Oakland Mom Seeks to Make Schools Better for Kids Traumatized by Violence
For the past few weeks we've been looking at how gun violence in Oakland affects school kids there. In the first part of our series "Books and Bullets," we met a nine-year-old girl wounded by gunfire. The second part focused on the friends of those killed or wounded, and how schools deal with violence. Today, we wrap up the series with a mother determined to help her kids follow their dreams, despite the troubles around them.
For First-Generation Students, Graduating From College Takes Grit and Grown-Up Support
This time of year, we're posting selfies with happy college graduates and forwarding inspirational commencement speeches. And why not? Graduation is a righteous achievement. But it's a lot harder for some than others, like low-income students who are the first in their families to go to college. From KQED's Silicon Valley desk, Rachael Myrow profiles one young woman and the non-profit on the San Francisco Peninsula trying to help her even the odds.
Colin Hanks on His New Tower Records Doc, 'All Things Must Pass'
Before you could download or stream music, there were record stores. And in California none was bigger than Tower Records. The chain -- with its big red and yellow signs -- was born in Sacramento in 1960 and peaked in 1999 with sales of $1 billion. Just five years later, Tower declared bankruptcy. The new documentary "All Things Must Pass" looks back on the rise and fall of Tower Records. We ask director Colin Hanks about the heart and soul of the film, the guy who started selling records in the back of his dad's drug store: Russ Solomon.
Between Homelands: A U.S.-Born Teen Follows Her Undocumented Brother to College
For our series "Between Homelands," we've teamed up with students from USC Annenberg's School for Communication and Journalism. They're bringing us stories of people living in California who have come from afar, or who were born in the U.S. but feel like cultural foreigners. Today, we feature the story of a brother and sister who live in a house divided by law. Lupe Herrera feels American, but she also carries the burdens of her undocumented, Mexican-born family.
My Spot: Golden State Model Railroad Museum
For our occasional series "My Spot," people describe their personal experiences with places in California that are special to them. Today, we meet a train enthusiast who takes us to visit a Bay Area model train museum.