A Major Tragedy Struck

...and instead of heading the other way, these folks stuck around and did what needed doing. They're Dr. Ruth Berggren and Dr. Tyler Curiel. They're a couple of intelligent, well-known doctors, and a married couple to boot.

Besides medicine, another of life's aspects they share is an odd proximity to tragedy. They were there when dikes failed and the waters drowned much of New Orleans. The two doctors stayed with patients too sick to be moved, day after day, wondering if the world had forgotten them. Finally, Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper shone the national spotlight on the hospitals that rescue efforts seem to have forgotten, and the choppers arrived to ferry patients and doctors out safely.

Ms. Berggren was raised in Haiti, and returns there often to care for the sick and teach UT Health Science Center students medical ethics. She'd only been back to San Antonio from such a trip for 36 hours when the earthquake nearly leveled Port Au-Prince. Feeling the call of duty and a tug on her heartstrings, she headed back to the tropical country, joined shortly thereafter by husband Tyler.

They sat down recently with Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies to relive their experiences, and tell south Texans that what they know about Haiti...isn't the Haiti these doctors know at all. Their stories are fascinating and well-told, their pictures beautiful and revealing.

We invite viewers to spend an hour tonight at 8 with two of San Antonio's most interesting people. I can guarantee that you'll learn something you didn't know, and you'll feel just a little better about the world.

This Is Why You Need KLRN:

We’ve just put the finishing touches to the show we at KLRN call Politithon. It’s the marathon political program wherein we invite everyone who’s running for local, area and national office, from County Clerk to U.S. Representative. The League of Women voters collaborate with us to bring south Texas voters a two and 3/4-hour, in-depth talk with those who want your vote in the March 2nd Primary.

No other local station does this.

Millions of Americans’ identities are stolen every year, costing untold billions and heartache to its victims. With this in mind, the Texas Lyceum approached KLRN to shoot, produce and edit one in their Great Debate Series at San Antonio’s Empire Theater. Moderated by the Express-News’ Bob Rivard, the forum on Cyber Security didn’t just make for great TV. It gave viewers an hour’s worth of information they likely haven’t heard anywhere else to protect them and their families.

No other local station does this.

The KLRN production crew recently descended on the Foundry Coffee House to shoot its 5th annual College Call-In. This program helps students and parents navigate the confusing and choppy waters of getting into and paying for college. Hosts Chuck Cureau and Karen Grace invited parents and students to ask representatives from most local colleges their most pressing questions, and have them answered right then-n-there. KLRN commits to getting all calls, e-mails and tweets answered so that everyone who wants to get into college can do so!

No other local station does this.

Coming soon:
Conversations--a revealing Conversation with Dr. Ruth Berggren, the woman who stayed with her New Orleans patients after Katrina, and whose big heart took her back to Haiti after the earthquake.
Also: Judge Nelson Wolff takes us to the south side and reveals why the rebirth of the San Antonio River at the Mission Reach might even be greater than the wildly successful Museum Reach.

No other local station does this.

This is what you deserve from your local PBS station, and that’s precisely what KLRN will continue to do for you. Thanks for watching, and supporting, KLRN.

Frontline: Digital Nation

Watch Digital Nation tonight at 9:00 PM on KLRN. Want to know more? Google it!

Want to make competition fun? Bring wine into the picture.

5 panels of judges sniffed, swirled and sipped 515 different varietals of wine on Saturday for the 2010 San Antonio Wine Competition. The results of this competition help to determine which wines are served at the San Antonio Wine Festival events, but they also help the general public through the sometimes intimidating wine aisles. Our judges were fantastic, the volunteers were organized and impressive, and of course the wineries came through with quality products---and this all led to a successful competition. The results will be published in the February 14th issue of the San Antonio Express-News. See below for a sneak peek into this endeavor.





For more information on the competition or any of the San Antonio Wine Festival events, please visit http://www.sawinefest.com/. Cheers!

Laredo Speaks Up!

A team from KLRN recently visited Laredo to talk to people in the community about news, jobs, life and issues. Allow us to introduce the six people who agreed to speak with us.





