The Future of Small Town CA part 1: Lindsay

Aired on KQED Public Radio's The California Report Magazine Friday, November 5, 2010.

http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201011051630/c

After listening to the story, check out the photo slide show (including historic images loaned by the great folks in Lindsay) and reporter's notebook, where I include more stories about reporting in Lindsay.

Small towns in California face an uncertain future.  The economies that created many of them – like logging, or mining – have died or changed.  The populations and cultures of those towns have changed. too, which I'll explore in my series:  New Harvest: The Future of Small Town California.  First up is Lindsay, CA, a Central Valley town of 12,000 built up around olive and citrus groves.  Twenty years ago, a state-wide freeze signaled the start of a series of events crippling Lindsay’s economy.  But the town forged a new identity, and it’s celebrating its centennial this year. 

Series: New Harvest: The Future of Small Town California

My series on small town California has begun.  Each story will feature a place that grew up around one economy and, as that industry died or changed, adapted.  This is the series page that will host the stories:

http://www.californiareport.org/specialcoverage/newharvest/

I'll also post each story as it airs.

LocoPops

Aired on American Public Media's The Splendid Table on September 25, 2010.

http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/listings/100925/

In 2004, Summer Bicknell was a corporate drone.  She was living in Nashville, TN, working too many hours at a dissatisfying IT job.  After eating a Mexican popsicle – called a paleta – Bicknell downsized her life, quitting her job, selling her house, moving to Mexico then Durham, North Carolina.  She hasn’t looked back.  

An Entrepreneur's Investment in a Neglected Urban Corridor

Aired on the AllBusiness podcast, August 6, 2010.

http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/14885805-1.html

There's a two-block stretch of Market Street in San Francisco that many locals and tourists avoid. But one small business owner, David Addington, sees this neighborhood not for its seedy reputation, but for its potential for arts, entertainment -- and business.

From Eyesore to Art: Art in Storefronts

Aired on The California Report Magazine, Friday July 9, 2010.

http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201007091630/c

In neighborhoods across California, vacant storefronts act as visual reminders of the economic downturn. In San Francisco, many of them are now filled with commissioned art. An innovative program here is gaining statewide and national attention, with other cities wanting to learn from San Francisco's success.

Legalizing Marijuana: Some Pot Growers Face a Marketing Challenge

Aired on the AllBusiness podcast July 15, 2010.

http://www.allbusiness.com/crime-law/controlled-substances-cannabis/14771601-1.html

This November Californians will decide if marijuana should be legal. In response, Northern California pot growers are already thinking of the branding and marketing possibilities.

Greening the Marijuana Grow (last time on the radio, folks)

Aired on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, June 27, 2010:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128143079

The environmental impacts of growing pot indoors gets a national audience....