Good Morning Aurora

Soul, family, professionalism, harmony and jazz perspectives; what a great way to enter the weekend! Today we got the chance to speak to Mr. William Small, the creator of Jazz Perspective. From sourcing and working with impressive talent to travel, we touched on so many things. Many times, our passions and our immediate needs are in conflict. Keeping our dreams and aspirations alive, however, is paramount. What Mr. Small has built with Jazz Perspective is truly inspiring. His story, experience and contribution to Aurora as well has been a boon for the city. Not only did we discuss our thoughts and visions of the City of Lights; we also compared Chicago Style to St. Louis style bbq! Yummy!

Shout out for the day go to VizoArts and Marie Wilkinson’s Food Pantry. Sugar Skull City, don’t forget: the Call To Artists is out! We’ve posted the details so make sure you check them out and contribute! Much love to our friends at McCarty Mills, Aurora Public Art Commission and the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Big thanks to the Aurora Rapid Response Team, City of Aurora Youth Services and don’t forget the 4th Annual CUPS Bra Drive on Friday October 2nd at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum (53 N. Broadway). Come out for a good time, there will be live music as well! Be blessed, be strong, show some empathy to others, be safe and be motivated this weekend. We will see you Monday on the 2nd largest city’s 1st daily news podcast.

Live on location, we learned even more about community power today. We took two interviews and combined them into one on Good Morning Aurora! Today we went live from the offices of Talented Tenths Social Services and spoke again with Natalie Bonner & Andre Pearson. Since last we spoke both have been working overtime on their collective mission so we got a lot of good news. From Neighbor Boxes to food and the power of unity, it was cool to sit down with friends again! Yesterday, the O.N.U.S organization held a successful free community barbecue! Just think about that; food, fun, community and unity. Also, this Saturday the team is hosting: Burgers For A Cause! (3 to 6 pm at 122 W. Downer Place). On today's show we covered a lot of topics and it's great to see our fellow friends succeed. There's a lot taking place on Downer and TTSS (Talented Tenths Social Services) & O.N.U.S are at the forefront of positive works! Big time shout outs also go to both of these organizations for their successful food and hygiene distribution as well!

Shouts out to our food banks and our grassroots community organizations. This weekend there is the CUPS Bra Drive taking place tomorrow evening at the Aurora Fire Museum from 5 to 8 pm. We appreciate our friends at Tredwell and McCarty Mills. We appreciate our listeners and supporters as well! Shouts go out to all Aurora businesses and all Aurora artists, veterans and educators. Much respect to all of our fellow community partners and social service organizations. Shouts also go out to Aurora Tap House and ScienTel Solutions. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and our Facebook page as well. We're proud to be the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast and we're here for our listeners. Tomorrow we have another great show and you'll be seeing more and more of us as we grow! Be safe and motivated and we'll see you all tomorrow! Peace!

It was a 'rise & shine' day on Good Morning Aurora for sure this morning. Today we were joined in the studio by members of the Aurora Sunshine club; Mr. Lewis Johnson, Mr. Judd Lofche & Mr. Charles Schmaltz. The Rotary Club has a long history of service in America, and Aurora especially. And each of these gentlemen bring their own stories of community and their own history to the discussion. With so many stories of helping others it was hard to fit them all into one episode. But, we tried our best! We learned about the key role that the Rotary Club plays in providing water to many countries in our world. In Aurora, the Aurora Sunrise club is focused on building membership and is interested in divers candidates from equally diverse backgrounds. Now here's a fun fact: are you familiar with the magazine 'Streetwise'? Well guess what, Mr. Judd Lofche actually created that magazine! Now that was a very cool fact to learn, and it was great to listen to the origins of that periodical. 

Shout outs go to Tredwell, Congressman Bill Foster and the League of Women Voters. We wanted to say thank you to all of our friends, subscribers and followers. Shout out to the Aurora Public Art Commission, Northern Illinois Food Bank & all veterans in Aurora. So many shout outs, so little time! And also, don't forget the Sugar Skull City call to art (details posted on FB & IG) and the 4th Annual CUPS Bra Drive. That's happening Saturday the 19th so save the date. Be motivated and positive today; we're proud to be the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. Peace!

