Hot Board Podcast

Communities are opening up as life returns to normal, and Historic Zoar Village is giving people an opportunity to once again return to the simpler times. The nations most successful communal town is back open for the 2021 season with live demonstrations and in-home tours once again available. Site Director Tammi Shrum talk about ways they've adapted over the past year, what people can look forward to over the summer and Jon even shares what might be the very first rivalry "beef" between two communities... at least in the region. 

Hear from New Philadelphia City School officials as they talk about how they've managed to maintain a normal schedule with district nearing the halfway point of their fulltime in-person classes for the school year.

Marvin Fete is the current New Philadelphia City Law Director, oversees the city prosecutor's office and currently appears as an independent on the November Ballot as a Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Candidate.

There's a ten year plan unfolding at Kent State Tuscarawas. Double the student body. Create on campus housing. Develop athletic facilities. Expand entertainment education through the Performing Arts Center. Change the face of local education, economies and lifestyle for Tuscarawas County. Dean Brad Bielski and PAC General Manager David Mitchell discuss the work they are doing now to make all of that a reality with a checkpoint set at 2030. 

What better way to start off the "Official Drink" series than a drink with an official? Bob Everett has nearly 40-years experience in Law Enforcement strung through the Dover, New Philadelphia, Plain Twp. and Mesquite, Nevada and also currently serves as the local Fraternal Order of Police President. It never takes anyone long to get to know Bob, always a guy ready to talk and share some stories with you. And he has some experiences you'd expect to hear from someone with almost four decades on the job. But in the spirit of the "Official Drink" series, I threw everything I knew about Bob out the window and tried to get to know him all over again over a glass of Crown and Ginger - a favorite of Bob's that he picked up while serving as a peace officer out west.  

Mike Ernest is the Chief Tuscarawas County Assistant Prosecutor, Quaker Cinema Owner, Kent State Tuscarawas Adjunct Professor and former Trustee, Tuscora Park Foundation President, and currently wears the hat of a judicial candidate for the Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court.

Jeff Bray is a Tuscarawas County Public Library employee who, in his spare time, works to connect the different cultures that make up Tuscarawas County.  Dover, Ohio is home to one of the largest Mayan-Guatemalan populations outside of their native Guatemala. Many of them are here with only their partially family  or none at all, working to send resources back home. They are a largely misunderstood and underrepresented part of our community. Jeff is taking his experience with Hispanic communities and educating people to bridge the gap between neighbors.

Brett sat down to discuss his work in Columbus, the effects of COVID on Ohio's economy, and specifically his latest legislation that would help bring business to area restaurants by lifting restrictions on regulated outdoor refreshment areas. It would let people buy beer, wine or mixed drinks from bars and eateries and enjoy them in downtown spaces regulated by the municipalities they are in, and I think that's pretty cool.

Paula is the New Philadelphia Fire Department's Community Care Coordinator. Her job was created at the beginning of this year to look into repeat 9-1-1 calls and find ways to mitigate the burden on the fire department by connecting people with social services to improve their lives. Her position, in my mind, is the embodiment of what our community has worked to achieve long before I started watching; caring neighborhoods and healthy residents. There are so many non-profit and government organizations in our county that can help people live a full life, and Paula's job is to make sure they never go unnoticed. 

Paula is now taking up a new initiative to get essentials like toothpaste, feminine products, soap and more to people in need. Essentials that are not covered by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The fire department is accepting donations all weekdays and can even make arrangements to pick up large-quantity donations as well. Paula knows people are struggling right now. Those who were out of work are struggling to get by, and with Ohio's unemployment system failing so many during this influx we are lucky to have a fire department that can read the needs of its community and answer the call. In short, we are lucky to have a Paula. 

Orvis Campbell is finishing his first term as Sheriff of Tuscarawas County and his 30th year with the county. He has served as a juvenile probation officer, detective and now leads Tusc's law enforcement office.