shaiq tackles questions about Islam by traveling around the Bay Area and nationwide and talking with anyone who is curious about her religion. The Pakistani Muslim hosts events at schools, churches, coffee shops and schools.
Video: Erasmo Martinez
ICE Detains Oakland FatherWhen his three young children woke up in their small house in Oakland, Maguiber wasn’t home.
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order greatly expanding the categories of undocumented people law enforcement officials should prioritize for deportation. Since then, hundreds of people have been detained around the country.
Video: Erasmo Martinez, Adam Grossberg
Reporter: Julie Small
International Women’s DayThere was a pediatrician, an office manager, a tech engineer and a handyman– or should that be — “handywoman.”
They were among more than a thousand who showed up outside San Francisco City Hall Wednesday in celebration of International Women’s Day. Many heeded the call for a “Day Without a Woman” — taking off from work to showcase the importance of women to the economy.
"March for Kindness"Inspired by recent marches around the country, Richmond’s Caliber: Beta Academy held its own “March for Kindness” late last month.
Video: Angelica Casas and Pablo De La Hoya
"The Village" Shut DownJust a day after the city’s annual homeless count, Oakland police stepped in and took apart a homeless encampment that had been built by local volunteers. Tiny houses had been constructed from plywood to offer shelter to about 16 people. Those who helped construct it considered it a sort of housing workaround, since there isn’t enough alternative housing in the city for all the homeless in need.
Video: Erasmo Martinez
Immigration Ban ProtestsBay Area residents came out to multiple protests around the Bay Area this weekend to show their support for Muslim communities impacted by President Trump's recent executive order banning immigration from seven muslim countries .
African American Male AchievementLaunched by the Oakland Unified School District in 2010, the African American Male Achievement program, wrapped up its first semester at Mission High School in San Francisco this month.
Brittany's New HomeTwo weeks ago, Brittany Jones was a homeless college student. Now she is safe and warm in an Oakland apartment, thanks to a KQED listener who heard our story about her struggle to survive and study on the streets.
Vigil for Ghost Ship VictimsA vigil was held at Lake Merritt in Oakland on Monday, Dec. 5 to mourn the passing of friends and families in the warehouse fire that killed three dozen people three nights earlier.
Video: Kelly Whalen and Adam Grossberg
Production Assistant: Isara Krieger
Ghost Ship Warehouse FireRead the latest: ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/12/03/at-least-nine-people-dead-in-large-fire-at-oakland-party
Homeless StudentsThe phrase “starving student” has become so well accepted in the college vernacular that California State University (CSU) campuses have done little to no research into home many of their enrolled students are homeless, according to report from earlier this year.
Video: Nailah Morgan
Racists Anonymous"I may think I’m liberal, I may think I’m not a racist. … But when the rubber meets the road, a whole different person shows up."
My Vote'I have the opportunity to make a change': A new U.S. citizen on her first vote for president
My VoteTrump supporter in Marin: This election has given California Republicans a voice
Bay Area Bald GirlsBay Area Bald Girls is for all women with involuntary hair loss who are choosing to live their lives bald, without wigs. According to Lefkowitz, living this way “comes with significant challenges, and our group seeks to offer support to women as they live as their authentic selves.”
Video: Deborah Svoboda
How to Live Forever60 supplements, seven-minute workout, three minute workout.
Watch the first ten minutes of a self-described biohackers day.
Door to Door for TrumpFreddy Cuellar is an Hispanic 18-year-old son of immigrants who goes door-to-door campaigning for Donald Trump.
Video: Nailah Morgan
Mariachi Summer CampThirteen-year-old Jose Ramon Gonzalez Chavez usually spends summers lying on his bed at home or on his cell phone.
But this year, he’s at Cook Middle School in Santa Rosa learning how to strum the guitarron – the big bass guitar that’s a trademark of Mariachi music.
Chavez is one of 50 kids attending California’s only Mariachi Summer Camp for beginners.
Many of them come from Mexican families and have heard Mariachi music at parties and gatherings, but never picked up an instrument. Their parents can’t afford it or their schools just don’t teach music.
Read more:
Mountain View Rent ControlFrom 2011 to 2015, the average monthly rent in Mountain View, home to Google and the heart of Silicon Valley, rose by more than 52 percent.
According to the Mountain View Tenants Coalition website, "The Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act," as a new proposal is named, will limit rent increases to between two and five percent. Landlords will also be limited to one rent increase a year.
