All Sides with Amy Juravich

Sports are a great equalizer: no one can cheat determination, teamwork and practice.

The Final Third Foundation’s mission is to give all kids an equal playing field (or pitch) both literally and figuratively.

Access to clean water can often be taken for granted. The clean water problem is oceanic, but Design Outreach is making waves to solve it.

Some people believe that art is for the select few, and that in order for art to be good, it must be highbrow. Pam Kravetz has made it her career goal as an artist and art educator to bring people together through art.

These topics are all part of this week's edition of Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

• Ben Levey, founder and director, The Final Third Foundation
• Dr. Greg Bixler, co-founder/CEO, Design Outreach
• Pam Kravetz, artist/educator/board member of the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center

Beware the beaver! Behind the smiling face of the cartoon beaver in the red baseball cap could be a rodent of ruthless ambition.

Buc-ee's convenience stores, known for their clean restrooms, brisket and fueling stations, are suing a small Ohio corner store in Beavercreek over their mascot.

From trademark legalities to corporate reputation, we're talking about the Ohio battle of the beavers.

Guests:

• David Ferrara, breaking news reporter, Cincinnati Enquirer
• Mark Bartholomew, trademark expert/professor of law, University of Buffalo
• Brian Hipsher, senior lecturer, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University

Black Girl Rising Inc. is a Columbus-based nonprofit organization focused on research, advocacy and empowerment of Black girls.

The group's research has extended across Ohio. The organization hosts events that focus on the safety, empowerment and mental health of Black girls throughout Ohio through events, conversations and conferences.

Their first Think Tank started in 2015 and became a safe space for Black girls to express their concerns and goals. Members of the organization have attended many national conferences including the United Nations Adolescent Girls Leadership Town Hall in New York City.

We're talking to three members of the organization on this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

• Fran Frazier, founder/executive director, Black Girl Rising Inc.
• Dr. Lara Belliston Cobb, research analyst/leadership fellow, Black Girl Rising, Inc.
• Kelli Shivers, charter member of BGR Think Tank/BGR consultant

How could 16 siblings in the Siders family escape the notice of so many officials for so many years?

The case, while extreme, brings to the forefront one family's multi-generational story of poverty, child marriage and attempts to live under the radar.

But what about the larger questions the situation raises: Did the state fail this family? These children? How are child welfare advocates, state officials and others working to respond and repair the cracks in the system?

Guests:

• Laura Bischoff, reporter, The Columbus Dispatch
• Sheridan Hendrix, reporter, The Columbus Dispatch
• Scott Britton, assistant director, Public Children Services Association of Ohio

photo: Thomas Billington / WOUB

They say experience is the best teacher. For teens in high school, it can be easy to let AI do all the thinking for them. Who can blame them? Learning is hard work and tedious.

Should kids learn the old-fashioned way, or is AI an unavoidable asset for education?

Some people are constantly chasing after the next new technology. They must have the newest iPhone, smartwatch, laptop: the fastest, the latest, the best.

But what about the people who look backwards instead of forwards. Vintage Computer collectors have made it their hobby to own and restore old technology.

For people who have a strong aversion to bad-tasting water, Ninja's HydraSense makes sense for you.

Are you a fan of a good fan? Switchbot makes a great one, but it comes at a high price.

We're discussing all of these topics on this week's Tech Tuesday.

Guests:

• Geoffrey Fowler, head of public engagement, Common Sense Media
• Jeffrey Brace, vice president and chairman, Vintage Computer Federation
• Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

photo: Nam Y. Huh / AP

It’s no secret that 250 years later, we are still trying to define “liberty and justice for all,” the values at the foundation of America’s creation.

The dark parts of our nation’s history are charged with racism, corruption, police brutality, and inequality. Many of our institutions are still shaped by the same history.

On a national level, a president who avoided punishment for his felony convictions, hundreds of unwarranted ICE arrests with no investigation, and more than 3 million pages of incriminating information against our nation's wealthiest with no arrests to date.

Now more than ever, accountability seems to be different depending on your racial, political, or economic status.

But this lack of accountability doesn’t stop at the federal level. It trickles down into our local institutions.

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

Guests:

• Jillian Snider, adjunct lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• Sarah Chayes, author, On Corruption in America, former NPR reporter
• Kyle Strickland, attorney, former CCPRB member
• Daniel Weiner, senior director, Brennan Center’s Elections & Government Program

photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

What makes an activist? What propels someone to get off the sidelines and get involved?

For decades, 88-year-old actress and activist Jane Fonda has been either a guiding light or a lightning rod, depending on your views.

A new book, written by an Ohio University professor, examines Jane Fonda's life through the lens of protest and movement-building, acting choices and, yes, the volatile Vietnam years.

Marilyn S. Greenwald, Ohio University professor emerita of journalism, joins us on this hour of All Sides to discuss her new book Jane Fonda: There's A Great Deal To Say.

Guest:

• Marilyn S. Greenwald, Ohio University professor emerita of journalism/author, Jane Fonda: There's A Great Deal To Say

photo: CJ Rivera/Invision AP

Cleanup efforts continue after violent storms blew across Ohio last week, prompting Gov. Mike DeWine to declare a state of emergency and to deploy the Ohio National Guard.

The weather is said to have caused at least one person's death.

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down on Columbus' south side on Tuesday, yet no sirens or warnings alerted residents. Why?

DeWine delays executions set for January of 2027 after he leaves office.

We're also talking about sports betting in Ohio. Why is prop betting still going strong despite a push to end it?

What could a federal change mean for Head Start?

It's all coming up on this week's Reporter Roundtable.

Guests:

• Sarah Donaldson, reporter, Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau
• Susan Tebben, reporter, Ohio Capital Journal
• Jake Zuckerman, reporter, Signal Ohio

Summer is still in full swing central Ohio.

As temps remain high, the weather (at times) can be unpredictable like the plot in a fantastic book.

Now is the perfect time to embark on your next literary adventure.

On This edition of All Sides Weekend, Host Christopher Purdy and his guests will share some titles that you may want to add to your list of must reads.

Host:

• Christopher Purdy, Classical 101 Morning Host

Guests:

• Kassie Rose, WOSU book critic
• Kris Hickey, youth services manager, Whetstone Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library
• Thao Thai, author, The Seekers of Deer Creek

Related Link:

• All Sides Weekend Book List - Aug. 14, 2026

Since he was just a boy at Hilliard Davidson High School, comedian Fumi Abe used his jokes to ease the alienation of being one of the only Asians in his class.

Years later, his comedy took him to Stephen Cobert, James Corden and Jimmy Fallon. Now, he’s coming back home to Columbus for his tour.

After spending a month in Russia as a teenager, Emelia Sheeley decided she wanted to pursue a career of international service.

For almost 10 years, she has been involved with the Riverview International Center, assisting new Americans in the Riverview Drive neighborhood with their basic needs.

We’ll meet the executive director of PBJ Connections, an organization providing professional behavioral health therapy for families through several forms of counseling, including horses.

The discussions are all part of this week's Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

• Fumi Abe, comedian
• Emelia Sheeley, executive director, Riverview International Center
• Holly Jedlicka, executive director, PBJ Connections, Inc.