Sylvia Cunningham is a reporter and associate editor at KCRW Berlin. She works on weekday News Briefs and is the host of The Bear on KCRW Berlin. She first joined the team in October 2017 as a grantee from the Fulbright Young Professional Journalist Program.
Before moving to Berlin, Sylvia worked in New York for NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. She also contributed to NBCNews.com, covering topics such as the impact of Muhammad Ali’s death on the Louisville community, Michelle Obama’s final commencement speech as First Lady, and blood donation regulations in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida.
“All the probation officers [here in Berlin, Germany] are social workers to begin with,” said County of Los Angeles Deputy Chief Howard Wong. “In L.A., usually, that’s not the case. We’re part law enforcement, court officers, and part police. We go in, we arrest, we search…it’s more social working here. That’s the biggest difference.”
Bolstered by support from the Christian Democrats and far-right AfD party, FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich narrowly won the election for minister president with 45 votes, ousting incumbent from die Linke, Bodo Ramelow.
Germany’s Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer highlighted the results of his directive to increase border security last year. He said border police had apprehended “several hundred people who were subject to entry bans” and twice as many people who were wanted with arrest warrants.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn told ARD-Morgenmagazin on Monday that the coronavirus is being researched as quickly as possible, and Germany is well-prepared with the necessary intensive care units, isolation wards and equipment.
Curious to see the BER up close before the airport’s grand opening? A total of 20,000 volunteers are needed to play the part of passenger, going through the motions of a typical day at the airport (apart from takeoff).
These true, personal stories were recorded live at The Bear on December 14 at ZENTRUM danziger50 in Prenzlauer Berg. The theme of the evening was solstice: stories about the longest night of your life.
On Monday, the neighborhood initiative “Kiezmarkthalle” met with Raed Saleh, chairman of the Social Democrats in Berlin’s Parliament, to hand over 5,290 signatures and a list of demands related to the development of Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg.
In the wake of the death of a 35-year-old cyclist, the German Cyclists Association and the non-profit Changing Cities demonstrated on Monday for #VisionZero, which means no more traffic-related deaths or serious injuries.
On Wednesday, Brandenburg beekeeper Sebastian Seusing emptied a bucket marked “Glyphosat Honig” onto the steps of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture, in protest of policies which he believes led to the contamination of his honey harvest and cost him his livelihood.
In his speech commemorating the 30th anniversary, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised civilians who had the courage to storm Stasi headquarters on January 15, 1990 and preserve such a critical part of Germany’s heritage.
