The Ronald McDonald House of Wichita does great work to help families with comfort, a place to stay, and a little less worry when a child is in the hospital. I had a chance to talk with Hayley about their big Masquerade Ball fundraiser, coming up on June 7th     https://youtu.be/EHpnnlnvJ5c?si=yxASvj4BzfyNHwh0

I think this is a great program and if you want to find out more about how you can participate, with the holidays coming, I think this would be a great time to call and ask questions.   thank you.

Andrea Lytle Peet is nothing short of inspiring, and it was a joy to talk with her about her journey, documentary, book, and 50 marathons, all while battling ALS.  She'll be competing in the Prairie Fire Marathon this weekend.  There will also be a special screening of her documentary, "Go On Be Brave" at Exploration Place Saturday (10/12) at 4pm.                                                         __________ WHAT IS ALS   Lou Gehrig's disease, formally known as **amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)**, is a neurodegenerative condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Named after the famous baseball player Lou Gehrig, who was diagnosed with the disease in 1939, ALS is characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons. These are the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. In ALS, motor neurons gradually deteriorate and die, leading to the weakening and eventual paralysis of muscles. This impacts a person's ability to move, speak, eat, and even breathe. As the muscles waste away, patients may experience muscle stiffness, cramps, and twitching (fasciculations). Over time, individuals lose the ability to perform daily activities, as simple tasks like walking, lifting objects, or speaking become increasingly difficult. While the exact cause of ALS remains unknown in most cases, about 5-10% of cases are inherited, known as familial ALS. The remaining cases, termed sporadic ALS, occur without a clear genetic link. Risk factors may include age (most common in people between 40-70 years old), gender (slightly more prevalent in men), and environmental factors like exposure to toxins. There is no cure for ALS, but treatments like physical therapy, medications such as **Riluzole** (which slows the progression), and supportive care can help improve the quality of life and extend survival. Most people with ALS eventually require mechanical assistance for breathing, as respiratory failure is the leading cause of death. Though devastating, awareness campaigns, such as the **Ice Bucket Challenge** in 2014, have helped increase research funding and public awareness of this life-altering disease.

If you love true crime. The documentaries, the podcasts, all of it, this is a must for you. Cold Case Live at the Orpheum on Saturday (10/5). Chatting with Joe Kennedy gave me some real insight into his life as a cold case investigator.     https://youtu.be/dbDPCsvnTDE?si=MPdxWaq6vALrPkaG     COLD CASE LIVE is a deep-dive exploration into the world of unsolved crimes. The show will feature in-depth analyses, firsthand insights, reenactments and more during an evening of shocking revelations as host Kennedy takes audiences behind-the-scenes and walks them through the process of solving cases. Together, they’ll inspect clues from chilling cases like The Zodiac Killer, The Golden State Killer, and The JonBenét Ramsey case among others. Kennedy will also discuss developments in forensic techniques including investigative genetic genealogy that have changed the nature of cold cases in recent years (such as the Grim Sleeper case), and how technology and AI will shape the future of cold case investigations to help tip the balance in favor of justice. In a span of eight days this month, detectives using genetic genealogy and other DNA technology saw breakthroughs in at least four homicide cases where there were no arrests for decades. Kennedy shared his thoughts on the subject in a recently published interview with the New York Times. “COLD CASE LIVE will give you a much deeper understanding of why these cases go cold in the first place, and how my methodology helps successfully resolve them – the same method detectives around the world are using to solve their cases today,” says Kennedy who lives in Winston-Salem and is a North Carolina native. “Many shows and books delve into the criminal’s perspective, but now you’ll get a glimpse into the minds of top detectives. I strongly believe that COLD CASE LIVE -- with some help from our audiences -- will help us solve another important case so we can help bring justice and resolution for victims and their families.” According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, nearly 340,000 murder cases in the United States remain unsolved today.