Video: Nailah Morgan
Homeless Outreach
360 Video, HomelessnessThere are more than 6,000 homeless people in San Francisco, according to a 2015 report, and each person has a different story.
Cheryl Iversen, who goes by Tygrr, has been homeless since the 1990s. Jackie Juarez and her fiancé Gustavo Rios have been living in a tent in the Mission District for about two months.
"To Have and Have Not"The 1983 KQED documentary explored the growing gap between rich and poor in San Francisco. Sound familiar?
Landon's RedemptionEvery year Californians buy about 22 billion beverages in aluminum, glass, and plastic containers. Every one of those containers can be redeemed for a few cents each. That means that trash can be turned into cash, providing a lifeline for a subculture of marginalized recyclers — the unemployed and underemployed, the elderly, the mentally and physically disabled, former criminals, drug addicts, and prostitutes — who, through recycling, earn money and reclaim the pride that comes with having a job.
One of those people is Landon Goodwin, a former minister who has struggled with his own fall from grace, resulting in him living on the streets of West Oakland and relying on income made from recycling.
For more information about "Dogtown Redemption": pbs.org/independentlens/films/dogtown-redemption
Eviction on Market St."Someone's trying to throw you out of your house, in a place where there are no other houses for you."
Ronnie Johnson, 49, doesn’t know what she will do if she is evicted from her rent-controlled loft in San Francisco’s Mid-Market neighborhood. She’s thinking about moving in with her parents in Washington, or trying to start over in a new city.
In February, Johnson, along with the 22 other residential tenants in her building, received an Ellis Act eviction notice from her landlord, known as 1049 Market St. LLC.
The eviction — one of the largest Ellis Act evictions in the city since the law was enacted in 1985 — comes after several years of legal battles between the tenants of 1049 Market St. and their landlord
'Frisco Five' March at City HallHundreds of people walked down the middle of Mission street, heading to City Hall. They want Mayor Ed Lee to fire police chief Greg Suhr. Something the mayor has said he will not consider.
Reporter: Zoe Lew
Video: Claudia Escobar and Adam Grossberg
What's an Impact Fee?The Oakland City Council approved a new “affordable housing impact fee” at Tuesday’s city council meeting, its first legislative step in addressing Oakland’s rapidly increasing cost of living since passing a temporary rent freeze two weeks ago.
Swim in Lake Merritt?Today, Lake Merritt is known as the Crown Jewel of Oakland, but it used to be called by a different name: the Lake of 1,000 Smells. To figure how to make it a swimming lake, it’d be good to know how it became un-swimmable in the first place.
Bridge DancerAmy Kistler has seen a man dancing on the 20th Street pedestrian overpass above Highway 101 for years. Her evening commutes from Emeryville back to San Francisco are speckled with sightings of the dancing man, who always holds a large red heart in his hand.
Stumped, Kistler asked Bay Curious, “What’s the story with the dancer on the 18th Street overpass?”
Video: Lucas Waldron, Adam Grossberg
Oakland CompostOakland began collecting compost from all residential units in July 2015, but where does all of this new green waste go? Follow the lifecycle of your food scraps as they make their way through the composting process.
Full story: ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/03/09/how-does-oakland-turn-food-scraps-to-soil
Super Bowl MadnessSuper Bowl. Super Bowl. Super Bowl.
It’s on everyone’s lips and minds this week as the Bay Area gets ready for the big game this Sunday.
Ask a fan and they’ll tell you the extravaganza is a windfall for the region, bringing in millions of dollars, highlighting San Francisco on the world stage and celebrating the largest sporting event in the world.
Ask a detractor and they’ll say the spectacle is nothing but a capitalist money grab, annoying residents with construction and traffic snarls when money and focus could be directed toward better causes.
However you feel, take a deep breath and remember — it’ll all be over on Sunday.
Jose & Mr. RamosOscar Ramos, a dedicated 3rd grade teacher in Salinas, California, is trying to help one of his promising students, Jose Ansaldo, succeed. Jose is the Mexican born son of a migrant farmworker family. Ramos, who grew up as a migrant worker himself, wants Jose and others like him to have the opportunity he had to go to become a U.S. citizen and go to college.
