Joe Moore

Fresno

President and General Manager at KVPR-FM (Fresno, CA)

President & General Manager of @kvpr Valley Public Radio https://t.co/vze8PQ9iBZ

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Articles

Kern County's first oil pioneers: The Yokuts

2 days ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

You can’t tell the story of Kern County in the 20th century without the oil industry. But, the region’s history with petroleum is much, much older. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, how the Yokuts were the county’s first petroleum pioneers. In places like the Yokuts village of Wogitu, near present day McKittrick, natural oil seeps brought something called asphaltum to the surface. It’s basically oil that has hardened after it’s been exposed to air.
How the San Joaquin River got its name(s)

4 weeks ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

The San Joaquin River connects three of the defining features of California's landscape, the Sierra Nevada Central Valley in San Francisco Bay the river and its tributaries cover a drainage of over 15,000 square miles. Today on KVPR Central Valley roots the story of the river and how it earned its many names. Long before the river was called the San Joaquin, native peoples lived along its banks and fished its waters.
Why does Interstate 5 bypass Fresno and other Central Valley cities?

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

It’s often said that Fresno is the largest city in the U.S. that isn’t directly served by an interstate highway. So why is that? Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of Highway 99 and Interstate 5. In 1926 the federal government began rolling out a system of national numbered highways. U.S. Route 99 was one of the first such roads. In the San Joaquin Valley it followed the path of an earlier state highway, along today’s Union Pacific railroad. But it was far from the freeway we know today.
The "People's Railroad" - how an ag tycoon helped bust a Central Valley transportation monopoly

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

The arrival of the railroad in the 1870’s revolutionized life in Central Valley. It connected the region to the rest of the nation and helped industry and agriculture grow. But the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific were essentially one company, and they held a powerful transportation monopoly. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of an upstart rival that brought competition to the valley.
The story of Los Banos and its name

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

It’s a ritual for many Valley residents on road trips to the coast – a pit stop in Los Banos along Highway 152. It’s the perfect spot to stretch your legs, get a bite to eat, and use the bathroom before heading up and over the Pacheco Pass. But contrary to the urban legend, the town isn't named for those bathrooms. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the real story behind the name Los Banos.
How the "No Fence Law" of the 1870's fueled the Central Valley's agriculture industry

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

In many ways the Central Valley we know today was born in the 1870's. The decade gave us irrigation canals, the railroad, and the emergence of cities like Fresno and Bakersfield. But an often overlooked law from that decade had an equally large impact, helping to fuel explosive growth of the agriculture industry that still drives our economy. Today on KVPR's Central Valley Roots - the “No Fence” law of 1874. Even before the Gold Rush, ranching ruled supreme in California.
The original, long vanished "Fresno City"

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

Here’s a trick question for you – have you been to Fresno City? No, I’m not talking about today’s City of Fresno. And I’m not talking about Fresno City College either. Because today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, we go in search of the original Fresno City – one that vanished 150 years ago. The year was 1855. Fresno County didn’t even exist. But it was this year, where a small settlement emerged along the Fresno Slough.
The story of Woodlake's Bravo Lake

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

It’s a large lake in the middle of a small town in Tulare County. But if you’re just passing through Woodlake, you might never see the town’s most prominent feature. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of Bravo Lake and the town of Woodlake. First a geography lesson. The Kaweah River spreads out into different channels as it exits the foothills and enters the San Joaquin Valley. That’s why it’s called the Kaweah Delta.
Buttonwillow: An ancient tree in Kern County

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

In the last 250 years, so much of the Central Valley has been transformed. Today’s landscape of farms, cities and industry would be unrecognizable to a time traveler from the 1700s. But in a few places, there are landmarks that endure in a remarkable way. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of Buttonwillow in Kern County. Buttonwillow is located on Highway 58 west of Interstate 5 in rural Kern County. It’s a small community of about 1,500 people.
Tony Coelho, father of the Americans With Disabilities Act

1 month ago | kvpr.org | Joe Moore

The Central Valley has had its fair share of powerful congressional representatives, from Bernie Sisk to Bill Thomas. But few have had a bigger impact than Tony Coelho. His story, today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots. Tony Coelho was born in 1942 and grew up on a dairy farm in Los Banos. During high school, an accident left him with a head injury that caused him severe headaches and blackouts. He originally wanted to be a lawyer, but that changed in November 1963.