Good morning and happy Monday! What a great interview; we got the chance to sit down with 5th Ward Alderman Carl Franco today. It was an awesome conversation and we covered a lot of ground! We spoke about the job of an Alderman, Mr. Franco's upbringing and history and his vision for Aurora. Carl has been an advocate for not only his constituents but all Aurorans as a member of the Aurora City Council. There's a lot taking place in the city at the moment so his perspective is very much appreciated. In the headlines of Aurora news is the recent vote and decision on riot gear so we asked Mr. Franco about his vote. Being one of many voices required to get things done in our city it's important to determine what our leaders think & feel. In addition to voting on issues and being an advocate for the business community he also has a mission to attract an italian restaurant to Aurora. Oh, and we also talked about Carl's background as an air traffic controller, working under pressure and being a leader.

Shouts go out to our staff, Gremlen Studios and all of our listeners, fans & subscribers. Extra special thanks to McCarty Mills and our friends at Lanphere's Furniture. Shouts go out to Chicano's Times for the Broadway business showcase over the weekend. Don't forget that there is a call for artists to take part in the Sugar Skull City (catrinas) initiative. It's also Hunger Action Month so big shout out and a job well done to the Aurora Food Pantry and Marie Wilkinson's Food Pantry. Much love to the City of Aurora, & all Aurora artists and veterans. Shout also go out to Aurora Downtown and the Aurora Public Art Commission. All the news that's fit to speak on; tune in tomorrow morning at 8 am. We're proud to be the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. Be blessed, motivated and powerful today.

Today it was 'Women In Business', coffee and also a remembrance of Sept. 11th and what it means as Americans. We went live on location today from Cotton Seed (8 N. Broadway Ave., Aurora) with our friend Yvonne, owner and founder. With an awesome store full of style Cotton Seed has quickly turned into a "must-visit" location in the downtown scene. There's a lot to see and experience when you walk in and when meeting Yvonne for the 1st time you feel like you're in good hands. There's a great number of vendors who call the Cotton Seed home and we even got to see some of their great work. From time to time we are always reminded of new things and Cotton Seed never stops delivering. In addition to checking our cool merch' and artwork we also sipped some great Bamenda coffee! Straight outta Cameroon!

Shouts go out to Invest Aurora (survey about covid19 deadline is Sept. 21st) and Aurora Downtown. Don't forget the call to artists for the Sugar Skull City project celebrating Day of the Dead (dia de los muertos), get that artwork in! Shouts go out to our friend and community partner Chicano, shouts also go out to Crystal House and the City of Aurora. Big thanks to VizoArts and to Tredwell. Stay tuned and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We've got a lot more coming soon and thank you to all of our fans, listeners and subcribers. The 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast will see you all Monday morning! Be safe, blessed and motivated this weekend.

On today's episode we got a chance to sit down with Mr. Joel Frieders about life & emotional health. In addition to THAT, we also spoke about personal passions and understanding ourselves. We so often in life become wrapped up in what we have to do that we forget to take care of ourselves. Of the many topics we discussed we talked about depression, anxiety and how it manifests itself in those around us. What we learned today was "its okay to not be okay". Now that doesn't mean completely disregarding life and withdrawing. Rather, its a recognition that life isn't always perfect. We need to embrace ourselves more than simply embracing expectations of what others may think. Joel introduced us to 'Hope For The Day', we're happy to have leaned about it and fully support all the good he's doing. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day we take that with us into this day and the rest of this month. 

Let's keep others in our thoughts and on our minds as we go about our lives. It's about the health of others as well as ourselves; empathy and self-help. Shouts go out to Cotton Seed, Aurora Downtown, Offbeat Thrift and all Aurora area veterans. Much love to the City of Aurora for all the hard work being done with the free food for Aurora residents. Thank you to all of our supporters, listeners and subscribers. Thank you for tuning in to the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. We're proud to bring Aurora news to you Monday thru Friday from 8 to 9 am. Tune in tomorrow for another great show! Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Peace!

We took a trip back in time on this show today. Aurora history, cool spooky stuff and more! That's what we covered with our friend Diesel this morning. Diesel has been on the show a few times but this was his first on camera interview. Diesel is an Aurora native and is a well known, friendly face in town. We've had conversations about many things so today's chop up was especially poignant. He also let us know about his two projects: Horse Talk & CVN (Cycle Vision Network). Motorcycles, horses an back to downtown Aurora to learn about old restaurants and businesses. Today was a lot of fun and we're glad Diesel took some time out of his day to come onto the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. 