Mario Woods ShootingOn December 2, Mario Woods was shot and killed by SFPD officers. At least 19 shots are audible in just over 3 seconds. Using these videos, posted by witnesses to social media, SFPD Chief Greg Suhr said that officers opened fire after Woods raised his arm, making a threatening move toward an officers. However, the videos show that shots were fired prior to Woods raising his arm.
Crab Season PostponedIn November, state officials delayed the start of this year's crab season. Now, crab fisherman are feeling the effects of the delay.
Video: Alan Toth
BoomshakeVideo: Susan Cohen
A Real RideshareVideo: Anya Schultz, Adam Grossberg
Reporter: Sam Harnett
Macy's Xmas TreeMacy's has been displaying a Christmas Tree in Union Square for 26 years. They consider it a yearly gift to the city of San Francisco. See how the massive structure is assembled.
KinkBNBOn KinkBNB, hosts rent out their sex dungeons and playspaces, giving guests an intimate getaway.
Video: Susan Cohen
Folsom Lake Nears Record LowAfter years of drought, the reservoir inches toward a new l
50 Years of S.F. Mayors
When a Drought Revives a RiverMark DuBois rafts the Stanislaus River for the first time in more than three decades.
Ferries face huge growthWe bet your commute home does NOT look like this.
Video: Susan Cohen
Hero or Villain? Prime Minister Modi in Calif.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Indian head of state to visit California in 33 years.
Surgery Without ExplanationAll patients have a legal right to medical care they can understand, but California's indigenous farmworkers often don't get an interpreter.
For more, visit kqed.org/immigrant shift
Video by Jeremy Raff
Devastation and Recovery: Valley Fire AftermathEvacuees and firefighters recount their experiences during Lake County's Valley Fire that has burned more than 65,000 acres and destroyed hundred of houses and other structures.
Read more about the fire: ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/09/13/valley-fire-forcing-residents-to-evacuate-injures-firefighters-in-lake-county
Video: Adam Grossberg and Olivia Allen-Price
Welcome to West OaklandWest Oakland is changing. And some new residents are working to strengthen their community.
Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim"Ten minutes after I jumped into the Pacific Ocean, I inhaled several cups of sea water and was kicked in the face. It was going pretty well for my first competitive swim. I hadn’t died of hypothermia or lost my legs to a shark attack. So that was a win."
'Krazy' Origins of The Wave in OaklandOn October 15, 1981, Krazy George Henderson introduced the world to the wave. But after almost 35 years, not everyone is a fan.
Read more about the wave: bit.do/bay-curious-wave
kqed.org/baycurious
SFPD's Body Camera DelayWhat's taking the San Francisco Police Dept. so long to get body cameras on their officers?
A Trip to the Top of Sutro TowerHave you ever wondered what it was like at the top of Sutro Tower?
Read more: kqed.org/baycurious
Reporter: Jessica Plazcek
Video: Adam Grossberg
Music: Chris Zabriskie
Warriors Fans Dream of 1st Title in 40 Years40 years. 26 losing seasons. 3,232 regular season games. 1,793, losses.
That’s how long it’s been since the Golden State Warriors won an NBA Championship. But now they are just four wins away from being crowned NBA Champions
Video: Adam Grossberg
Music: 6th Sense
Transitioning | KQED NewsFollow two people over a year as they go through gender reassignment, including surgery.
Video: Deborah Svoboda
Music: Jason Shaw, Josh Woodward
For more: http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/05/27/follow-two-transgender-people-through-a-year-of-transitioning-video/
Sponsored Bills: Who Writes the Laws?There are a lot of reasons why legislation lives or dies at the state Capitol, but one powerful reason may be whether it’s been championed — or in some cases completely written — by influential interest groups.
These are pieces of legislation known as “sponsored bills,” a designation that at its most basic level points out the impetus for the proposal came from an outside group. But beyond that, it’s the Sacramento equivalent of a Rorschach test — a designation that means something different to everyone and almost impossible to universally define.
Books and Bullets, Part 3“My kids have actually seen a dead body ... Can you imagine being 8 years old and seeing a dead body on the street?”
kqed.org/booksandbullets
Video: Adam Grossberg
Reporter: Zaidee Stavely
Music: Zach Flynn and Podington Bear
Books and Bullets, Part 2Because of the predominance of violence in some parts of Oakland, O.U.S.D. estimates that half of all students in the district will need therapy or counseling at some point during their school years. That's more that double the national average.
kqed.org/booksandbullets
Video: Adam Grossberg
Reporter: Zaidee Stavely
Music: Zach Flynn
Books and Bullets, Part 1Last year, 9-year-old Jacqueline Funes was shot in the neck while playing in front of her house. She is one of 95 children shot in Oakland last year.
kqed.org/booksandbullets
Video: Adam Grossberg
Reporter: Zaidee Stavely
Music: Podington Bear
Mount Tam Car WreckKermit Robbins has been hiking past an old car wreck on a Mount Tamalpais trail for years. He wants to know, how did the car get here, and when?
