Thirty years after he pulled a boy alive from the wreckage of the Cypress Freeway by chainsawing through another earthquake victim, an East Bay doctor still thinks about that miraculous rescue, almost every single day. So does KCBS Radio Reporter Doug Sovern, who was there when it happened, and had a reunion with the surgeon to share their memories of the Loma Prieta earthquake.  

KCBS Radio Cover Stories

30 Years After Loma Prieta Earthquake, Doctor Reflects On "Miracle" Rescue

A pioneering program in the East Bay is bringing psychiatric care right into those homeless tent encampments that dot the Bay Area's urban landscape. There are more than eight thousand people experiencing homelessness in Alameda County, and roughly half have mental health issues. KCBS Radio Reporter Doug Sovern hit the streets of Oakland with the county's StreetHealth Team.

Psychiatrists Bring Mental Health Care Into Oakland Homeless Camps

Some Russian River residents say there are two seasons in the county, flood season and fire season with little rest in between. In the last installment of her four-part series, KCBS Radio reporter Holly Quan went back to Guerneville to see, six months after the worst flooding in a quarter century, whether the area is ready for evacuations of a different kind. 

Guerneville Not Ready For Fire Season After Historic Flood

Six months after the worst flooding on the Russian River in 25 years, the long term effects are being felt in a diaspora of long time locals. Housing was tough enough before the water rose 13 feet above flood stage. As KCBS Radio reporter Holly Quan discovers in part three of her special four-part series from Guerneville, this disaster could change the face and feel of the town. 

Guerneville Residents Uprooted After Historic Flood "I Didn't Have A Choice"

Six months since the Russian River climbed 13 feet above flood stage, the worst in 25 years, the scars are well hidden. This is high season, what you earn this summer can make or break you come winter. In part two of her special four-part series, KCBS Radio reporter Holly Quan re-visits the tourist heavy region to see who's thriving and who's barely able to survive. 

Slow Start To Tourist Season After Historic Flood Hits Guerneville

Next week will mark six months since heavy rains pushed the Russian River to 45 feet, inundating towns and washing out roads. For an area so reliant on summer tourism, not everything is back to normal. In part one of her special four-part series, KCBS Radio reporter Holly Quan went back to the flood zone to find some roads still closed with no timetable for repairs. 

Guerneville Roads Remain Clogged With Mud, Debris Six Months After Historic Flood

The owner of a sake shop in San Francisco's Hayes Valley is venting his frustration over the neighborhood's lack of parking by putting his money where his mouth is. KCBS Radio Reporter Doug Sovern says his latest window display is the buzz of the neighborhood.

Sake Guru Offers Discounts To Vent Anger Over Parking Tickets

As Mexican authorities pull more migrants out of caravans, deporting them to their home countries, desperate Central Americans are returning to some older methods to try to reach the United States. That includes handing over their life savings to so-called "coyotes" who smuggle them across the border. In the fifth and final part of this week's special series, "A Desperate Frontier: Death And Dreams In El Salvador," KCBS Radio Political Reporter Doug Sovern brings us the story of one man who made that dangerous journey, from San Salvador all the way to Sonoma County.  

Bay Area Man Recalls Harrowing Journey From El Salvador, As Another Desperate Generation Seeks Refuge In The US

In recent days, Mexico has been cracking down on migrant caravans, arresting and deporting more of the immigrants moving through the country toward the United States. But in Central America, KCBS Radio Political Reporter Doug Sovern found out that the Mexican government was already getting tough on those migrants, even as President Trump was complaining the country wasn't doing enough. Here is Part 4 of this week's special 5-part series, "A Desperate Frontier: Death And Dreams In El Salvador."

Mexican Crackdown On Migrant Caravans Predates Trump Threats

President Trump is trying to eliminate U-S aid to the three countries that make up Central America's "Northern Triangle," because he doesn't think they're doing enough to keep their people from migrating to the United States. But in El Salvador, KCBS Radio Political Reporter Doug Sovern discovered that cutting off those dollars could force even more migrants to try to cross our border. Here's Part Three of this week's special series, "A Desperate Frontier: Death And Dreams in El Salvador."

In El Salvador, US Aid Is A Life Or Death Matter For Young People

As KCBS Radio Political Reporter Doug Sovern reported in the opening segment of this week's special five-part series, President Trump is exaggerating the presence of the notorious Salvadoran gang MS-13 in those caravans bringing migrants to the U.S. border. But in the cities and towns of El Salvador, the gang is a disruptive force, driving migrants to seek asylum in America. Many people forget that the gang is actually a U.S. export, born in Southern California, as we hear in Part Two of Doug's series,"A Desperate Frontier: Death And Dreams in El Salvador."

In Gang-Ravaged El Salvador, Survivors Cling To Hope

If you're tempted to drive on the shoulder in the East Bay to get around your rush hour backup, you might want to think twice. The CHP is cracking down on drivers who cheat on the shoulders, and KCBS Radio Reporter Doug Sovern rode along to watch.

CHP Nails Commuters Who Cheat By Driving On The Shoulder

Experts warn that within thirty years, there will be more plastic garbage in the world's oceans than there are fish. To keep that from happening to San Francisco Bay, local sailors are turning their bay excursions into plastic patrols. KCBS Radio Reporter Doug Sovern climbed aboard in search of floating litter for this KCBS Special Report.

"Plastic Patrol" Scours San Francisco Bay For Debris

KCBS Radio's entry for the 2019 duPont-Columbia Awards: a compilation of our Breaking News coverage of the biggest California story of 2017, the devastating Wine Country Wildfires that claimed 44 lives and destroyed almost 10,000 homes across five counties of the north San Francisco Bay Area. It was the most destructive complex of fires in California history. Our team of reporters fanned out across the region and braved harrowing conditions to cover this breaking story for two full weeks, with months of follow-up reporting since. Their work has already been honored with awards by the Radio Digital TV News Association, the National Headliner Awards, and the Associated Press TV Radio Association, including the national Edward R. Murrow Award.

KCBS duPont-Columbia Awards 2019 Entry: Wine Country Wildfires

There are dining discounts to be had all over Oakland, which is celebrating Oakland Restaurant Week. KCBS Radio Reporter Doug Sovern says at one participating eatery in particular, the staff is grateful to have a chance to feed some new customers (Version 2, from 1/15/18)

Oakland Celebrates Restaurant Week

Audio reports from KCBS Radio Cover Stories.

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KCBS Radio Cover Stories

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