Community Focus with Jaden Jefferson

Today marks year three of Russia's war in Ukraine. And on last week's Community Focus, to discuss her organization's humanitarian aid efforts, Alona Matchenko of Toledo Helps Ukraine joined me.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has conducted raids across the country, creating concern for undocumented workers. Baldemar Velasquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, offers Northwest Ohio insight on this week's Community Focus.

Dating back to the early 90's, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda have been engaged in a complicated power struggle. I'm discussing it with BGSU communications professor Dr. Ewart Skinner, who formerly taught an Africana Studies course.

On this week's Community Focus, Julie Embree — executive director of the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board — discusses the local trend regarding homelessness, need for affordable housing, and youth most-at-risk for becoming unhoused.

It's a trifecta: the flu, COVID, and norovirus. To provide a regional look at what's most concerning out of the three, Lucas County Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi joins me on Community Focus.

Lucas County currently has the highest unemployment rate in Ohio. However, the full story is a little more complex than that. Burma Stewart, interim director at the Lucas County Department of Workforce Development, offers clarity on this week's Community Focus.

Toledo City Council At-Large Member Mac Driscoll, on this week's Community Focus, chimes in on the mayor's proposed budget for 2025 — and discusses what he's heard from residents.

The Board of Lucas County Commissioners has passed the county's 2025 budget, though it wasn't without challenges. Commissioner Lisa Sobecki is my guest on this week's Community Focus, to discuss how the process played out.

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz has pitched his 2025 budget proposal to Toledo City Council, and now, joins me on Community Focus to make his pitch to you. He also looks back on 2024's successes and shortcomings.

Jason Hibbs is the producer and reporter for PBS affiliate WGTE's 'Rethinking Jails + Justice' podcast, funded by a grant to explore safely reducing jail populations. Hibbs also hosted a second town hall on Thursday as part of the project, but before that, joined me for this week's Community Focus.