North Bay Report

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 more about the controlled burn yesterday on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 is also supported by grants from the Sebastopol Rotary Club, and gift certificates from Mary’s Pizza shack. It will continue, on a scaled back basis, during summer school session at the campus. See photos of the program in action on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 Bert Berns Story opens tonight at the Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol Hear more about the making of it on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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, several decades before the Mayflower sailed.

Nautical historian Edward von der Porten will discuss Drake’s role in the history of “New Albion” in a talk for the Marin Historical Society tonight. Find details about the event, and hear more from von der Porten on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 made public at a “data reveal” event last night at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. Find out more on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 debt. KRCB’s Tiffany Camhi reports.

Find out more about the student loan debt crisis on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 convergence of demographics, recreation, and thinking ahead.

You can hear more on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 his current term next year.

You can hear more about the campaign on the North Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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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 Bay Report webpage at KRCB dot org/news. Hear this story on demand with our free KRCB mobile app. You can also find this and past stories on our new North Bay Report Facebook page. Comment, share and give us a like there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

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