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NPR •

A day at an annual event in rural California: the gay rodeo

A day at an annual event in rural California: the gay rodeo

Every summer, a different sort of rodeo takes place in the California town of Duncan Mills: a gay rodeo. We pay a visit.

Duncans Mills in rural California has a population of 175 and is usually quiet. But on one recent weekend, hundreds of visitors took over the small town for an annual event - a gay rodeo. Tash Kimmel reports.

TASH KIMMELL, BYLINE: It's a balmy, cloudless Saturday at the Duncans Mills Rodeo Arena. A dusty sea of spe
KQED •

Family Of Farmworker Killed By Police Call For Accountability

New Carbon Capture Funding Could Help California Meet Climate Goals

The Department of Energy has announced $100 million in funding for 19 carbon capture projects nationwide. One of those projects is destined for the Kern County foothills, near Taft.

Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR

Santa Rosa Vigil Marks One Year Since Killing Of Pelaez-Chavez

It’s been one year since a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed local farmworker, David Pelaez-Chavez. His family and community members are c
Northern California Public Media •

Chavez family waits while Sonoma County DA decides if charges filed in

More than six months after a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy killed 36-year-old David Pelaez Chavez, the Santa Rosa Police Department has concluded its criminal investigation into the officer-involved shooting, So what’s next? Reporting for KRCB News, Tash Kimmell has more

In early January, Santa Rosa PD forwarded its investigation of the July 29th fatal shooting of Chavez to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office.

"We've interviewed the family…and anyone who knew Mr. Chavez, we were tryi
KCAW •

Will lab-grown fish save Alaska's wild salmon stocks?

Although wild salmon remains one of Alaska’s most lucrative seafood industries, it’s also one of the state’s most vulnerable, as climate change and population growth increase pressure on the world’s oceans. As it looks more and more likely that demand will eventually outstrip the productivity of salmon and other wild seafood stocks, researchers have turned to another method for producing protein from fish – by culturing it in a lab.

KCAW’s Tash Kimmell recently traveled to California to taste s
KCAW •

hopes to bring wind and solar to Port Alexander with new project

In the sleepy hamlet of Port Alexander in Southeast Alaska, amenities like wifi, cell service and even electricity are a luxury. Diesel generators run everything and fuel isn’t cheap, so conservation is a cornerstone of daily life. Now, Sitka’s Raven Radio hopes to help the remote community conserve energy by updating its aging radio transmitter with wind and solar power.

Port Alexander is a hard place to explain. It’s tiny, with less than 60 full-time residents, on the southern tip of Baranof
KCAW •

In Kake, the squeeze of national inflation hits residents hard

As any Alaskan will tell you, life in the 49th state isn’t cheap. But for those living in remote villages, and especially island communities, prices can be astronomical. In Kake, a village of about 500, residents are feeling the squeeze of inflation especially hard, as transportation costs have driven up the price of food and basic necessities to unimaginable levels. For lifelong resident Chelsea Lewis, higher cost of living is something she’s come to terms with.

“Food is one of those things th
KCAW •

Seaweed, shoots, and wild celery: Sitkans ring in spring with Indigenous foods and medicine class

It’s a brisk and beautiful April morning when I arrive at Mosquito Cove. I join group of roughly 15 people gathered in the parking lot. They’ve come for the last day of a six-part traditional food and medicine class, and they’re eager to get on the trail.

“How many people have eaten wild celery before? Any of you? How many of you how many of you have had a rash from wild celery that was awful and makes you go, ‘Why did she just asked me if I want to eat it?,'” Vivian Mork (Yéilk’) says, address
KCAW •

In 'far out' Yakutat, surfers say community is key

Like any coastal Alaska town, Yakutat attracts thousands of tourists each year looking for their next big catch. But while most of them are looking for Halibut, and King Salmon, a select few are looking to catch something else: Waves.

It’s my first day in Yakutat when I stumble upon a group of surfers. It’s early, and they’re still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, milling around their to campsite when I approach. A tall, friendly looking man greets me with the signature surfer “shaka.”

He
KCAW •

In Sitka, a tourism company reflects on sustainability through snorkeling

It’s low tide, on a clear, blue sky morning as Ellie Schmidt leads a group of visiting cruise ship passengers to the waterline for a snorkel tour. But the group isn’t in the tropics, and they’re not in the usual beach day attire. Instead, they’re wearing thick wetsuits, on the rocky shores of Sitka, Alaska’s Magic Island.

Strands of bull kelp bob on the water’s surface. Below, a thriving kelp forest home to vibrant sea stars, urchins, and jellyfish awaits. Back at the shop, when I ask the snork
Alaska Public Media •

In Sitka, more cats than you’d expect have more toes than you’d expect

Like many rural communities, Sitka struggles to keep up with its feral cat population. But because of the island’s limited genetic diversity, an interesting genetic mutation has made its way into the feline gene pool.

Two years ago, Anna Laffrey was out for a walk on the Sitka Cross Trail when she stumbled on something unexpected.

“I literally thought that I saw a three-headed cat,” Laffrey said. “And I stopped on the sidewalk, and then took a step closer into the brush, and they scattered.”