North Bay Report 3

Providing delicious apples for school lunches; honoring the county’s tradition of Gravenstein production; the Walker family was named 2017's Farm Family of the Year.

Walker Apples of Graton, was recently named Farm Family of the Year by The Sonoma County Farm Bureau. Six generations of family members have helped preserve heritage apple varieties, hopefully for generations to come. Rhian Miller visited the farm and has this report.

Walker Apples is just one of many local farms open to the public and can be found on the Farm Trails website. You can find a link at KRCB.org/News. 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.

Out of the ashes of the October fires grew a variety of organizations to help rebuild the county. Today begins a series looking into them to find out what makes each unique in what they bring to the recovery effort. To start off this series, reporter J. Mateo Baker looked into the Rebuild Northbay Foundation, founded just days after the fire, with this report.

The Rebuild Northbay Foundation website can be found at rebuildnorthbay.org with more information on KRCB’s website at krcb.org/news. 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.

What do we gain when we talk about death and listen to our neighbors on that scary subject?

Death Cafes are informal gatherings in public places where people meet to share their ideas--and fears--about death and dying. Since the idea debuted in London 17 years ago, they have spread worldwide, and now number in the thousands. Beginning on Friday, there will be one more, this one at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center. Bruce Robinson offers a preview.

The new Death Cafe at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center will hold its first session on Friday afternoon, Jan. 19, from 3:30 to 5. Additional sessions are planned for the third Friday of each month. You can find out more by calling 829-2440 or visit KRCB.org/news. 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.

A meeting on resilient rebuilding Monday night in Santa Rosa drew a crowd to a local church.

The meetings have a clever name – Conversations Around the Fire. The idea? That the recent wildfires might bring together people in the progressive community to work for change during these post-fire months and years.

Monday night’s gathering featured speakers on insurance and green rebuilding. One speaker talked eloquently about the need to value workers who help rebuild our community. And then there was former Sonoma County environmental planner Ray Krauss – who spoke for nearly half an hour on fire, politics and history.

More from Conversations Around the Fire later this week – and visit us on the web at KRCB.org/news. 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 turmoil in the nation’s high schools right now – just yesterday Analy High School in Sebastopol was closed in mid-morning after threatening graffiti was found on its campus. The recent Florida shootings have inspired teen activists to make their voices heard about gun control and other issues.

The Sonoma County Junior Commission on Human Rights – made up of high schoolers – has released a report which identifies overt racial hostility in the county schools as a serious issue. KRCB News Director Steve Mencher spoke with two members of that commission – Lucia Garay and Tara Sullivan.

Find links to their report on discrimination and bullying in county schools at KRCB.org/news. 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.

Last week in Novato, a father was picked up by immigration officers as he was dropping off his child at school. Events like this rattle the immigrant community which has had to deal with changing policies and more federal activity. But Sonoma County is making its own efforts to help protect families. J. Mateo Baker visited the Office of the Sonoma County Counsel to bring this report.If you’d like to support Sonoma families affected by the changes in federal immigration policy, visit www.sonomacountysecurefamilies.org and click on the “Donate Now” button to make your contribution.Find more information at krcb.org/news. 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.

High School students are in the news these days for their increasing activism. And Sonoma County provides a forum for those students to take a role in promoting human rights.

We recently brought you the story of how the Sonoma County Junior Commission on Human Rights had created a survey showing that bullying and racial harassment is on the rise in Sonoma County schools.

We’ve continued to learn more about the junior commission’s work – and wanted to hear from its advisor, Dmitra Smith, who had come to the studio to accompany the students. She talked with KRCB news director Steve Mencher. We’ll also hear about an initiative of the junior commission to present a powerful documentary on the subject of human trafficking.

You’ll find that link to Strong Survival – and to educational materials about human trafficking, at KRCB.org/news. 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.

An unlikely form of high-intensity exercise is helping people with Parkinson's Disease to keep their symptoms at bay.

There is no known cure for Parkinson's Disease, but there are things than can be done to slow down its progress. One of them is a specialized fitness program called Rock Steady Boxing. Yes, boxing. Bruce Robinson stopped by the class in Petaluma to take a closer look, and filed this report.

See pictures and find out more about Rock Steady Boxing in Petaluma on our website, at krcb.org/news. 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 today’s North Bay Report, KRCB’s Darren LaShelle has a conversation with world –renowned drummer Barbara Borden. Borden is featured in an upcoming public television documentary about her life and work.

Find out more about Barbara Borden in the News Section of the krcb.org website, and watch “Keeper of the Beat” tomorrow night at 9:00 on KRCB TV22.

Learn more at KRCB.org/news. 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.

In an earlier North Bay Report, we looked at county efforts to protect undocumented immigrants from new federal immigration policies and the fallout of the October fires. Today we look at the North Bay Organizing Project, a collection of private organizations working together toward the same goals. KRCB reporter J. Mateo Baker has more.

More information about the Undocufund can be found at their website, undocufund.org. And information on North Bay’s Rapid Response Network can be found at the North Bay Organizing Project’s website, northbayop.org/rapidresponse which includes a multilingual downloadable graphic with their hotline number and information on legal rights.

Learn more at KRCB.org/news. 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.