Issues & Ideas: Fields of light, the USO, and emergency services in SLO County

KCBX | By Brian Reynolds,

Published May 15, 2019 at 6:23 PM PDT

On this week’s Issues & Ideas, we learn more about the large, immersive new light and art installation called Sensorio Field of Light coming to Paso Robles.

Also, we speak to San Luis Obispo County's newest emergency services director, Joe Guzzardi, about public safety, evacuations and how to prepare for disasters. New contributor Beth Thornton sits down with the technology coordinator for the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education to learn about the importance of providing teachers and students with media literacy skills. Brian Reynolds talks with local graphic artist and author Debi Micklus about the many benefits of reading. And Tom Wilmer interviews pacifist Mary Beth Breen Collins, who signed up for an 18-month stint with the USO during the Vietnam War.

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Brian Reynolds

Brian Reynolds is a contributor to Issues & Ideas, a weekly show that brings listeners a wide variety of perspectives on KCBX. Brian was born in Visalia, CA, and spent many years in the Central Valley before leaving for college at UC Berkeley. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from UCB, and two Master’s degrees (UCLA and CSU Chico…Library Science and Public Administration). He lived abroad for two years in Spanish-speaking countries (Spain and Nicaragua) and is fluent in Spanish. He spent his career as a public librarian, serving as a Library Director for over 30 years. He retired from the Director position at the SLO County Library in 2013.

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Tyler Pratt

Tyler Pratt was a reporter, host and producer at KCBX from 2018 to 2020. You could hear him on weekdays filing news reports and hosting afternoon programming. Tyler hails from the deserts of West Texas but likes to call the the swamps of Louisiana home. He fell in love with public radio over a decade ago while studying improv comedy at the Second City in Los Angeles. He spent so much time in his car listening to KCRW while driving between auditions and various jobs that he eventually became inspired to switch careers from acting to radio journalism.

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Beth Thornton

Beth Thornton was a freelance reporter for KCBX, and a contributor to Issues & Ideas from 2019 to 2024. She was a 2021 Data Fellow with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, and was accepted by the Center to receive a 2024 California Health Equity Impact grant. Beth has contributed reporting to KQED's statewide radio show The California Report.

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