News Panel for July 30, 2010

Updates on the races for U.S. Senate and Governor, Proposition 23 on the November ballot faces challenges while electric cars are back on the radar, and California's try for the second round of Race to the Top funds.

A Day Late in Oakland

A conversation with local filmmaker Zachary Stauffer and journalist Thomas Peele about slain Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey and developments on the upcoming murder trial. Stauffer's film, "A Day Late in Oakland" will air on Friday, August 6th at 8:30pm on KQED as part of the Truly California series.

Project Kaisei

Imagine every person on earth had 100 pounds of plastic. That's how much new plastic will be manufactured in 2010. Sadly, much of that will end up in the ocean within a massive area dubbed the Pacific Garbage Patch. Can anything be done to clean it up? Project Kaisei, a non-profit group based in the Bay Area is studying the scale of the damage and its impacts on the environment. Originally produced for KQED's QUEST series.

Pixar Artist Sanjay Patel

Spark catches up with Pixar animator Sanjay Patel on the occasion of the Oakland Museum of California exhibit Pixar: 25 Years of Animation, which runs from July 31, 2010 to January 9, 2011. A Spark production for This Week in Northern California.

Food and Wine This Week with Leslie Sbrocco

San Francisco and San Jose are two of the top 20 caffeinated cities in America, according to The Daily Beast's online survey. This week, Leslie Sbrocco and her guests discuss the regions' growing number of small specialty coffee roasters.

• 3rd Wave Coffee Roasting in the Bay Area
• Touring the Peets Coffee & Tea Roastery
• Five Top Coffee Roasters Delivering to Your Doorstep

WEB EXTRA: Local Bay Area Coffee Roasters: Peet's and Blue Bottle Coffee

KQED's Food & Wine This Week segment includes this web extra featuring an explanation of coffee roasting and cupping. Peet's and Blue Bottle Coffee Roasting facilities are featured.