Advertise on podcast: Dear Ohio - Politics, Issues, and People

When someone picks up the phone to call 9-1-1, the expectation is first responders will shortly dispatch and be on their way to help during the crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, staffing at departments across the state saw emergency medical professionals leaving the career or taking jobs elsewhere for a variety of reasons. Guest host Mike Kallmeyer speaks with Rep. Brian Baldridge, R-Winchester; Brian Hathaway, president and CEO of Spirit Medical Transport in Greenville; and Eric Burgess, president of the OHIO EMS Chiefs Association; to discuss how new guidelines, training and funding may encourage those interested to join the career field.

The roar of the crowd, the shining lights and the boom of the drum accompanied by a guitar, the life of a rock star is something many dream about as kids, but only the talented and frankly the lucky get to live out the dream. While many think the first step on the road to rock ‘n roll fame is a move to Los Angeles, New York or another metropolis, is it possible to build a grassroots following into fame? Spectrum News 1 reporter and anchor Chuck Ringwalt guest hosts and speaks to longtime radio dj Randy Malloy, also owner of CD 92.9, an independent alternative rock station; and Kenzie Coyne, front woman for Hello Luna, a Columbus area group, to discuss the ever-changing music landscape and how bands work to get their sound out to their listeners.

The select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol will begin a series of public hearings June 9 to outline its findings. In the 17 months since supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to stop the certification of the 2020 election, the committee has interviewed more than 1,000 people and subpoenaed five Republican members of Congress, including Ohio’s Jim Jordan. Spectrum News 1 Washington Bureau Reporter Taylor Popielarz guest hosts and speaks with two Ohio political scientists, David Cohen of the University of Akron and Robert Alexander of Ohio Northern University, who study democracy and have been outspoken about it since the Capitol insurrection.

Taking over the family business or following in a parent’s footsteps professionally is something millions of Americans do. But what about when the family business is the United States Congress? Republican Rep. Bob Latta, OH-5, has been in office since 2007. Long before that, his father, the late Delbert Latta, represented the same northwest Ohio district for 30 years.  Spectrum News 1 Washington Bureau Reporter Taylor Popielarz guest hosts and speaks with Bob Latta about what it was like growing up with a parent in Congress, whether pursuing politics himself was a given because of it and if the type of family affair helps or hurts the federal government.

Matt Triplet has coached high school sports for more than 20 years, but in 2018, a phone call made him aware of a potentially suicidal athlete, an issue that has been growing in recent years. As the conversation happened, he began feeling he was unequipped to handle the situation fully. He then set up a seminar for lacrosse coaches in central Ohio. With a low turnout, he continued to work for a solution. Guest host Mindy Drayer speaks to him about House Bill 492, which would require coaches to have mental health training as part of their pupil activity permit certification process. The requirement would join existing trainings for a PAP certification, including CPR, cardiac arrest, concussion and first aid. The National Suicide Hotline is 800-273-8255.

Abortion rights are a polarizing and complicated issue. Protests and counterprotests since the leaked draft opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court shows how invested many Americans are in the topic. But the leak, and possibility of the court reverse one of its own precedents, raises the question: How much power should government have in decisions Americans make about their healthcare? Curtis Jackson speaks with Sharona Hoffman, professor of law and bioethics and codirector of Case Western Reserve University Law-Medicine Center, to discuss if abortion rights would be the end of the decision or if it opens the door to overturn other rights and affect individual privacy.

The Republican Senate primary in Ohio saw the most money ever spent on a race for an open Senate seat in the Buckeye State, and a cutthroat race for the attention and approval of former President Donald Trump — a stark difference from the campaigns of George Voinovich and Rob Portman. However, Gov. Mike DeWine was the victor in the gubernatorial primary, looked at as a member of the “country club conservatives,” despite receiving less than half the cast votes. Curtis Jackson speaks with Gary Abernathy, a conservative columnist, to discuss where the GOP appears to be headed in Ohio.

The concept of the birds and the bees was a simplified symbolic way to explain sex to youth, but sexuality of today is a more diverse and complicated topic. With more knowledge of the diversity of sexuality comes more questions, like when is the proper age to discuss what topics, and how involved should educators be in the discussions. Bills in various states which some have deemed “Don’t Say Gay” bills limit when and how children learn about sex. The bills also raise questions on diversity, tolerance and inclusion. Ohio House Bill 616 is one of those bills. Curtis Jackson talks to Eva Goldfarb and Lisa Lieberman, professors of public health at Montclair State University, to discuss how and why a firm foundation in sex education for younger students matters in the long run.

For more than a year, the shortage of semiconductors, or chips, has frustrated both auto manufacturers and potential buyers. Despite the issue being a money grab for many used car sellers, many want it resolved quickly. Guest host Mike Kallmeyer speaks with Rep. Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill; Dan "Boots" Longenette, owner of Auto Smarts Media and the host of the Auto Smarts Radio Show; and Zach Doran, president of the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association to get a firmer grasp on where the auto industry is, and if there's a chance it will be running on full cylinders anytime soon.

Judy Hodge has spent a great amount of her life trying to help others. For decades, Hodge worked as a music teacher and also volunteered her time with things like knitting hats for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. But Hodge became the one who needed cared for when her health took a turn for the worse. Guest host Mindy Drayer speaks with Hodge who tells her story of surviving lung cancer, but then being on a ventilator for multiple months fighting COVID-19. She tells her story of survival, purpose and a community the prayed for her.

Amusement parks, Lake Erie, professional sports and state parks are just some of the options that make up Ohio’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry. In 2019, Ohio saw a record year in tourism with $48 billion spent in Ohio before COVID-19 struck. Though with outdoor attractions like Hocking Hills, Amish country and others helping Ohio tourism stay active during the pandemic, business tourism still has catching up to do. Guest host Mindy Drayer speaks with Ohio tourism director Matt MacLaren to discuss the more than 1,000 items listed in Ohio’s tourism guide and how the state is working to return to pre-pandemic tourism glory.

According to SemiConductors.org, computer chip manufacturing in the United States declined from 37% in 1990 to just 12%. That trend looks to change with the announcement of new Intel production facilities in Licking County, Ohio. Guest host Mike Kallmeyer speaks with Rep. Troy Balderson, OH-12; Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb and Johnstown Mayor Chip Dutcher on what planning is being done at the local and state level to prepare for what some have called the future “Silicon Valley of the Midwest.”