Diners, donuts and Bob Ross

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Dear Kaitlyn,

I’m Katie Hyson, the Racial Justice and Social Equity reporter for KPBS. It’s my dream job – how lucky am I to say that!

Before journalism, I worked a series of community-oriented jobs that taught me how to listen and changed the way I see the world. I offered nonprofit assistance to sex workers, administered an organic farm and advised immigrants. In all those jobs, I kept running into stories I knew deserved to be told but belonged to people I didn’t often hear centered in media.

I dreamed of changing that, and public media has given me the space to do it.

Public media, and KPBS in particular, elevates the voices of “ordinary people” to the same level as people in power.

That’s also what I aimed to do with a new podcast I produced for KPBS, “One of Their Own.”

For this newsletter, I’ll introduce you to this new project that has consumed my thoughts and heart this year, along with a few other public media stories that celebrate the extraordinary in the ordinary.

'One of Their Own'

On New Year’s Eve 2017, Ciara Estrada and her boyfriend, both San Diego police officers, went with friends to a party. Pictures from that night show the smiling couple. The next day, Ciara was found dead in her home, a bullet between her eyes and her service gun in her lap. Almost immediately, her own colleagues at the San Diego Police Department called it a suicide.

I’m telling this story today, because seven years later, Ciara’s mom reached out to me. She said Ciara’s story – the real story – was never told.

I spent countless hours this year talking with Ciara’s loved ones, pouring over case files, repeatedly asking the police department for answers, and digging through Ciara’s own texts and notes.

What emerged is “One of Their Own,” a new five-episode investigative podcast.

Each episode dives deeper into the blurred lines between love and power, loyalty and accountability, truth and grief. 

The first two episodes will be released this Tuesday, Nov. 18. You can listen to the trailer now at kpbs.org/oneoftheirown.

I hope it allows Ciara’s loved ones – and anyone who’s had to fight for transparency from law enforcement – to be heard. And I hope you listen.

Feeling Lucky

Everyone at KPBS knows I’m the biggest fan of "The Finest" – it’s our new-ish arts and culture podcast that just wrapped its first season.

I moved to San Diego a few years ago, and "The Finest" has shown me so much to love about my new home and neighbors.

I used to walk by Lucky’s Breakfast A.K.A. Lucky’s Golden Phenix almost daily. The humble exterior could never have prepared me for the heights of humanity crammed inside.

If you want to remember what makes life worth living – and people worth celebrating – I cannot recommend this episode about North Park's legendary one-man diner enough.

Slackers at work

Speaking of "The Finest," they’ve been putting on the most incredible live pop-up concerts on our patio at work! It’s like San Diego's own version of NPR's Tiny Desk, but plugged in and featuring all local talent. (Have I mentioned how much I love my job?)

The first of our live pop-up concerts featuring rising rock trio Slacker is now on YouTube for anyone to enjoy.

If you dig it, learn more about the feelings and friendship behind the music in Slacker's post-show interview with "The Finest."

A sprinkle of love

I grew up in an “unincorporated area” in rural Florida. Reporters only ever came to town for the worst things that happened. They’d swoop in and leave just as suddenly.

That’s why the new East County beat at KPBS means so much to me, along with its reporter Elaine Alfaro – who is not just a talented journalist but a wonderful human being. Lainie isn’t swooping in and leaving. She’s dedicated to covering East County full-time, and finding so much to celebrate there.

One of my favorites is her wonderful story about Mary's Donut Shop in Santee and the legacy of its founder, Mary Hennessy.

Check out this lovely profile, and get excited for more stories from East County!

Happy little accidents

Who better to celebrate the extraordinary in the ordinary than Bob Ross, the man who turned mistakes into bushes and then got me really stoked about those bushes?

Dozens of Bob Ross paintings are now being auctioned off to raise money for public media, and three of them just fetched more than half a million dollars!

On Sunday, "Last Week Tonight" featured a segment about public media's funding loss, and host John Oliver started an auction of his own to raise funds for public media stations. The hottest item on the block? A Bob Ross original called "Cabin at Sunset." Last I checked, it was already up to $1,000,000 in bids.

I’ve heard Bob loved public media as much as I do, and he's still adored as an icon of public television. The loss of federal funding has been a big unexpected blot on this year. But even in death, Bob is helping turn it into a happy little bush.

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