Wren Farrell
Newscasts EditorWren Farrell (he/him) is a writer, producer and journalist living in San Francisco. Originally from San Diego, he moved to the Bay Area in 2018, where he got his start in radio at KPFA. He graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy in 2021 and then went on to work for a number of podcasts as an associate producer. In 2023 he joined the inaugural class of UC Berkeley’s California Local News Fellowship, which brought him back to KALW as a full-time emergency and disaster preparedness reporter. In his free time he likes biking, cooking and hanging out.
All Stories
-
Temperatures began rising dramatically on Tuesday. Over the next few days it’s expected to be between 70 to 80 degrees on the coast and could hit triple digits inland. -
Today, around a hundred anti-Zionist protestors staged a surprise sit-in at the building that houses the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco. -
CrosscurrentsStudent reporters have been at the center of pro-Palestine encampments across the world. But what's it like being a student reporter today? -
This week, pro-Palestinian student organizers announced that San Francisco State University has agreed to divest from weapons manufacturers. -
On Monday, UC San Francisco students and healthcare workers erected a pro-Palestine encampment outside of the university’s main library. By 6 p.m., UCSF police removed it. -
On Monday, the Berkeley City Manager, Dee Williams-Ridley, announced that she is resigning from her position as the city’s top administrator. -
On Monday, San Francisco State University students, faculty, and administration began an “open negotiations session” with the university to discuss the demands of the San Francisco State Gaza student encampment. -
CrosscurrentsSubstance abuse experts say there’s a strong connection between the stress of the pandemic and increased drug and alcohol use nationwide. In this story, we take a closer look at one of the personal stories behind the statistics. -
Over the weekend, a crowd of stakeholders gathered at UCSF’s Parnassus campus to kick off construction for what the university says will be a 15-story, “state-of-the-art” facility. -
On Monday, students and faculty at San Francisco State University rallied at the campus’s Malcolm X plaza, demanding divestment from Israel’s war on Palestine.
News Updates
-
PG&E has announced that about 15,000 of its customers may lose power starting Election Day. -
On Monday, the City of Oakland announced that a program to prevent gun violence is getting a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. -
Groups in Richmond are working to spread the word about a helpline for people who are abusing their partners or loved ones. -
On Tuesday, San Francisco opened its newest waterfront attraction near Chase Center. It’s called Bayfront Park, and its designers say it was built to withstand the effects of climate change. -
A group of business and community leaders held a press conference in Oakland’s Chinatown today to speak out against the campaign to recall Mayor Sheng Thao. -
A civil rights complaint filed in California lists more than 200 real estate agents, brokerage firms, and landlords who are being accused of refusing Section 8 vouchers. -
Last night, anti-zionist Jewish protestors gathered outside of the Jewish Community Relations Council in San Francisco to condemn the non-profit’s actions. -
Last week, a group of housing and homelessness advocates staged a rally at a legislative office in Sacramento, urging Governor Newsom to deliver on a promise to build more affordable housing. -
The U.S. general election is less than six weeks away and elected officials across the country, including California Senator Alex Padilla, are taking steps to protect election workers from harassment and intimidation. -
Kaiser Permanente's last nursing home in California will officially close its doors in mid-November.
Crosscurrents
-
CrosscurrentsPart six of our series on sea level rise looks at a dune restabilization project at Ocean Beach, and a wastewater treatment plant that is being threatened by coastal erosion and rising tides. -
CrosscurrentsToday is Transgender Day of Visibility. It’s a day to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of trans people, while also acknowledging the discrimination and challenges many still face.March was a particularly tense time for trans folks in San Francisco. Two local bathhouses — Imperial Spa in the Fillmore district, and Archimedes Banya in Hunters Point — were accused of enforcing anti-trans policies.After facing backlash online and potential protests, Imperial Spa quickly reversed their policy. But at Banya, it was a little more complicated. -
CrosscurrentsFor months organizers in California have been working to spread the word about a helpline for perpetrators of domestic and intimate partner violence. You heard that right. A helpline for perpetrators, not victims.It’s an unusual approach to a serious problem: Rates of domestic violence in the U.S. are high, and they got even worse during the pandemic.The helpline – A Call for Change – promises anonymity to its callers. Their goal is to provide a non-carceral approach to preventing domestic and intimate partner violence. -
CrosscurrentsIn part two of this series, we'll learn about the larger network of service providers that the Mobile Support Team works with. And what happens to their clients after a crisis. -
CrosscurrentsLast year, Sonoma County got state funding to make their Mobile Support Team available 24/7. In part one of this series, we look at the complexities of crisis intervention. -
CrosscurrentsToday, an update on Oakland’s community response program for non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls. How and when you can call them, and what they’re doing for Oaklanders. -
CrosscurrentsEvery other year, communities across the country count the number of unhoused folks in their area. It's a way to get federal funding. But is the model working? -
CrosscurrentsLast week the California Academy of Science’s resident corpse flower bloomed. It’s an event that usually makes the news. But despite all the attention they attract, wild corpse flowers are endangered, which is why the Academy is joining a national effort to preserve their DNA. -
CrosscurrentsIt’s been 34 years since the Loma Prieta earthquake changed the San Francisco Bay Area forever. The Neighborhood Emergency Response Team is part of its legacy. -
CrosscurrentsCommunity Responders: Oakland’s Alternative to the Police, is a series that focuses on one non-police crisis response program. What else is out there?
