Ben Trefny

HANA BABA: Sports aren’t for everyone. And baseball, in particular, can be a hard sell. The baseball season has 162 games, and these games feel like they last forever – the players always seem to do a lot of standing around and spitting, never much actual playing.

So why is it the national pastime? Any fan might tell you it’s about the skill of the game – strategy combined with athleticism.

But it’s more than that.

JON MILLER: My dad was a baseball fan, a sports fan, and in those days the games were on the radio. And he always had a ballgame on the radio.

One of the most imminent effects of climate change is sea level rise – especially in low-lying coastal areas like the San Francisco Bay. To documentarian Claire Schoen, this story isn’t about the science of what’s going to happen. That part is settled. She says the question is how we’re going to adapt.

KALW’s Ben Trefny sat down with Schoen to discuss her latest documentary about climate change, RISE.

BEN TREFNY: What inspired you to make this documentary?

Every year, the Bay Nature institute honors people who are making outstanding contributions to the understanding and stewardship of the natural world. One of this year’s awardees is Sean Fitzhoward. She’s a 16-year-old junior at San Francisco’s Lowell High School who founded the Protect the Bay Club. KALW’s Ben Trefny sat down with Sean Fitzhoward, and asked her about what her club does for the environment.

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has been sentenced to a day in jail and three years probation for falsely imprisoning his wife. He will receive credit for time already spent in jail. The sheriff will also attend a year of domestic-violence intervention classes and perform 100 hours of community service...

The Internet has changed the way many of us get our media. There are legal ways to get the shows and songs that we want, but those often cost money, making illegal options much more enticing. The entertainment industry and the government have tried to clamp down on piracy, but the practice continues. Professor Brian Carver teaches at the U.C. Berkeley School of Information. KALW’s Ben Trefny sat down with him to talk piracy.