This week on Valley Edition, Juanita Stevenson reports on plans by the city of Fresno to privatize residential solid waste. We also talk with Dan Stone of National Geographic who recently wrote about the city's recycling efforts, and find out why Fresno is one of the nation's leaders in this area.
We also look at the future of the pharmacist on this week's program. Dan Hawkins, the founding dean of a new pharmacy school that plans to open in Clovis early next year. It would be the first of its kind in the San Joaquin Valley, and hopes to address a need for more pharmacists in the community. We also talk with State Senator Ed Hernandez (D-Los Angeles) who is planning to introduce new legislation next year that would allow nurses, pharmacists and podiatrists to perform procedures currently reserved for physicians. It's part of an effort to address a doctor shortage and improve access to care with the coming implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
And finally, we close our program with a look at the future of small community cinemas. A group in Oakhurst is using an innovative method to try to save that mountain community's only theater, The Met. John Moses of Fresno Filmworks also joins us to talk about how the change from film projection to digital is causing problems for many small operators.