If you’ve been in a classroom in the past five years, you may have become accustomed to interruptions on campus. From no outdoor activities due to wildfire smoke or heat waves to school closures due to snow days, storms, or wildfires. Not to mention distance learning during the pandemic. Although we might not reflexively connect climate change and extreme weather to learning, it certainly has created disruptions for students of all grades. This impact is gaining notice from state lawmakers, to therapists, and school districts. CapRadio’s Sacramento Education Reporter Srishti Prabha joined Insight to share what they learned about how climate-fueled school disruptions are impacting education.   

After California endured some of the driest winters on record, a wave of nine atmospheric rivers in less than a month has buried the Sierra in an impressive blanket of snow.  The satellite images being shared of our snowpack are quite stunning, and so are the numbers behind the pictures.  As of this week, the snowpack in the Central and Southern Sierra is above 250% of normal for this time of year according to California’s Department of Water Resources.  And more snow came down Wednesday evening, but is it too much of a good thing? Under all, that snow is communities who live and work in the aftermath of each of these storms, which resulted in power outages, along with closures and dangerous conditions on some of its key roadways.  Insight invited Alex Hunt, owner of Mountain Slice Cafe and Creamery in Tahoe City, and Carol Chaplin with Visit Lake Tahoe onto the program to hear directly from locals to learn how they fared during the rounds of intense weather. 

Wu Fei is a classically trained composer, singer, and master of the guzheng, a 21-string Chinese instrument with musical origins at least 2,500 years old. Her years at the China Conservatory of Music helped develop her abilities but that would change when she moved to California. Attending Mills College in Oakland, Fei was able to experiment musically and, with mentorship, found her voice. In CapRadio’s podcast A Music of Their Own, Host Majel Connery speaks with Wu Fei about how she overcomes tragedy, developing her sound, and a new vision for herself with the support of mentors. That influential mentor and professor would be Fred Frith, known for his work in progressive and avant-garde bands that pushed what instruments could do sonically. This mentorship would evolve into frequent music collaborations showcasing Fei’s talent, and most importantly, her voice and sound.