KCRW 24 Hour Radio Race: Suspenders Don't Get You Into Heaven

This is the first year I entered KCRW's 24 hour Radio Race (along with co-conspirator, Erik Neumann) and it was an exhausting and exciting whirlwind! We were up against the ticking clock as we tried to create sound design for the piece, so it suffered a bit. But Steve Fisher's journey is amazing nonetheless. So take a listen below if you have a minute!

Suspenders Don't Get You Into Heaven:  https://soundcloud.com/user-733231868/suspenders-dont-get-you-into-heaven

Also, congrats to the top 10 radio racers. You can hear those stories here: http://curious.kcrw.com/2016/08/2016-top-ten-radio-race-finalists

PRI's The World: How this Yemeni American keeps up the family business thousands of miles from home

Khaled Almaghafi, an immigrant beekeeper from Yemen, now lives in Oakland, California, but keeps up his family's traditions as civil war tears them down back at home.

Latino USA: DACA Doctors

Getting in to medical school is hard enough.  If you're undocumented, it's even harder.  But recipients of Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are pushing open the doors of med school.  This piece first aired on NPR's Latino USA. 

California Healthline: Health Care for Undocumented Complicated By Cost Questions

In a California Healthline report by Ali Budner, experts discussed the possible pitfalls and promise of SB 4, a recently introduced legislative bill that would provide health coverage to the uninsured. The effort comes on the heels of two major shifts in low-income programs -- the expansion of Medi-Cal to include millions more Californians, and the recent federal executive action that extends temporary work status and other benefits to millions of the undocumented immigrants in America, including the roughly 1.5 million undocumented in California.

Link: http://californiahealthline.org/news/health-care-for-the-undocumented-complicated-by-cost-questions/

KPFA: Ghazwan al-Sharif: An Iraqi Refugee (and former US Army Translator) On Losing Home

Ghazwan al-Sharif talks about memories of his Iraqi hometown, Tikrit, his work as a translator for the U.S. Army, the bombing of his house, his journey as a refugee through Jordan and finally to the United States.

Valley Public Radio: Group Hopes to Change Fresno's Food Economy

This is a piece I reported over several months and produced with support from the UC Berkeley 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship. Thanks to my fellowship colleagues and editors for all their support and insight along the way. Thanks to all the people I interviewed for this story. And thanks to Valley Public Radio for airing it. Hunger and food access disparities in the middle of our nation's most productive agricultural land have to be addressed.   

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Hundreds of different food crops are raised in and around Fresno County. But many of those who live and work nearby have little access to the fruits of their own landscape. In fact, more people go hungry here in the Fresno metropolitan area than almost anywhere else in the entire nation. It’s this not-so-modest problem that Food Commons Fresno wants to solve — starting with their Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) brand, OOOOBY, or Out Of Our Own Backyards. Their vision is to support smaller farmers, and get more fresh produce into the area’s food deserts. And nine months in, they’re making some progress. But their goals are ambitious. And the basic cost of food for those who need it most, may still be too high.  Listen to hear more.