Crosscurrents

(Mercury News) // The Santa Clara Valley Water District is under investigation after reports that hydraulic oil was spilled into several of the district's reservoirs. The investigation comes as the district is asking voters to go to the polls this November to renew taxes that support its Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection plan...

How a famous civil rights song is being revamped for today's young people; a Marin County artist who weaves poetry into his work; local band Lo Cura plays revolutionary party music; and Will Durst's thoughts about Obama's announcement that he supports gay marriage.

This story is set to the music of Bay Area shakuhachi player Masayuki Koga, who runs the Japanese Music Institute of America. It’s from an album called Eastwind. All poetry in this piece can be found in the book Tamalpais Walking, by Tom Killion and Gary Snyder.

Marvin Gaye’s album, What’s Going On, has been called one of the great soul music records of all time. The album was showcased at a 1972 concert at the Kennedy Center in Marvin’s hometown of Washington DC. Last Thursday, the Kennedy Center commemorated that performance with a concert. They also gave one musician the original recording of the song "What's Going On," to re-imagine it in a modern context. That musician was Youth Radio's Brandon McFarland.

(SF Gate) // The debate continues over naming a U.S. Navy ship after Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Critics of the idea believe that Harvey Milk would not approve of his name on a Navy ship because of his opposition to war, while supporters argue that it would be a global honor for a Navy ship to be given Milk's name. Harvey Milk joined the Navy in 1951, before his political career in San Francisco…