Whenever there is a "first time" that I get to talk to an artist, I always get excited. I want to leave them with as much as an impression as the one they will leave me. With that said, when asked, I jumped at the opportunity to chat with Joe Nichols.   He has a new album coming out on Oct. 25th (pre-order now) called "Honky Tonks and Country Songs". 11 tracks of Joe Nichols awesomeness, including his first ever duet (You would think that would have been a thing sooner).   Joe is going to be at The Cotillion this Friday (9.27). Get tickets for what will be a fantastic show.   Here are a couple of teases of songs from the new album   https://www.tiktok.com/@joenichols/photo/7407960908586061102?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7386953010852087326   Who knew this duet with Annie Bosko was his first ever. There voices are perfect together   https://www.tiktok.com/@joenichols/video/7416141005256330542?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7386953010852087326       Track List: 1. Honky Tonks and Country Songs – (Tyler Hubbard/Matt Jenkins/Travis Wood/Casey Brown) 2. Bottle It Up – (Josh Kear/Dan Isbell/Paul Sikes) 3. People Still Doin’ That – (Justin Lantz/Clint Daniels) 4. Helpless in a Honky Tonk – (Jared Keim/Ryan Beaver/Neil Medley/Dan Alley) 5. Country Boy Can Survive – (Hank Williams Jr) 6. Hard Fires (featuring Stevie Woodward) – (Michael Carter/Adam Craig/Matt Rogers) 7. Doin’ Life with You – (Jimmy Yeary) 8. Y’all Do – (Jake Mitchell/Michael Hardy/Mike Walker) 9. On and On – (Jason Sellers Terri Jo Box/Dan Smalley) 10. Better Than You (Joe Nichols & Annie Bosko) – (Derek George/John Pierce) 11. Amazing Ways – (Dan Isbell/Jordan Minton/Jonathan Smith)   check out the interview for everything about the album, ghosts, weird gigs, "The Curse" and more.   https://youtu.be/b5jlJEuQ3EI?si=tm1eRQ4NgNexSVwk

Blane Howard and I were first introduced to one another a few years ago. A multiple Arkansas CMA Award winner, huge Chiefs fan and most importantly, independent country artist looking for that break. Looking for that song that will finally get him to the next level of his career.  Last week, I listened to his new single, "Waiting On Your" and I believe this song could be that song.     https://youtu.be/gUCbeX2r4V8?si=ISl4rVublBI0EMDA     Now, this isn't his first love song, my of his long time fans are still in love with "Promise To Love Her", which I think we can all agree would be a perfect first dance song at the wedding.     https://youtu.be/yHEvoEmWrgY?si=1BLelGcytcJAHSf4     Truth is Blane has a TON of music.  He's currently doing "100 songs in 100 days" on Tiktok, highlighting his catalog.     https://www.tiktok.com/@blanehowardmusic/video/7407930830707756318?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7386953010852087326   Blane is also a HUGE KC Chiefs fan and has made a name for himself doing some great KC Chiefs parodies and hype videos.     https://youtu.be/7if8HyqD6G4?si=nvjpCCHCrskjAW93       https://youtu.be/Sxm96KoKLTU?si=vmifHTw8zFgCeCda       https://youtu.be/X_r4oJnU-Lg?si=9K35pTlhd_pCK9gX     https://www.tiktok.com/@blanehowardmusic/video/7332272089690328363?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7386953010852087326   https://www.tiktok.com/@blanehowardmusic/video/7333625626647137579?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7386953010852087326       But I get the feeling, Blane would trade it all in for a hit song.  So got to his socials, like him, share his music with your friends and let's see if we can't get him the love he deserves.

This is not the 3rd time I've chatted with Drew and each time he is just the happiest, most genuine dude. Following him on this journey of 'determination' has been a real joy.  He put this song out a couple years ago and it really didn't 'land'. He couldn't have given up but he didn't.  He re-released it last year, we spoke, and it started to climb the chart. Now, I'm not gonna take an ounce of credit for it's 'rebirth', that's all Drew.  Check out our chat.     https://youtu.be/SV-Mb4p2ABM?si=hSIiHbbx1KnOnyUB

One last day of my Mum answer 3 listener questions about things you might have been curious about when it comes to me. I'll miss my Mum and co-host for the week, but it was great to see her.

I knew when I asked my mother to participate in this for the week, that eventually the story about my eyebrows would come out. I was hoping it wouldn't come out until later in the week....but, no such luck.   enjoy   JJ