Holocaust Survivors Blast French Rail’s U.S. Pursuits
During World War II, the French national railway transported some 75,000 Jews to Nazi death camps. This still strikes a sensitive nerve for some Holocaust survivors. This month, a subsidiary of that railway took over operation of a commuter train in northern Virginia and survivors are upset, as Jacob Fenston reports.
D.C. Rolls Out Pay-By-Phone Parking
If you’re one of those drivers who always has a quarter in your pocket except when you have to park at a meter, take heart. This spring, Washington, D.C., rolled out a pilot program that allows drivers to use their cell phones instead of having to fish for change. As Jacob Fenston reports, this technology may mean the parking meter’s time is about to expire.
Marine’s Widow Says Memorial Day Like Every Other
As America remembers its war dead on Memorial Day, we’re hearing from family members and friends of fallen soldiers and Marines. Sergeant Bill Cahir had an unusual resume for an enlisted man. He was a Capitol Hill staffer, then a Washington journalist before joining the Marines at age 34. Reporter Jacob Fenston visited Sergeant Cahir’s widow at her home in Alexandria, Virginia.
‘Confederate History Month’ in Virginia
Virginia’s Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, apologized yesterday. That’s after backlash over his proclamation of Confederate History Month and what it left out. As Jacob Fenston reports, the governor has reignited a long-simmering debate over how to remember Virginia’s role in the Civil War.
A Bumpy Test Ride with Google
Drivers have gotten used to plotting their route using Google Maps. But commuters trying to find a safe route for two wheels have found themselves out of luck. Cyclists have now finally gotten biking directions from Google. As Jacob Fenston reports, they’re still a work-in-progress.
Creole in Paris
Antillean Creole is the language spoken in the French Caribbean Islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. To most French people, those are resort destinations. But that changed earlier this year after a series of protests on the island. About a half million people from Guadeloupe and Martinique live in Paris. They are French citizens but they don’t always feel like it. This year, for the first time, two public high schools are offering Antillean Creole language classes. Jacob Fenston reports from Paris.
Voodoo rhythms reach across cultures
When renowned Haitian drummer Daniel Brevil moved to Oakland last year from Port-au-Prince, he found keeping his culture alive meant reaching out to a non-Haitian audience. Since January he’s been teaching rhythms with roots in voodoo and slave rebellion to Bay Area residents.
San Quentin’s Organic Garden
In a corrections facility filled to twice its capacity, inmates at San Quentin Prison have created a tiny retreat within the prison-yard walls: an organic garden. We visit the prison to find out how roses and geraniums exist in a world of razor wire and execution chambers.
Letters to Obama
Among those pinning their hopes on President-elect Obama are some who are far too young to vote. Middle school students at Oakland’s Melrose Leadership Academy wrote down their thoughts for the new president, and a teacher and school psychologist are taking those letters and essays to Washington for the inauguration. We visited their classroom to record some of their letters.
California Song: “The Bay”
In this installment of our “California Songs” series, we hear from Oakland hip-hop duo Zion I. They give us the back story on “The Bay,” a song celebrating the energetic melting pot known as the San Francisco Bay Area.