Historic California News

Episode Number 100 - Original Airdate: January 18, 2011 Public Officials Say Martin Luther King's Message Still Resonates Some Members of Congress have been out greeting constituents, only days after an Arizona representative was shot and critically wounded at a similar outreach event. One such recent venue was a holiday parade in Los Angeles, celebrating the legacy of the nation's most re...

Episode Number 99 - Original Airdate: April 25, 2018 Earthly Sounds Video Episode Have you ever seen the face of a toddler who’s taken a bunch of kitchen dishes to create sounds? We talk to a man who has been making his own instruments for years triggering similar emotional responses from his audience. This episode was originally broadcast as a segment of “ VOA Connect (Number 14).” Reporter/Camer...

Episode Number 98 - Original Airdate: May 26, 2014 Hello, Hollywood! Foreign Students Flock to LA to Learn Film Video Episode VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports on the popularity of Los Angeles universities among foreign students studying filmmaking. This episode originally aired as a segment of VOA's " On Assignment ." This episode of Historic California News was originally broad...

Episode Number 97 - Original Airdate: July 31, 2015 Special Olympics Winners Video Episode The Special Olympics World Games are under way in Los Angeles, and the competition for people with intellectual disabilities has drawn thousands of athletes from around the world. As VOA’s Mike O’Sullivan reports, some will take home medals, and all are experiencing the thrill of competition. This episode of...

Episode Number 96 - Original Airdate: November 22, 2022 American Students of All Sizes Learn Japanese Sumo Video Episode Sumo , traditional Japanese wrestling , is attracting fans and participants in the United States. From Los Angeles, Mike O’Sullivan reports that sumo’s appeal also extends beyond the heavyweights who dominate the professional sport. This episode of Historic California News was o...

Episode Number 95 - Original Airdate: February 17, 2022 China Exodus US Video Episode Political repression is prompting thousands of Chinese to seek asylum in countries outside of China , including the United States, each year, claiming persecution or well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or other factors. Mike O'Sullivan spoke with two...

Episode Number 94 - Original Airdate: October 29, 2014 Thai Muslims Create Thriving California Mosque Video Episode A mosque in suburban Los Angeles that began as a center for Muslim immigrants from Thailand now serves Muslims of many backgrounds. As Mike O'Sullivan reports from Azusa, California, the thriving religious center is a labor of love for one Thai immigrant and his family. This epis...

Episode Number 93 - Original Airdate: August 7, 2023 Native Americans Share Memories of Indian Boarding Schools with US Officials Video Episode U.S. Department of the Interior officials are visiting Native American communities to learn about the impact of government-run residential schools on former students and their families. This is Mike O'Sullivan 's report from 2023. This episode of H...

Episode Number 92 - Original Airdate: August 25, 2008 Divided Chinese Catholic Church Looks for Reconciliation Video Episode Officials of the Catholic Church in China say their church is growing, despite internal tensions that have split the church into rival factions. Some Catholics accept the role of the Chinese government in religious affairs, while others -- members of the so-called undergroun...

Episode Number 91 - Original Airdate: June 26, 2014 San Diego Zoo Helps Endangered Tasmanian Devils Video Episode The Tasmanian Devil , an animal native to the Australian state of Tasmania, has become endangered by a rare contagious cancer. Mike O'Sullivan reports that the San Diego Zoo is part of an international effort to save the species. This episode of Historic California News was origina...

Episode Number 90 - Original Airdate: July 26, 2010 Californians Debate Fate of Official State Rock Video Episode Many US states have adopted animals or birds as official symbols. The cactus wren is the official of bird of Arizona, for example, and the moose is the state animal of Maine. Most states have an official rock or gem, and California's state rock is creating controversy. The mineral...

Episode Number 89 - Original Airdate: March 26, 2018 Inmates Find Expression through Songwriting Video Episode Music is changing lives in some American prisons , where guitars and songwriting are sparking creativity in inmates. Mike O’Sullivan reports from a state prison in Norco , California, about the music program Jail Guitar Doors. This episode of Historic California News was originally broadc...

