From the Newsroom: Akron Beacon Journal Podcast

On this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by opera singer and music teacher Brian Keith Johnson. Johnson, a 32-year veteran of Akron Public Schools, recently sang the national anthem at the Browns-Steelers game in Cleveland. “There are two songs, this is my personal opinion, that you don’t mess with,” Johnson said. “You don’t mess wi...

In this week’s Now You Know Akron (NYKA) podcast, Tania Nemer, the community outreach prosecutor for the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office, and Nicole “Niki” Clum, the legislative policy manager for the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, debate the merits of Senate Bill 256, a new state law that provides parole eligibility for juvenile offenders based on the amount of tim...

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by Beacon Journal reporters Mark J. Price and Tawney Beans to talk all things about Akron food. Webb, Price, Beans and fellow reporter Kerry Clawson contribute to a regular Beacon Journal food feature, Local Flavor. The group reviews and spotlights area eateries and grub spots from the Akron restaurant scene every week, a...

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, 10-year-old Cuyahoga Falls student Kaylan Park and her mother Kenyona “Sunny” Matthews join host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Phil Keren to talk about Park’s speech at a recent school board meeting. Park stepped up to the microphone at a contentious gathering in the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium to discuss the importance of...

On this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Doug Livingston are joined by a panel to talk housing issues and how a group of residents from a pair of East Akron apartment complexes banded together to form a tenants union after a variety of concerns about their living conditions were going unheard.

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by one of Akron’s most well-known and prolific artists, Don Drumm. They discuss his legendary career and talk about his studio and gallery at 437 Crouse Street which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, it’s a podcast about a podcast as host Craig Webb interviews “Live Your Purpose” podcast host John Morgan Jr. An Akron native, Morgan uses the inspiration of entrepreneurs to help others find their purpose in life. “I really want to be able to highlight entrepreneurs,” Morgan said. “Being myself a new entreprene...

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by Beacon Journal reporter Phil Keren to recap and discuss the latest developments in the Hudson schools book controversy. Recently, Hudson mayor Craig Shubert asked all five school board members to resign or face possible criminal charges over high school course material that he said a judge called “child pornograp...

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Amanda Garrett talk to Ohio's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Beverely Laubert about the state of nursing homes in Ohio. Laubert said long-term care during a pandemic is a complex issue. “It’s difficult enough, and then faced with COVID … it just is nothing that anyone ever expected,” s...

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by George Hessler, a 9/11 terrorist attack survivor and Silver Lake native who was in the north tower of the World Trade Center when it was struck by a hijacked airplane. He talks about his harrowing escape just minutes before the building fell and his life since that terrible attack.

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Betty Lin-Fisher are joined by Dr. Robert McGregor, Chief Medical Officer of Akron Children’s Hospital, to talk about delta variant COVID concerns with school-aged children and its impact on hospitals as case numbers rise. “We’re seeing an increased number of kids that are coming in sym...

Akron and other major cities across the country are experiencing a wave of gun violence and an increase in homicides. In this edition of the podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Sean McDonnell are joined by Lt. Michael Miller, head of Akron’s community relations department for Akron police; Russ Neal, the councilman serving Akron’s Ward 4; and Tim Anderson, founder of t...

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, guest host B.J. Lisko is joined by Akron native and former Judas Priest singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. The accomplished heavy metal/hard rock vocalist talks about his new band with fellow Judas Priest alum, KK Downing, KK's Priest. "Ripper" also chats about getting the gig with Judas Priest, his connection to Akron and more.  Song clips used in t...

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Sean McDonnell are joined by new Akron police chief, Steve Mylett. Mylett talked in the midst of his journey from Bellevue, Washington to Akron, where he started on Aug. 9. The new chief says he’s anxious and excited to being building relationships with the city.

On this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal education reporter Jennifer Pignolet are joined by new Akron Public Schools Superintendent Christine Fowler Mack. Fowler Mack is starting her second month in the position, and she’s the first woman and first Black woman to hold the job. An Akron graduate herself from East High School, she comes to Akron fro...

On this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Doug Livingston are joined by Shontel Brown and Nina Turner, frontrunners in the Democratic primary of the 11th Congressional District that includes Cleveland and parts of Akron.  As reported by Livingston, fundraising totals and polling point to a two-woman race. Brown, a councilwoman and party cha...

And they're off! On this week's edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by All-American Soap Box Derby President and CEO Mark Gerberich to talk about the return of the Derby in 2021 following last year's cancelation due to the pandemic. Gerberich talks about the challenges and differences in this year's race as compared to previous years and how he balances tradition w...

On this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by Beacon Journal reporter Amanda Garrett, who has been reporting on the hot real estate market in the Akron area and how it's not only impacting those looking for a new home, but also those attempting to find an apartment. Cuyahoga Falls mayor Don Walters also joins the discussion to talk about how his zip code has becom...

In this week's edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal reporter Phil Keren are joined Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter. The retired colonel talked about how he wanted to inform people about a lesser known aspect of Memorial Day history during a speech in Hudson, Ohio, and how his recent time in the national spotlight was a "humbling" experience.

In this edition of the Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by recent "Jeopardy" contestant and winner Katie Sekelsky. The graphic designer and Kent, Ohio native talks about her experience on the show, strategies that helped her win and the dreaded "opera" category. 

In this week's Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal sports columnist Marla Ridenour are joined by Don Padgett, the executive director of the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron. They talk about the tournament's relationship with the community, Summerfest at Firestone and Concerts After Play, the Champions Tour and handicap this year'...

In this week's episode, host Craig Webb is joined by Beacon Journal reporter Stephanie Warsmith and Akron Police Detective Sandra Ridgeway-Williams to discuss the Akron Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) which uses new investigative techniques such as DNA to help solve sexual assault cold cases.

In this week's Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by Beacon Journal reporters Betty Lin-Fisher, Doug Livingston and Columbus Dispatch reporter Jacklyn Borchardt for a roundtable discussion on COVID-19: Where we’re at today, where we have been, and where we’re going. 

In this week’s Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb and Beacon Journal education reporter Jennifer Pignolet are joined by I Promise Program graduate, Cheyenne Cunningham, and LeBron James Family Foundation Director of Strategy, Tony Montgomery. James started his charitable work with Akron school kids in 2011 with a goal to keep them in class and on a path toward a college degree. Thos...

In this week's Now You Know Akron podcast, host Craig Webb is joined by Akron Zoo president and CEO Doug Piekarz to discuss the zoo's new Wild Asia exhibit, how the zoo stayed afloat during the pandemic and what's in store for the future.