REAL Newport Beach

The college admissions scandal has been a big headline.  Experts are saying there is much more to this story - not only in more chapters to come, but also in what is says about our society and parenting.  Newport Beach is sadly part of this story.  The topic works its way into many conversations locally, so I decided to talk with a couple parents to hear their opinions.  Jennifer Mehditash and John Ward have children in the local schools.  Listen in as they talk about their opinions, experiences and self-reflection about one of the biggest academic scandals in our history.

An innovative application to help protect against home break-ins recently appeared on Amazon Alexa devices. It’s called, “Chaos 911”  It seems pretty simple - using police radio chatter to scare away someone breaking into your home - so we reached out to noted crime expert, Mark Baughman for his opinion. Mark is a retired federal law enforcement agent and television personality on crimes in Florida.  Listen in as Mark talks about how the innovation of Chaos Alarms is it’s pure simplicity powered by your voice. 

She was doing some distance swimming a couple hundred yards off shore in Corona del Mar, CA when she was severely attacked by a great white shark.  Maria Korcsmaros was saved by Newport Beach lifeguards and remarkable surgeons.  She takes us back to the attack, shares her journey to recover and talks about her mission to stop shark harvesting.  It’s an amazing commitment from an extraordinary woman.  

When families move to a new town or new school, your children face fresh challenges meeting new friends and gaining acceptance.  Author Louie Lawent can relate. “Haley’s Friendship Challenge,” is a story about a little girl’s experience being the “new kid” in the neighborhood.  Haley starts off reluctant and nervous, but, with the help of a special new friend, she makes a happy transition to the new phase in her life.  I met with Louie at a coffee shop in Westcliff on a beautiful sunny morning. 

Mars is in our future.  In his book, "Life on Mars, what

to know before we go," Dr. David Weintraub tells us

all what to expect when we get there.  Listen in as

he talks about what we know about life forms, the

challenges of getting home, other planets that should

also capture our attention and even a glowing 

critique of the popular Matt Damon movie,

"The Martian," plus much more.  It's a fascinating

interview with Joe and one of his oldest friends who

now teaches at Vanderbilt and is one of the go-to

experts on the universe.  Enjoy.

The Marathon Show produced an encore broadcast at the 2017 GEICO Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon in Las Vegas on November 12.  Joe was at the expo, on the course and having fun covering the race and running along with more than 40,000 runners on the Las Vegas strip.

Along with 22,000 other people, Sonia Magee was in the audience for the Route 91 Harvest Concert in Las Vegas when gun fire started raining down.  Here’s her account of the night, what she saw, her escape and two very, very somber closing thoughts that make us all realize how precious life is.

The advent of an SRO (school resource officer) means police departments have closer relationships with schools across the country.  Officer Gary Clemente of the Newport Beach Police department is in his second year of being on campus, full time, at Corona del Mar high school and middle school.  Although he is a seasoned police officer, Officer Clemente went through additional extensive training when he accepted this position.  He's completely in touch with the daily lives of our children.  While many of their challenges are a function of the "times", you'll hear him advise parents that their experiences as kids weren't much different than what students face in 2017

Every high school in America has to contend with substance abuse by its student population and students everywhere face a range of challenges in addition to substance abuse.  Forward-thinking Corona del Mar High School took steps in 2015 to help students get back on track when they made poor choice.  ONE Recovery comes on campus each week and runs a program where kids can voluntarily get involved and earn a second chance at making good choices.  Parents are involved also, so ONE Recovery is helping families with their amazing program. Lynne Pedersen is the founder of ONE Recovery which operates in a few high schools in southern California. She's proud of the difference the program is making by helping students to achieve their full potential.

The high school rivalry between Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor produced a hard-fought, entertaining football game on a beautiful September night.  Before, during and after the game, more than a few students were violating the district policy on alcohol and controlled substances.  In her message about punishment, CDM principal Kathy Scott cited parental culpability.  Licensed child psychologist, Dr. Cynthia Baker, has some insights on the effects of teen alcohol abuse, mistakes parents are making and things parents need to evaluate in their own alcohol use.  The Battle of the Bay has started a conversation that every parent should have with their children.