Crosscurrents

Can BART noise damage your hearing? An East Oakland comedian finds his voice at his grandma’s funeral. A conversation with cellist Zoë Keating. We dig into KALW’s history to find out which employee has been here the longest.

A family seeks justice for the police shooting of a loved one. Why gun owners are feeling up in arms about Proposition 63. The story of an unlikely correspondence between a former San Quentin inmate and the wife of the man he was accused of killing. Forgiveness from behind prison walls.

An Oakland pastor turns the tables on homophobia in the church. A new translation revives the poetry and nuance of the Zohar, a Jewish mystical text. Pastor Mike McBride uses his Berkeley pulpit for social justice.

Searching for a home after fire. Musicians whose preferred stage is inside a tunnel. Nosing around Golden Gate Park's Rose Garden.

In East Palo Alto a water shortage stalls the city’s plans for growth. A DIY guide to recycling your own water at home. A tour of one of San Francisco’s grandest buildings, complete with carnivorous plants.

San Francisco officials ask a wary public to trust them as they search for their next police chief. Author Mary Roach on her new book, "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War."

What the law can and can't do for gig workers. Why labor law is slow to adapt to the gig economy. A conversation with some of the oldest gig workers around: musicians.

The bond between a former foster kid and his court-appointed special advocate. A journalist who's changing how the media reports on the foster care system. This week's Audiograph mystery sound revealed. Today's local music is pianist Manny Moka.

Activists oppose the law enforcement training event, Urban Shield. Musician Diana Gameros sings about the home she had to leave behind.

The tiny culprit behind the pine tree fatalities fueling California's rash of wildfires. For wildlife, the traffic problem at Muir Woods is life or death. The bookmobile brings public libraries to neighborhoods and schools.

An alternative to criminalizing homelessness and drug addiction. Aya de Leon's new novel politicizes the pulp genre. This week's Audiograph mystery sound revealed.

The real first responders to drug overdoses? Other users. Opioid addiction, from prescriptions to the streets. The San Quentin Prison Report on coping with death behind bars.

An organization trying to change racial stereotypes about who is and is not "outdoorsy." A ranger tells the story of African-American Buffalo Soldiers out west. A real-life Rosie the Riveter.

A look into how much teachers spend out of pocket on classroom supplies. A conversation with Joshua Raoul Brody. A Bay Area Beats with scat singer Lorin Benedict. The story behind this week’s Audiograph mystery sound.

Dr. Laurie Vollen on the science and use of medical marijuana. Seniors discover the benefits of a plant they may have once denounced. Memories of Frank Quan, the last resident of China Camp State Park.

What the second major fire in a year means for residents of Lake County. A conversation with local folk, blues and jazz legend Barbara Dane. A remembrance of Bay Area vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson.

A look inside a local branch of a national LGBT gun rights organization. Keeping up with a Bay-Area based Olympian who plays one of the fastest sports in the world. We learn the story behind this week’s Audiograph mystery sound.

Why it's taken so long for San Francisco’s Bayview district to get a full service grocery store. A Bayview choreographer on aerial dance. A KALW student reporter shares what mariachi means for her family.

Vallejo hopes to plug in to the electric car market. An effort to bring a California frog back from the brink of extinction. Bay Area students compete in dragon boat races.

A look at how local campaign donations influence the way we vote. Dropping in on one of the nation's first LGTBQ studies class. A conversation with Oakland’s newest youth poet laureate.

The last in our series of audio essays on racial justice. A conversation with Bay Area hip hop artists who are using culture to counter harmful stereotypes. The story behind this week’s Audiograph mystery sound.

An East Bay resident voices her personal essay on racial justice. This Ethiopian farmer brings his home flavors to the Bay Area. A tour inside San Francisco's Armory building. Bay Area students depart for Howard University.

Two mothers express their struggle to talk with their sons about race and racism. California relaxes water conservation rules, but it doesn't mean the drought is over. The magic of locating underground water.

The first in a series of audio essays from Bay Area residents on racial injustice. What the closure of a recycling center in West Oakland means for the hundreds of people whose income relies on it. The very specialized job of keeping animals away from airplanes at SFO.

One architect’s process of designing sacred spaces. An interview with a Hiroshima survivor whose Buddhist practice helps her deal with the past. The story behind this week’s mystery sound.