As of this week, more than a half million San Joaquin Valley residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. For some, that means being able to more safely visit grandkids or elderly parents, while for others it’s a ticket to spending more time in public or feeling more secure in …
Read More »Arts Visalia Exhibition Highlights The Work Of Chicano Artist Ricardo Favela
The late Ricardo Favela was the child of farmworkers in Dinuba who went on to become a prominent artist, teacher and activist who helped found the Royal Chicano Air Force. Now he is being celebrated by Arts Visalia in the exhibition “Seen and Unseen: Ricardo Favela’s Expressions of Chicano/Chicana Art,” …
Read More »Award-Winning NPR Host Diane Rehm Explores Medical Aid In Dying In New PBS Film
Legendary NPR talk show host Diane Rehm is on a mission, inspired by the death of her husband John after 54 years of marriage. In 2014, he was denied medical aid in dying during his final days battling Parkinson’s disease. Since then, Rehm has become an advocate of expanding access …
Read More »Storytelling Project Collects Accounts Of Devastating Creek Fire
In the wake of the damage that last year’s Creek Fire brought to the Central Sierra, an effort is underway to keep the fire from claiming yet another casualty, that of memory. The Creek Fire Storytelling Project is a campaign by the Central Sierra Resiliency Fund to document and preserve …
Read More »School Health Care Workers Weigh In On Students Returning To Campus – COVID-19 Update For April 9
The end of the pandemic may finally be approaching: With 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in the San Joaquin Valley, 15 percent of adults have now been fully vaccinated, and another 12 percent have received at least one dose. Meanwhile, all Valley counties have now advanced out …
Read More »Punjabi Truckers Are Essential, But Little COVID Information Is Available In Their Native Language
The cab of Sunny Grewal’s 18-wheeler is neat and tidy. He’s got bunk beds with red checkered sheets and gray interior cabinets that hide a fridge, microwave, paper plates and spices for long days on the road. One plastic container holds bite-sized sweets from his native India. “We call it …
Read More »San Joaquin Valley Asian-American Women Speak Out About Racism And Discrimination
Members of the Asian American community have been sounding alarms over the dramatic increase in anti-Asian rhetoric and violence over the course of the pandemic. But it was another tragedy, the mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent, that centered a …
Read More »For Truckers, Early Pandemic Was Defined By Uncertainty And Chaos – Virus Update For Mar. 26
The early days of the pandemic were challenging for truck drivers. As other workers were told to stay home, truckers kept going, delivering food, clothing and cleaning supplies for stores and hospitals throughout the country. On the road for days or weeks at a time, many were fearful of bringing …
Read More »How This Pandemic Year Has Shaped Our Mental Health
Days before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 board certified psychiatrist Dr. Jasmine Singh spoke with Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock about coronavirus panic. One year later they spoke again about anxiety, depression, collective trauma, and what the pandemic has done to our mental health. https://www.kvpr.org/sites/kvpr/files/styles/big_story/public/202103/singh.jpg
Read More »It’s Been A Year Since COVID-19 Hit The Valley – Virus Update For Mar. 19
Like in so many places across the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic crept up on the San Joaquin Valley. Some of the region’s first official cases were linked to outbreaks on cruise ships that came into port in March, but as we later learned, the virus was already circulating long beforehand. …
Read More »Farm Workers Show High Interest In Vaccine, But Say They Don’t Know How To Access It
Armando Celestino walks between rows of grapevines in a Madera County vineyard. He’s handing out small zip lock bags to farm workers filled with hand sanitizer, masks and information on the COVID-19 vaccine. Celestino works with Centro Binancional, a community organization that assists those who speak, indigenous languages like Mixtec …
Read More »Fresno Arts Critic Donald Munro On Tower Theater Controversy and Virtual Rogue Festival
The controversial sale of Fresno’s Tower Theater to Adventure Church has drawn months of protests and legal battles. As the close of escrow remains in limbo, local arts reporter Donald Munro found himself asking why the church is so determined to purchase the landmark. Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke …
Read More »Microsoft Launches Program To Preserve And Protect Local Journalism In Fresno
Microsoft is piloting a new project to increase and support local news in four cities across the country including Fresno. KVPR was among the newsrooms chosen for the collaboration along with the Fresno Bee, Vida en el Valle and Radio Bilingue. To learn more, Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke …
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