Crosscurrents

Today, the deep and personal history of Queer media in the Bay Area with the pioneers who made their voices heard. 

We're kicking off season five of Uncuffed by going back in time to the defining childhood experiences of Uncuffed producers inside three California Prisons. 

Today, the transformative power of cold water and the people who jump right in. Then, we meet a club that has been swimming in frigid water for more than a century in the Bay. And the World Championship for Dog Surfing comes to Pacifica. 

Chris Ballard is the author of “ The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, An Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water.” Chris jumped into some frigid water himself to research the effects and benefits of cold exposure on the human body.

People that swim in cold waters often do it in community. And one crew of ocean swimmers has been carrying on a local legacy that began more than a century ago.

This August crowds will be gathering at Lindemar Beach in Pacifica to answer one question. Which dog is the greatest surfer in the world?

New laws meant to encourage the construction of new homes in San Francisco give a lot of power to the state. Today, we explore how and where the homes get built. Then, music legend Melissa Etheridge performs in the Bay Area after releasing her first album in seven years. 

Keeping up with your rent in San Francisco is not for the faint of heart. Online rental services were showing that the average monthly rent for a one bedroom home was more than four thousand dollars, and a two bedroom was averaging at five thousand seven hundred dollars. 

Housing is a perpetual topic here in the Bay Area and for decades, cities have largely gotten to decide what could be built and where you could build . But over the last few years, California has passed a number of laws trying to shift those decisions to the state.

Today, a conversation about the laws that are now coming into effect this month. We hear from Sarah Dennis Phillips, SF Planning Director and David Garcia, Policy Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. They spoke with State of the Bay host Grace Won.

Music legend Melissa Etheridge recently released her first new album in seven years. Her album “Rise” is inspired by some of the challenges she’s had to rise above in her life, including evacuating her home during last year’s Southern California wildfires, and her son passing away from opioid addiction in 2020. 

She’s on tour now with another music icon: Wynonna Judd. Their tour is called “The Raised on Radio Tour.” And they’ll be making a stop at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga tomorrow night.

KALW’s Jenee Darden caught up with Melissa Etheridge for “The Sights + Sounds Show.” 

Pets are often important companions for unhoused people. Today, we meet a grassroots organization that’s helping homeless folks take care of their animals. Plus, a new novel takes on the survival instincts needed to make it in a Bay Area suburb.