San Bernardino Struggles to Remain 'SB Strong' in the Face of Rising Violence
Four months ago, all eyes were on San Bernardino after 14 people were gunned down in a terrorist attack. Mourners filled a baseball stadium. Media flocked in from across the globe. But nobody's paid much attention to the 17 other people killed on the streets of San Bernardino in the first three months of this year. That's more than double the number of homicides this time last year -- pretty gruesome stats for a city of just over 200,000 people.
'Chasing the Burn' for Morel Mushrooms in Lake County
Sometimes, when we revisit communities after a tragedy, we find something unexpectedly hopeful. Take Lake County, scorched by the monstrous Valley Fire last September, one of the most destructive fires in California history. In the town of Cobb, lone chimneys stick out of the rubble. Only foundations remain where homes used to be. The hills above were once thick with pine and fir trees. For the series California Foodways, Lisa Morehouse joined a group of foodies hunting for a delicacy that actually thrives after a devastating wildfire.
Conservationists Use Microphones and Big Data to Count Disappearing Frogs
Many people believe the red-legged frog is the amphibian in Mark Twain's first successful short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." But it's now on the endangered species list. It was over-hunted; people loved to eat its legs. To get an accurate count of how few of these frogs are left, scientists in Santa Cruz are trying something new. They’re teaming up with a tech company that specializes in big data and sound.
Quilts Help Stitch Together New Perception of East Palo Alto's Cooley Landing
This weekend, East Palo Alto opens a new community center on restored wetlands along the San Francisco Bay. It's a place called Cooley Landing, and it's been used and abused over the last century. It was even the San Mateo County dump for a couple of decades. But now an environmental artist is helping community members connect to this place -- to feel like it belongs to them.
My Spot: Dancing at San Francisco's El Rio
We've been talking to people around California about the places that are special to them for our ongoing series, "My Spot." Today, we meet a longtime salsa dancer and performer in San Francisco. She moved to the Mission District from Mexico City when she was five. We caught up with her outside a club called El Rio, as she stopped to catch her breath.