Golden State Valkyries join the WNBA

Today the WNBA Bay Area expansion team announced its official name and logo: The Golden State Valkyries. The announcement of the team name and brand identity came with an invitation for fans to "join the ascent" and proudly wear Valkyrie Violet. KTVU's Alex Savidge and Heather Holmes discuss the team's brand identity and what it signifies with Charmin Smith, head coach of the Cal Bears Women's Basketball Team and former WNBA Coach and Player.

A taste of the arts and local wines in Napa Valley

This Saturday, enjoy Napa wine and support local artists at the 12th annual Art, Sip & Stroll 2024 in Yountville. KTVU's Heather Holmes chats with Ronda Schaer, Yountville Arts Commission Chair about all of the fun at this weekend's event.

Legal expert breaks down Cohen testimony in Stormy Daniels trial

The State of New York called its star witness, Former President Trump's attorney Michael Cohen to the stand today to testify against his former boss in the ongoing criminal hush money trial. KTVU's Alex Savidge and Heather Holmes break down his testimony with Jessica Levinson, legal expert and professor at Loyola Marymount University.

Portola returns for 3rd year; disco chickens rejoice

Bay Area music fans were thrown into a frenzy over the weekend trying to figure out if a rumored lineup for this year's Portola Music Festival was too good to be true...or the real thing. On Monday, fans got the answer they were hoping for. Portola organizers officially confirmed the lineup for the fest, with a long list of heavy-hitting headliners including Rufus Du Sol, Disclosure, Justice, Four Tet, Jamie XX, Fisher and more. KTVU's Alex Savidge chats with Danny Bell, of festival organizer Goldenvoice about all of the exciting changes to the third annual Portola Festival.

Prioritizing mental health services in the AAPI community

Asian Health Services is a community organization with clinics across Oakland. Since the start of the pandemic, the organization has seen two and a half times as many patients coming in for mental health visits. This Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month the group is also spotlighting the unique mental health challenges facing the AAPI community. KTVU's Alex Savidge is joined by Thu Quach, Mon Wong and Tera Eng to discuss the services they offer.

Survey: Americans see major gap between physical vs mental healthcare

A new survey from West Health and Gallup finds that Americans see a major difference in approach when it comes to physical healthcare versus mental healthcare in the U.S. The same survey also found that more than 80% of Americans are seeing a rise in mental health issues over the last 5 years. KTVU's Cristina Rendon discusses the findings with Timothy Lash, President of West Health Institute, which spearheaded this survey.

Services available for Bay Area families struggling to afford housing

According to a new survey, nearly 4 in 10 Bay Area households spend more than 30% of their income on housing. This Affordable Housing Month, United Way Bay Area is raising awareness about the services available to local rent-burdened families. KTVU's Alex Savidge discusses the affordable housing crisis with Kelly Batson, Interim CEO of United Way Bay Area.

Congress moves forward on bipartisan air travel safety bill

This week, lawmakers in Washington moved forward on a bipartisan effort to improve the safety of air travel after a series of close calls between planes at airports across the country. Members of the House and Senate have agreed on a bill that will increase the number of air traffic controllers and require the use of new technology meant to prevent runway collisions. KTVU's Alex Savidge and Cristina Rendon discuss the legislation with Bay Area congressman Rep. Mark DeSaulnier.

Marijuana could be reclassified as "less dangerous" drug in U.S.

In a major shift, marijuana could soon be reclassified as a less dangerous drug in the U.S. Last fall, federal health officials had recommended to reschedule marijuana and now, the U.S. Department of Drug Enforcement plans to move forward with reclassifying. Changing its status from a Schedule One drug to a Schedule Three drug could have a ripple effect across the country. KTVU's Heather Holmes discusses the possible change with Tamar Todd, Lecturer of marijuana law and policy at UC Berkeley.

Deadly Risk: Sedation and Restraint

A new investigative report is shining a light on the number of people dying in police custody after being given sedatives. Those drugs, administered by paramedics, are meant to calm people who are agitated or combative during an arrest. The AP collaborated with PBS's Frontline and The Howard Center of Investigative Journalism to dig into the numbers. They found between 2012 and 2021, more than 1,000 people died following police restraint and nearly 10% of those who died, were sedated by injection. KTVU's Alex Savidge and Heather Holmes discuss the report with Carla K. Johnson, a medical journalist with the Associated Press and one of the lead reporters involved in this investigation.

13M+ Kaiser Permanente members may have had personal data leaked

Kaiser Permanente says more than 13.4 million members may have had their personal data exposed to third-party vendors and will receive a notification if their information may have been leaked. The Oakland-based healthcare provided says online tools that were installed on its websites and mobile apps were involved in the leaks and the information may have been transmitted to Google, Microsoft or X. KTVU's Heather Holmes speaks with Patrick Harr, cybersecurity expert at Pleasanton-based SlashNext about this latest data breach and the potential risks for millions of former and current Kaiser members.

California buying generic version of Narcan at reduced price

Today Governor Newsom announced the state is buying a generic version of overdose-reversal drug Narcan at a reduced price to boost supply across California and combat the rising number of opioid-related deaths. KTVU's Alex Savidge speaks with Michael Snow from The HIV Education and Prevention Project of Alameda County (HEPPAC) about the impact of this purchasing agreement and how the Naloxone Distribution Program aims to fight the opioid epidemic.

Students defy orders to vacate encampment sites, continue protests

Nationwide protests continue as college students protest the war in Gaza, calling for an immediate cease-fire. This, despite hundreds of arrests over the weekend. KTVU's Alex Savidge and Heather Holmes speak with Lisa Mueller, Political Science Professor at Macalester College and author of the coming book, "The New Science of Social Change" about our country's long history of college protests and what might be different about this one.