Central Valley Daily

July 18: It Helps Fight Wildfires. Why Are Environmentalists Concerned?

By Elizabeth Arakelian,

Published July 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT

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When wildfires break out, it is not uncommon for pilots to fly overhead and drop fire retardant in the area. The substance is typically chalky-red and is used to mitigate fire damage. However, some environmentalists fear it could be causing problems of its own. We discuss this controversy with CapRadio’s Greg Miceck.

Plus, the latest news headlines: Trump pulls funding for California’s high speed rail; and a coalition is gearing up to campaign in vulnerable GOP House districts.

Central Valley Daily

Elizabeth Arakelian

A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Jonathan Linden

Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.

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