On Valley Edition: Prop 37; Heat Wave & Global Warming; California Reads

This week on Valley Edition we talk about the controversy over the labeling of genetically modified foods, which will be on the November ballot as Proposition 37. We hear arguments on both sides of the issue. We also talk about the current heat wave and what is has to do with global warming, and learn more about a series of events from the Fresno County Library connected to the book Farewell to Manzanar.

Segment 1: Prop 37 Sparks Debate Over GMO Foods
Controversy has erupted over what foods could be labeled as “natural” under California’s Proposition 37, which would require the labeling of genetically engineered foods. California’s Proposition 37 would require foods containing genetically modified ingredients to be labeled.  But a part of the initiative regarding what foods can be labeled "natural" has sparked controversy. On this segment of Valley Edition, we hear a report from Kathleen Masterson, and talk with people on opposite sides of the Prop 37 debate. Our guests include Stacey Malcon, media director for the Yes on 37 campaign, who supports the labeling requirements, and Karri Hammerstrom, president of the group California Women for Agriculture and a stone fruit farmer from Fresno County, who opposes the ballot measure.

Segment 2: Heat Wave & Global Warming
July was the hottest month on record in the US, and here in Central California August temperatures are near records. On this segment of Valley Edition, we talk about the heat wave and human caused climate change with Fresno State and Fresno City College instructor Sean Boyd, and Professor Noah Diffenbaugh from Stanford University’s School of Earth Sciences and Woods Institute for the Environment.

Segment 3: Farewell to Manzanar
The Fresno County Public Library is sponsoring a series of events around the book Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, as part of the California Reads series. The events focus on an important part of local and national history, the forced internment of Japanese-Americans, many of whom lived in Central California, during World War II. The events include an exhibit of photos by Ansel Adams, a discussion with the author, and more. Roberta Barton from the Fresno County Public Library joins us to talk about the events.