4/20 Fest Brings Fog to Golden GateHere are some folks we met in the very large, very stoned crowd gathered at Hippie Hill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for 4/20.
Video by Jeremy Raff
History of Bay Area Booms in 3.5 MinutesFrom "vast solitude" to home to over 7 and half million people. This is how we got there.
Video: Adam Grossberg
ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/03/27/boomtown-video-from-the-gold-rush-to-today-in-217-seconds
Dolphin Club Members Brave the ColdMembers of the historic Dolphin Club have been swimming and rowing in San Francisco's Bay for over a century.
Video: Anya Schultz
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, at 95The beat poet, painter and publisher recounts six decades of life in San Francisco.
Video: Adam Grossberg
Reporter: Joanne Elgart Jennings
Stereotypes Are Coach's Biggest ProblemMarty Turcios is part philosopher, part disability rights advocate, and part jock. Constantly fending off stereotypes around disability once drove him to a dark place. Now, he shares his insight through golf.
'Young Gifted and Black' Teaches HistoryYoung Gifted and Black, or YGB, is a youth performance ensemble based in Oakland. More than 50 performers — ranging in age from 6 to 18 — learn and memorize compilations of historical black poems and contemporary raps, which they perform around the Bay Area.
From the Archive: 'Blacks, Blues, Black!'The above clip features three excerpts from the series, “Blacks, Blues, Black!” including, Maya Angelou reciting the poem, “A Letter to an Aspiring Junkie,” a performance and interview she did with legendary blues guitarist B.B. King and a visit to Martin Luther King School in San Francisco.
The entire ten-part series is available online: diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/10287
Taxi vs. Lyft: Behind the WheelGo behind the wheel as we spend a day with a cab driver and a a day with a Lyft driver. Hear the different sides of the complicated debate.
Not Vaccinated? ‘Stay Home from School'Carl Krawitt has watched his son, Rhett, now 6, fight leukemia for the last 4½ years. For more than three of those years, Rhett has undergone round after round of chemotherapy. Last year, he finished chemotherapy, and doctors say he is in remission.
Now, there’s a new threat, one that the family should not have to worry about: measles.
Read more about Rhett: blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/01/26/not-vaccinated-stay-home-from-school-says-marin-dad-of-leukemia-patient/#more-23624
Reporter: Lisa Aliferis
Video: Jeremy Raff, Adam Grossberg
Music: Zach Flynn
Teen Confronts Family Secret to Secure FutureJennifer Cruz fled El Salvador after powerful gangs threatened her with sexual violence. Now, she and her older sister must face a painful part of their past in order to secure a special kind of immigration status.
Reporter: Ana Tintocalis
Video Producer: Jeremy Raff
Editors: Tyche Hendricks, Julia McEvoy, and Adam Grossberg
Music: Chris Zabriskie and Zacharias Flynn
For more: kqed.org/sisters
TURFin' on BARTWe met up with the Turf Feinz crew on a recent weekday evening and tagged along for the ride.
Video: Adam Grossberg and Matthew Green
Music: Debbie Deb
Meet 72-Year-Old Rollerblader Frank HernandezYes, he risks injury, but that kind of determination is nothing new for Frank. As a teenager, he picked grapes in the Central Valley long before the strikes led by Cesar Chavez. The experience made him passionate about going to college when it was unusual for a kid like him to ever leave town.
Video by Jeremy Raff
Music by Chicano Batman
What's Your Favorite Book?
Foraging for Wild FoodsBay Area foodies are increasingly foraging for foods in parks, backyards and gardens.
Clarence Cook moves into 250 KearnyAfter living on the streets of the Tenderloin since 1997, veteran Clarence Cook moved into 250 Kearny on December 4th, 2014. Formerly the Stanford Hotel, 250 Kearny has been remodeled and turned into SRO apartment units for 130 formerly homeless veterans.
