This weekend, Fresno State’s Valley Public History Initiative is debuting “Roots and Routes: Fresno’s Global Soccer History,” a project that traces the sport in the Central Valley through oral histories, photos, and other documents, with a focus on immigrants who have made soccer in Fresno what it is today. A series of talks and presentations will take place Friday afternoon at Tioga Sequoia, before the Fresno Foxes game, and Saturday morning at Fresno State’s Henry Madden Library.

Right on the heels of Easter, the Fresno Master Chorale concludes its season on April 28 with an epic work by Johann Sebastian Bach. In this interview, we speak with Artistic Director Anna Hamre and soloist Terry Lewis about their upcoming performance of Bach’s "St. John Passion".

Listen to the interivew above to hear why "St. John Passion" is different from other classic choral works, and how Lewis approaches the character of Jesus Christ throughout the performance.

Monday was Earth Day, and to commemorate, Fresno City College hosted a talk about how climate change is increasing our risk of wildfire—as well as some new climate change-related legislation making its way through the U.S. Congress. 

Listen to the audio for an interview with one of the speakers, Jerry Hinkle, an economist based in Northern California and a board member of the non-profit Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

On this week’s Valley Edition: Oildale has a reputation as an epicenter for drugs like heroin and meth. And yet, fatal opioid overdoses appear to be dropping. We hear from health professionals and community leaders about why—and whether the change can last.

We also talk to a Fresno Bee reporter about how social justice groups have been making their mark on city politics, and a historian on how Fresno’s soccer history is intricately tied to the experiences of migrants.

Plus: How a community garden in Madera County is helping some disenfranchised women grow, too.

Today on Valley Edition, we're taking you to Fresno's Chinatown. And we're starting at Chef Paul's Cafe.

People come from all over the state to try Chef Paul Pearson's recipes but the cafe is only open because someone bet him $1,000 that he couldn't keep a restaurant afloat in Chinatown.

Ofelia Hemme used to run Ofelia’s Cocina, a Mexican restaurant on Kern Street with red and yellow tablecloths and sunny wall murals of beaches and palm trees. Her specialty was chiles rellenos: Stuffed peppers. “Every other place, they have chiles rellenos in Mexican restaurants, but ours were different,” says Hemme, smiling. “They were served in some kind of juice, like a juicy sauce, and it was really really really good.”

Moderator Kathleen Schock talks with three people invested in Fresno's Transformative Climate Communities plan -- it’s an effort that affects Chinatown and Southwest Fresno.

There are signs the historic, three-story Buddhist temple in Fresno’s Chinatown is coming to life again.

There’s a newly erected metal fence around the property, a few cars in the parking lot and inside the ordination hall, the sounds of voices chanting in unison.

One popular stop in Fresno’s Chinatown is Kogetsu-Do, a Japanese shop with a long history over on F Street.

Lynn Ikeda-Yada owns the shop, whose name means "lake moon," and she’s the third generation to do so. Her grandparents migrated to Chinatown from Hiroshima, Japan.

There’s even a blown-up photo on the wall of her grandparents and uncle in the same space Ikeda-Yada’s shop occupies today.

“My grandparents started it in 1915,” says Ikeda-Yada. “That picture was taken in 1920 and they had two sons: Roy, who’s the little boy there, and my dad, Mas.”