KVPR News Podcast

The new historical novel “Tears of Honor” by Fresno author James Ardaiz documents the experience of Japanese-Americans during WWII. The sweeping narrative includes two boys from Calwa who are forced into an internment camp, and ultimately show their loyalty to America by joining the Army and fighting in the war. Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke with Ardaiz about the novel and the extensive research he conducted while writing it.

Last summer’s reckoning over police brutality against Black people, led both Fresno and Bakersfield to establish commissions of community members, charged with making recommendations for reform. Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock checked in with some of the activists involved to see how the work is going, and to hear their response to the murder conviction of Derek Chauvin. She spoke with Bakersfield activists NaTesha Johnson and Arleana Waller, along with D’Aungillique Jackson, president of

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 person-to-person interactions at work. But even if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you likely still have questions—for instance, when can you take your mask off, and what should you do if you’re exposed to the

How do we make sense of the magnitude of this pandemic? We each have our own way of navigating through it. As part of a new series looking at how we process this extraordinary time, FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel produced this audio postcard from her conversation with Deborah McCoy, a hip hop dance teacher and photographer in Fresno.

Temperatures are on the rise, wild flowers are in bloom, and many are feeling pulled to the great outdoors. Among them is Leigh Bernacchi, a researcher at UC Merced and the author of the new guidebook “Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Hiking, Camping, Waterfalls and Big Trees.” She spoke with Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock about some of the best off-the-beaten-path places to visit in the parks.

Two upcoming documentaries on Valley PBS cover Armenian-Americans’ struggles grappling with cultural identity and intergenerational trauma, a century after the Armenian Genocide. Valley Edition host Kathleen Schock spoke with Jared White and Lilit Pilikian, the husband and wife team behind the film “100 Years From Home.” It documents Lilit’s quest to find the home her ancestors fled during the genocide. She also spoke with Stephanie Ayanian, producer of the film, “What Will Become of Us.” It

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 of the purple, most restrictive tier of the state’s reopening blueprint, signifying what is hopefully the last stretch in the return to normalcy for California’s businesses and places of worship

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 the stories of the fire and the unique histories that predated it. To lea rn more, Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke with the fund’s councilmember Kristin Telles.

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 to medical aid in dying, and she explores the topic in the new PBS film, “When My Time Comes.” Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke with Rehm about the project, her husband and their love story.

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,” which runs through the end of the month. Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke with the exhibition’s project manager Lucia Vasquez about Favela’s art and legacy