Local News from KSQD
Jazz is alive and kicking in Santa Cruz
On Talk of the Bay, host Christine Barrington welcomes co-host Suki Wessling to the other side of the mic in her role as a member of the Jazz Society of Santa Cruz County. This year, the Jazz Society was awarded a CARD Grant from the City of Santa Cruz. These grants...
Corpse Flower Draws Thousands to Arboretum
My guest is UCSC Arboretum Director, Martin Quigly, who waxes eloquent about the qualities of Amorphophallus Titanum, the saga of its blooming, and the crowds that came to see and smell it. The corpse flower was the main attraction on Tuesday at the UC Santa Cruz...
Santa Cruz Tops “Best Work-From-Home” City in USA
As mental health days are becoming more common in the workplace, many people are making sure they have enough time for activities they love to keep them from experiencing burnout at work. One way many people love to decompress is with outdoor activities, such as...
Watsonville Hospital Faces Deadline for Fundraising
With less than a month left to meet its Aug. 31 deadline, the effort to save Watsonville Community Hospital needs less than $6 million to reach its goal. Six months of fundraising spanning local, statewide, public and private sectors has resulted in a secured amount...
Do women have bodily autonomy? From 70s midwifery to 2022’s abortion debate
Fifty years ago, Santa Cruz was at the center of a stormy debate about women’s right to bodily autonomy. In this case, the fight was over midwifery and home birth, both of which were illegal in California at the time. Dedicated young women including Kate Bowland and...
Barney Wiget: How a Personal Crisis Changed a Pastor’s Heart
Much of the recent public discussions about religion often focuses exclusively on political power and right-wing social movements. However, these conversations often overlook voices of faith who articulate a different vision than is often portrayed in the media....
The CZU Fire: In Their Own Words Film by MCT
In this interview, director Peter Gelblum describes the inspiration for making the new film about survivors of the CZU fire. "The CZU Fire In Their Own Words - Fighting Fires, Losing Homes, and Rebuilding Community" is a new powerful and moving 90-minute film produced...
MB National Marine Sanctuary Celebrates 30 Years
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. Creating it was a 10-year, hard-fought battle by locals which almost didn't happen. In this interview with Deputy Superintentent Dawn Hayes and Research Ecologist, Andrew...
Second Harvest Food Bank celebrates 50 years of tackling food insecurity – feeding 75,000 people every month
Host Len Beyea interviews Willy Elliott-McCrea and Suzanne Willis of Second Harvest Food Bank upon the 50th Anniversary of the food bank's founding (the first in California and second in the nation), Willy Elliott-McCrea's 44 years with the organization and his...
Ami Chen-Mills talks about the rift between politics and reality; rarely-discussed County issues; and what it’s like to run for office
Ami Chen Mills recently ran for Santa Cruz County Supervisor in District 3. She is a mental health professional who has written three books, including: The Spark Inside for teens and State of Mind in the Classroom for educators. For ten years, she directed the...