Davisville Archives

Music programs are only online for two weeks after they are broadcast.

Davisville, Nov. 13, 2017: Our yearly guide to films with Davis critic Derrick Bang

Today I welcome back Davis movie critic Derrick Bang, who offers his entertaining opinions on films to see and avoid as 2017 winds down. This show is an annual feature on Davisville. The New York Times recently posted a list of about 100 films coming out in the next two months.  Seeing them all would take, what, about five weeks of full-time effort? This is why we need movie critics, to help sort 'em all out!

Davisville, Oct. 23, 2017: For fundraising week, a backstage look at 3 public affairs shows

It's fundraising week, so I dedicated this week's program to a discussion among three of KDRT's public-affairs program hosts -- Gitane (right), Lois Richter, and yours truly -- on where they (we) get ideas, what makes a good show, and the spirit of community radio, which can range from ramshackle to polished. Lois co-hosts the Davis Garden Show with Don Shor, plus hosts her own program That's Life. Dr. G hosts Heart to Heart -- and among other things tonight, explains why she can't really give advice on air to people in Davis who might otherwise call with their problems. As she says, microphones are better now than they used to be. Even if a guest with a problem were never named, Davis is still small enough that their voice might be recognized. 

Davisville, Oct. 9, 2017: Equifax might have screwed up, but you can do better

Yahoo, Equifax … the major data breaches just keep on coming. Protecting your identity and information seems hopeless, but you can significantly improve your odds. Today we talk with Dewight Kramer, assistant chief information security officer for UC Davis, for context, practical ideas, the value of telling Congress about the reforms you want to see, and not falling prey to FUD -- fear, uncertainty, doubt.

Davisville, Sept. 25, 2017: Trying to steer away from the ditch

Davis is headed for a ditch, financially, but doesn’t have to land there. Dan Carson, chair of the city’s Finance and Budget Commission, is one of several people in town who are trying to engage the rest of us in helping Davis make a few course corrections now, before we start going over the edge. Today on Davisville we talk about the problem, what caused it, what we can do about it, the forecast that describes what’s coming, and why most people in Davis aren’t paying attention. At least, not yet.

Davisville, Sept. 11, 2017: Imagining America, from Davis

If Americans are less certain these days about who we are as a nation, maybe Imagining America can help. The nationwide network, created by a White House initiative in 1999, says its purpose is to bring together scholars, artists, students, designers and cultural organizers to “address the most pressing issues of our time.” This summer it moved to UC Davis from Syracuse, N.Y. On today’s show we talk with two UC Davis faulty members who help lead the network: Erica Kohl-Arenas, associate professor in American Studies and Imagining America’s new faculty director; and Milmon Harrison, associate professor in African American and African Studies.  We discuss the network, what it wants to achieve, its conference on campus next month, and why it chose Davis as its new home.

Davisville, Aug. 28, 2017: We Need A Lot More Housing, California YIMBY Says, So Start Building

Housing is expensive and scarce, in Davis and in regions all over California. Clearly, the supply has not kept up with the growth in population. Brian Hanlon is executive director of California YIMBY (for “Yes In My Backyard”), a new group, largely backed by technologists, that is urging the state to get serious about building more houses and apartments. Lots of them. Wherever they're needed. It supports several proposed laws now before the state Legislature, including one that would reduce barriers to new housing in communities that don’t take their state-defined share of growth. On today’s Davisville, we talk about remedies he supports and how they’d play out here.

Davisville, Aug. 7, 2017: The Davis Library Has Become Much More Than Books on Shelves

If there’s now a trend to share things, rather than own them, then the classic community library fits right in: It was created to own books in common for a community, and anyone with a library card could take the books home. But the Yolo County library now offers much more than books on shelves, including Chromebook tablets and hotspots you can borrow, job help, e-magazines, wi-fi, bilingual storytimes, and computer help. All at no charge. Scott Love manages the Stephens branch library in Davis, and today on Davisville he talks about how the library has evolved because of the internet, its egalitarian values, what it offers today, and where it’s headed. 

Davisville, July 24, 2017: A Remarkable Yolo County Turnaround Story

One morning in February 2013, Dennis Cortopassi drove his pickup truck into the front window of a 7-Eleven store on East Main Street in Woodland, believing he was Jesus Christ and wanting to draw attention. He was arrested, charged with felonies, and then offered a chance to get help through the Yolo County Mental Health Court in Woodland. He took the opportunity, worked his way through the program, and now helps others who struggle like he has. On today’s program he talks about the incident, what led up to it, his recovery, living with a bipolar condition, and the work he does to help others cope with their own mental illnesses. His candor makes this interview one of the most powerful we've presented since starting Davisville nearly 9 years ago.

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