Oakland, CA - Mills students will broadcast their original stories about local redevelopment and development issues on public radio station KALW-FM, 91.7 beginning January 22, through February 1, 2006. Aired in two parts, the first stories will be broadcast on Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 3:30 pm and repeated on Wednesday, January 25 at 7 pm. The second parts will air on Sunday, January 29 at 3:30 p.m. and again on Wednesday, February 1 at 7 pm.

As part of next year’s studies, Mills will welcome National Public Radio’s (NPR) Next Generation Radio project designed to give students interested in radio and journalism careers an opportunity to report and produce their own radio story. The project is sponsored by NPR and several journalist and media organizations.

The stories:

1. Mills students Adina Lepp and Annie Abernethy investigate whether redevelopment truly creates local jobs, as promised.
2. Governments have the power to take private property (and compensate owners) through eminent domain. Alexandra Kostoulas reports on how eminent domain is applied locally.
3. Kristin Darling reports on what happens when West Oakland neighbors discovered that their historic train station, dubbed the “Ellis Island for African Americans,” might be destroyed.
4. Reporters Thea Chroman and Ilana Murphy look at new
   urbanism and its jewel: the Fruitvale Transit Village. They explore whether a community can be created out of pink stucco, palm trees, and principles.
5. Halle Berg spent time with the East Oakland Political Action Committee (PAC) to witness citizen democracy in action. Members of this PAC are overseeing redevelopment to ensure it will respond to the needs of residents in the neighborhood undergoing transformation.

According to Holly Kernan, news director at KALW-FM, Mills’ first public radio reporting class (Fall, 2005) studied the history of urban renewal in Oakland and looked at contemporary development issues in a city where many neighborhoods are in designated redevelopment zones.  “It was a tough subject to undertake, but Mills students really pursued it,” Kernan commented.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of the country’s 20 most diverse colleges. The Princeton Review selected Mills as one of 11 colleges for first-time inclusion in its Best 361 Colleges - 2005. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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