Valley Metro brings you stories about how the transit system connects communities and enhances lives. The riders are diverse yet their lives all intersect on public transit. Storylines, hosted by Juliana Vasquez-Keating and Ricardo Tejada, shares the stories about building and operating a transit system that brings people together and links them to their favorite destinations.
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This week on Storylines, the voices of Canadian World War One soldiers, sharing their stories of the front lines. You’ll hear these veterans talk about poison gas attacks, shellfire, the mud, the air war, and even the food. The stories come from interviews with World War One veterans done for the CBC program Flanders Fields which first aired on Nov…
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Valley Metro’s new fare system is here! On this episode of Storylines, hosts Juliana and Ricky sit down with Public Information Officer Renata Cló to answer your most frequently asked fare questions and learn how riders can benefit from the new system.由Valley Metro
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In 2013, American psychologist James Hardt made a promise to Indigenous kids in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He said his brainwave training would transform their lives by increasing IQ, curing mental health issues and potentially giving them superpowers like levitation. Perhaps the most surprising thing — he convinced the Prince Albert School Board…
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On this week's Storylines, we start on January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was overrun by rioters A few blocks away, as the dramatic scenes unfolded, CBC journalist Katie Nicholson was confronted by a group of angry Trump supporters who heckled her and said she should get out of their country. One woman accused her of “spewing BS” and said that …
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Some twenty five years ago, in a small, nondescript building in downtown Tokyo, children gather to look at a suitcase displayed behind glass. They write poems and draw pictures about the suitcase because of the tragedy it represents. The suitcase came from Auschwitz. This suitcase belonged to Hana Brady, who was born in the Czech Republic, and whos…
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Tiny forests are taking root around the world. These dense forests, often the size of a tennis court, are jam-packed with trees. The density means the forest grows faster, which has made them popular in communities who want to grow forest canopy, making them a popular trend in urban and suburban areas. But do tiny forests live up to the hype? Join …
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In 2015, Yasser El Tahan picked up a stranger while off roading in Newfoundland. Days later, Yasser learned that the man he’d taken into the woods was a missing person named Jonathan Hannaford. Jonathan would be found a few days later, but this chance encounter on a country road haunted Yasser. So he decided to find Jonathan and talk to him about w…
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In this episode of Storylines, hosts Juliana and Ricky get the dirty details on air quality. First, they talk with ADEQ Meteorologist Matt Pace about the science behind air quality in the Valley. Then, they sit down with Ari Halpert from Maricopa County to learn how we are making our air cleaner in the Valley and how you can help.…
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She pretended to be a nurse in Colorado, Ontario, Alberta and B.C., posed as a teacher in Alberta and Quebec and worked as a hairstylist in multiple cities. And no matter how many times this serial imposter ends up behind bars, Brigitte Cleroux just keeps returning to her life of deception. In the documentary, “The Professional,” Bethany Lindsay fo…
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Every day, hundreds of people cross the border from Sudan into Chad, searching for safety. They’re escaping a brutal civil war in Sudan which has been raging since April of 2023. In the conflict, men have routinely been rounded up and killed. Women have been raped. Homes and villages have been raided and destroyed. The conflict has forced 10.5 mill…
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In this episode, we step inside a Toronto classroom where some 30 students from diverse backgrounds lift their voices and sing as part of the University of Toronto’s first-ever Black gospel choir class. Led by Professor Darren Hamiliton, the students, many with no background in gospel music, learn that there is more to this musical tradition than t…
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Operators are the backbone of Valley Metro. That’s why we’re spotlighting them on this episode of Storylines! Hosts Juliana and Ricky talk with bus operator Jesus Valencia and Streetcar operator Sami Haddad to explore their day-to-day experiences and why they enjoy working for Valley Metro.由Valley Metro
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Dylan Bullock, a former firefighter with the BC Wildfire Service, has heard about close calls. Like the time a colleague lost sight of the vehicle ahead and ended up in the path of a forest fire. They had to abandon their truck after it got stuck on a tree stump and escape on foot. Another time Dylan was hospitalised after his clothes caught fire d…
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In this episode, hosts Juliana and Ricky spotlight Valley Metro’s latest safety initiatives. First, we hear from Bus Security Coordinator, Dave Munley about Operation Blue Ride. Then we chat with Transit Security Manager, Don Schneidmiller about light rail and streetcar security improvement.由Valley Metro
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The triple-digit temperatures are here, and hosts Juliana and Ricky are talking about summer safety. Guests Cleo Warner from the Maricopa Association of Governments and Michelle Litwin from Phoenix’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation talk about what their organizations are doing to keep residents cool. Plus, learn how Valley Metro is helping b…
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Early in the morning in Winnipeg, outside a grocery store, Dmytro is about to start his shift. Dmytro, who is in their mid-20s and identifies as non-binary, has only been in Canada for 18 months. They fled Ukraine when the Russian invasion was looming and could only leave the country because of a medical condition. However, Ukraine amended its medi…
