This week, reporters celebrate the approach of spring break by bringing listeners outside.

John Peabody waits in the rain outside a reality television audition in Daly City, talking with women who want to be the next Top Model.

Angelica Marin climbs to the top of the legendary lighthouse on Alcatraz Island, and explains why other tourists may soon be able to visit, too.

Drew Himmelstein goes beyond the Bay Area’s network of hiking and biking trails to explore the new “water trail” for boaters.

Anchor Sudhin Thanawala interviews UC Berkeley research scientist, Dr. Michael Wilson, about harmful toxins in the environment and in common household products like cleaners and toys.

April Dembosky visits Berkeley Iceland, the landmark ice skating rink scheduled to close for good on March 31st, to chronicle the rink’s final days.

Anchor Abigail Curtis talks to commercial fisherman, Mike Hudson, and gets him to sing a tune from his debut CD, “Wild Salmon Don’t Get the Blues.”

This week’s show was produced by Eric Simons. The assistant producer was April Dembosky. Studio engineers were Charla Bear and Amy “Double AJ” Jeffries, and the faculty advisor is Bob Butler.

North Gate Radio March 22, 2007

This week on the show, Zachary Slobig reports from Stephen Hawking’s sold-out Berkeley lecture, while April Dembosky catches up with the Cal women’s basketball team as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament.

Feature reporter Abigail Curtis takes a look at a crisis for Berkeley book-lovers, and finds some gloomy, and some optimistic, projections.

Anchor Angelica Marin chats with National Radio-Television News Directors Association president Barbara Cochran about a week of events to promote open government.

Sudhin Thanawala reports on the Intertribal Friendship House, an Oakland institution that community members recently rallied to save.

Reporter Drew Himmelstein takes us to San Francisco, where she explains why a Christian church is displaying a menorah in its window.

Host Josh Chin talks with Berkeley Unitarian Universalist minister Bill Hamilton-Holway about Congressman Pete Stark’s recent announcement that he’s a nonbeliever — and asks what it means to be a church-going nontheist.

And reporter John Peabody talks with local DJs about the upcoming release of Los Angeles hip-hop artist/producer J. Dilla’s long-awaited posthumous album, “Rough Draft,” and the legacy the artist left behind.

This week’s show was produced by Fulvio Paolocci. The assistant producer was Eric Simons. Studio engineers were Charla Bear and Secret Agent Amy “Double AJ” Jeffries, and the faculty advisor is Bob Butler.

North Gate Radio March 8, 2007

This week on the show, our reporters hit the streets of the East Bay in search of the wide range of activities you can do with pavement underfoot, from swinging swords to peddling popsicles.

In Oakland, reporter John Peabody braves thunder and hail to watch the glass fly with a man who calls himself the city’s best recycler.

Host April Dembosky talks with UC Irvine political science professor Claire Kim about tension between Asian Americans and African Americans in the wake of a column in San Francisco publication AsianWeek titled “Why I Hate Blacks.”

Zachary Slobig reports from the secret parking lot where a group of proletariat polo players hit the pavement for a friendly, high-scoring game of bike polo, while explaining why they prefer wheels to horseshoes.

Reporter Angelica Marin walks along with the paleteros — ice cream sellers — of Oakland, and finds these hard-working immigrant vendors are sometimes targets of violence.

Josh Chin dodges wooden sword swipes underneath the Rockridge BART station with a king named Uther, and reports on a chivalrous form of modern combat.

And host Eric Simons sits down with Lawrence Hall of Science deputy director Susan Gregory, who chats about the influence of Ernest Lawrence, and what it’s like to hold a Nobel Prize.

This week’s show was produced by Abigail Curtis, and the assistant producer was Fulvio Paolocci. Charla Bear and Amy Jeffries were the studio engineers and Bob Butler is the faculty advisor. Theme music by Raw Deluxe. (Website: rawdeluxemusic.com)

North Gate Radio March 8, 2007

This week’s show is all about culinary combat and food and cooking trends in the Bay Area.

Our host Drew Himmelstein talks to culinary expert Shirley Fong-Torres about the Chinese Year of the Pig.

Reporter Zach Slobig finds that the Berkeley Bowl grocery store is home to shopping cart rage along with its huge array of fruit and vegetables.

April Dembosky reports on kitchens where busy professionals -and homemakers – pay to assemble meals that they will heat up at home later.

Eric Simons learns about another type of community kitchen in Berkeley, where the members are urged to consume rich foods such as beef heart patties and lard-laden broth as part of an unusual diet.

Reporter Sudhin Thanawala eavesdrops on couples who cook together, learning that tensions can simmer alongside the soups in home kitchens.

And anchor John Peabody quizzes national-known nutritionist Marion Nestle about the college diet and new trends in Girl Scout cookies.

This week’s show was produced by Josh Chin and Abigail Curtis was the assistant producer. Charla Bear and Amy Jeffries were the studio engineers and Bob Butler is the faculty advisor. Theme music by Raw Deluxe. (Website: rawdeluxemusic.com)

North Gate Radio March 1, 2007