Valley Edition (KVPR)

It’s Tuesday, November 6th, 2018. Today, you can’t escape the elections. We hear from two political science professors about the issues on the ballot in Fresno and in Bakersfield. We also talk to one very young city council candidate whose political aspirations go back to the farm worker’s movement. Plus we talk to a group that’s addressing voting barriers for Hmong elders in Fresno, and look at the origins of the “I Voted” sticker. And later, we talk to the documentary filmmakers whose...

On Valley Edition: A leaked memo suggests that the Trump Administration wants to narrowly define sex as unchangeable; we hear reactions from the transgender community. Plus, many rural areas in the San Joaquin Valley have little or no access to local news. What’s the impact on these news deserts -- especially in light of the midterm elections. And later, we catch up with Donald Munro, the longtime arts reporter for the Central Valley. He’s been covering the beat from his own website for a...

On today’s show: California is about to elect a new governor, but where do they stand on health? We talk to a reporter from Kaiser Health News for some insight. Also, the Fresno Bee has spent the last month and a half starting conversations about the “Fresno Divide,” and we catch up with one of their reporters to find out how that went. Later, immigrants leaving impoverished countries often come to America with little or no money. And now, a proposal from the Trump Administration would...

Coming up next on Valley Edition: Valley Public Radio is celebrating 40 years on the air! We meet one of the station’s co-founders, Von Johnson. Also, Attorney General Xavier Becerra was in Fresno to speak out against a proposed plan from the EPA. We hear from air district officials and air quality advocates about the proposed SAFE Rule. And later, two takes on Southwest Fresno: How the Running Horse Golf Course let down the community, and how a new college campus could shape its future....

Coming up next on Valley Edition: Overcoming valley fever can be tough enough, but what if you get it while you’re pregnant? It affects a small but concerning demographic. Also, a rsenic is in our groundwater, and some studies say it could get more concentrated over time. Water experts from across the state are gathering in Fresno this week to discuss it. E arlier this year, Kern County was sued over its county supervisor districts. Will the same thing happen in Tulare County? We explore...

This week on Valley Edition: A look at California’s changing wildfire season through the lens of health: Why firefighter deaths aren’t falling in California the way they are in the rest of the country. We also add context to a mailer from Devin Nunes's campaign against an unusual opponent: The Fresno Bee. Plus, Tme Magazine says it’s a book everyone will be talking about this Fall -- Nazi sympathizers in the U.S. during World War II. We hear from the author, a Fresno historian. And...

This week on Valley Edition: The midterm election is weeks away, and some Valley counties are dealing with lawsuits about redistricting. We look at how that’s changing the political landscape, particularly in Kern County. Also, Fresno guitarist Omar Nare is in the studio to talk about his upcoming concert, “Hecho en Fresno,” which will blend modern and folkloric music and dance. We also interview a journalist who wrote a book about grappling with his status as an undocumented immigrant....

This week on Valley Edition: Many are saying it's the "Year of the Woman." We'll look at female political hopefuls in the Central Valley, and its reputation for sending women into office. We also follow up with a local family from Yemen whose immigration case made national news in part because of the president’s so-called “travel ban.” And what links two violent crimes committed in Bakersfield last week? The Kern County District Attorney’s office weighs in. Plus: How local hospitals have...

This week on Valley Edition, we have a conversation with congressional candidate and Fresno County prosecutor Andrew Janz. We also talk with a UC researcher about the growing body of research examining air pollution’s effects on the brain. Later, we'll learn about the obstacles facing survivors of violence who seek asylum in the U.S., and we continue our in-depth series on violence in the healthcare workforce. Plus, in honor of California Native American day, we learn about a...

This week on Valley Edition, we talk with biographer Miriam Pawel, author of the new book, "The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Helped Shape a Nation." We also talk with poet Brian Turner, about his new music project from his band, the Interplanetary Acoustic Team. And we also learn about what recent ICE arrests at local courthouses mean for immigrants and the justice system with FM89's immigration reporter, Monica Velez.

