Bay Curious

In this episode we answer your questions about Bay Area highways. Herb Masters has noticed what looks like a ghost freeway where 280 and 380 intersect on the Penninsula. He wants to know what's going on there. And Daniel Huertas has noticed more garbage on Bay Area roads recently. He's wondering, why?Additional Reading: Is That a Ghost Freeway on the Peninsula? And Are Our Highways Filthier Than Ever? Why Aren't Any Billboards on 280? Sign up for our newsletter where we answer even more of our questions. Reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

The Bay Area is known for great oysters, but the ones grown locally are mostly from up in Marin County. San Francisco Bay used to have a thriving population of native oysters and Bay Curious listener Joseph Fletcher wants to know if they'll ever make a comeback.Additional Reading: The Bay Waters Once Teemed With Oysters. What Happened? The Wild Oyster Project Reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

The question is a simple but alarming one: If the Lake Chabot dam cracked open in a big earthquake, what kind of flooding should the communities below expect? This week's question asker, Hollyann Vickers Keng, has a vested interest in the answer -- she lives there!Additional Reading: A Potential Flood Threat Is Hidden in the East Bay Hills — Chabot Dam Oroville Crisis: Sheriff Called Emergency 'Ugly, Sh**ty Mess' Send us your COVID story by recording yourself on your smartphone and emailing baycurious@kqed.org or leave us a voice message at 415-553-3334. Reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Our question-asker, Sara Russell, grew up hearing stories from her mother about how Irish Coffee was invented in San Francisco. Now, she wants to know if that story is totally accurate.Additional Reading:  The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins Send us your COVID stories! Record yourself on your smartphone and email: baycurious@kqed.org Or, leave us a voicemail: 415-553-3334 Reported by Oliva Allen-Price and Kelly O'Mara. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, and Vinnee Tong. Special thanks this week to voice actors Brian Watt, Paul Lancour and John Dunleavy.

A year into the coronavirus pandemic there's hope on the horizon. It's too soon to know the lasting impacts on the Bay Area, but we asked experts in mental health, transportation and education to try and predict what we might expect in our day-to-day lives as we slowly emerge from this crisis.Additional Reading: How Will A Year of Pandemic Learning Impact Bay Area Schools Long Term? As Battle Over Reopening San Francisco Schools Turns Ugly, Equity Emerges as Fault Line It Was Hard Already, Then It Got Worse: Resources For Coping Right Now We want to hear YOUR story for an upcoming episode: How has your life changed under COVID-19? Record yourself on your phone and send it to us: baycurious@kqed.org Or leave us a voicemail at 415-553-3334 Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong, and Don Clyde.

California is the most expensive state to build affordable housing in part because the costs to build are high. Some builders are turning to modular, prefabricated housing as a way to speed up production and rethink the way we've traditionally built in the Bay Area.Additional Reading: The Bay Area Has a Housing Crisis (Obviously.) Could Prefab Be the Answer? 5 Reasons It's So Expensive To Build Housing In California Take KQED's podcast survey! Reported by Molly Solomon and Erin Baldassari. Edited by Erika Kelly. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho, Rob Speight and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

The coronavirus vaccine rollout in California has felt chaotic, in part because the state has changed course several times. Many Bay Area residents are wondering when and how they can get vaccinated. And what do all the changes mean for getting the most vulnerable people vaccinated?Additional Reading: California Debates Speed Versus Equity in Vaccine Distribution Plan Where Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine In The Bay Area? Your Questions Answered KQED.org/podcastsurvey Reported by April Dembosky. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

On this week's episode, Olivia says goodbye (temporarily!) as she gets ready to welcome a new baby to the Bay! But don't fret, Bay Curious producer Katrina Schwartz will be hosting the show while Olivia's away. We'll learn all about Katrina's roots in San Francisco and the thing that made the city finally feel like home.Additional Reading: Bay Curious Podcast Listeners: We've Got Some Changes For You What's The Story Behind The Wrecked Car On Mount Tamalpais? (video) Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Want to know what time it is? These days, it's as easy as looking at your phone. But before the digital age, Bay Area residents could dial POP-CORN or 767-2676 to hear a woman's recorded voice giving the time. Bay Curious unpacks the human history of this now obsolete telephone service.Additional Reading: You Used To Be Able to Call POP-CORN And Get the Time. What Happened To That? Reported by Christopher Beale. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

In just two-and-a-half years the utility’s equipment started more than fifteen-hundred fires, a Wall Street Journal investigation found. Some of those were small, but others were deadly, like the 2018 Camp Fire, which burned the town of Paradise to the ground and killed 85 people. The Camp Fire caused about $16.5 billion in damages.Additional Reading: KQED coverage on PG&E 'Deflect, Delay, Defer': Decade of PG&E Wildfire Safety Pushback Preceded Disasters Why Doesn't PG&E Bury the Power Lines to Prevent Wildfires? Reported by Amanda Stupi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Jim Bennett and Paul Lancour. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey and Vinnee Tong.