Parents Look to Schools for Help

This week, KALW's Kristi Coale brings us a story from a school in Hayward. There, parents are turning to the schools and teachers for economic help. Teachers are referring them to shelters and food pantries, as they try to help them become more involved with their children's education. Listen for that story to air on Crosscurrents this Thursday.

And we heard back from a listener who visited the Big Sip Cafe, which was profiled in one of our economic edge stories on Wed. Jan. 28th. Rashid Patch from Oakland had this to report:

Well, I got over to the Big Sip this morning.

Big space, high ceilings, homey, warm, cheerful colors, bright, spacious, inviting place. Cushioned arm-chairs at every table, and several big couches.

Good coffee - I had the French roast - also Columbian and de-caf. Selection of pastries. I liked it that my croissant was heated in a radiant oven, not a microwave (which always makes croissants soft and sticky, yech!), so it stayed nice and flaky. Reasonable prices.

Friendly owner, cheerful - I was there just about 9:00 a.m., and there were only 3 other people. Wi-Fi. Had a TV going tuned to a news chanel - some might be annoyed by TV, but at least it wasn't happy-face talk.

Open till 7:00, sometimes later. Music some nights.

Nice place! I'll go back!

Peace,

Rashid Patch
Oakland

If you have any thoughts or responses to our stories, please write to us at news@kalw.org or comment here on this blog.