Forward Radio podcasts

Patty and Brian talk about the 5 (4?!) stages of brain development and their implications for critical thinking.

We continue our float down the Ohio River this week on Sustainability Now!, as your host, Justin Mog, paddles along with three guests who are all actively involved in advocating for the passage of the Ohio River Restoration Program Act (H.R. 5966): Forest Clevenger, Executive Director of The Ohio River Way (https://ohioriverway.org); Michael Washburn, Executive Director of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance (https://kwalliance.org); and David Wicks, Board Chair of River City Paddle Sports (https://rivercitypaddlesports.org)

The Ohio River Basin, spanning 55 congressional districts across 15 states, is the nation’s largest body of water to receive no dedicated federal funding. In mid-November, Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) led introduction of the Ohio River Restoration Program Act with Reps. Erin Houchin (IN-09), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Mike Rulli (OH-06), and Mark Messmer (IN-08) to fund the economic and environmental restoration of the Ohio River.

The bipartisan coalition of Members represents districts throughout the Ohio River Basin, which serves as a source of drinking water for more than 25 million Americans, and its ecosystem is vital to local economies and industries, generating more than 500,000 jobs and $21 billion in wages.

Nationwide, more than a third of the United States’ waterborne commerce travels through the Ohio River – $43 billion in commodities annually – yet the Ohio River is still the nation’s largest body of water without any dedicated federal funding. The bill would dedicate up to $350 million in federal investments to the large-scale restoration of the Ohio River Basin, using initiatives similar to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which resulted in more than $3 in return on every federal dollar invested in the program.

The Ohio River Restoration Program Act would create a federal office within the Environmental Protection Agency to guide a restoration plan in coordination with states, local governments, interstate compact agencies, tribal nations, and non-governmental organizations that includes:

• habitat restoration, farm conservation, and invasive species control and management;

• pollution prevention and clean water protection;

• robust monitoring, data collection, and evaluation;

• local workforce development and training for jobs in water protection and restoration;

• input from the local public to hold elected officials accountable and ensure that residents have a seat at the table in restoration decisions;

• guaranteed clean, safe, and affordable water for local homeowners regardless of economic status; and

• investments in local communities at particular risk of extreme storms, flooding, and pollution.

Learn more:

Ohio River Basin Restoration & Protection Report: A Case Statement for the Need for Federal Investments in the Basin: https://www.ohioriverbasinalliance.org/restoration-plan

Kentucky-Ohio River Regional Recreation Authority (KORRRA): https://www.ohioriverway.org/news/passage-of-korra

National Wildlife Federation – Ohio River Restoration: https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Waters/Ohio-River

Ohio River Basin Alliance – Restoration Planning: https://www.ohioriverbasinalliance.org/restoration-plan

Ohio River Way Challenge: https://www.ohioriverway.org/ohio-river-way-challenge

As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com

A fossil previously thought to be a juvenile 'Tyrannosaurus rex' turns out to be a new dinosaur species called 'Nanotyrannus'. A rare cross between a 'Blue Jay' and a 'Green Jay' appears to have occurred naturally in Texas, yielding a 'Grue Jay'. Satellite imagery for estimating the number of people living in rural areas appears to be significantly underestimating population sizes. An exciting assortment of planets, stars, constellations, and meteor showers can be seen in the night sky this month. And there have been significant declines in K-12 school attendance since immigration raids (by ICE) in California and Virginia were initiated. Hear about these things and more, on this episode!

‘Bench Talk: The Week in Science’ is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am.

Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio.

Tom Lehrer's public-domain song 'Christmas' is provided at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oIzyl6-T60 and https://tomlehrersongs.com/a-christmas-carol/.

Today's Guest is Dr. Timothy Mullett, Medical Director of the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network at University of Kentucky Healthcare, enhancing access to high-quality cancer services and programs through collaboration with community hospitals. Our vision is for Kentuckians and those from surrounding states to have access to excellent cancer care.

This week on Truth to Power, we bring you a community conversation about reducing single use disposable plastics in foodservice and the food safety codes that impact efforts to avoid disposables. This conversation was hosted by Beyond Plastics Louisville at their November 20th meeting, and it featured Alison Schleck, Environmental Health Supervisor for the Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Food Safety Program. Alison engaged in a rich dialogue with Beyond Plastics Louisville members about our food safety codes as they apply to reusable containers for food and drink.

Learn more about Beyond Plastics Louisville at https://www.facebook.com/groups/beyondplasticslouky. Watch a recording of the evening at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SniWcZrwwA

The next meeting of Beyond Plastics Louisville will be a dinner gathering on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 at 6pm at Mashup Food Hall in NuLu (750 E Jefferson St.). Join fellow plastic haters at this in-person gathering for dinner, followed by a discussion of the new book, The Problem with Plastic, by Beyond Plastic’s founder, Judith Enck.

These are some things we learned from our conversation with Alison:

• The Food Safety Program oversees 4,600 food facilities in the Louisville metro area, with 17 inspectors and 2 supervisors. Most facilities have two inspections per year.

• When restaurant customers dine in, they may bring reusable containers for their leftovers, as long as the restaurant staff do not handle the containers. For other carryouts, the kitchen cannot accept a customer’s container.

• For coffee shops, the vendor may prepare beverages and transfer into the customer’s container, as long as the transfer is contamination free, with no direct contact. Shops, such as Starbucks, may choose whether or not they will allow customers to bring their containers.

