Jinho "The Piper" Ferreira had a thriving career as a rapper in 2009, when Oscar Grant was killed by a BART police officer. Watching the dysfunctional relationship between the black community and the police in the protests that followed the killing, he decided to get involved. He now works as a sheriff's deputy in Alameda County. We talk with Ferreira, whose one-man play "Cops and Robbers" explores issues of violence and law enforcement in East Oakland.

Ask Bay Area residents to pick their favorite local burrito and you're likely to get a range of fervent and informed opinions. So you can imagine the challenge facing journalist Anna Maria Barry-Jester. The "burrito correspondent" for ESPN's FiveThirtyEight site traveled from Key West to Hawaii in search of the country's best burrito. The Burrito Bracket winner, announced on Wednesday, is none other than the carnitas burrito from San Francisco's own venerable La Taqueria. What burrito would top your bracket?

Biomimicry, ecosystem restoration, grassroots movement building and climate change are the types of issues the Bioneers Conference addresses each year, bringing together scientists, innovators, business leaders and activists. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the conference. We talk with co-founder and CEO Kenny Ausubel about what the organization has achieved and what projects are on the horizon.

At China Camp State Park in Marin County, visitors can still explore the remnants of a 19th-century Chinese shrimp-fishing village. Such camps once ringed the Bay, and at the industry's height they exported nearly 1 million pounds of dried shrimp to Asia annually. The new "Chinese Whispers: Bay Chronicles" project seeks to highlight this overlooked part of maritime history through voyages on a replica of a 19th-century sailing shrimp junk named "Grace Quan." The project also includes public programs, lectures and a planned multimedia exhibit.