In the first half of this week’s Valley Editionwe talk about issues that plague almost every community in the San Joaquin Valley: gangs, drugs, violence, poverty and dropouts. FM89 reporter Rebecca Plevin tells the story of a Tulare County teen named Geronimo. He's a kid caught in the middle, between his gang and those who are fighting for him, and for the future of the valley. He's a high school dropout, but his future is far from certain. It's a rare look into a part of valley culture that usually makes the news only after a tragedy.
Also on the program, the south valley could soon be home to a new power plant that would use coal to make hydrogen for electricity and fertilizer. And while project backers say the plant will be clean and environmentally friendly, some local farmers and air quality activists are crying foul. Valley Edition Host Joe Moore reports from the Kern County community of Tupman about the controversy.
Ending the program, Moore interviews UC Merced professor Michael Eissinger about an exhibit highlighting life and art in the region. Central Valley Threads blends both the unique and under represented study of arts in working class studies and the similarly uunderrepresented study of arts in the Central Valley by turning to a variety of working class cultures within the fields of fashion, food, music, and literature. Central Valley Threads runs from Sept. 21 to Oct. 4 at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center.
Guests
Rebecca Plevin– Valley Public Radio Reporter
Manny Castro – Gang Intervention Behavior Specialist
Caroline Garcia– YouthBuild Program Manager, Local Conservation Corps
Ralph Paolinelli– Detective with the Fresno Sheriff’s Office, Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (M.A.G.E.C.)
