GED info

Birds speak in a language all their own. Through chirps, warbles, trills and calls, they advertize for mates, warn of approaching predators and defend territories. Naturalist and author David Lukas trains listeners to pick up on these cues and hear a new world, as KRCB's Danielle Venton reports. (Right, David Lukas observes a flock of unperturbed Canada geese grazing near Lake Merritt,…

Jim Sullivan, tracker, artist, writer, at Salmon Creek Beach. KRCB photo by Danielle VentonTracking, the ancient art of detecting subtle signals left by animals, is alive and well today -- especially in the North Bay. Through local tracking clubs, classes and the Point Reyes Tracking School, launched this week, the opportunities are ripe for learning the ways of the outdoors. Jim Sullivan (right)…

As the national debate over immigration reform moves from gridlock toward negotiation, members of the Dream Alliance in Sonoma County are both hopeful and concerned. Hopeful that action will finally be forthcoming this year, but worried that the final result may be too restrictive or otherwise flawed. Before a final policy is adopted, there will inevitably be some back and forth and deal-making,…

A history of social activism in the bay area can be found in a Berkeley man's collection of thousands of political posters, newly documented in the book, All of Us or None by Oakland archivist Lionel Cushing. Today's North Bay Report takes a peek inside. Lionel CushingIn the heyday of bay area poster art, says historian Lionel Cushing, there was an upwelling of interest and activism that often…

The Bay Area's federally sanctioned Foreign Trade Zone is expanding to include Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties. It's meant to expedite parts importing and exporting of finished products, but the biggest local benefit is jobs. Scott TaylorAll but the smallest manufacturing operations stand to benefit from becoming part of the expanded Foreign Trade Zone in the North Bay, elaborates Scott Taylor,…

A California legislator has pointed the debate over gun control legislation in a whole new direction. Also Governor Brown snipes back at his Texas counterpart.

In the wake of his widely applauded State of the State address last week, Governor Brown gets high marks in a notable new public opinion survey.

A "cooling off" period is being proposed for new legislation in Sacramento.

A capsule summary of the annual address yesterday, with some comments from state legislators.

The debate over abortion reaches back for decades, but this week marks a key anniversary for that issue.

There's a glimmer of good news in the latest studies of child obesity rates, at least in two large US cities. Lori Abbot has details. http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/obesity_decline.mp3

Protection for endangered orcas or "killer whales" off the Pacific Coast may be about to disappear. Lori Abbot reports.http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/orcas.mp3

Anaheim boasted a thriving wine industry in the late 1800s, before an unnamed affliction killed 40,000 acres of the grapevines and put 50 wineries out of business. The problem was later found to have been Pierce's disease of grapevines. Would Anaheim be wine country today if it weren't for Pierce's disease? Probably not, but the sad fate of this Southern California wine industry underscores the…

The annual State of Sonoma County report was delivered to a hall full of local business and political leaders this morning. You can hear KRCB's live recording of Supervisor David Rabbitt's remarks here.http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/StateofCounty2013.mp3

The most enduringly controversial court decision of the 20th century hits the 40 year milestone today—and the debate it triggered continues.http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/roe.mp3 The chart below tracks public opinon regarding abortaion over the past 13 years.