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California scientists celebrate Obama's lifting of restrictions on stem cell research

03/09/2009

KPCC's Nick Roman says people and institutions across California welcomed President Obama's decision to lift restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research.

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Musicians celebrate 70th anniversary of Blue Note jazz label

01/23/2009

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the greatest name in jazz records: Blue Note. The label launched the careers of many jazz giants, and KPCC's Nick Roman says a handpicked group of musicians will honor Blue Note's seven decades with shows in Orange County this weekend.

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KPCC reporters share observations of Inauguration

01/20/2009

KPCC reporters Brian Watt and Shirley Jahad were spectators at today's Inauguration. KPCC's Nick Roman spoke with both of them about the day's highlights.

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Former White House speechwriter offers thoughts on Obama's Inaugural

01/20/2009

Cal State Long Beach professor and former White House speech writer Craig Smith will do what many Americans plan to do when President Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address. Smith will watch the speech from Rome, where he'll host a lecture on presidential inaugurals just before the speech. Smith spoke with KPCC's Nick Roman.

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Actor Patrick McGoohan, who created and played "The Prisoner," dies at age 80

01/14/2009

Actor and director Patrick McGoohan has died in Los Angeles after a brief illness. The 80-year-old McGoohan won two Emmy Awards as a co-star on the detective TV series "Columbo." He was featured in the big screen epics "Ice Station Zebra" and "Braveheart." But KPCC's Nick Roman says McGoohan's greatest accomplishment may have been a TV series 40 years ago.

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Marking the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 8 Christmas Eve broadcast

12/25/2008

Wednesday night marked the 40th anniversary of one of the most watched television programs of all time: the reading of the story of the creation from the astronauts on board Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to venture beyond the Earth's orbit. KPCC's Nick Roman has that story.

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Legendary Rose Parade Float Designer Dies

07/09/2008

Funeral services are planned Thursday for Bill Lofthouse, the builder of some of the most spectacular floats in the Tournament of Roses. Lofthouse was 68 years old when he died Saturday of pancreatic cancer. If you've watched the Rose Parade, KPCC's Nick Roman says you've probably marveled at Bill Lofthouse's work.

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City Outlines Plan to Ease Traffic on Olympic and Pico

11/26/2007

The City of L.A. today outlined a new plan that promises to cut seven minutes from the commute along two of the city's busiest east-west streets: Olympic and Pico Boulevards. Seven minutes doesn't sound like much, but to anyone who drives across Los Angeles during rush hour, seven minutes can be an eternity. KPCC's Nick Roman says the plan won't get you from here to eternity, just across town a little faster.

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Designer of AK-47 Turns 88

11/12/2007

The man behind one of the most widely-used guns in the world was born 88 years ago. His birthday fell Saturday, the day before the official Veteran's Day. Mikhail Kalashnikov designed the AK-47, the assault rifle that's been used against U.S. troops in battle for 50 years. KPCC's Nick Roman spoke with the author and journalist who wrote the book about the AK-47.

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Wildfires: Reports from the Field II

10/24/2007

Finally, Southern California got a break. The fierce Santa Ana winds that had shoved wildfires hard to the west let up. That gave firefighters a chance to knock down flames, and it gave homeowners who'd fled a chance to see what happened back home. KPCC Senior News Editor Nick Roman spoke with two KPCC reporters who've been covering two of the worst fires in San Diego.