Ryan Collins started working for the city of Davis as homeless outreach services coordinator in August 2017. He has contacted approximately 300 homeless people in Davis since then, he says, and has helped about a third of them find permanent shelter. This would have reduced the homeless population of Davis … except that a greater number has fallen into homelessness. On today’s Davisville we talk with Ryan and with Paul Doroshov, deputy police chief for Davis, about Ryan’s job working one-to-one with the homeless, how his work fits into the larger set of services and strategies that respond to homelessness, the city’s plan to hire another person whose job will be similar to Ryan’s, and how the role of the police has evolved since Paul joined the Davis Police as a patrol officer 30 years ago.

Keep an eye out for these guys, even better, treat your ears to BAD MOTHER NATURE. Listen in as we talk with all four of the band members

Bad Mother Nature, an original band formed in 2016, consists of guitarist/bassist duo Axel Ahrens and Corey Allred, pianist Ryan Allred, and drummer Jon McCann. Inspired by the classic rock titans of the 1960s and '70s, they balance driving guitar-riff work with the nuanced, progressive piano that allows their music to range from soft to rocking - often within the same song.

Their debut EP “Strange Weather,” featuring Colin Curtin on drums, presented a range of styles from the upbeat blues-rock Honey Rider, to the instrumental guitar piece Persephone, to the anthemic ballad I’ll Make You a Thief. UK rock magazine Fireworks profiled the album and the band.

(This program first aired in August 2018)

About 16 million Americans served in World War II. Today, 73 years after that war ended, perhaps 3 percent of those veterans are alive. Among the survivors, an even smaller number lived through infantry combat during the war—and today’s guest is one of them. Francis Resta, who lives in Davis and was born in 1925, was a mortar-man and machine gunner in the 102nd Infantry Division, and fought in Europe. Today we talk about his experiences, living through “insane” and “endless” combat, post-traumatic stress disorder, why many combat vets shun the idea they’re heroes, and why he wants to talk about it all now.