21-WFMJ News Podcast

Back in April, we spoke with YSU president Jim Tressel about the impact the pandemic was likely to have on the university over the coming months. At that time, hopes were that by the fall, there may be some sense of a return to normal. As we begin a new year with those hopes long behind us, Andrew DiPaolo spoke with Tressel again about how the school has weathered the storm. Tressel talks about ho...

Lindsay McCoy spoke with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today about the state's plans for the year ahead. The governor says he remains optimistic for this year, but said we'll need lots more vaccine doses in order to get the most vulnerable protected from Covid 19 before getting to the rest of the population.  DeWine talks about his discussions with the incoming Biden administration and what...

With the arrival of a Covid 19 vaccine comes hopes for a return to normal over the course of the new year.  People returning to offices, social functions taking place in person and kids returning to the classroom on a regular basis.  But that comes after what may be for some more than a year of remote learning and the challenges associated with it.  With us today to talk about the longterm impact...

It's a common problem. How to juggle remote learning, especially with very young children and working families? One new program aims to make those issues a little easier. In this edition of the 21 News podcast, Managing Editor Justin Mitchell speaks with Nikki Murray of the Youngstown YMCA about the Scholastic Support Program. It's a program that  gives kids whose schools are all remote...

It's been roughly a quarter-century since the way Ohio funds its public schools was deemed unconstitutional, but yet nothing has changed in all that time.  But that may all be about to change as a new plan gains traction across both sides of the aisle and in both houses of the Ohio legislature.  In this edition of the 21 News podcast, managing editor Justin Mitchell speaks with Representative...

When may we actually see a Covid-19 vaccine? And how long before that means a return to normal? In this 21 News Podcast, Dr. Benjamin Neuman, Niles native and world-renowned virologist at Texas A&M talks with Glenn Stevens and he says the latest news from Pfizer is good news, but it's still going to be a while before we can let our guard down.  Listen up!

In this edition of the 21 News podcast, Matt Stone speaks with Joe Biden's deputy press secretary Bill Russo , and Donald Trump's senior adviser for strategy Steve Cortes about each campaign's closing argument to voters.  Who is still undecided?  What's the case that would sway them one way or another?  What state will you be watching most closely to determine which way this el...

In this 21 News Podcast, reporter Erin Simonek spoke with Donald Trump Jr.  at his 'Make America Great Again!' event at the Maronite Center in Youngstown. With the election just days away, listen to see what Trump Jr. message was for voters. Listen up!  

In this edition of the 21 News podcast, Managing editor Justin Mitchell speaks to Delaware Senator Chris Coons, who has been called the "Biden whisperer" by Politico, conservative columnist George Will has written that he should be Secretary of State and he sits on the Senate Judiciary subcommittee. See what Coons thought about the final presidential debate, the strategy for the final we...

In this 21 News Podcast, reporter Madison Tromler interviews Mahoning Valley Congressman Tim Ryan and President Trump campaign spokesperson Hogan Gidley on what President Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden need to do win the final presidential debate. Listen up!

In today's 21 News podcast,  as Ohio looks more and more like it could be a deciding factor in the presidential race record numbers of early voters have already begun to flood the polls.  Noteworthy among them are tens of thousands of independents. So who can reach them and will they call for change or staying the course?  21 News managing editor Justin Mitchell speaks with former Republican...

In the latest edition of the 21 News podcast, Erin Simonek speaks with Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman about the Wolf administration's push to legalize recreational marijuana use in the state. Fetterman says he wants to see the legislature move quickly and says the science and the economics are on his side and that legalization is only a matter of time. How would it work? How would i...

Early voting is officially underway in Ohio and we're seeing people lined up at the boards of elections. With Ohio positioned once again as a state that could decide the election and concerns over the security of your vote, can we count on a fair election? When will we know who won? And how can I be sure my vote is counted?  Managing editor Justin Mitchell spoke with Ohio Secretary of State F...

On this episode of the 21 News Podcast, 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden talks with Reporter Madison Tromler on issues important to Valley voters like Delphi salaried retirees; the makeup of Valley voters and his thoughts on the debate with President Trump.

In today's 21 News podcast, Helen Le Bouygues, Fake News ExpertHelen Le Bouygues, Fake News Expert and Founder of the Reboot Foundation, talks with WFMJ's Erin Simonek about how to detect fake news ahead of November's election.  Bouygues discusses the importance of proper news sourcing and the best ways to find unbias news content. She expands on how to critically evaluate news sour...

In today's edition of the 21 News Podcast, Lindsay McCoy talks with Lordstown Motors CEO Steve Burns. Burns discusses taking the new Lordstown Endurance electric pickup truck to Washington D.C. Monday, Sept. 28, where he met with President Trump.  Burns talks about what the President had to say about the future of Voltage Valley. Listen up!

He's the brother of Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, one of the stars of television's reality TV show "Wahlburgers" and the author of "The Big Hustle: A Boston Street Kid's Story of Addiction and Redemption." In today's 21 News podcast, Jim Wahlberg talks about his battles with addiction, the understanding it took to get society through the peak of the opioid epide...

In today's 21 News podcast, anchor Derek Steyer speaks with top White House economic adviser Peter Navarro about the plight of the Delphi Salaried Retirees. Following a campaign stop in Ohio, Dayton Congressman Mike Turner said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine asked President Trump to intervene on behalf of Delphi salaried retirees who have argued for more than a decade that they were unfairly stripped...

In a special edition of the 21 News podcast, we hear from a panel of mental health experts and professionals to discuss World Suicide Prevention Day. The panel, which includes Duane Piccirrilli of the Mahoning county Mental Health and Recovery Board, Mahoning county Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick and Tony Coder, executive director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, discuss signs you...

In the 21 News exclusive, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine talks with 21 News anchor/reporter Lindsay McCoy about how he plans to use the state's rainy day fund to get the state through the next year, the possibility of future virus surges, and how he sees the holiday season panning out with the coronavirus pandemic still going on. Listen up!

We talk a lot about Battleground Ohio and the role the state will have in choosing the next President, but the latest polling seems to indicate that Pennsylvania is now poised to play an even bigger role this time around.  It's a state that Donald Trump won by one percentage point in 2016 and where Joe Biden appears to have some advantage right now.  In this edition of the 21 News podcast, fo...

In this edition of the 21 News podcast, reporter Madison Tromler speaks with Mike Madrid, one of the founders of the Lincoln Project. No doubt you've heard of them. They're the group of Republicans, including former John McCain staffer Steve Schmidt and George Conway, the husband of Kellyanne Conway,  who have split from the President and are now working to defeat him in November. Now, t...

The political season is now in high gear, the Democrats spending last week making their case to the voters and the president making his case for another term this week. In a special edition of the 21 News podcast, managing editor Justin Mitchell speaks to key players from both parties about where the race stands in Ohio and across the country (HINT: CLOSER THAN YOU THINK)  and what the candidates&...

In today's 21 News podcast, multi-media producer Brandon Brown with Youngstown State University's Dr. Charles Howell of the Beeghly College of Education on how can adapt to the unusual school year ahead.  Whether students will be going in-person, remote or a hybrid of both, families across the Valley are bracing for the challenges ahead. Dr. Howell offers up some advice to  parents to ma...

The U.S., the state and the Valley is hitting a  pivotal moment ... unemployment numbers starting to fall. But with no new relief package in sight from Congress, people are still struggling. And businesses are still struggling as well.  21 News managing editor J. Breen Mitchell speaks with Todd McCracken, the president of the National Small Business Association about what businesses are still faci...