Bay Curious

Dana Cronin, KQED field reporter who investigates local mysteries on location. She searches creeks for Pacific tree frogs, interviews frog experts about pesticides, habitat change, disease and drought, and explores habitat restoration and signs of frogs returning after winter rains.

Pauline Bartolone, a KQED reporter who dug into North Beach's past, traces Italian immigration, longtime bakeries and delis, and how culture mixed with Beatniks. She explores shrinking resident numbers, legacy businesses that still define the streets, and modern efforts to commemorate Italian heritage.

Dan Brekke, longtime KQED transportation reporter who researched the Key System, narrates the rise and fall of East Bay streetcars. He traces how private operations ran the lines. He describes riding preserved cars and why service declined in the 1930s. He explores claims about auto-industry involvement and whether historic streetcars could work today.

Khatchadour Khatchadourian, an Armenian folk musician and duduk player from Santa Rosa known as the Duduk Whisperer, revives ancient sounds and film-famous tones. He talks about the duduk’s construction and haunting timbre. He shares its cultural meaning, rites of preservation, lullaby projects, and how the instrument transformed his life and performances for displaced communities.

Chloe Veltman, an NPR culture correspondent who tells local history with a lively ear, traces the story of San Francisco's famous Blue House and its unusual French fame. She unpacks the 1971 song by Maxime Le Forestier that turned a commune home into a pilgrimage site. Short scenes cover the commune life, Le Forestier's visit, the house's revival, and joyful French singalongs at its doorstep.

Dan Brekke, a field reporter who tracked and interviewed locals and scientists about Bay Area crows. He explains nightly crow roosting and why numbers have risen in recent decades. The conversation covers whether crows displace other birds, how cities concentrate food, and crow intelligence plus nonlethal ways people can coexist.

Katrina Schwartz, editor and producer who shares sports anecdotes. Sarah Wright, outdoors reporter and former ski racer with insider knowledge. Natalia Navarro, news anchor and Olympics enthusiast who frames athletes' careers. They spotlight Bay Area athletes to watch in Milan. They trade fandom stories, favorite winter events, and rapid-fire profiles of local skaters, skiers, sled hockey players, and rising stars.

Rachael Myrow, investigative reporter who unearthed the life of Agapius Honcharenko, narrates a globe‑spanning tale. Hear about his exile from the Russian empire, daring escapes, early Ukrainian publishing in America, and the Hayward farmstead named Ukraina. The segment traces his radical sermons, community rituals, and the enduring local memorial that keeps his story alive.

Asal Ehsanipour, a KQED radio reporter, joins Fronzo W. King, the founding Archbishop of the St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church, to explore the church where jazz meets spirituality. They dive into Coltrane's transformative music and its role as doctrine, discussing the significance of 'A Love Supreme' as a sacred text. Fronzo shares the church's origins and community activism, while Asal highlights their ongoing fight against gentrification. Together, they connect Coltrane's artistry to the Black Power movement, revealing a vibrant blend of faith and music.

Ana de Almeida Amaral, a journalist and reporter, uncovers the fascinating history of Hazel's Inn, a vital 1950s queer gathering spot in Pacifica. She reveals how a shocking police raid in 1956 exposed the hidden nightlife of the area and sparked a broader conversation about LGBTQ+ rights. The discussion delves into the legal reforms that allowed queer patrons to gather and the mix of resilience and backlash that followed the raid. Ana's insights highlight the intertwined history of community, repression, and civil rights in the Bay Area.