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30 years ago, the Stanley Cup playoffs ignited a rumour that has been messing with Jane Macdougall’s life ever since. It was June 14, 1994, and the Vancouver Canucks had made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Rangers. The Canucks were magic on ice, so when they lost by just one goal, fans expected the team to c…
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At a union hall in Detroit’s industrial River Rouge neighborhood, workers have come together to vote for a new leader. The event feels festive, with a fire pit, a tent, and even 'walking tacos,' which are taco meat mixed into a bag of Doritos. But there are dark clouds on the horizon for the future of their industry. Many of these workers are emplo…
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In January, some New Hampshire voters thought they had gotten a robo call from Joe Biden, telling them to skip voting in the state primary. The robocall voice at the other end of the phone wasn’t Biden at all. In fact it was a deepfake, created by a political consultant working for a longshot democratic challenger to Biden. The audio itself was mad…
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Learn all about Valley Metro’s new fare system launching this summer. Hosts Juliana and Ricky speak with fare expert Dane Ryals about Copper cards, Smart Fare and more. We’re also giving away Copper cards to five lucky listeners.由Valley Metro
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Claire Hafner at 47, is among the top women boxers in the world. She’s just about ready for retirement but wants to win the Canadian title before hanging up her gloves. However, a question hangs over the timing of when retirement will come. Claire is also among a small group of women athletes who are participating in a landmark study on the effects…
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CBC producer Naheed Mustafa, then a freelance writer and broadcaster, landed at the Kabul airport on a blistering hot summer day back in 2008. She’d come to report on how the country had been transformed by the U.S. led war. By that point a lot had changed. In Kabul Afghans felt free to come and go as they pleased, women wore burkas but they also w…
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When Julia Pagel was seven months pregnant, she and her husband faced all the usual new parent decisions: making a birth plan, deciding which stroller to buy and whether to use reusable or disposable diapers. However, there was one choice that was extra tricky for the two of them. What would their child's last name be? Should they just go along wit…
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On May 1st the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will begin commercial operations. It marks the end of a 12 year saga that included protests, legal challenges and the purchase of the pipeline itself by the federal government. When Ottawa stepped in to buy TMX six years ago, it had an estimated price tag of $7.4 billion dollars. Today the cost has g…
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Mary Kajumba needed money to make a better life for her daughter. So, with the help of a placement agency she left her home in Uganda, and went to Iraq where she got a job as a restaurant cleaner. It wasn’t long after she realised she was in trouble. Mary says she found herself working 18 hour days, sharing cramped accommodation with 30 other worke…
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In this Storylines episode, hosts Brittany and Juliana explore the history of transportation in the Valley with Martin Shultz, the original chairman of Proposition 400. Discover how Maricopa County transformed from a region without freeways or light rail into the extensive transportation network we know today.…
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Over the past near-century, Academy Award categories have come and gone. In the silent film era there was an award for Best Title Writing. You know, the written cards that summarized the “dialogue”? Oscar worthy. This year’s 96th Academy Awards broadcast saw Oscars handed out in a whopping 23 different categories, from the big wins like Best Pictur…
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On October 23rd, 2023 Bob Hallaert, a man with a history of intimate partner violence, shot and killed Angie Sweeney days after she broke up with him. They’d been together for about three years. What happened that day didn’t just shatter the Sweeney family, it shattered Sault Ste Marie. And many believe what happened to Angie could have been stoppe…
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On this episode of Storylines, hosts Juliana and Ricardo sit down with Phoenix Public Transit Director, Jesus Sapien to learn how the city worked to ensure this year’s men’s college basketball finals is a slam dunk for visitors and locals alike. Plus, a bus route bracket buster as we find out which bus route will take it all in our first Great Eigh…
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Public washrooms are few and far between in Canada. When nature calls, it’s often a scramble to find a coffee shop or mall restroom that's accessible. In Montreal this is certainly the case, but it wasn’t always so. The city used to boast a decent network of public washrooms, constructed before the Second World War. Where did they go? And why, to t…
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In 2014, Shams Erfan was pulled off a bus by members of the Taliban who accused him of being a traitor. A bystander intervened, saving his life, but Shams knew he was no longer safe in Afghanistan. This threat set Shams on a treacherous 8-year journey. He hoped to find a safe haven in Indonesia. Instead, he spent years stuck in a refugee prison cam…
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When Russia invaded Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put out a call to foreigners with combat experience to come and help. Paul Hughes, a former marksman and paratrooper with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, went. Paul has been in Ukraine ever since, where he founded HUGS: Helping Ukraine, Grass Roots Support. Run out of a garage …
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24 Sussex: the past and uncertain future of the Prime Minister’s “rodent infested death trap”
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24 Sussex Drive. That Ottawa address has been the official residence for the prime minister since the 1950s, but Canada’s current one doesn’t live there because the house is in disrepair. Workers have already removed asbestos, mould and rodents, but it’s estimated it will cost millions more to make the building habitable—and secure. Critics call th…