Their videos, which are posted on the PBS NewsHour Patchwork Nation blog, give insight into the the issues that plague this town and other border towns, but also give these folks a chance to respond to the latest news of the closing of Laredo's only bookstore.

Volunteer Opportunity!

Do you love fine wine and delicious food? Of course you do! Who doesn't?

The 2010 Fine Wine & Cuisine Tasting is coming up on Monday, February 15, 2010 and we are looking for wine lovers to serve as "corkers."

We are specifically seeking “corkers” to pour wine at various wine stations. Volunteers need to be at the Alamodome at 4:30 PM for training. Volunteers will receive official KLRN corkscrew, official KLRN wineglass, free parking at the Alamodome and be able to enjoy half of the event!

All volunteers will be pre-assigned to alternating shifts so please indicate on your registration if you are part of a group. Because you will be able to enjoy half of the event as an attendee, there is a special volunteer ticket price of $25, which includes your parking (That’s $20 off the door ticket price). The deadline for substitutions is February 1, 2010.

Then go to http://www.sawinefest.com/10Volunteer.html today to register to be a corker for the KLRN Fine Wine & Cuisine Tasting event on Monday, February 15, 2010 at the Alamodome. This is a great event for friends or organizations that love to volunteer together.

The deadline to register is February 1, 2010.

Happy Holidays from KLRN

The PBS NewsHour

On Monday night, December 7, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer becomes the PBS NewsHour. While you can watch the PBS NewsHour each weeknight at 7 PM on KLRN, the change also brings a robust new Web site that will be updated throughout the day.

If you missed Jim Lehrer's announcement and his rules for "MacNeil/Lehrer Journalism" on the Friday, December 4 program, you can watch it here.



And don't forget to join Jim, Gwen, Judy, Ray, Margaret, Jeffrey and newcomer, Hari Sreenivasan for the PBS NewsHour tonight!

Teachers are Over the Moon at the San Antonio Day of Discovery

This last Saturday, December 5th, KLRN School Services teamed up with TCEA Area 20 (THANK YOU! Jennifer Faulkner, Area Director) to host the first-ever San Antonio Day of Discovery for educators. Featuring KLRN Connect, the premiere digital video service from Discovery Education, the event kicked off with a fantastic keynote from award-winning education blogger, Steve Dembo of the Discovery Educator Network. Steve took the audience on a tour of the 21st Century classroom. As he did, he reminded us this is the classroom of today not the future...we are nearly 10 years into the 21st Century! Here is a podcast of Steve's keynote thanks to Miguel Guhlin of San Antonio ISD.

Throughout the day, teachers had an opportunity to learn how to use digital media and technology in the classroom including taking a virtual field trip to the Moon with Google Earth. In this session, teachers were exposed to the rich resources from this Google map tool that even includes the sky and a virtual 3D representation of the moon.

Teachers also got an overview of how to take digital media content into software such as iMovie, MovieMaker, and Animoto (featured above) that allows you to edit and create multimedia presentations. This is great way for students to do presentations as well. Long gone are the days of dioramas and tri-fold poster board.

Steve Dembo hosted a session that took on the theme of a "Day in the Life of a Discovery Educator". He gave a minute by minute overview of a technology-rich school day. All of the resources presented were easy to find and use through KLRN Connect and other online services.

Whether you are an educator, parent, or a fan of KLRN, take a look at what we do to support K-12 teachers in the classroom and beyond! All presentations are archived at Justin Karkow's DEN Blog. Thanks again to the DEN for bringing us this Day of Discovery. And, a special thanks to Steve Dembo for coming out on his birthday!

But most of all thanks to all the great educators who attended. Those teachers go above and beyond everyday and gave up a Saturday to learn even more. What can I say other than these teachers are truly the STARS in the classroom!

KLRN Previews | 11/24/2009

Check out the latest KLRN Previews E-Newsletter featuring information about this Saturday's broadcast of the Texas Music Extravaganza. You'll also read a bit about December 7's launch of the PBS NewsHour.

