Valley Edition

This week on Valley Edition we talk about programs that aim to give Valley veterans who are returning from combat a leg up in the job market. We talk with a group from Fresno that is trying to turn around troubled neighborhoods, in part through community gardens. And we'll also talk with the CEO of the new Downtown Fresno Partnership, which is encouraging Fresno residents to jump off the city's tallest landmark, for a good cause. 

Valley Edition for May 22, 2012:

This week on Valley Edition, we preview the upcoming June primary election and talk about this year's ballot measures and candidates. We also debate the pros and cons of attachment parenting with moms and with an expert in child development. And finally we get a preview of this year's Nights in the Plaza Friday night concert series at Arte Americas in Fresno.

On Valley Edition May 15, 2012:

This week on Valley Edition, we look at the changing demographics of California, which is now a net exporter of people to other states. How did the California dream turn out to be a nightmare for so many? We talk to some residents who've left, and also to experts who are using the newly revised population estimates to plan the state's future. We also talk about the role of kids on family farms, and learn about the California Reads program taking place in Kern County.

Valley Edition for May 1, 2012:

This week on Valley Edition, we talk about the new program called Learn2Earn, the future of parks programs in the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield in an era of tight budgets, and learn about the upcoming Fresno Film Festival.

Valley Edition for April 24, 2012:

This week on Valley Edition, we talk about the future of California's troubled plan for high speed rail with the agency's President, Dan Richard. We also look at the big decision the Fresno City Council will make later this week on how to guide the city's growth for the next several decades.

This week on Valley Edition, we hear from the Central California SPCA and hear why they are walking away from a decades old contract to provide animal control services to the City and County of Fresno. We'll also talk about how some residents of rural Valley communities live in "third-world" conditions and what some people are trying to do to change that situation. And we close the program with a discussion of world book night, a new event that is coming to Fresno. 

This week on Valley Edition we talk about how the City of Fresno plans to move ahead with providing animal control services after the surprise announcement by the Central California SPCA that they are abandoning their contract with the city and county later this year. We'll also learn more about a new project from Creative Fresno which aims to lure talented and successful creative professionals back to their hometown.

This week on Valley Edition we talk about the City of Fresno's new "fiscal sustainability plan," and find out what city leaders are doing to avoid bankruptcy. We also hear about efforts to bring solar power to Valley homes, and a new program that aims to help disadvantaged kids and share with them the joy of cycling.

Valley Edition for March 27, 2012:

This week on Valley Edition, we talk about a new study that links the health of Valley residents with their neighborhood. It turns out where you live can tell you a lot about your health and lifespan. We'll also learn more about efforts to change state laws about immunization policies in an effort to protect public health. We close our program with a profile of Newbery Award winning local author Margarita Engle. 

Valley Edition for March 20, 2012:

Segment 1: Rural homeless:
Many people think of homelessness as an urban issue, but small towns and rural communities throughout Central California are facing this issue as well. This week on Valley Edition, we talk to Matthew Macedo, a Hanford teen who has produced a documentary film called "Homeless in Hanford" about what inspired him to take on this issue. Joey Cox of the Kings Community Action Organization in Hanford, and Felix Vigil, Director of the Madera Rescue Mission also join our discussion about rural homelessness.

Segment 1: Hunger in the Valley
A new study of hunger in America ranks Bakersfield and Fresno number one and two in the nation in number of residents who struggle to put food on the table. How has the richest agricultural area in the nation become home to so many people who can't afford food? Ian Anderson with the Community Action Partnership of Kern County and Andy Souza, with Fresno's Community Food Bank join host Juanita Stevenson to talk about how to bring access to food to communities that struggle with poverty, in the middle of persistent economic challenges.

This week on Valley Edition we talk about the problem of pet overpopulation in the Valley, and learn what groups are doing to help spay and neuter more cats and dogs. We'll also learn more about the future of Fresno County's public library system which will be placing an extension of the sales tax known as Measure B before voters on the November ballot. 

Valley Edition for February 14, 2012

This week on Valley Edition we look at the steps parents and educators are taking to stop bullying of teens, especially over their sexual orientation. We'll also learn about the controversial plan to mine a scenic and culturally significant mountain on Highway 180 near Reedley and Sanger. We'll close the program with a profile of Arts Visalia's upcoming "Sofa Art" show.

This week on Valley Edition, we talk about whether the Valley is the worst place in the US to find a job, as US News and World Report claims in a new article. We talk with UC Merced's new chancellor about the efforts at the campus to boost the region's economy. And we close the program with a report about a theater project in Sanger that aims to bring people together over the topic of hunger, in a land of agricultural abundance.

This week on Valley Edition, we talk about the recent critical report about the state's high speed rail plan, and get an international perspective from a Fresno Bee reporter who recently returned from Spain where he reported on the successes and failures of that country's bullet train system. We'll also talk about efforts to ensure the safety of children in protective care in California.

This week on Valley Edition we talk about the plans to dramatically remake the US Postal service by cutting post offices, mail sorting facilities, and even weekend delivery. We'll also talk about the eminent demise of the state's redevelopment agencies, and the importance of hospice care in the Valley.