Shouts go out to Crystal House and the Cotton Seed Creative Exchange. Extra special shouts go to the Hangovers, City of Aurora and all volunteers for the continued good work with feeding our fellow citizens. This is Hunger Action Month and your donations mean so much. If possible, please donate to the Aurora Food Pantry and look for ways to help lift up others. We'd like to thank VizoArts and Gin Ingram art for getting involved with art for a good cause. Peace to our friends at the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) and shouts go out to Aurora Public Art. All the news that's fit to speak on. Have a great day and be blessed and motivated. Stay tuned for another great interview tomorrow morning!

It was more than shoes, belts, hats & accessories today, that's for sure! Today we had the opportunity to speak with a very cool person on the downtown Aurora scene, Susan Guinnane! She is the founder and owner of Offbeat Thrift & Vintage and this was another really cool part of our 'Women In Business' series. Located on Downer Place, Offbest is located in the basement of Wyckwood House (14 W. Downer Pl., #16) and its a whole new vibe. As we spoke our eyes noticed so much style all around us. It was great to hear Susan's story and learn about the beginnings of Offbeat. We also spoke about what aurora has to offer and what she's got coming next. Offbeat is a great place to shop and all are welcome, as there is something for everyone! 

Today shouts go out to our dear friends on the Aurora Public Art Commission, Wyckwood House, Tredwell & Aurora Downtown. Remember, this is Hunger Action Month and we can all do so much to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Remember to donate any items that you can and shouts also go out to Talented Tenth Social Services and the Aurora Public Library. Much love to our listeners and supporters and shouts out to Blue Agave & PLS. We're proud to be the 2nd largest city's 1st daily news podcast. Be blessed & motivated this Tuesday! 

It's Labor Day but the awesomeness doesn't stop! On this special edition of Good Morning Aurora we were pleased to interview the one and only Devan the Artist! Originally from Sandwich Illinois, Devan has become a fixture on the Aurora art scene. From postcards to coloring books, Devan does so much and has lots of things in the works. We spoke about life, art, her medium and what she's noticed as positive change since being in Aurora. We also spoke about anxiety and how the arts can help to overcome that. With so many normal everyday pressures life can sometimes seem overwhelming. It's precisely because of that that art has become a happy place, or an escape for many people. Devan has been featured at Gary Brown Art, Beyond The Walls (hosted by VizoArts) and has been at many 1st Friday events. It really feels good to highlight creative people. Not only that, we all have a story to tell; Good Morning Aurora is dedicated to sharing those stories.

Shouts go out to all the Moms & Dads in Aurora and beyond. Shout out to all musicians and painters. Special shouts also go out to our friends Cotton Seed Creative Exchange and VizoArts. Much love and appreciation to our friends at PLS, McCarty Mills and the Aurora Public Library. Big success with the Pollo Pa Looza at WVHS over the weekend and don't forget, this month is hunger action month! Lets all do what we can to smash hunger and to lift up each of us. Special thanks to our listeners and don't forget to subscribbve to our YouTube channel. Have a safe Labor Day and we'll see you tomorrow morning!

It's called 'soul', and you either have it or you don't. That element of emotion, wrapped in style, with a lemon wedge of quiet confidence. Today was really a vibe for sure and we were honored to sit down with the Hangovers; straight outta Central Illinois! Not only did we learn about new towns we'd never heard of we also learned about teamwork. We learned about the power of music as well. And with everything going on in the world today it was good to hear some good news. The Hangovers have a great story and it was inspiring to hear. They've done a lot and have a recently released EP. They played 'Kayak' in the studio for us and the melody remained in our heads all day. Good people; we really enjoyed having them on the show. And just like that, music on Friday is now a thing! But here's what's also awesome about today's as well, we go into Labor Day Weekend on a positive note!

Shouts go out to our awesome engineer Hunter & his fiance Becca. Much love to all small town artists and creative people following their dreams. Big shouts go to Tredwell, A Call To Shoulders and our friends on the Aurora Rapid Response Team. Crystal House, VizoArts & Cotton Seed Creative Exchange, much love and respect. Shouts go out to all Navy veterans in Aurora and all the veterans worldwide. Have a safe, wonderful and fun Labor Day weekend to everyone in Aurora and be blessed! See you back on Monday for a special Labor Day episode with Aurora favorite Devan The Artist!