Kerry Klein
Associate Editor and ReporterKerry Klein is an award-winning reporter whose coverage of public health, air pollution, drinking water access and wildfires in the San Joaquin Valley has been featured on NPR, KQED, Science Friday and Kaiser Health News. Her work has earned numerous regional Edward R. Murrow and Golden Mike Awards and has been recognized by the Association of Health Care Journalists and Society of Environmental Journalists. Her podcast Escape From Mammoth Pool was named a podcast “listeners couldn’t get enough of in 2021” by the radio aggregator NPR One.
After growing up near Boston, Kerry graduated from McGill University with a B.S. in geology. When she began working as an exploration geologist and geothermal energy analyst, radio reporting was a distant and unlikely future. But she found new significance in media while hosting a talk show about science at a Montreal public radio station and later while producing a podcast for Science Magazine. She later returned to school to study science journalism at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
When she’s not in front of a computer or microphone, Kerry can be found biking to the rock climbing gym, practicing her violin, sewing unnecessary but very cute articles of clothing, or wandering the Sierra foothills with her husband and daughter.
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Space is becoming increasingly commercialized. This has given rise to so-called “memorial spaceflights.” That’s when people can choose to send their loved one’s ashes into orbit. In this encore episode of Central Valley Daily, we revisit a story by KVPR’s Kerry Klein about a Central Valley native’s decision to honor her travel-loving sister with one final exploration in space. Plus, the latest news headlines: Four children die in a Porterville house fire; and Merced looks to increase its number of fire stations. -
Crews were dispatched almost before midnight and found the RV fully engulfed in flames. -
The Valley has been blanketed in thick Tule fog in recent weeks, which may remind some Valley residents of years past. So why is it unusual to see these conditions now, and why are they so different than in the past? San Francisco Chronicle Meteorologist Anthony Edwards breaks down what’s changed. Plus, the latest news headlines: Valley Congressmen re-introduce legislation to prevent illegal biomedical laboratories; and the CEO of a Fresno health care company faces fraud allegations.
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The police chief and assistant police chief in the City of Porterville are both out on “authorized leave,” as an interim police chief is leading the department. At the same time, the department is facing multiple civil rights lawsuits. KVPR Associate Editor Kerry Klein breaks down what we know about the department’s current affairs. Plus, the latest news headlines: Health budget cuts in Kern County are being felt; and the potential impacts of a federal lawsuit over college tuition for immigrant students.
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Food pantries run by the Catholic Diocese of Fresno have faced a surge even after food assistance benefits were restored following the government shutdown. -
Public comments by the wife of the city’s assistant chief of police shed some light on the situation, in which the chief and assistant chief are both out on “authorized leave” from the force and an interim police chief has been named to lead the department. The whole situation also shines a light on multiple lawsuits facing the department. -
What’s the future of transportation in Fresno County? A new proposal seeks to build a regional rail to connect communities in the west with those in the east. Today we speak with Paul Herman, deputy director of the Fresno Council of Governments, about the plan and what it means about the future of transportation in the county and the wider region. Plus, the latest news headlines: California could be headed for a tough financial year; and the new Democratic candidate entering the race for governor.
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Earlier this month, The Fresno Bee’s parent company McClatchy laid off three long-time editors at the local newspaper. As a result, the local opinion pages will now be managed from hundreds of miles away by editors at The Sacramento Bee. To understand what this means for local media, we speak with Jim Boren, a former executive editor of the newspaper. Plus, the latest news headlines: Advocates speak out about pesticide regulation in the Valley; and a new wolf pack is found in California.
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The nation’s trucking industry is one of the latest targets of President Trump’s immigration crackdown agenda. Recent deadly trucking accidents provided the administration with examples of why it needs to take some immigrant drivers off the road. So how is the industry reacting? We speak with industry veteran Craig Fuller, from the industry website “FreightWaves.” Plus, the latest news headlines: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders endorses Visalia school trustee Randy Villegas for Congress; and Valley community college faculty revolt against their chancellor.
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The University of California, Merced, is celebrating 20 years since opening its doors to its first students. In that time, the campus has grown to be nationally ranked and to play an integral part of the central California region. Today we speak with UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz about the campus’s past and future.
