No One Under 60 Allowed At This L.A. Dance Party
Every year around Valentine's Day, all the chocolate hearts and sappy love songs, that pressure to buy cards and roses, can make it feel pretty lonely if you're single. If you're a single senior citizen, you might feel that isolation and loneliness a lot of the time. Even if you're not necessarily looking for romance, you may just want someone to spend time with, or even, to dance with. We meet a crew of retired single women near downtown Los Angeles who head out together for an early night on the town -- so early, that's it lunchtime for most of us. They have daytime dance parties at senior centers where live bands play Latin music. Reporter Ruxandra Guidi tells us for these ladies, getting out of the house means getting on the dance floor.
The Romance of Venice — in Oakland? This Valentine’s Day, Take a Gondola
If you’re looking for an over-the-top way to woo your valentine, how about being serenaded on a romantic gondola ride? That pleasure isn’t just reserved for people in Venice, Italy. KQED’s Chloe Veltman -- an incurable romantic herself -- recently took a trip with her boyfriend out on Oakland’s Lake Merritt. She tells us singing to lovebirds can be a mixed blessing for the guy with the paddle.
One Deportee Confronts Violence, Isolation in El Salvador
California is home to the largest population of Salvadorans in the U.S. It's an immigrant community that's in the spotlight now, because of the Trump administration's recent decision to end Temporary Protected Status for people who came from El Salvador, fleeing a devastating earthquake, and widespread gang violence. Many Salvadorans who've been longtime residents of California have already been deported, before Trump's decision. That's the case for a man named Juan Vicente. Reporter Levi Bridges traveled to El Salvador to see how he's adjusting to life after deportation.
Why Sexual Harassment Victims Can’t Just ‘Get Over It’
As part of a series we're calling #UsToo, women across California responded to a survey we put out and have been sharing their stories of abuse and sexual harassment in their own words. One of them is a woman named Cindy Patterson, who says she was sexually harassed 25 years ago. The experience devastated her career. And, as many of the #MeToo stories are telling us, the experience had immediate and lasting impacts on her health. KQED Science Reporter Lesley McClurg looks into what happens in the mind and body when women experience sexual harassment.
A Place Called What?! Fiddletown
For our series "A Place Called What?!" we've been asking you for your ideas for weird California place names. Elaine Zorbas sent us a note about Fiddletown in Amador County, a place she calls home. Elaine is a former librarian who's written two books about Fiddletown. She fell in love with the town because of its rolling hills, vineyards and rich history.