Controlled Burn Tests Eco-Benefits of Fire – May 31, 2017

Native Americans regularly used fire to optimize their landscape. Can that still work today? That plume of smoke rising near Glen Ellen late Tuesday morning was a carefully watched experiment in applying a land management technique that goes back thousands of years. KRCB’s Bruce Robinson was there to observe, and report. See pictures and hear …

Schoolyard Composting Project Bears Fruit – May 30, 2017

Students at a Sebastopol grade school are turning their lunch scraps into compost—with a little help from some worms. One good way to learn about sustainability is by practicing it. That’s what students at a Sebastopol campus are doing, through a hands-on composting project that is ten years old and going strong. The composing project …

Bert Burns: The Unknown Hit-maker of the 1960s – May 26, 2017

A new documentary shines a light on an important, but overlooked songwriter and record maker from the 1960s. A new film biography of 1960s songwriter and record producer Bert Burns is out to raise awareness of his behind-the-scenes contributions to popular music. It’s named for the record label Burns launched and ran: Bang. Bang: The …

How Sir Francis Drake Made History in California – May 25, 2017

Sir Francis Drake spent only months in California in 1579, but he established an important historic legacy here. Sir Francis Drake, a critical figure in British naval history, left his mark on this region’s history as well. He visited the Pacific coast of North America during his circumnavigation of the globe in the late 1570s, …

Arts Education Survey Highlights Disparities – May 24, 2017

In the schools where Arts Education is happening in Sonoma County schools, it generally rates highly. But there are gaps. Just about everyone involved agrees that arts education is important and valuable. But new survey data reveals that it is far from uniformly available to students in Sonoma County. The results of the survey were …

Sonoma State Graduates Carry Weighty Student Loan Debt – May 23, 2017

California University students – including those at Sonoma State – continue to graduate with weighty debt. Nearly 26-hundred Sonoma State seniors walked across the stage at Weill Hall this past weekend to receive their diplomas. It was the University’s largest graduating class in its history … so even more graduates left commencement with student loan …

EDB Microlending Program Growing Small Businesses – May 22, 2017

A micro-lending program for small business start-ups in Sonoma County is flourishing—and so are the loan recipients. Banks and other traditional lenders are wary of entrepreneurs and small start-up companies. But a county-sponsored program with local lending partners is helping to meet that need instead. Find a link to the Impact Loan Fund on the …

The Benefits of Aging Outdoors – May 19, 2017

There’s no upper age limit for enjoying Sonoma County’s myriad outdoor recreational opportunities. A special event demonstrated that yesterday. The opportunities for Sonoma County’s older residents to get out and enjoy our local environment were promoted and demonstrated yesterday in an event called “Age Out Loud, Age Outside.” KRCB’s Bruce Robinson reports it was a …

Recall Campaign Targets Sheriff Freitas – May 18, 2017

Sonoma County sheriff Steve Freitas says he won’t seek re-election in 2018. But some local critics want him out even sooner. Sheriff Steve Freitas’s six-plus years in that office have been tumultuous on multiple fronts. Now a group of local activists is pushing to recall him, even before his announced retirement at the end of …

Secrets of Dry Farming Grapes – May 17, 2017

Dry-farming vineyards saves water. But it yields other benefits as well. For vineyards, dry farming means no irrigation, relying only on what Nature provides—with an assist from composting and other supportive measures. An experienced practitioner shared his insights at an onsite workshop yesterday, and KRCB’s Bruce Robinson sat in. Find out more on the North …