Episode Number 88 - Original Airdate: October 22, 2009 Former Astronaut Hopes for Space Cooperation Video Episode Forty years after man first walked on the moon, Buzz Aldrin says this is the time to move forward with space exploration's next phase. Aldrin was on the first lunar landing team in 1969, and he still has an astronaut's vigor at the age of 79. Recalling the superpower competitio...

Episode Number 87 - Original Airdate: February 14, 2014 Children of the Night: Saving Child Prostitutes Video Episode In February 2014, "On Assignment" co-host, Alex Villarreal, spoke with VOA Los Angeles Correspondent Mike O'Sullivan about the plight of child prostitutes in the United States and the work of one organization -- Children of the Night -- to save them from the streets....

Episode Number 86 - Original Airdate: June 6, 2014 Hollywood Composer Richard Sherman Inspires with Music Video Episode The Sherman brothers , the songwriting team behind such hit Disney films as Mary Poppins, captured the spirit of an optimistic age. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports that Richard Sherman has been honored in Hollywood for his work inspiring young people with music. This episod...

Episode Number 85 - Original Airdate: January 27, 2012 Immigrant Restaurateurs Share Dishes of Yucatan State Special Video Episode Los Angeles is home to people from many countries who share their culture, and their food, with their neighbors. Mike O'Sullivan reports on a family with roots in southern Mexico that is preserving and teaching others about their culinary traditions . This episode...

Episode Number 84 - Original Airdate: April 26, 2012 Los Angeles Sees Improvements 20 Years After Riots Special Video Episode Twenty years ago on Sunday (April 29, 1992), parts of Los Angeles, California, erupted in race riots that left 53 people dead and caused more than $1 billion in damage. Local leaders recently toured the scene of the violence to see how things have changed. VOA's Mike O&...

Episode Number 83 - Original Airdate: October 20, 2009 Author Urges Protection for American Wild Horses Millions of wild horses , known as mustangs, once roamed North America. Today, just a fraction of that number is left, mostly in the American Southwest. Author Deanne Stillman , in her new book "Mustang," celebrates wild horses and warns that they are threatened by human activity. Mike...

Episode Number 82 - Original Airdate: September 25, 2012 Schwarzenegger is Back as Policy Analyst Former California governor and one-time action star Arnold Schwarzenegger has embarked on a new career - as a policy analyst . And as VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports - Schwarzenegger convened the first forum this week at his new institute at the University of Southern California. This episode of...

Episode Number 81 - Original Airdate: October 22,2009 A California Teacher Helps to Prepare Underprivileged Students for College Immigrant and minority students in the United States often face obstacles getting into college . To help them, a California teacher started a program that has expanded to more than 4,000 schools. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan goes to San Diego, California, to meet Mary C...

Episode Number 80 - Original Airdate: March 13, 2015 The 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' Special Video Episode VOA's Mike O'Sullivan tells On Assignment 's Imran Siddiqui about his coverage of a massive collection of plastic and other trash in the Pacific Ocean , known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch . This episode of Historic California News was originally broadcast on Voice...

Episode Number 79 - Original Airdate: June 9, 2015 Shifting Consumer Tastes Change Fast Food Industry Special Video Episode Fast food giants are facing demanding customers who want healthy food that can be tailored to individual tastes. Mike O'Sullivan reports from Los Angeles that the fast food industry is responding to consumers who want more than just hamburgers and French fries. This episo...

Episode Number 78 - Original Airdate: June 3, 2022 Summit of the Americas to Tackle Regional Problems Despite Absences The Summit of the Americas will bring leaders of the Western Hemisphere to Los Angeles June 6-10, but the guest list remains uncertain. Mike O'Sullivan reports that Mexico's president objects to the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua and has threatened to boycott t...

Episode Number 77 - Original Airdate: April 25, 2023 Entrepreneur Adds Color to the Lives of Amputees Special Video Episode The loss of a limb through an accident, illness, explosion or armed conflict can be devastating. But many people regain mobility with artificial, or prosthetic , limbs. One amputee is adding color to the lives of others -- through a company he started that decorates prostheti...

Episode Number 76 - Original Airdate: March 19, 2009 San Francisco: Coping with Recession The economic downturn came late to San Francisco, but the West Coast city is now experiencing a slowdown in financial services, tourism, construction, and even the high-tech sector. As VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports, the city is braced for the downturn. This episode of Historic California News was orig...