To get the newsletter via email every two weeks, register at: http://www.klrn.org/signup/

Wine, Friends, and Good Times: The 2010 KLRN Wine Season Is Officially In Full Swing

Glasses were raised and the excitement and energy was radiating at the St. Anthony Hotel last night as the 2010 San Antonio Wine Festival Committee met for the first time. The crowd, filled with seasoned committee members as well as people that are new to the group, got a "taste" of what it is like to sit on the wine committee, and I must say, our committees have good times, they really do. This year's chairs, Dacia and Lanham Napier, are so filled with enthusiasm that it rubs off on whoever surrounds them. It is going to be a fun wine year, folks. It is never too early to get involved, so whether you are a restaurant who wants to participate in the festivities, a sponsor who wants to support a good cause or you are a patron who loves wine and public television, we look forward to seeing you all at the events of the 2010 year. And to our committee...Cheers!

(If you have questions or want to participate in this years events, please contact John Costello 210.270.9000 or jcostello@klrn.org)

Don't Believe Me; I've Got a Dog in This Hunt

But San Antonio's Express-News Entertainment Writer Jeanne Jakle doesn't, and she sure did like what we call "The River Walk Doc." Its real title is Paseo Del Arte: Expanding the San Antonio River Walk.

Jakle's review is glowing, and to be honest, so are we. We put a lot of heart and soul (and photography and editing) into this doc and it's very satisfying to have it recognized. It airs 9PM Tuesday night the 10th of November--tomorrow at this writing--and I hope you get a chance to see it.

Pictured above is Donald Lipski's F.I.S.H.. Why in the world did he pick that particular variety of fish to build? The answer is in the River Walk doc...tune in to find out!

They Absolutely Didn't Have to Do This

But they did. They took an overgrown, trash heap wasteland section of the San Antonio River and gave it a radical makeover. They dredged it out, widened the river channel, built elaborate stonework walls and walkways, and secured artists to conceive and install wildly creative, bizarre and even subtle works of art. And now San Antonio has an outdoor linear art gallery that's like nowhere else in the world. The picture above is Donald Lipski's F.I.S.H. under the I-35 bridge, with San Antonio Museum of Art in the background.

They--the city, the county, the San Antonio River Authority, and the San Antonio River Foundation--had an uphill battle to fight. They had to convince a skeptical public that an area of town that, to put it kindly, has seen better times, could become a showplace for the Alamo City. And now, with a lot of corporate support, those governmental entities have done precisely that.

Almost a year ago the River Foundation contacted KLRN to document the creation of what's come to be called the Museum Reach portion of the new River Walk. We've interviewed dozens of people, including all the artists, former mayors, all the movers-n-shakers. And we've spent time along the river shooting beautiful high-def video of all the artists' wondrous creations. We've cruised in River Barges, night and day, to capture the experience of this fabulous new stretch. And we've put all that into a lively, half-hour documentary that we've named Paseo Del Arte: Expanding the San Antonio River Walk. If you'd like a preview, go here. It airs Tuesay the 10th at 9PM on KLRN, and we sure hope you'll watch.

If you watch, you'll see how much neater a town we can be, how much more interesting a society we become...when we do that which we don't have to do, but which will make us all a little happeer.

To medicate or not to medicate...that is the question.

I have to be honest, with all of the talk about the H1N1 vaccination and it's safety (or not), the discussion has happened in my house... to vaccinate or not to vaccinate? There is speculation. There are questions. And frankly, my family is in a quandry about it, trying to figure out the best route to take. I guess I won't have to make any drastic decisions until the shot actually becomes available to me and mine. Until then, I wait (and am quite relieved not to have to make the ultimate decision just yet).

In the meantime, I am left to think about children and medicine. Quite a combo. I remember penicillin being the cure all for me as a child...for anything and everything, but that was it. If penicillin didn't cure it, then I was to wait it out or sleep it off.

Tonight, Frontline is rebroadcasting the episode titled "The Medicated Child". Some programs bear repeating and I believe because of the current discussions about our little ones and which medicines are good for them, this one is more than appropriate. Tune in tonight or watch the full episode online. I know I will.

Katrina

p.s. By the way, there is a plethora of information at the website for this episode. FAQs, discussion forums, and a parents guide, for any of you interested in learning more.

KLRN Video Blog | October 20