Ben Trefny
Executive ProducerBen earned a Master's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon in 2000 and got his start in public radio at NPR member station KLCC in Eugene. After freelancing for many magazines and producing for regional and national commercial and public radio programs, he joined KALW in 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, he helped the news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. He also helped teach hundreds of audio producers, many of whom work with him at KALW, today.
Ben lives with his wife near San Francisco's Ocean Beach, and spends as much time as he can outside.
You can reach him at ben@kalw.org.
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CrosscurrentsThis year science fiction became science fact. The first human patient implanted with a brain-chip from Elon Musk’s Neuralink appears to have fully recovered and is able to control a computer mouse using their thoughts. And Google just entered the space with their product, the Google Brain.
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CrosscurrentsThe tiny town of San Pippo lies in lowlands, smack dab between Marin and Sonoma Counties. And, recent heavy rains literally turned its streets into canals. It’s a devastating effect of climate change, but civic leaders don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.
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CrosscurrentsEarlier this year, The San Francisco Unified School District announced that it will need to cut costs to address their budget deficit and declining enrollment. The cuts could result in school closures. To understand how this will work we sit down with SFUSD's Superintendent Matt Wayne.
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CrosscurrentsYesterday would have been Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s 105th birthday. The Bay Area literary icon died in 2021. He is most associated with books and poetry — and rightly so. But before he published Howl, before he opened City Lights and before the Beats he was part of the World War Two effort.
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Half a dozen women whose children were killed by, after encounters with, or without the protection of law enforcement officials came together at the de Young's Kehinde Wiley exhibit.
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School officials in California are preparing for an influx of refugee students from Afghanistan.
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The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is seeking resident input in plans to return to full transit service levels.
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Monday evening, the Albany City Council discussed and voted on a Rematriation Resolution. Rematriation is an Indigenous concept that refers to the reclaiming of ancestral remains, land, and spirituality.
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Santa Clara County will conduct mosquito control treatment in parts of Palo Alto and Mountain View Friday after detecting the West Nile virus in mosquitos in those areas.
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Novato City Councilmember Amy Peele announced her resignation at the council's Tuesday meeting. She cited the mental health toll of serving as a local elected official during the pandemic.