One Wet Day Around the BayAround the San Francisco Bay Area, residents shared their experiences of the Bay Area Storm on social media. Here are some of KQED's favorite clips.
Oakland's Crowded Mayoral FieldWith just days left in the seemingly endless 2014 campaign season, we’ve finally, mercifully, hit the homestretch. Here's a glimpse into how the many campaigns are being run in the crowded Oakland Mayoral race.
Philharmonia Baroque OrchestraNicholas McGegan has conducted the San Francisco-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra for nearly 30 years, and he's made it his personal mission to make baroque music fun and appealing to everyone. He's known for sharing juicy tidbits about 18th-century composers and introducing audiences to obscure instruments, such as a violin bow made from Mongolian horse hair or flutes made of mammoth tusks. McGegan joins us for a crash course in Baroque musical masterpieces.
Hear the full episode: kqed.org/a/forum/R201412041000
Feather River Salmon SpawningThe fall chinook salmon run is under way. Take a look inside Feather River Hatchery in Oroville, CA as they artificially spawn several hundred thousand salmon eggs per day.
@Large: Ai Weiwei on AlcatrazThe title of international art star Ai Weiwei’s installation on Alcatraz, @Large, is a contradiction, since the artist himself is anything but. Ai was imprisoned by Chinese authorities for 81 days in 2011, ostensibly on tax-related charges, and his travel is still restricted to his native China. The unusual exhibition on the site of the famous penitentiary opens this weekend and explores themes of freedom and imprisonment. “The idea of freedom is not just a concept,” Ai told KQED, referring to prisoners of conscience around the world who suffer confinement only because “they want to change society.”
Read more: ww2.kqed.org/arts/2014/09/24/the-making-of-large-ai-weiwei-on-alcatraz
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Producer: Adam Grossberg
Oakland Youth Focus On HealthUCSF medical students use photography to start a conversation about food access, diabetes, asthma, and other health risks at a West Oakland school.
Soul Line Dancers | State of HealthProducer: Lynne Shallcross
Read more: http://blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2014/10/01/video-san-pablo-line-dancing-class-helps-people-step-to-better-health/#more-21184
Struggle To Get Autism TherapyTimothy Wilson wasn't always the bubbly six-year-old he is today. Before he began therapy for Autism, "he didn't say momma or dada, there was no eye contact, he didn't really respond to me," said his mom Jazzmon Wilson. With applied behavior analysis (ABA), his progress was brisk, but when the family moved, his new school district did not off the treatment, and the Wilsons couldn't afford private therapy.
Now California has become the first state to meet federal guidelines for Autism treatment, expanding ABA therapy to low-income families through Medi-Cal. Timothy and about 12,000 other kids will now have access.
Read more: blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2014/09/19/video-why-the-new-autism-benefit-is-so-important-to-medi-cal-families
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Video: Jeremy Raff
Reporter: David Gorn, California Healthline
Female TURF Dancers Strut & TutHip-hop was born in NYC but one crucial element, breakdancing, owes a lot to LA and the Bay.
A newer dance style, Turfin' -- from T.U.R.F or Taking Up Room on the Floor -- is straight out of Oakland. Local dancer, Alonzo 'Turf' Jones, even competed on America's Got Talent.
But even as hip-hop dancing has become mainstream, women have often been sidelined. KQED checked out a rare women-only dance battle.
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Reporter: Andrew Stelzer
Video: Jeremy Raff
World’s Oldest Square Dance CallerAt 89, Ernie Kinney is the oldest active square dance caller in the world.
The former Marine and schoolteacher has called all over the world and in all 50 states. These days, he’s still in demand — just sticking a little closer to his longtime Fresno home. He calls every Monday night in Hanford, about 45 minutes away. And every Thursday, dancers dressed in Western wear can find him calling for the Travelin’ Pioneers Square Dance Club at the Clovis Senior Center outside Fresno.
Reporter: Alice Daniel
Video: Adam Grossberg and Jeremy Raff
Wells Run Dry as Farmers Dig DeepDespite California's extreme drought, farmers continue to plant more water-intensive, high-value crops. Almonds, most of which are exported, use a full 10% of the state's water. Almost no surface water is available, so farmers are drilling ever deeper into the aquifers below their land.
Meanwhile, some surrounding communities that rely on that same resource are running out of water to drink.