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It’s been 12 years since Widlene has seen her son. She had to leave the little boy in Haiti with family after she was targeted by gang members. The plan was to get out, find somewhere safe, make a home there, and have her son join her. So when she was granted asylum in Canada, Widlene believed her fight would be over. Instead, it was only just begi…
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Taking light rail to new heights! In this episode of Storylines, hosts Juliana and Ricky talk to Andrew Haines and Vanessa Quinto from Jacobs Engineering about the design and construction of the new elevated Metro Parkway station. Then, hear from riders who attended the Northwest Phase II extension grand opening.…
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You might associate sommeliers (wine experts) with fancy restaurants and snooty attitudes, but Canada’s Best Sommelier is as likely to be found traipsing the backwoods in steel toed boots and a cowboy hat, as in a MICHELIN starred restaurant in a three piece suit. It all depends on what he’s up to: is he harvesting maple syrup at the sugar shack he…
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The Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s coast is a spectacular place. Rugged mountains and old growth forests stretch all the way to Alaska. It was here that nearly a decade ago a group of coastal First Nations decided to halt most of the logging in their territories. And in the areas where they did log, they would do it differently. But ten years on the…
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Not long after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Sasha Skochilenko walked into a grocery store in St. Petersburg, Russia. She reached into the pocket of her puffy winter coat, and pulled out a sheet of sticker price tags where she’d printed information she was learning about the war. Information she wasn’t getting from Russian state media. She placed…
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For years, thousands of kids with roots in Canada, the U.K., the U.S. and beyond lived under the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate. Some were taken there by their parents. Others were born there. But after the war against the Islamic State was won, many of these children still remain in limbo. They wait in detention camps, run by the group which …
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Hosts Brittany and Juliana are riding into the new year by showcasing all the ways you can travel with Valley Metro. First, they sit down with TDM Manager Abby Cooksey-Williams to learn how riders can win prizes while helping the environment. Then, they talk with Commute Solutions Coordinator Angie Wilkie about how the Vanpool program is getting an…
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The federal government estimates that on average 27 people a day in this country are diagnosed with brain tumours. Among the most aggressive is Glioblastoma (GBM). According to Brain Cancer Canada, people with GBM have a life expectancy of 15-18 months. So when David Cormican was told that his father’s tumor was the “size of a baseball” the family …
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Is Newfoundland and Labrador English dying? No b’y, but it is changing! From dropping an 'h' to adding an 's', Newfoundland and Labrador accents are among the most recognizable regional accents in Canada. But while some features of those accents may be in decline, linguist Paul De Decker says younger generations are finding creative ways to keep th…
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The Marefat School in Kabul, Afghanistan earned an international reputation for being a place where democracy, freedom, and education could flourish. But when the Taliban took over the country in August 2021, many of the female teachers and students had to flee for their lives. On this week's Storylines, Leisha Grebinski follows the harrowing story…
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Green burials are a growing trend in after death planning. On this week's Storylines, Caroline Hiller visits graveyards across the country, exploring how some people are reducing their carbon footprint from beyond the grave.
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Did you know that every Valley Metro light rail station is a canvas for public art? In this episode of Storylines, hosts Brittany and Juliana talk with three artists for Northwest Extension Phase II about the inspiration for their artwork.由Valley Metro
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In 2016, Adrian Ma received a truly thoughtful gift from his uncle. A gift he proceeded to put in his closet where it remained for the next seven years. It was a bottle of The Glenlivet Special Jubilee Reserve—a rare scotch whisky that sells for upwards of $3000. Adrian is a whisky guy… but this is, by an almost absurd degree, the most expensive bo…
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For Kent Hoffman it was a surreal delight to produce an interview with the famed American mentalist 'The Amazing Kreskin'. But what really surprised Kent was when a few months later he received a Christmas card from Kreskin. And another Christmas card the next year... and the year after that…. and every Christmas since. It turns out that Kreskin se…
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A two-part episode following Canadians desperate to get their families out of Gaza. PART 1.A decade ago in Gaza, Mohammed Fayad worked for the UN in the education and IT departments. He fled Gaza as a refugee bound for Indonesia, but had to leave his family behind. Years ticked by and he watched his kids grow up through videos. His ex-wife, the kid…
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Riders will have new payment options in 2024! Listen in as hosts Brittany and Juliana learn about the fare system upgrades and Smart Fare from Project Manager Kelly Hines. Then, they chat with Program Representative Alex Potter to learn about changes coming to the Reduced Fare Program. Learn more about the project at valleymetro.org/faretechnology …
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It’s fairly well known that some Canadians fought with the American armed forces in Vietnam, but fewer know about Canada’s official peacekeeping role there. But between 1954 and 1973, close to 2000 Canadians went to Vietnam to observe and safeguard peace accords. Erin Moore’s grandfather, Doug, was one of them. He wrote dozens of letters home docum…
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