California Legislators' Vacation is Over
All across California folks are enjoying the last weeks of summer, but in Sacramento the State Legislature comes back into session Monday, marking the start of a four-week sprint to wrap up work on hundreds and hundreds of bills legislators hope will be sent to Gov. Brown's desk. And amidst all that -- a few big fights are looming. Here with us to sort through all the clutter is John Myers, Senior Editor of KQED's California Politics and Government Desk.
Possible Spoiler for El Nino: A 'Battle of the Blobs'
Hopeful Californians are looking to the Pacific this winter, for an end to California's most punishing drought on record. They are looking for what appears to be a monster: El Nino in the making. The abnormally warm waters along the equator can portend a wet winter. But the Pacific's a complicated place and there are no guarantees of a drought-reversing rainfall. KQED Science Editor Craig Miller reports.
Retired Teacher's Crusade for Arts Education
For students heading back to school this month, art classes can feel like a luxury. It turns out, there's a little-known state law that requires arts instruction; though, most school districts ignore it. As testing has increased, the public school day has focused more on subjects like math and reading. KPCC's Mary Plummer tells us about one San Bernardino County man working to make the arts a priority.
Archive Preserves People's Memories of South Asia's Partition
This weekend, Indians and Pakistanis around the world will celebrate independence day in each of their countries. It's been 68 years since British India was quickly divided along religious lines into two countries. All these years later, people on both sides of the border still have traumatic recollections of that partition. A new archive in Berkeley is collecting these stories. KPCC's Paayal Zaveri brings us the story.
New Exhibit Celebrates L.A. History Through Its Menus
Los Angeles has seen lots and lots of restaurants come and go over the years. Neighborhoods change and so do the tastes of people living there. Once those mom and pop restaurants are gone, people pretty much forget about them. But a new book and exhibit of old L.A. restaurant menus reveals just how much the city has evolved -- through food -- and how people use food to shape their own identities. From KCRW, Avishay Artsy has more.