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Sept. 11: Wildland Firefighters Can Now Wear Masks. Why Weren’t They Allowed Until Recently?

The Garnet Fire burning in the Sierra National Forest has placed renewed attention on wildland firefighters. For decades, these firefighters were prevented from wearing masks while working. But, a landmark decision this week by the U.S. Forest Service will change that. Hannah Dreier, an investigative reporter with the New York Times, discusses her reporting on firefighters’ health that sparked this change.

Plus, the latest news headlines: Charlie Kirk is shot and killed while speaking at a university in Utah and two men’s basketball players from Fresno State have been permanently banned by the NCAA for betting on their own games.

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.
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.