This week on Valley Edition - we look back to when the U.S. government tried to replace migrant farmworkers with high schoolers in a conversation with journalist Gustavo Arellano. We also chat with journalist Alexandra Jaffe from Vice News Tonight on HBO, and get new insights into the war of words between Congressman Devin Nunes and The Fresno Bee, and how to restore the public’s trust in media. Plus, we continue our series on workplace violence in healthcare and learn what’s being done to...

This week on Valley Edition, we begin a new series on the issue of workplace violence enountered by doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. We also hear a report about how local immigration attorneys are raising concerns about changes to the U Visa program, which helps undocumented immigrants who are victims of crimes. And Kerry Klein brings us a special report about an African drum camp in the Sierra foothills. Later in the show we learn how the community of Stratford is...

This week on Valley Edition, we learn about how the rural Fresno County community of Del Rey is working to clean up its drinking water, which is now contaminated by an agricultural chemical. We also learn about the lawsuit over Monsanto’s popular herbicide Roundup, and about new efforts to expand mental health care for children in Fresno County. Later in the show, we learn how college students are spending their summer working on voter registration in rural valley communities, and we talk...

On today’s Valley Edition, we explore the effort to save a rare species in Kern County that until the 1990’s was thought to be extinct. We also learn about an unfortunate side effect of the drug used to treat valley fever patients, and why it’s helping them forge a bond with cancer patients. We also explore California’s recent wave of extreme heat and extreme fire behavior with Sean Boyd. Ezra David Romero joins us later in the program to talk about his new podcast series Yosemiteland, and...

On this week’s Valley Edition, we learn how Fresno State students are leaving their mark at one of the top scientific institutions in Europe. We also continue our look at the issue of homelessness with a profile of a Fresno mom who was living on the streets, and is now working to turn her life around. Plus we look back at what’s happened to the unaccompanied minors who sought refuge in this country, including one local man who is now an adult, and seeking permanent residency status. Later...

Today on Valley Edition, major changes are on the way for the Endangered Species Act -- at least that's what the Trump Administration wants to see happen. We'll find out what it means for the Valley. Plus, criminal corruption charges have been filed against a sitting county supervisor in the Valley. We'll talk about the alleged case of corruption against Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez with one of the state's leading experts on government ethics. And, some highlights from last week's Be...

This week on Valley Edition, we learn why two valley cities are looking to stretch their water supplies from toilet to tap, in a bid to become more sustainable. We also dig into controversial plans to regulate oil wells in the Kern County city of Arvin, and learn why shoppers and vendors at area flea markets say business is down. Later in the show, we find out why a program providing emergency housing for at-risk families in Fresno is expanding, and what changes at UCSF-Fresno mean for the...

This week on Valley Edition we hear reports about a new group that wants to “save” Fresno’s Shaw Avenue, and about the rapid expansion of tribal gaming at existing and proposed casinos across the region. We also learn about new research into immunology at UC Merced, about a new fight over the future of Mono Lake, new funding for valley fever research, and how local dairy operators are in the middle of a global trade war.

This week on Valley Edition, we learn about a new approach the City of Fresno is taking to help the homeless community. We also learn how farmers and farmworkers are being affected by the current crackdown on immigration. Later in the show we learn about the many valley residents who choose to leave this area every year because of poor air quality. We also talk with journalist Nathanael Johnson of Grist to learn about a project that has valley farmers fighting climate change, and we get an...

Today on Valley Edition, we hear about how a disagreement on Facebook led to the ousting of the Tulare City mayor. We also talk to locals who visited the border and describe what they observed while protesting at detention centers, even after the president changed his family separation policy. Later in the show, we talk to writer Naomi Hirahara about a new book she co-wrote, detailing life for Japanese Americans after the internment camps closed, called “Life After Manzanar.” Plus, a look at...