Teaching Media Literacy – March 31, 2017

There’s legislation pending in Sacramento to teach California schoolkids how to spot fake news and other misinformation on the Internet. How prepared are today’s young people to deal with the growing amount of misinformation on the Internet? In today’s North Bay Report we look at legislation to update public school curriculums to teach youngsters survival …

Sausalito’s Tall Ship Plans to Launch This Weekend – March 30, 2017

Sausalito’s historical tall ship will finally be hitting the water of the San Francisco Bay this weekend. Sausalito’s work-in-progress tall sailing ship – The Matthew Turner – will soon reach another milestone this weekend. The nearly finished ship will move from its harbor building site down into the water of the San Francisco Bay. KRCB’s …

Asbestos Verdict Fails to Clear the Air at SSU – March 29, 2017

Asbestos expert Tom Sargent found problems at SSU, which he says got him fired. A jury agreed, but what about the asbestos itself? For 24 years, Thomas Sargent was an environmental health and safety specialist at Sonoma State. Earlier this month, a Sonoma County civil jury agreed that he’d been harassed and forced to resign …

Composting Toilets as an Aid to Sustainability – March 28, 2017

Even low-flow toilets use a lot of water; composting toilets don’t. But that’s not the only benefit they offer. For decades, composting toilets have been an off-the-grid novelty. But in a time of limited fresh water and burgeoning interest in sustainable living, they are ripe for re-examination. There’s more on the North Bay Report webpage …

New Study to Test Viability of Composting Toilets – March 27, 2017

An updated old idea—composting toilets—is getting a new examination, through a lens of both health and sustainability. Waterless composting of human waste is not a new idea. But in the modern world, it’s never been a popular one either. A new study of the latest models of composting toilets, getting underway here in Sonoma County, …

Tiny Homes Project Nearly Ready to Begin Building – March 24, 2017

Tiny houses for homeless vets? A promising concept is getting put to the test in Santa Rosa. After being announced last year, a project to build a dozen tiny houses for homeless vets is hoping to break ground this summer and test the viability of a novel form of affordable housing. Congregation Shomrei Torah in …

Obamacare Repeal Carries Big Hit to CA Budget – March 23, 2017

The GOP’s new American Health Care Act, if passed as is, would blow a huge hole in California’s budget. State officials made their projections public yesterday. Congressional Republicans have long clamored for change in federal health care laws. Now that their actual proposals are moving toward a vote, Health and Finance officials in Sacramento have …

Hops Making a Low-Profile Comeback in Sonoma County – March 22, 2017

The boom in craft-beer brewing locally is spurring a much smaller revival of hop growing here. Hops were once a major agricultural product in Sonoma County. Now they’re starting to come back, but mostly as a specialty crop for the craft beer market. There will be a one-day workshop on hop growing this Saturday at …

Winter Rains Incite Gold Fever – March 21, 2017

Gold is a pivotal part of California’s history. And it’s part of our present as well. An ounce of gold is worth a little more than $1300 these days, enough to keep even casual prospectors interested and active, especially here in northern California. Today we hear from a Santa Rosa group dedicated to keeping the …

Rosie the Riveter Day Becomes A Reality Thanks to Marin County ‘Rosie’ – March 20, 2017

A Marin County Rosie the Riveter is looking to get national recognition for her and MILLIONS of other women who worked during the war effort of World War Two. During World War Two, women became vital wartime workers, filling jobs traditionally held by men. Collectively they became known as “Rosie the Riveter.” And now for …