Valley Edition (KVPR)

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 basket-weaving...

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 recovering...

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 in...

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...

Today on Valley Edition, we go to Yosemite to hear the lengths the park service and conservation groups went to in order to preserve the treasured Giant Sequoias of the Mariposa Grove. We also learn what locals are saying about Trump administration’s move to change the rules for people seeking refugee status in America, fleeing violence in their home countries. Later in the show we talk with reporter Hannah Furfaro about new developments in our quest to understand autism, and why law...

On this week’s Valley Edition we hear reports about how idle oil and gas wells are drawing new scrutiny from Sacramento regulators, and how residents in a rural part of Clovis struck a compromise with the city and developers to protect their way of life. Plus we talk with Jim Boren of Fresno State’s new Institute for Media and Public Trust. Later in the show we are joined by USC professor Kathleen Wilber to talk about the growing problem of elder abuse and why most instances go unreported....

Today on Valley Edition, we learn how residents in the Kern County community of Lamont are excited about something many of us take for granted: sidewalks. We also learn about a new Buszzfeed investigation into a hit man with roots - and many victims - in the San Joaquin Valley. Plus we explore the problems of the recycling industry, and talk with Fresno author Tim Z. Hernandez about his new book "All They Will Call You."

This week on Valley Edition we learn why the operators of food pantries in the valley say they are facing a new problem - hostility towards Spanish speakers. We also learn how growers, packers and retailers are new technology like blockchain to improve the tracking of food as it flows through the supply chain. It's all part of an effort to reduce the severity of foodborne illness outbreaks like the one that recently tainted romaine lettuce. We also speak with journalist Amanda Fortini about...

Today on Valley Edition, we learn about one of the most closely watched races in the June primary, the contest to be Kern County’s next sheriff. We also talk politics with GV Wire’s Bill McEwen and learn how local entrepreneurs are embracing Bitcoin and the world of cryptocurrency. Later in the show we talk with journalist Chloe Sorvino of Forbes about her recent profile of Sierra Pacific Industries, a company that dominates the timber industry in the Sierra. And we also chat with musician...

Today on Valley Edition we learn how international affairs are causing a problem for local recycling operators, and how one Fresno neighborhood is looking forward to a new city plan that could solve a big traffic problem for people who live west of Highway 99. We also talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Branch about his new book "The Last Cowboys," and Diego Arambula, Executive Director of GO Public Schools Fresno about their new Choosing Our Future 2.0 report. Plus Kerry Klein...

Today on Valley Edition we get a preview of tonight’s gubernatorial debate, learn about efforts to control an invasive mosquito in Fresno and Clovis, and go surfing in Lemoore. We also talk with the organizers of a new museum exhibit about the epidemic of tree mortality in the Sierra, and with former Kern County author Howell Hurst about his new book.