We have yet to find a musical genre that Josh Gross does not like. His enthusiasm for music in all forms is infectious, and reflected in his music columns and articles in the Rogue Valley Messenger . So we borrow that enthusiasm once a month, for our own Rogue Sounds segment. Josh Gross returns to talk about the works and local appearances of a handful of bands.

Ashlander Michael Niemann's knowledge of the world helps him in multiple ways. He teaches world politics and human rights among other international subjects at Southern Oregon University. And he writes novels set in other countries. Those include a recent release, the thriller Illegal Holdings , which features the exploits of Niemann's recurring character, Valentin Vermeulin. Spies and foreign cultures are characters in the book.

The "fake news" avalanche of our time may have surprised a lot of people. But not the people who understand networks and how they work. Niall Ferguson is both historian and journalist, and he thinks the people who build networks--particularly today's social media networks--could stand to understand history a little better. Ferguson gives the lesson himself in his latest book The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power , from the Freemasons to Facebook. He points out how networks have repeatedly

The early years of gray wolves returning to the region are proving to be interesting, to say the least. Wolf packs are now established west of the Cascades in both Oregon and California . In fact, not long after Oregon wildlife biologists got a radio collar on female wolf OR-54 of the Rogue Pack, she left for California and stayed there for a while. She's since returned. We gather workers from Fish & Wildlife in both states for some updates on wolf management and its many challenges.

Brad Meltzer is a busy guy. He continues to crank out mystery novels, often with historical and/or political themes, and he hosts "Lost History" on History network. And his work is not just for grownups; Meltzer is also the author of a series of books for kids, Ordinary People Change the World . Harriet Tubman, Gandhi, and Jackie Robinson are among the people profiled in the series for young readers.

Who needs Hollywood when you've got Redding and environs? Film Shasta is set up to encourage filmmakers to shoot their projects in Shasta County. And it appears to be working... 2017 was a record year for film work in the county, with an estimated $650,000 or more in economic impact on the region. Sabrina Jurisich is the Shasta County Film Commissioner.

2018 figures to be a big year for the Klamath River Renewal Corporation . KRRC is the new entity set up to take ownership of the four hydro dams on the Klamath River slated for removal. Most of the staff will be hired by this year, and the process of hiring companies and people to do the dam removal work is also scheduled. Dam demolition will start in two years, on the current timeline. Dave Meurer, as community liaison for the KRRC, has the task of keeping the public up to speed on the massive

Bruce Haynes is used to studying people and urban communities in particular; he's a sociologist at the University of California-Davis. But his latest book, with Syma Solovitch, turns the lens around, to focus on three generations of his own family, in Harlem. The book is called Down the Up Staircase: Three Generations of a Harlem Family , and it traces the rising and falling fates of the family and its community. This is the latest edition of The Keenest Observers. Host Rob Goodwin returns to

Eight new housing units for veterans are in the works for Klamath Falls, thanks to a grant from the Oregon Department of Housing and Community Services. $2 Million will buy and renovate a building on East Main Street, give veterans places to live, and NOT require a money match from the Klamath Housing Authority or Klamath & Lake Community Action Services . Housing for vets is an ongoing issue in Klamath Falls and many towns in the region.

Ten million people live in Los Angeles County, the biggest in California. Humboldt County has somewhat fewer, at a bit more than 134,000. So Humboldt and 34 other counties band together to bring their concerns to the attention of state legislators, as the Rural County Representatives of California , RCRC. And Humboldt County has the potential for a bit more attention, now that County Supervisor Rex Bohn chairs RCRC.