Crosscurrents

Today is all about learning what our elders can teach us about caring for one another. First, a unique living room in the Tenderloin helps vulnerable seniors meet their daily needs. Then, how community choirs are providing more than just a fun time.

Nearly half of San Francisco's seniors lack the money to meet their basic needs. At Saint Francis Living Room in the Tenderloin, seniors help each other.

In 2012, a UCSF researcher teamed up with city and nonprofit officials to launch a novel experiment meant to answer one question: Can singing in a choir provide real health benefits for older adults? Today, a thriving network of neighborhood choirs continues to discover the answer. Reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz has more in this story from 2024.

In a quiet part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a coffee shop puts down roots. Then, how coffee is helping resettle refugees. And, we go on a boba shop hop! 

Calaca Coffee brought bold flavor and fresh energy to Crockett, turning a weekend trailer into a vibrant, full-time storefront.

Today, we bring you an old favorite, from 2017: Many immigrants come to the Bay Area as refugees. And those who resettle here have to secure jobs quickly in order to make their rent. That can be difficult with a limited resume and references. To help bridge this gap, a coffee company in Berkeley is providing job training and employment to refugees and asylees, one cup at a time. 

In a story we originally aired in 2017, reporter Susanna Luo explores how a pair of San Francisco boba shops took the treat to the next level.

One South Bay couple has turned rare record collecting into an art form. Today, we dive into the crates. Then, we meet some young adults focused on promoting civic engagement. And, we'll hear the story behind the drug, MDMA. 

San Jose is one of the epicenters of lowriding culture and history. A DJ duo from the South Bay discusses preserving the culture's musical legacy.

Bay Area teens focus on engaging their peers on local issues and getting to know their elected officials with a new podcast.

Radio Pacific is a new show made in collaboration with KALW, all about contemporary California. Eli Cohen is the host of the show, and recently held a live recording at our event space in San Francisco about the history, research and therapeutic uses of MDMA, commonly known as “ecstasy” or “molly.”

The federal government is instructing park rangers to remove parts of our history. Today, we hear how local rangers and historians are speaking out. Then, the San Francisco Mime Troupe explains how they tackle political parody in these times.

An interpretive sign at Muir Woods National Monument has recently been edited because of a Trump administration executive order banning any materials that “inappropriately disparage” people in American history. This isn't the first time that a national park exhibit in the Bay Area has been affected because of Trump's policies. We learn more from Marissa Ortega-Welch, the creator and host of the wilderness podcast How Wild. 

Policy directives from the current administration have led to many changes. For the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe, that means new material for their plays. KALW recently hosted one of their long time creatives, Michael Gene Sullivan, for a preview of their current show: DISRUPTION – A New Musical Farce.

Today, how environmental advocates are rallying their community to turn knowledge into action. Then, San Jose' Portugal Day. And, a collection of readings from local authors.

Ventura County's Ormond Beach is a wetland home to wildlife and a potential refuge for the nearby community. But it's coastline has been industrial for decades, and development and waste have left pollution behind. Now, as sea levels rise, advocates worry toxic chemicals could spread into surrounding neighborhoods if the beach remains an industrial zone.

Saudade. It's a word in Portuguese that describes a deep sense of longing, a bittersweet nostalgia for something that's no longer here. For many in the Portuguese community of San Jose, it reflects the feeling of missing their home country. But celebrations like Dia de Portugal, or Portugal Day, offer opportunities to reconnect to culture through food, music, and celebration. 

Here are some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. 

Today, is all about finding success in personal brands. First, how WNBA players are shaping consumer culture. Then, we hear how food can inspire more than an appetite.

Thousand of people are making a living as food content creators. They're gaining big followings on YouTube and social media. Here, reporter Steffi Puerto talks to someone who started making their Youtube videos on the Bay Area food scene.

Satanism's modern renaissance took place right here, in Bay Area, in the 1960s, when Anton LaVey established the Church of Satan in a small, all black Victorian house in the Richmond District. Even though LaVey and the house are no longer around — Satanists still walk the streets of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. KALW's Hanisha Harjani takes us to Berkeley to talk to the Satanists that live among us.

San Francisco's newest park is dealing with coastal erosion. A BART campaign works to address harassment. And, authors read from their books for young people.

Part six of our series on sea level rise looks at a dune restabilization project at Ocean Beach, and a wastewater treatment plant that is being threatened by coastal erosion and rising tides.

The majority of South Bay transit riders, whether on train, bus, or light-rail, have experienced or witnessed some kind of harassment. KALW and Mosaic Journalism student reporter Padma Balaji took a trip around the South Bay to find out more.

Here are some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Today we're featuring a collection of stories for young readers.

Today we hear about the middlemen who are partly to blame for local pharmacy closures. Then, how National Parks are having to make big changes. 

Pharmacies are shuttering around the Bay Area. Today we hear about the middlemen who are partly to blame. 

Earlier this week KALW's Marissa Ortega Welch hosted a special live edition of her podcast, How Wild, about the state of California public lands. She spoke with Jon Jarvis, the former director of the National Park Service.

On Repeat is a mini-pod for music discovery. In this segment, we'll hear from Tarik Ansari, one of KALW's on-air announcers. Tarik gets us in the mood for summer with some sunny tracks.

Today, we meet our friendly neighborhood Satanists. Then, we hear how small business owners are getting creative in a growing industry. And, a collection of readings from Berkeley Authors.

Pets are big business here in the Bay. Americans are spending about 240 million dollars every year on their animal companions. We visit a pet party in San Jose to talk to artists, vendors, and pet lovers about what inspires them.

Here are some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Today we're featuring a collection of Berkeley writers.

Today we take you to the US-Mexico border where the Tijuana river is overflowing with sewage. Then, we pop into the launch party for KALW's new podcast-in-development, Note From the Edge with Jeff Chang.

Residents and environmental advocates confront a decades-in-the-making binational pollution crisis that continues to plague the U.S. - Mexico border.

Jeff Chang's new podcast “Notes From the Edge” held their launch party recently at Warfield Commons. On the show Jeff and his visionary guests look at our rapidly changing world.

Erosion is affecting popular surf spots in Santa Cruz. Oakland hip-hop artist talks about ageism. Then, music from artists who didn't get the recognition they deserved during their heyday.

Santa Cruz is famous for its surf breaks. But for the last three years, winter storms and massive waves have eroded the road and cliffs. The reverence for waves runs so deep that it's helping shape local climate policy.

Oakland actress and hip hop artist RyanNicole's latest EP is called “Yours Truly.” In it she gets real personal on her tracks, discussing her own experiences with motherhood and mental health, as well as her insecurities and desires. 

On Repeat is a mini-pod for music discovery. In this segment, we hear from JoAnn Mar, the host of KALW's “Folk Music & Beyond.” Here, JoAnn shares music from artists who didn't get the recognition they deserved during their heyday. 

Congress just voted to strip away all Federal funding for public media. That means a $400,000 hit to our annual budget which directly funds our local journalism and cultural programming. Now's the time to Stand With KALW. Please support your local station to keep the programming you rely on alive. Go to KALW.org and click donate right now. Support the media you deserve, and don't let anybody take it away from you.

Residents of the agricultural town of Pescadero in San Mateo County have long dealt with the issue of flooding. But what happens when each solution spells an issue for their neighbors?

Today, we'll hear how residents of an agricultural townare working towards solutions to flooding. Then, a local photojournalist who has been documenting the immigration raids.