All Sides with Amy Juravich

STARS, or Scientists Taking Astronomy to Rural Schools, was created by The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Their goal is to bring astronomy education to rural schools, which are often underfunded, because as they put it, “the sky belongs to everyone.”

Emma Marcucci, executive director of STARS will join us to discuss the program, how the pilot program went in the spring and the hopes for the full launch of the program happening in the fall.

Steven Brown will be talking about his experience with volunteering at the Whipple Observatory, as an Ohio transplant. The observatory has found that roughly 50% of their volunteers come from Ohio.

Russell Holly is joining us to discuss how Sony will soon be ending the production of physical discs for its PlayStations, leading to questions about the future of the iconic gaming station. He'll also talk about how Ford is reversing its decision after firing veteran engineers for AI and rehiring them after their AI plan flopped.

And with the increase in temperatures around the world, Sony is taking notice with their new personal cooling device.

Guests:

• Emma Marcucci, executive director, Scientists Taking Astronomy to Rural Schools (STARS), Smithsonian Institution
• Steven Brown, Whipple Observatory volunteer
• Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

As America marks its 250th birthday this year, the national mood is deeply fractured.

While many citizens feel let down by the federal government, others are feeling a strong sense of national pride.

Patriotism has become a partisan discussion, less about a shared love of country and more about one political side or another.

This raises critical questions: What does it truly mean to be a patriot, how did public perception shift so drastically and what lies ahead for national confidence?

Guests:

• Brian Kisida, associate professor, Truman School of Government & Public Affairs, University of Missouri
• Daniel Rivers, history professor, Ohio State University
• David Steigerwald, history professor, Ohio State University

(photo: Allison Robbert / AP)

While she is known mostly as the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King was one of the leading protestors of America’s involvement in Vietnam.

Her activism influenced her husband’s views on speaking out against the war.

The book Until the Last Gun is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and the Fight to Save America’s Soul details the untold story of how King’s protest and the patriotism of Black soldiers helped to end America’s involvement in Vietnam.

We're talking with the book's author, Matthew Delmont, on this hour of All Sides.

Guest:

• Matthew Delmont, Dartmouth University history professor/author, Until the Last Gun is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and the Fight to Save America’s Soul

Over shouts from environmental activists, an Ohio commission gives the go-ahead for several bidders to frack under thousands of acres of public lands.

These areas include state parks, wildlife areas and a prison in leasing deals that bring millions into the state’s coffers.

Plus, a new law will speed up the state’s oil and gas permitting process among other changes.

Sen. Bernie Moreno wants to do what the Supreme Court didn’t: restrict automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S.

We check in on the governor’s race.

And how did Ohio observe America's 250th birthday?

Guests:

• Sarah Donaldson, reporter, Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau
• Jeremy Pelzer, chief politics reporter, Cleveland.com
• Shane Stegmiller, reporter, Hannah News Service

(photo: Julia Grant / The Allegheny Front)

After writing more than 150 books, Columbus native Michael J. Rosen is still not done. He continues writing children's books and adult poetry.

Beyond writing, he is an artist of many forms, and a teacher. We’ll learn about all of his trades and more.

Sometimes, it just takes one person to change something many people overlook. For Melanie Barrett, her late sister inspired her to create a company dedicated to making safe and stylish outerwear for people in wheelchairs.

Research suggests that African American girls are significantly exposed to more traumatic stressors than children of other racial groups.

That’s the statistic that inspires Black Girl Rising, a research project exploring urban adolescent African American girls’ experiences.

It's all part of this week's Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

• Michael J. Rosen, author
• Melanie Barrett, founder, Bailey Bug
• Fran Frazier, founder/executive director, Black Girl Rising

The architect of much of Columbus today is credited to four-time mayor Michael Coleman, who continues to influence the direction of Ohio’s largest metropolitan area.

We’re talking with him, as he steps away from his lobbying role, after helping to seal the deal on the city's National Women’s Soccer League, a move that was both cheered and criticized.

Coleman has also spent time recently helping to plan Ohio’s celebration of America's 250th anniversary.

Guest:

• Michael Coleman, former Columbus mayor

It’s been six years since workplaces were completely upended by COVID-19.

Concepts like full remote work and a new trend, “micro-shifting," would have been foreign to workers only a decade ago.

However, completely shifting how people work has some questioning what works best for them.

From unorthodox schedules going against the traditional 9 to 5 to new methods in how work gets done, how are people working in 2026?

Guests:

• Tara Weiss, business journalist and contributor, The Wall Street Journal
• Lori Kendall, director, full-time MBA program/senior lecturer in management and human resources at Ohio State University

Governor DeWine wants to abolish the death penalty in Ohio.

It’s a movement that’s gaining momentum nationally, but one that’s fraught with moral, religious and political considerations. Not to mention economic ones, too.

But where you come down on the issue depends on what justice looks like to you.

And the answer isn’t that simple. We’re peeling back the layers surrounding the debate on this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

• Julie Carr Smyth, government and politics reporter, The Associated Press
• Kevin Werner, executive director, Ohioans to Stop Executions
• Rev. Dr. Crystal Walker, co-chair, Ohioans to Stop Executions
• Louis Tobin, executive director, Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association

(photo: Kiichiro Sato / AP)

The World Cup is the most watched sporting event globally and is played every four years.

FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, mandates that the game is played on real grass pitches. The maintenance of real grass fields can be a logistic and scientific feat, but turf grass specialists are up to the task.

With an increasingly globalized world, new standards and mandates make it increasingly confusing to complete your pre-trip checklists.

It is hard to keep all your travel information in one place—or at least it used to be.

Smart glasses are becoming increasingly stylish and affordable. Maybe the next pair of sunglasses you buy will be able to take videos and let you listen to music.

Americans now spend more than $1,300 on subscriptions annually. Xbox is raising prices again due to a global memory shortage.

We're talking about all these topics on this week's Tech Tuesday.

Guests:

• John Sorochan, distinguished professor, plant sciences, University of Tennessee
• Cara Laban, creator, TravelReddi app
• Russell Holly, Director of Commerce Content, CNET

When the school year wrapped up, it also marked the end of the line for several Columbus City Schools buildings.

The district plans to shut down eight buildings over the next few years to plug a massive budget deficit.

CCS is not alone. Cleveland is closing 18 of its school buildings. It’s not just K-12 schools feeling the squeeze.

Several smaller colleges are staring down mergers or total closures.

People are calling this era of education “The Big Shrink.”

We're discussing the topic on this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

• Conor Morris, reporter/producer, Ideastream Public Media
• Dr. Russell Brown, chief of strategy and performance, Columbus City Schools
• Ethan Ris, associate professor, Higher Education Administration, University of Nevada, Reno