• Another option (used at some college campuses and in other locales) would be for a food service to provide food in a reusable container that the customer would return to the business or a third party service to be cleaned and sanitized before being reused.

• Pam asked if the food safety code addressed possible chemical or microplastic contamination from plastic packaging, containers, or utensils. Alison said the food code standards require that food contact surfaces not allow “migration of deleterious substances’ into food. The current code prevents contact with some metals such as lead, copper, or galvanized metal. Regarding concerns about PFAS, Alison said the code specifies that cooking surfaces with Perfluoroalkyl non-stick coatings may not be scratched.

• Pam also asked about processes where food is cooked in plastic. These are currently allowed by the code.

• Beatriz asked about the process for adopting or changing the KY food code. Who decides which federal code is followed? Alison answered that the KY Dept. for Public Health adopts the code. This department is under the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

• Beatriz also asked if the Metro Food Safety Program regulates food trucks. She has noticed that most food trucks seem to use Styrofoam containers. Food trucks are regulated and inspected, but Styrofoam is allowed by the code.

• Arnita asked about educational resources for a friend who teaches fifth graders. Pam recommended programs from kNOw Waste Louisville. Both Pam and Shayla recommended the film Microplastic Madness.

On Truth to Power each week, we gather people from around the community to discuss the state of the world, the nation, the state, and the city! It's a community conversation like you won't hear anywhere else!

Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 4pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

November 24th, 25, and 26th Solutions to Violence features K.T. Ockels. From 1990 to 1994 KT Ockels lived in a Lutheran Church hostel in Jerusalem and taught in the American Friends Service School in Ramla. During the 4 years in Ramla she taught both Palestinian and Israeli students. Her Solutions to Violence presentation describes her venture in Jerusalem as well as the conditions endured by the Palestinian People. She is now the pastor of the Strathmore Presbyterian Church in Louisville. Solutions to Violence airs on Mondays at 5 pm, Tuesdays at 8 am and Wednesdays at 6 am. You can listen livestream if you visit us at forwardradio.org and click on “listen Live Now.” I’m Jim Johnson

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, takes you upriver to visit Payne Hollow on the Ohio (https://www.paynehollowontheohio.org/) with five wonderful guests who are all actively involved in protecting and restoring this ecological and cultural gem: Board members Stacey Burkhart, David Wicks, and Joe Wolek, along with Americorps members Anthony Lamb and Julian Rodriguez. Payne Hollow on the Ohio is a Kentucky non-profit established in June 2022 with the goal of sustainably preserving Payne Hollow up in Trimble County while protecting and promoting the legacy of Harlan and Anna Hubbard. The central mission is to stabilize the existing structures, document the property and natural history, to celebrate the homestead’s evident beauty, creativity, and innovation, and build a foundation for a safe and inspiring future for Payne Hollow and the community it inspires. Payne Hollow will demonstrate the remarkable example the Hubbards set for those who choose to live off the land in ecological consciousness.

Check out the Payne Hollow video “No Theories to Prove” and peruse the Payne Hollow strategic plan and ecological overview at https://www.paynehollowontheohio.org/projects.

You can also watch a series of short videos of Americorps members reading poems they created as a Payne Hollow activity at https://www.facebook.com/reel/3406715469460124

The Americorps members are helping Payne Hollow build it's visitor infrastructure and you can see some photos of that work at https://www.facebook.com/paynehollowontheohio/posts/pfbid0kHs48y6tPxF7cjPEM5xB8iBcqEBMLfHDnGmKitXxMrE5t1REE3Gg8HSXHBmikJCfl?rdid=j5fF9YOIlEzSXhVC

Join the Payne Hollow on the Ohio contact list and keep up with the work through six newsletters a year by going to https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/DJM8rNd

As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com

Forward Radio was proud to be at the 19th Annual Anne Braden Memorial Lecture, entitled “Abolition Feminism and Anti-Racist Praxis” featuring Dr. Beth Richie of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Richie’s extensive research examines how race and gender impact experiences of criminalization and justice, and she has long collaborated closely with communities, impacted individuals, and movements, including as a founding member of INCITE!: Women of Color Against Violence. She is Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law, and Justice and of Black Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, author of “Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America’s Prison Nation”; co-editor with teachers from Stateville Prison of “The Long Term: Resisting Life Sentences, Working Toward Freedom”; and co-author with Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, and Erica Meiners of “Abolition. Feminism. Now.” This event was held on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 at the University of Louisville's Strickler Hall, Middleton Auditorium.

Read more about Dr. Richie’s work and the lecture in her interview with the UofL College of Arts and Sciences at https://artsandsciences.louisville.edu/news/scholar-activist-dr-beth-e-richie-share-reflections-freedom-feminism-and-justice-annual-anne

On Truth to Power each week, we gather people from around the community to discuss the state of the world, the nation, the state, and the city! It's a community conversation like you won't hear anywhere else!

Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 4pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

Patty and Brian discuss gratitude rituals and why we might want to practice them. Brian walks us through a little practice at the end of the show.

Our guest on Solutions to Violence this week is Stephen Bartlett, and our topic is Venezuela. Stephen is a student of languages, people and natural ecosystems. Son of a civil rights and peace making activist and an ornithologist, Stephen’s greatest adventures in life have involved smuggled rice seed, internationalist organizing and popular education. From New York to Dakar, from North Carolina to the Peoples’ Republic to Kenya, from Guatemala to Haiti, to Louisville to his farm in the Dominican Republic, Stephen has cultivated friendships on numerous continents.