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A brand new road gets paved, then a jackhammer shows up and the patch looks worse than what was there before. That frustration kicks off a wide-ranging conversation about Columbus considering a new ordinance that could require permits for utility repairs in the public right-of-way. 

From there, we head to Friendship Cemetery. When records are old, incomplete, or scattered across spreadsheets, books, and public deeds, even buying a cemetery plot can come with unsettling uncertainty. We weigh practical steps the city can take immediately, and the tradeoff of spending real money on ground-penetrating radar to reduce the risk of another painful surprise.

Then we step into politics, asking what fairness looks like when the Southern Poverty Law Center faces federal indictments and pressure lands on Senate candidate Scott Colom to disavow. We break down the difference between direct donations and independent PAC spending, and how narratives get built when campaign finance and national labels collide.

Finally, we bring in guests Max Brallier of The Last Kids on Earth and Emily Liner of Friendly City Books for a hopeful turn: school visits, Title I outreach, and why graphic novels can be a legit on-ramp to lifelong reading, especially for reluctant readers and some dyslexic kids. Subscribe for more local reporting and sharp conversation, share the show with a friend, and leave us a review with your take on what makes a city worth investing in.