Voa Weekly News Today

VOA Connect Episode 211 - We meet people reinventing themselves and how they work, from a rescue petting zoo, and new ventures in the restaurant world, to different ways to enter the tech field, or leave an old business behind.

John Liu and his extended family opened a restaurant during the pandemic. See how they were able to do it and the silver lining of opening up a business during COVID. Reporter/Camera/Producer/Editor: Elizabeth Lee

All her life, Ellie Laks has had a special connection with animals. Learn her story about saving animals and how that practice grew into a national organization providing animals with a permanent safe space. Reporter/Camera: Genia Dulot

Meet Irfan Yuksel, CEO and Co-founder of TechCircle, an IT company training boot camp. Learn his story coming to the U.S as an immigrant and why he hopes to inspire people from any background to get a second chance to break into the tech industry. Reporter: Enming Liu, Stella Hsu, Camera/Editor: Enming Liu

We visit a brewing company in Groveland, California where co-owner Rachel Sabatine tells us her story of starting a new business with her husband during the pandemic. Find out why they decided to move forward with their brewery and how the community supported them. Reporter/Camera: Michelle Quinn, Producer/Editor: Elizabeth Lee

Ronnie Pichson and Stefon Davis went from the fashion industry to motorcycle garage owners during the pandemic. Find out how COVID made them rethink their careers and how their eye for aesthetics has helped them with a one-of-a-kind bike storage with added services to attract more clients. Reporter: Anna Nelson, Camera: Vladimir Badikov, Editor: Natalia Latukhina

A story about a woman who discovers her neighborhood and the joys of walking during the pandemic, while forming a closer bond with Lucky, her equally curious pet dog. Reporter: Faiza Elmasry, Camera/Editor: June Soh

Meet Kellie, a bike store owner who opened her store during the pandemic. Learn how she rediscovered her love of cycling and brought more than a hundred people in her community together to ride alongside her. Reporter: Mike O'Sullivan, Producer/Editor: Elizabeth Lee, Camera: Roy Kim, Drone Camera: M. Howard

VOA Connect Episode 210 - We meet people who are creating a healthier life for themselves and their environment.

We tag along with a forestry expert who helps people manage their woods. He talks to us about the different steps landowners can take to improve the health of their woodlands. Reporter/Camera: Jeff Swicord