Fort Thomas Matters

Budding Journalist - Nicholas Crawford interviews Carter New

SPONSOR: Omega Processing Solutions  

Nicholas Crawford, a fifth grader at Johnson Elementary, won the "reporter for a day" experience at Johnson Elementary's Hullabaloo. 

He got some FTM swag, breakfast, and learned from FTM's Mark Collier on how he interviews and publishes on Fort Thomas Matters and in the Fort Thomas Living Magazine. 

Recorded 11-20-16 at Top This Donut Bar.

The Shift In Culture & Effects On Election Coverage (National/Local)

SPONSOR: OMEGA Processing Solutions

Mark Collier and Darrin Murriner discuss the 2016 Presidential election cycle and how things have shifted in terms of media coverage. 

They discuss how things have changed locally since Murriner ran for Fort Thomas City Council in 2008. 

The Slow Death of the Cincinnati Enquirer

SPONSOR: OMEGA Processing Solutions. 

We talk with former Enquirer reporter, Ben Liebing, about his article published on Medium entitled, "The Slow Death of the Cincinnati Enquirer," which detailed his perceptions of what was wrong with Cincinnati's oldest media outlet. 

Ben had some "hot takes" about his time there and pulled back the curtain in meetings and the newsroom at the Enquirer during his time there. 

You can read his article here. 

An excerpt:

The Cincinnati Enquirer may be on its last death kicks. Yesterday was a dark one for the paper, as Gannett, its parent company, announced wide layoffs. And while it saddens me that people should lose their jobs, or that a once great newspaper should ever be reduced to the likes of USA Today — perhaps it’s worth asking the question journalists are supposed to start with:

Why?

I have an answer. Some of you will like it. My former colleagues at The Enquirer will not.

More background on the layoffs that hit the Enquirer just prior to Liebing's employment there as a reporter can be found here. 

2-Minute Drill: Fort Thomas City Council

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We have been covering the upcoming November election on Fort Thomas Matters since January of this year. 

That's a long time, but it's an important election and an important job and as the media outlet that covers Fort Thomas the most, we take this responsibility very seriously. 

You can read our coverage of the debates, read the op-eds of the council and listen to all of our podcasts here. 

This podcast will take a break from the serious nature of debate. 

We went through all nine candidates and gave them two minutes to answer questions that weren't serious or political in nature because, hey, it was fun. 

Enjoy listening!

Merchants & Music Festival: Everything You Need to Know

SPONSOR: OMEGA PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

Hear from Merchants & Music Chair, Linda Slone, and Renaissance Board member, Brian Sand. 

- The “almost headliners.” 

- The secret festival inside the festival. 

 

- Secrets on how to enjoy the festival from the people who plan it. 

Merchants & Music Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Axusandman%3Aplaylist%3A1t9WhzXarOBt5TZ7wxaFdR

Making A Murderer: Analysis From Angenette Levy (Local 12)

Making A Murderer: Analysis From Angenette Levy (Local 12) 

SPONSOR: OMEGA PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

Making A Murderer, the wildly popular Netflix documentary, is back in the news with the successful appeal of Brendan Dassey. We check in with WKRC Local 12's Angenette Levy, who covered the case locally for her then-Green Bay, Wisconsin affiliate. 

Dassey, now 26, was convicted of intentional homicide at the age of 17 and sentenced to life in prison. His videotaped interrogation and confession, which he recanted at trial, substantially contributed to his conviction. 

Dassey's conviction was overturned by US Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 12, 2016, on the basis that his confession was involuntary and unconstitutionally coerced. He was ordered to be released within 90 days unless the state decides to retry him.

FIRST PODCAST WITH ANGENETTE HERE

Meet Fort Thomas City Council: Ken Bowman

SPONSOR: OMEGA PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

Bowman is a two-term city councilman seeking a third term. He is the Chair of the Public Works committee and on the Recreation and Utilities committees. 

Bowman owns Bowman's Framing in Fort Thomas and is a Realtor with Huff Realty. 

You can read his introduction op-ed here. 

What's It Like To Feed a Family on Food Stamps?

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LINK to FortThomasMatters.com story here. 

Janet Harrah is a Senior Director, Center for Economic Analysis and Development at NKU.

Harrah is studying whether or not food stamps can provide adequately for a family and she, her husband and two children are living by that budget for a year. 

She's 6 months into the experiment. We asked her:

- Why do this?

- What does she eat in a typical day?

- Is the best deal always in line with the most unhealthy?

- How much time does she spend preparing her food now?

- What's been her biggest challenge? 

- What does her family think?

We also talk other NKY economic issues:

- Regionalism - is it good for NKY?

How is NKY doing? Campbell County doing against its regional competitors?

- How do we get NKU students to spend money in Fort Thomas?

- What does the 2020 jobs outlook look like?

Why SD1 is Being Sued by Campbell County Residents

SPONSOR: OMEGA Processing Solutions 

What's the real deal behind the fight with SD1 in Camp Springs? 

Anna Zinkhon has been fighting the pipeline that SD1 wants to put through the community since 2010. She says she knows the issues better than most board members and there's more to the story that hasn't been reported. 

Podcast includes:

- The conversation that turned the conversation contentious. 

- What hasn't been in the news. 

- Alternatives to the forced main. 

- How much money has been spent on the lawsuit. 

- Items that she believes should be outrageous to rate payers. 

Cheryl McCafferty Testimony

Audio via Campbell County District Court. 

The murder case of Cheryl McCafferty was featured on a popular podcast, Sword and Scale. 

A link to that podcast and more background can be found below, on FortThomasMatters.com. 

LINK