Audio

A Landfill at the Edge of the Bay

Marin County environmentalists are going head to head with the largest waste disposal company in the country over a landfill located near the San Pablo Bay. The company, Waste Management, says it’s taking an innovative approach to deal with the growing mountain of garbage–about 600 tons a day. But opponents argue the landfill is dangerous and prone to leaking, and that the trash should be trucked out of the area.

Auction: End of the Foreclosure Road

A foreclosure auction is a strange thing to witness.

There is no man at a podium swinging a gavel, no seats for the audience or numbers to hold up.

Instead, an auctioneer, typically an employee of a foreclosure noticing company arrives at a city park, finds a spot and begins reading the addresses of the homes slated for sale.

He doesn’t announce his presence. He doesn’t call order. He simply opens a file folder of foreclosed properties and begins reading them off.

It’s a no-nonsense, quick and dirty kind of deal that is all business and no emotion.

Well, at least for the auctioneer.

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After Missing in Action for 60 Years, a Soldier Is Laid to Rest

Private First Class Mervin Sims died in an airplane  crash in the Himalayas in 1943. But it would be more than 60 years before his body was found and returned home. This is a tale of an explorer, a family that had long given up hope of finding out what happened to their son and a community that can now properly mourn.

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Meet Me at the Bowling Alley

To walk into AMF Boulevard Lanes on Petaluma Boulevard South is to be transported to a different era. There’s a vending machine that sells socks for $2 (in case you forgot yours at home) and a little diner straight out of the ’50s that is rumored to have the tastiest burgers in town.

The bowling alley opened in 1958 and has since then attracted generations of Petalumans, with its leagues, classes and more recently, extreme bowling on Friday and Saturday nights.

For many who play in the leagues, the alley is a second home, a chance to reconnect with friends and form community. And if you’re a newcomer, don’t be intimidated. The rules are easy, according to Ray Allena, a veteran bowler.

“Get as many strikes as you can and don’t miss any spares. Have a drink every four or five frames and that’s about it.” All in all, a recipe for a fun night. 

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For New Yorkers on Lowest Rungs of Economy, Every Can Counts

For many New Yorkers, cans and bottles are a way to supplement meager incomes. Now the Bigger, Better Bottle Law, which goes into effect June 1, will add water bottles to the list of recyclables. It’s estimated to add more than $200 million to the state budget. But the news haven’t yet trickled down to the streets, where competition is stiff for what most consider trash.

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Grameen Bank Opens First U.S. Branch in Queens, NY

Grameen Bank, a Bangladeshi nonprofit lending organization, is opening its first U.S. branch…in Jackson Heights, Queens. After more than two decades of work in developing countries, the bank wants to help small business owners in New York City–nearly all of them immigrant women–be successful.

Sing Me a Song, Mariachi

For a group of friends, weekly jam sessions are a way to keep up traditions, thousands of miles from home. Click on photo to see slideshow.

Gauging the Economic Crisis: A Conversation with Moody’s Mark Zandi

The unemployment rate keeps growing, consumers are holding off on making big purchases and banks are hesitant to lend money. Listen to this podcast with Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi on the roots of the recession and what it will take to get out.

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Kids Learn Public Service, One Box at a Time

Last week New York City marked National Volunteer Week, created to encourage Americans to serve in their communities. At the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum volunteers, some as young as eight years old, prepared care packages for Marines stationed overseas.

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