In the last year, many remarkable story lines have shaped the San Francisco Bay Area: the affordability crisis changed the face of the region; local newsrooms united to call attention to entrenched homelessness and possible solutions; the California drought continued for a sixth year; Donald Trump was elected president. We mourned the Ghost Ship fire.
We've covered these events and more over the past year. It's been a privilege to serve the diverse and dynamic Bay Area by reporting its stories.
The editorial team from our daily news show Crosscurrents took some time to reflect upon what we made in 2016. The following 10 stories are some of the most memorable. We hope you enjoyed them too, or take time to discover them now. Thanks for listening. —KALW News Director Ben Trefny
47 years after Black Panther killings, a correspondence heals old wounds
An unlikely correspondence between a former inmate and the wife of the man he was accused of killing. Read more.
What's beneath those brick circles in San Francisco intersections?
San Franciscans laughed at the idea of water cisterns — until the 1906 earthquake struck. Read more.
How this El Cerrito woman survived Hiroshima — and the years that followed
May Yamaoka was a teenager working in a cigarette factory outside Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. She promised her father she would tell the world about the horror of the bomb. Read more.
Oakland pastor turns the tables on church homophobia
San Francisco native Yvette Flunder remembers the black church leaders leaders of her youth as kind and loving. That is, until one topic came up. Read more.
Medallions keep taxi drivers stuck in industry
There was once a waiting list to buy taxi medallions. Now there's a list of 350 drivers queuing to get rid of them. Read more.
Young migrants hope to make Oakland their home
Alameda County is home to more unaccompanied minors than any other county in the state except Los Angeles. Read more.
A long wait for a new Bayview market
After three years, Bayview got a full-service grocery store in September. What took so long? Read more.
Art after foreclosure
A poet returns to the East Oakland neighborhood where her grandmother's house was foreclosed on. Read more.
Where did San Francisco's tent camps come from?
A San Francisco man saw the city destroying tents — so he bought and distributed hundreds more. Read more.
Bay Area voices on racial injustice
KALW partnered with the East Bay Express on a series of audio essays from readers reflecting on race in America. Listen below.
- "Heads I live, tails I don't"
- "Breathing and black"
- "The fear was in my bones"
- “Before I am black, I am human”
Bonus: THE INTERSECTION
Podcast THE INTERSECTION explores change in the Bay Area through physical intersections and street corners. This five-part series focused on Golden Gate Avenue and Leavenworth Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin aired on KALW in 2016. Listen below.
- The sidewalk chef of the Tenderloin
- Raising a family in the Tenderloin
- The Tenderloin's union hall
- How drugs shape life in the Tenderloin
- Is the Tenderloin gentrification-proof?
Is your favorite Crosscurrents story missing? Email us at news@kalw.org and we'll mention it in this post.
