On Nov. 23, Mount Vernon resident Kevin Verhoff published a blog post titled, "Crazy idea: Let's build a rail network in Ohio!" It outlined a new way of thinking about public transportation, proposing the creation of a $9 billion passenger rail system that would serve 83 percent of Ohioans.

To his surprise, the post took off. It received regional and national attention, as journalists and transportation advocates latched onto Verhoff's concept.

This week, our Grant Pepper spoke with Verhoff about his idea – where it came from, how it would work, and how people from Knox County would benefit from it.

Before listening to this week's episode, make sure to read the following articles:

Verhoff's original blog post: https://kevinverhoff.com/index.php/2019/11/23/crazy-idea-lets-build-a-rail-network-in-ohio/

The first story written about Verhoff's idea, by Tyler Buchanan of the Ohio Capital Journal: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2019/12/05/passenger-rail-system-in-ohio-one-data-nerd-has-an-idea-on-how-to-make-it-possible/

Stories from the heart of Ohio is edited and produced by Grant Pepper.