21-WFMJ News Podcast

Boardman police said that it was a serial killer amongst our community that took the lives of 13-year-old David Evans in 1975 and12-year-old Bradley Bellino three years earlier. 21 News digital content manager Robert McFerren speaks with former Boardman Twp. Chief of Police Glenn Bowers of what it was like to investigate these cold cases with very little to go on.

US Marshals Service, along with the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office and the Youngstown Police Department, have recovered seven missing children from Youngstown during an operation with federal, state and local agencies. Operation 'We Will Find You' goal was to recover endangered missing children, and 35 children were recovered, including the seven local children. The Ohio portion o...

In this episode of the 21 News Podcast, Madison Tromler speaks with former Republican Ohio Governor Bob Taft on why he's joined a chorus of voices, including several other prominent Republicans, who want to stop Ohio lawmakers from making it harder for voters to pass ballot measures. Taft says changing the rule, which has been in place for more than a century, would be expensive and unnecessa...

Bharat Ramamurti talks about the latest economic data and what it means for the overall state of the economy. Is it possible to bring down inflation without leading into a recession? Ramamurti believes the answer is yes, but that it won't be an overnight solution. Also, could ongoing tensions over paying the nation's bills threaten any potential for progress? 

Ohio has reported people have spent more than $1 billion on sports bets in the first two months since being legalized within the state and collected 10 percent of tax revenue for the state. However, calls to the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline have increased as well.  In the Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana counties, calls increased 50 percent to the same period last year, prior to the introducti...

WFMJ's chief meteorologist Eric Wilhelm and meteorologist Andrew DiPaolo talk about what precisely some severe weather terms are. Today they discuss floods - and the difference between watch and warning, aerial flooding vs. flash flooding, and why it is important to never drive into flood waters. Information that is very important to know - as your life may depend on it.

Robert Fenn, Social Security Administration Public Affairs Specialist, joins host Madonna Chism Pinkard to discuss Social Security. They will discuss the cost of living (COLA) increase, the www.mymoney.gov website, types of filings for Social Security benefits, and the "Slam the Scam" program to protect the elderly.

Derek Steyer speaks with Kent State economist Dr. Omid Bagheri about the state of the economy. Inflation is improving,  the federal government is moving to protect some banks and the market is a rollercoaster ride. So what does all of this mean for you and your money? 

Bradley Droy is President and CEO of T.E.A. Inc. of Baton Rouge, an environmental company that investigates hazardous spills, designs and handles remediation, and assesses the toxicology issues and risk assessments for communities involved. His firm, along with some NASA science were able to clean up the toxic derailment site in Louisiana in a few years, after others had spent more than three deca...

 Albert Presto, Research Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and member of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies speaks with 21 News about the concern of a by-product from the chemical burn in East Palestine, and speaks about the health concerns and what residents should do. 

Kent State Earth Science professor  Kuldeep Singh looked over the Norfolk Southern preliminary remediation plan for air, ground and water and shared what he feels was handled well, and what he feels needs more effort to control. 

21 Sports Sports Director Dana Balash caught up with new Mahoning Valley Scrappers manager Dmitri Young and discuss his new job and career. The Scrappers open the season on June 1, 2023.

In 1972, the sense of safety in the bedroom community of Boardman was shattered for the community and for law enforcement when missing 12-year-old Bradley Bellino was found dead inside of a trash dumpster behind Boardman Plaza. In today's podcast, 21 News digital manager Robert McFerren speaks with the Boardman patrolman, and later chief Glenn Bower, who was one of the first on the scene, who...

 21 News at 5 p.m. Anchor Lindsay McCoy interviews The Detroit News Autos Reporter Kalea Hall about the upcoming UAW talks for Ultium Cells workers in Lordstown and the national union talks this year. She also details why this will be a big year for General Motors. Autoline Auto Industry Analyst John McElroy explains the formation of the EV battery belt and where plants go be built for battery pro...

Don Templeton has been living with the fact that he was the last person to see his best friend Brad Bellino alive ... except the man who killed him in Boardman in March of 1972.  21 News reporter and Weekend anchor Sydney Canty speaks with Templeton who shares his memories of Brad, and how he feels now the case is finally solved.

"Erin's Law" is a law in several states around the country that requires age-appropriate abuse education aimed at helping kids know the red flags of potential predators. It's named after Erin Merryn, an abuse survivor from Chicago. In this edition of the 21 News Podcast, Madison Tromler speaks to Merryn about what it took to get the bill  passed in Ohio and why she says this wa...

New jobs numbers show nearly 50-year lows in unemployment and wages headed upward.  Managing editor Justin Mitchell speaks to Jared Bernstein of the White House Council of Economic Advisors about whether there's any way to fight inflation without hurting workers. How can the federal government cool down the economy to bring down prices without hurting workers in the process? 

Two new polls show Tim Ryan and JD Vance locked in an absolute dead heat heading down the stretch to Election Day.  In this edition of the 21 News Podcast,  managing editor Justin Mitchell talks to Dr. Don Levy of Siena College Research Institute about the trends in this race. Levy talks about the unusual Ohio phenomenon where double-digit percentages of voters say they'll vote for DeWine for...

Erik Boland is a former sportswriter for the Warren Tribune Chronicle and did some work for 21 Sports in the late 1990s.  For the past 14 seasons, he's been the New York Yankees beat writer for Newsday. WFMJ 21 Sports Director Dana Balash caught up with Boland and talked about the Guardians - Yankees series and more. Enjoy!  

More cuts and layoffs could once again be a reality at Youngstown State University, as YSU administration sent a letter to faculty members listing which departments could be impacted.  21 News anchor Madison Tromler speaks with union president  YSU-OEA President Mark Vopat, who feels the university's approach is going to hurt the University's ability to attract and keep faculty in this 2...

It’s National Recovery Month in the United States and it comes at a time when we’re seeing discouraging trends in overdose numbers all over our viewing area. In some cases, this year appears poised to surpass 2017 for the worst year ever for fatal overdoses in Mahoning and Trumbull counties and the backdrop for addiction continues to change. Managing Editor Justin Mitchell talks with Dr.  John Sab...

In this edition of the 21 News Podcast, Erin Simonek speaks with Betsy Mayotte of the Institute of Student Loan Advisers about who will likely be most impacted by the President's plan to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt. Is there any downside? Is the plan likely to affect inflation? Does it go far enough? Mayotte takes us through the likely effects of the plan for most borrowers. 

Trumbull County was awarded $344 million in an unprecedented opioid lawsuit settlement. 21 News anchor Madison Tromler spoke with Trumbull County's Mental Health and Recovery Board Executive Director April Caraway about how the money will be used to help battle drug addiction in the county.  

In today's 21 News Podcast, Managing Editor J. Breen Mitchell speaks with best-selling author and political strategist, Lis Smith, who has worked for many politicians, all the way up to Pete Buttigieg's 2020 Presidential campaign.  Listen to her take on the Senate race between Tim Ryan against J.D. Vance, and talks about Ohio's political landscape. Her book  "Any Given Tuesday&...

"It's important that we embrace our history. So we can understand it...and leave it behind."  That's how Marc Smerling, the Oscar-nominated producer behind "The Jinx," "Catfish," and "Crimetown" describes why he's taken on his latest project.  "Crooked City: Youngstown, Ohio" delves deep into the city's sometimes sordid past, fr...