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This week on News Man Weekly, Carl, Zac and Hayden head into a three-week break with plenty to discuss, including a tense Mansfield town hall on police-community relations, a new pavilion bringing fresh life to Prospect Park and the first-ever Coney Fest in downtown Mansfield. Plus, Carl prepares for the approaching doom of winter by counting down his Top 5 places to see fall foliage across North Central Ohio.

Later, we sit down with Mansfield native Joe Robertson, a 71-year-old retired letter carrier who has turned a lifelong love of baseball into an extraordinary quest: visiting more than 900 ballparks. Robertson has seen every Major League Baseball stadium along with hundreds of minor league, independent and college fields across the country. He shares how the obsession began, his favorite parks and baseball memories, the adventures involved in planning trips around the game and the stadiums still left on his bucket list. 

This episode is powered by the great folks at Relax, It's Just Coffee.

Relevant links: 

• Join the Ballpark Chasers Facebook group
• ‘An opening to a longer conversation’: Mansfield leaders partner with NAACP on ‘Town Hall’ series
• A coney’s worst day: Richland Carrousel Park hosts Coney Fest to beat a dog day afternoon
• Public-private partnership brings new pavilion to Mansfield’s Prospect Park

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Today – Seventy-two dogs are beginning a new chapter after being removed from a Loudonville commercial breeding operation — and the Ashland County Humane Society says it now needs the community’s help to care for them.

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Today – Madison Primary is starting a new chapter this school year, bringing the district’s youngest students together under one roof — and putting two Madison graduates in charge of helping them build a strong foundation.

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Inside the Lines is back for the 2026 school year and we start out with Centerburg tight end and Florida Gator commit Jackson Ballinger. 
First, host Curt Conrad and co-host Effie James review a couple of week 1 results and pay their respects to the late Andrew Saris of Lexington. 
Then, Centerburg senior tight end Jackson Ballinger joins the show to talk about his journey from small-town Ohio to becoming a Florida Gators commit. Ballinger takes us inside the recruiting process -- including NIL, agents and why he chose Florida over programs such as Indiana.
He also discusses graduating early, preparing for the jump to SEC football and what he wants to accomplish before leaving Centerburg. Plus, we break down the Trojans' winning culture, their new-look offense and how Ballinger is approaching his final season as a leader.  
This episode is brought to you by Graham Auto Mall and Triple P in Knox County.

Intro and outro music is "Story of the Sunflower Samurai" by local artist Vaundoom. 

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Related reading: 

• Explosive Centerburg roars past Utica for impressive victory
• Find all of our Knox County high school football coverage

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Today – A neighborhood park in Mansfield has a new place to gather, thanks to a partnership that brought residents, local organizations and the city together.

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Today – Three new firefighters are beginning their careers with the Mansfield Fire Department, joining a department that hopes to return to full staffing in the coming weeks.

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This week on the News Man Weekly, we're keeping it in the family. Zach Hunnell, Carl's youngest son, joins us to discuss his life in Barcelona, Spain. 
First, we recap the latest news around Richland County, including the Festival of Hope at Mansfield Speedway, long-awaited plans to demolish the former West Park Shopping Center and a new series of community town halls aimed at strengthening dialogue between Mansfield residents and police. Plus, Carl ranks his top 5 summer blockbuster movies of all time. 
Then, News Man Weekly goes international as Carl welcomes his youngest son, Zachary Hunnell, a Lexington High School graduate who has spent the past four years living and working in Barcelona, Spain. Zach talks about his career in global supply chain management with HP and how a kid from Richland County ended up building a life halfway around the world. Father and son also get into the fun stuff: adjusting to 10 p.m. dinners, late-night beach parties, life without a car, European soccer culture, European healthcare, traveling the continent and the things Americans get completely wrong about everyday life in Spain.
This episode is powered by the great folks at Relax, It's Just Coffee.

Relevant links: 

• On the same track: Churches unite for Festival of Hope at Mansfield Speedway
• Mansfield NAACP announces 'Town Hall' meetings with mayor, police seeking improved relationship
• Powering down: Utility work to begin ahead of former West Park Shopping Mall's fall takedown

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Today – An inclusive cheer team in Madison Township is proving that competition, confidence and belonging can all share the same mat.

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Today – Lexington’s new elementary school is taking shape, with construction underway and plans calling for students to walk through the doors in the fall of 2028.

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Today – Mansfield leaders are putting a five-year plan behind one of the city’s biggest economic assets, with hopes of turning Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport into a stronger engine for jobs, investment and new technology.

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