Joe Moore

On this week’s Valley Edition we hear reports about how idle oil and gas wells are drawing new scrutiny from Sacramento regulators, and how residents in a rural part of Clovis struck a compromise with the city and developers to protect their way of life. Plus we talk with Jim Boren of Fresno State’s new Institute for Media and Public Trust. Later in the show we are joined by USC professor Kathleen Wilber to talk about the growing problem of elder abuse and why most instances go unreported.

Amid talk of fake news and alternative facts, Fresno State has launched a new Institute for Media and Public Trust. Led by former Fresno Bee executive editor Jim Boren, the institute aims to bring together media professionals, academics and the public to bridge understanding about the way journalists work. Boren joined us on Valley Edition to talk about the work of the new project, and how the public's relationship with the news media has changed over the years. 

The Central Valley has a rich literary tradition spanning generations. From Saroyan to Levine to Arax – journalists, poets, novelists and essayists have all found great inspiration in the valley’s soil, its people and the elements - good and bad - that make the region unique. The connection often extends even after a writer leaves the valley – as is the case with acclaimed novelist Steve Yarbrough.

California’s population is projected to age rapidly in the coming decades. By the year 2030, adults over 65 will outnumber children under 18, according to data from the state’s department of finance. Today, seniors over 65 make up 14 percent of the population, but that number will increase to 23 percent over the next 11 years. And as the population ages, issues like elder abuse are becoming more common.

Today on Valley Edition, we learn how residents in the Kern County community of Lamont are excited about something many of us take for granted: sidewalks. We also learn about a new Buszzfeed investigation into a hit man with roots - and many victims - in the San Joaquin Valley. Plus we explore the problems of the recycling industry, and talk with Fresno author Tim Z. Hernandez about his new book "All They Will Call You."

Five years ago, Valley Public Radio brought you the story of one man’s search for names that it seemed had been lost to history. Fresno author Tim Z. Hernandez was searching for the families of the 28 passengers who died in a plane crash in western Fresno County in 1948. The passengers on the U.S. Immigration Service flight were Mexican nationals en route from Oakland to El Centro.

This week on Valley Edition we learn why the operators of food pantries in the valley say they are facing a new problem - hostility towards Spanish speakers. We also learn how growers, packers and retailers are new technology like blockchain to improve the tracking of food as it flows through the supply chain. It's all part of an effort to reduce the severity of foodborne illness outbreaks like the one that recently tainted romaine lettuce. We also speak with journalist Amanda Fortini about her new piece in the California Sunday Magazine about the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting.

The recent images from Hawaii of the eruption of the Kilauea volcano have been captivating.  But closer to home, a much larger eruption once took place not that far from Fresno. Some 765,000 years ago - the blink of an eye in geologic time - a volcanic eruption created the Long Valley Caldera near present day Mammoth Lakes and forever transformed the eastern Sierra landscape. It's just 76 miles from Fresno, and it created a caldera 20 miles long and ten miles wide. While no eruptions are anticipated in the area anytime soon, Mammoth is still a hotbed for geologic activity.

The tragic shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival last October in Las Vegas has largely faded from the headlines and Twitter timelines in recent months. But the story of the worst mass shooting in modern American history – a tragedy which left 58 dead – didn’t end when the sun rose on October 2nd last year. In fact, it was just the beginning of the story, as journalist Amanda Fortini writes in a new piece for the California Sunday Magazine, examining the aftermath in the Las Vegas community.

A new novel from Fresno-based author Tanya Nichols tells the story of an attorney, her young client, and how they both must deal with tragedies in their lives. The Circle Game is Nichols' second novel, and is set here in the San Joaquin Valley. She recently joined us on Valley Edition to talk about the process of writing the book, teaching creative writing at Fresno State, and about the inspiration for the novel.

Archie "Red" Emmerson is not a household name in California, but perhaps he should be. He's one of the most powerful forces in the Sierra, and one of the largest private landowners in the U.S. With his company Sierra Pacific Industries, he’s built a billion-dollar logging empire that has grown even more successful thanks to being aggressive in the field of logging trees in the wake of recent wildfires, like the Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park.

With two weeks to go before election day, we talk politics with GV Wire's Bill McEwen. On this week's segment we explore why former Fresno mayor Alan Autry is endorsing Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa for governor, and what President Trump's endorsment of Republican candidate John Cox means for the party's downticket candidates. 

Today on Valley Edition, we learn about one of the most closely watched races in the June primary, the contest to be Kern County’s next sheriff. We also talk politics with GV Wire’s Bill McEwen and learn how local entrepreneurs are embracing Bitcoin and the world of cryptocurrency. Later in the show we talk with journalist Chloe Sorvino of Forbes about her recent profile of Sierra Pacific Industries, a company that dominates the timber industry in the Sierra. And we also chat with musician and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert ahead of his upcoming performance in Bakersfield.

Even if he didn't sell 72 million recordings, with 15 gold albums, and five number one hits - Herb Alpert would still be a music industry icon. For while he's best known as the trumpet player behind the instrumental pop sounds of the Tijuana Brass of the 1960's and 70's, his role as a record producer is also legendary. A co-founder of A&M records, he went on to sign and record superstars from Sergio Mendes to The Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Peter Frampton, and Sting.

A new report from a local education reform group is calling for big changes in the Fresno Unified School District. Called Choosing Our Future 2.0, the document is from Go Public Schools Fresno, calls for new personalized accountability measures for students, and for personalized student success plans.

Today on Valley Edition we learn how international affairs are causing a problem for local recycling operators, and how one Fresno neighborhood is looking forward to a new city plan that could solve a big traffic problem for people who live west of Highway 99. We also talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Branch about his new book "The Last Cowboys," and Diego Arambula, Executive Director of GO Public Schools Fresno about their new Choosing Our Future 2.0 report. Plus Kerry Klein talks with journalist Suzanne Bohan about her new book on health disparities.

Pianist and vocalist Tony De Sare joins the Fresno Philharmonic for the final pops concert of the 2017-2018 season Saturday at Fresno's William Saroyan Theatre. The concert will feature De Sare performing Gershwin's Rhapdosy in Blue as well as pop hits by Elton John, Billy Joel and John Lennon. De Sare joined us on Valley Public Radio to talk about his career and the Fresno concert. 

Debug Fresno is a pilot project aimed at developing a technique to control a nasty species of invasive mosquito known as Aedes aegypti. It involves releasing millions of mosquitoes infected with wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacteria, in three test areas in Fresno and Clovis. It may seem like a paradox, but the ultimate goal is to reduce the overall A. aegypti population, and techniques like this have succeeded in other parts of the world.

Valley Public Radio listeners are familiar with the work of writer Howell Hurst. The former Kern County resident has had several of his short stories featured on the station's program Valley Writers Read. Now he has a new book "I Can't Hear the Drums Anymore" which collects many of those stories. He joined us on Valley Edition to talk about his writing.