Kerry Klein
Associate Editor and ReporterKerry Klein is an award-winning reporter whose coverage of public health, air pollution, drinking water access and wildfires in the San Joaquin Valley has been featured on NPR, KQED, Science Friday and Kaiser Health News. Her work has earned numerous regional Edward R. Murrow and Golden Mike Awards and has been recognized by the Association of Health Care Journalists and Society of Environmental Journalists. Her podcast Escape From Mammoth Pool was named a podcast “listeners couldn’t get enough of in 2021” by the radio aggregator NPR One.
After growing up near Boston, Kerry graduated from McGill University with a B.S. in geology. When she began working as an exploration geologist and geothermal energy analyst, radio reporting was a distant and unlikely future. But she found new significance in media while hosting a talk show about science at a Montreal public radio station and later while producing a podcast for Science Magazine. She later returned to school to study science journalism at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
When she’s not in front of a computer or microphone, Kerry can be found biking to the rock climbing gym, practicing her violin, sewing unnecessary but very cute articles of clothing, or wandering the Sierra foothills with her husband and daughter.
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Millions of Indians across the world are celebrating a five-day festival known as Diwali. The festivities end on Saturday, but for those who celebrate, they represent the start of a new year. The holiday marks the victory of good over evil. At one temple in Fresno, one Hindu member takes us inside the sacred space where the celebration is held. Plus, the latest news headlines: A million-dollar scam hits Fresno Unified; and Fresno police preparing for a new law around the use of artificial intelligence. -
A bill that would have trained law enforcement officials to target so-called “transnational repression” passed in the California legislature with bipartisan support. But Gov. Gavin Newsom ultimately vetoed it this month. On today’s episode Richa Karmarkar, a national reporter with Religion News Service, explains why the bill divided Hindus and Sikhs. Plus, the latest news headlines: A Merced city council member resigns; and California election officials issue warning about special redistricting election.
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On Nov. 4, California voters will decide whether to support or reject Proposition 50. That’s Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to counter surprise congressional redistricting in Texas and other red states. If Prop 50 passes, it could change the makeup of the Valley’s congressional representation. KVPR Associate Editor Kerry Klein sets out to look into the potential reduction of GOP representatives in the state. Plus, the latest news headlines: Madera County officials will recognize a pair of heroic farmworkers; and Kern County begins construction on its first “carbon capture” project.
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Central California was terrorized by crime during the Gold Rush era. Among the most well-known outlaws at the time was one named Joaquin Murrieta. On today’s episode, we speak with author John Bossenecker about his new book “Bring Me The Head of Joaquin Murrieta: The bandit chief who terrorized California and Launched the Legend of Zorro.”
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Two recent data analyses suggest household income is rising in the city – and that these economic improvements are happening more equitably than in the past. -
A former Fresno narcotics detective has been arrested after allegedly stealing from the department’s evidence room. -
Avian influenza swept through California’s dairy herds last year. Within months, it had ripped through most of the state’s dairies, and dozens of dairy workers had been infected. Since then, the virus has slowed down – but it’s beginning to reinfect some cattle herds. To learn what this all means for animal and public health right now, we speak with California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones.
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Charlie Kirk’s assassination leaves questions about the future of open dialogue in the U.S. as conservative Christians decry the killing of someone who they viewed as a leader. -
Billowing smoke, flaming trees and thousands of axe-wielding hotshot firefighters: these are some of the images from the front lines of the Garnet Fire burning in eastern Fresno County. KVPR’s Kerry Klein takes us on a tour of the north flank of the fire, and shares her reporting on what firefighting operations have looked like. Plus, the latest news headlines: Questions raised over a state legislator’s bill; and what a new study on student loan payments says about Valley borrowers.
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It was the 1990s, and a high school music teacher in Fresno had fallen in love with a relatively new music genre: Latin jazz. But he had a problem: he couldn’t find the sheet music to help teach this funky, groovy music to his students. So he decided to take matters into his own hands and build a publishing company himself. We talk with KVPR reporter Kerry Klein about her feature on how Steve Alcala is helping students play Latin jazz all around the globe. Plus, the latest news headlines: Fresno’s leaders denounce violence in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, firefighters make progress on the Garnet Fire, and Madera County joins eight others as “maternity care deserts.”
