North Bay Report 3

The congregation of Shomrei Torah in Santa Rosa held a remembrance service for the victims of the Pittsburg shooting.

Members of the Jewish community across the nation gather tonight for Shabbat services - the first since last Saturday’s massacre in Pittsburg. Last night, Santa Rosa communities of faith gathered together to honor the victims and stand against hate. Congregation Shomrei Torah hosted the service. KRCB’s Adia White attended and has this special report.

For photos and video of the service, visit us online at norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

The Graton Resort and Casino in Rohnert Park had a difficult beginning. That’s largely due to the efforts of local consultants who dealt a bad hand to a local tribe.

In a recent cover story for the North Bay Bohemian, investigative journalist Peter Byrne told of how local powerbrokers Darius Anderson and Doug Boxer (yes, former Senator Barbara Boxer’s son) defrauded the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria in the guise of helping them build their casino in Rohnert Park.

We haven’t independently confirmed Byrne’s reporting, but you can read it in the Bohemian and judge for yourself. Byrne described his research to KRCB News Director Steve Mencher, starting with his pleasure at using a word that investigative reporters often shy away from.

For a link to Peter Byrne’s story about Darius Anderson and the Graton Casino, visit norcalpublicmedia.org. Anderson, we should point out, is managing partner of the group that owns the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Still trying to decide how to vote on Tuesday? We continue our election coverage with a look into the Santa Rosa city school board race.

The race is drawing out several innovative candidates. Reporter Adia White talked with Omar Medina, who is running for the Area Four seat.

Catch our election special, it airs on KRCB FM Radio 91 and on KRCB TV 22 this Tuesday evening from 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

On Tuesday, voters will decide on a number of issues that will affect our community. One of those issues is affordable housing. Residents of the city of Santa Rosa will decide whether they want to adopt a housing bond that will allow the city to spend over a million dollars on building 12 hundred affordable housing units. Reporter Adia White has more.

For more of our election coverage, visit norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Sonoma County is finalizing a plan on how to respond to and recover from natural disasters. But does the plan go far enough to include everyone in the community?

Sonoma County Officials are now working on finalizing their recovery and resiliency framework. The plan is a set of guidelines and goals that will determine how the County can best respond to and recover from natural disasters. One of the goals mentioned in the draft of the plan, is improving communication in Spanish. KRCB Reporter Adia White looks into whether or not the draft framework goes far enough to address the issue.

Reporting for this story was supported by funding from Internews. For more on recovery and resilience, visit norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

It’s not easy gaining community buy-in for a local park – especially if cultural issues separate two factions in the neighborhood.

We’re finishing our series about Roseland Creek Community Park today. News Director Steve Mencher is joined on the 20-acre site by resident Sandra Valencia, who works for a local nonprofit. We asked Valencia what her Latino neighbors think about the park, which is now making its way through the planning process.

Find all three chapters of this story, at norcalpublicmedia.org. Reporting for this project supported by a grant from the USC-Annenberg Center for Health Journalism Impact Fund. Learn more at norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

There’s a quiet tug of war happening these days over a planned park in Roseland. The city is trying to bring together community members to agree on a vision for the 20 acre gem.

Yesterday, we heard from Santa Rosa’s deputy parks director about plans for a new community park in Roseland. The 20-acre site is an oasis of nature and beauty. Members of the community differ on how the park should be built to provide maximum benefit to all.

Today, we meet Duane DeWitt, a neighborhood activist who lives near this park, and who played in what he calls this “neighborWOOD” as a child.

Tomorrow, how the park might serve young and old. Learn more at norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

When we asked nonprofits active in Roseland about issues connected to the health of the community, they drew our attention to a small proposed park on a creek. It has become a controversial neighborhood dispute.

Today we begin a series of reports about a city park planned for Roseland in Santa Rosa. In this first story, Jen Santos, Deputy Director of Santa Rosa’s Department of Recreation and Parks walked Roseland Creek with KRCB News Director Steve Mencher in late summer.

Tomorrow, a neighborhood activist talks about protecting what he calls the neighbor-WOOD. Learn more at norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

The fibrous hemp plant--a botanical cousin of cannabis--has long been used for making paper, textiles and many other products. A local builder from Sebastopol, has found another unique use for this plant.

A small building site southwest of Sebastopol is the region's first experiment in using the modern version of an ancient building material, a mixture of lime and plant stalks known as hemp-crete. Reporter Bruce Robinson has the inside story.

Learn more at norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Sonoma County has just received a 12 million dollar grant to create new programs for the homeless. This funding comes from the state’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program, or HEAP. Community activists and local officials got together at the “Homes for All” conference in Santa Rosa last week, to present ideas for how that funding should be used. KRCB’s Adia White was there and has this report.For more on housing and homelessness, visit norcalpublicmedia.org. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.