Dakota EcoGarden in FresnoDakota Eco Garden is a communal project for the homeless in Fresno, CA spearheaded by retired schoolteacher Nancy Waidtlow. She wanted to create a safe space for people to live.
Last Day for Drakes Bay Oyster CompanyAfter a long legal battle, July 31st was officially the last day for Drakes Bay Oyster Company’s retail operations. They can continue wholesale operations, mainly selling oysters to local restaurants, but customers can no longer visit the now-closed Oyster Shack, in order to purchase, grill and shuck oysters on the beach of of Drake’s Estero.
Video: Adam Grossberg and Jeremy Raff
Read More: blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/08/05/video-last-day-at-drakes-bay-oyster-companys-retail-business
California SmokejumpersFires started by lightning often erupt in very remote, mountainous parts of the state, far from any roads. Sometimes the only way to get fire crews to them is to have them jump out of planes. It takes a special breed to jump (a) out of a perfectly good airplane, and (b) into an active fire zone. But smokejumpers have been doing it for decades.
Cakeland Closing Its Frosted DoorsArtist Scott Hove, a Bay Area native who has made a name for himself in the art world with his striking, cake-themed sculptures, is packing up his frosting and moving to Los Angeles. Last week Hove shut down Cakeland, the Oakland storefront he has both lived and exhibited in since 2009. Word of the closure prompted a mad dash by local art fans to see the beautiful and weird world Hove had built in the days before he shuttered the doors and started packing to move.
Video by: Adam Grossberg and Kevin Jones
Read More: ww2.kqed.org/arts/2014/07/02/cakeland-moves-to-the-southland-an-exit-interview-with-artist-scott-hove
One Last View from Old Bay BridgeIn the shadow of the glistening, problem-wracked new Bay Bridge, the original eastern span is coming down piece by piece.
A few weeks ago, equipped with standard-issue hard hat, bright orange safety vest, plastic goggles and borrowed work boots, I venture onto the live demolition site.
Read more: blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/06/19/video-during-demolition-one-last-view-from-the-old-bay-bridge
Video by: Adam Grossberg
California Chrome Hopes to Win KY DerbyThe likely favorite for next weekend's Kentucky Derby is a flashy red horse with a big white blaze down his face. His name is California Chrome, and he's of humble origin: a home-bred from the Central Valley taking on expensive horses with Kentucky blue grass connections. It's been a long time since a horse from the Golden State won the Derby. The last was a horse named Decidedly, back in 1962.
Reporter: Julia McEvoy
Read more: blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/04/25/why-california-chrome-should-not-win-the-derby
Tech Genius Teaches TeensLanguages like Python, Java and C++ are the backbone of the Internet economy, but they’re not part of the school curriculum. While educators and lawmakers in California debate whether programming belongs in the classroom, a handful of startups and investors in Oakland have decided it’s time for local teenagers to code.
Remembering Slain Cyclists, In SilenceSan Francisco's Ride of Silence-- May 21, 2014.
VIdeo by: Jeremy Raff and Adam Grossberg
Read More: http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/cyclists-remember-in-silence-those-killed-by-vehicles
Bay to Breakers, Slightly SubduedBay To Breakers isn’t what it once was, but it’s still a good time.
That was the consensus of a handful of runners and revelers interviewed along the race route Sunday morning. Floats and kegs are a thing of the past, and in an effort to make the event more family-friendly, the number of security personnel was increased by 20 percent this year, according to CBS San Francisco. Police took steps to reduce alcohol consumption, arresting two dozen people and citing several others. But San Franciscans still found a way to let it all hang out in the annual race-slash-dance party (as usual, there were still plenty of nude people).
Video: Mark Andrew Boyer
See more: blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/05/19/thousands-turn-out-for-only-slightly-subdued-bay-to-breakers
A Second Chance for 'Lifer'Meet James Houston, one of more than 1,700 "lifers"-- inmates serving a life sentence-- who have been paroled in California since 2009. Thats more than the previous two decades combined. Most are in prison for murder.
Producer: Jeremy Raff
Read more:http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/video-lifer-free-richmond
Faces of the DeltaStretching east of the Bay Area to Stockton and north to Sacramento lies California’s delta — a puzzle of waterways and islands surrounding lush farmland.
While California’s record drought has refocused attention on the Delta, little media attention is paid to the people who actually live and work there. Farmers, fisherman, boaters and marina owners all call the Delta home.
