Did you breathe easily today? This local tech company may be partly to thank for it.

At Sonoma Technology in Petaluma, air quality experts are researching how to predict the movements of fire smoke. The tools they're working on could just save your life. KRCB science reporter Danielle Venton has more.

Watch Sean Raffuse give a brief talk about the importance of fire science on our website at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Where you live affects how long you will live - even in Sonoma County.

KRCB television’s Health Connections series introduces a new, long-form documentary this month, titled Place Matters. It’s an exploration of how myriad social inequalities affect community health - using Santa Rosa as a case in point.

The Place Matters documentary debuted on KRCB television earlier this week. It will be shown four more times in January; the next broadcast time is 8:30 on Sunday morning. We have a list of the additional times posted on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

The ancient art of water dowsing has a prolific practitioner in modern-day Santa Rosa.

California’s severe drought this year had farmers, ranchers and vineyard owners desperately searching for new or additional water sources. And that kept Santa Rosa’s Rob Thompson busy.

See water dowser Rob Thompson at work on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Common antibacterial products expose pregnant women and infants to potential health risks.

Visit the grocery store and you’ll find row after row of washes, toothpastes, cosmetics, and even plastic toys, all labeled “anti-bacterial.” Researchers at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco last August suggested the risks of using these products probably outweigh the benefits.

Learn more about the effects of common antimicrobial chemicals on our webpage at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

An upside to drought: it has slowed the spread of Sudden Oak Death, and renewed hope for the trees that have evaded the disease.

The pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death needs water to spread. So the drought has become an unexpected ally in the fight against the arboreal disease.

Learn more on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

A local near-forgotten potato variety is staging a remarkable comeback.

The Bodega Red Potato was once a mainstay of life in the North Bay. But, after years of neglect, the heirloom spud nearly died out before being rescued by food historians. Today, the

Bodega Red is once again a thriving commercial success. KRCB reporter Danielle Venton has the story.

See pictures of the potato harvest at Foggy Bottom Farm, and get information about where to buy Bodega reds on our website. We also include a recipe for Spicy Gravenstein Chowder using Bodega red potatoes. More information is available at the North Bay Report webpage radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

How healthy is your brain? A new online registry offers tools to keep track, and maybe take part in future brain research.

An online registry, introduced earlier this year, allows participants to monitor their own cognitive abilities, while also becoming part of a pool of people who might be part of future research projects studying human brain health. This is an encore North Bay Report from last April.

We can help you get connected through the North Bay Report webpage radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Plastic pollution in the earth’s oceans is a world-wide problem that has now reached even the most remote corners of the globe.

Carolynn Box is a Sonoma County native and 1996 Analy High School grad who has spent much of the past four years at sea, trawling the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans for plastic particles. And finding them virtually everywhere.

Additional research has also found gyres of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes of North America. We have pictures of Carolynn at work and videos about the gyres on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Part history, part handbook, David Walls provides a broad overview of Community Organizing in his new book on the subject.

Invented only 80-odd years ago, community organizing has changed with the times, as Sebastopol sociology professor emeritus David Walls documents in a new book on the subject.

You will find this and more news stories on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Restorative Justice is being tried as an alternative to expulsions and suspensions at two local schools.

To cut down on student suspensions and expulsions, two Santa Rosa schools have introduced restorative justice programs as an alternative. Today, in the second half of a two-part report, Bruce Robinson explores how that diversionary program works.

We have the first part of this report, and past stories archived on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.