The Hilliard Beacon Podcast

In the final week of the 2026 midterms the Hilliard Beacon was able to secure interviews with Republican Shawn Kaesar and Incumbent Democrat Crystal Lett both competing November 3rd for the State Representative seat in District 11 currently held by Lett. In the interest of fairness and in order to get these interviews to the ears of our audience as quickly as possible we will be releasing them sim...

In the final week of the 2026 midterms the Hilliard Beacon was able to secure interviews with Republican Shawn Kaesar and Incumbent Democrat Crystal Lett both competing November 3rd for the State Representative seat in District 11 currently held by Lett. In the interest of fairness and in order to get these interviews to the ears of our audience as quickly as possible we will be releasing them sim...

Paul LambertOriginally published on EducateHilliard Ever since the 1980s , when the population of the Hilliard School District began exploding in response to the Penick vs Columbus Board of Education desegregation lawsuit, we’ve heard the phrase “Hilliard Schools, Columbus Taxes.” It was a powerful sales tool for the new home builders who were banging out houses by the thousands in the parts of th...

We were happy to renew an annual tradition by hosting Artistic Director of the Hilliard Arts Council, Robin Brenneman, for another fun conversation around the thrill of putting on a show… Upcoming Season A Renewal of Voice We discussed Robin’s commitment to vocal performance and a re-emphasis on the multiple choir programs on offer at the Arts Center for performers young and old. Click the image b...

On this edition of the Audio Companion we sift through a full week of Hilliard happenings and big decisions affecting you! In a first since 2011… After a brief discussion of the shooting we reflect on our chat from last week with other local journalists and share our thoughts on their approach and our collaborative effort. Kevin reminds us that he usually looks to step up the posting rate with Cou...

Telling it like it is… For the latest HBAC Jordan, Tim and Kevin called in the big guns, bringing together three pioneering local publishers for a conversation about the state of news and reporting in our region. We spend an hour with the the trio of bestsellers describing their individual efforts to rekindle the relationship between residents and good journalism in each of their communities. Gary...

We had a great time talking with pal and local legend Matt Barnes for this edition of the HBAC. We go through the arc of Matt’s career and unearth some great stories and bits of wisdom for people taking the unconventional route through working life. Risk, Transition, and Making it Go We talked first about the excitement and intensity that drives a lot of career change. If lucky, it’s a thrilling m...

Kevin returns from his vacation to the island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras. Related: Check out what some of the richest people in the world are getting up to with the Prospera “economic development zone.” Local Weather Continues The Franklinton flood wall erected and additional images from our latest round of heavy storms that delivered nearly 3 inches of rain overnight in some areas. In n...

This episode was recorded just prior to the severe storms that rocked the area Tuesday morning. The Beacon passes our sincere best wishes to those affected and thanks profusely those responding to all our neighbors in need. If you’d like to tell your storm story or discuss other local matters contact us hilliardbeacon@substack.com We open this edition of the HBAC by discussing some of our favorite...

Tim bangs drums on this record! For this installment of the Hilliard Beacon our usual hosts Jordan, Tim and Kevin welcome local certified naturalist and author Don Kloss to hold court on a range of important issues and bring light to some lesser known or fading Hilliard history. EPA Gives Tech World a Brake Check In the growing pushback to data center ubiquity across the US the Ohio EPA issued a c...

As you’ll hear, we’re always in the Heat Dome at the Beacon and never more so than mid-July. We intro a new segment, Tim's " Tubi Corner,” with Bronx Executioner & Heavy Metal. On a personal note we talk recent and (not so recent) International travel stories and how the embedded family is an ideal unit for real cultural exchange. We also had a great response to Kev’s ‘87 Reliant during the Fourth...

Amy Fleshman, the year round manager of the fair stops by to get us up to date on this special community tradition! This episode of the Beacon offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to stage one of central Ohio's longest-running community traditions. The guys are joined by Amy Fleshman, manager of the Franklin County Fairgrounds, for a conversation about the months of planning, hundreds...

The wider ‘Ax the Tax’ movement came up short for the November ballot this year but nonetheless provided a challenging spur to the status quo. On this installment, the usual Beacon Boys and local ace Paul Lambert host the Franklin County Auditor as projected home values hit doorsteps around Columbus and start the cycle of argument and education all over again. We’re ‘lovers and understanders’ here...

Ohio’s rapid expansion of data centers is building stress around electric reliability, rising utility costs and who ultimately bears the burden of responsibility for billions of dollars in new infrastructure. Those issues were the focus of our conversation with State Rep. Tristan Rader who serves as (among other assignments) the ranking minority member on the Ohio House Energy Committee. Rader has...

A HOT hello to you all! We interview a quadruplet of guests this week, starting off with returning brothers Sam and Charlie Owsley who join us to hype the second annual Food for the Fourth donation event benefiting Hilliard Food Pantry . Every donation helps local families, and just $1 donated allows the Hilliard Food Pantry to purchase about $6 worth of food from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. How...

Join us for a night of stargazing and Stellar Conversation , won’t you? If you like what you see and hear in this episode then take the plunge and explore the skies with the Columbus Astronomical Society , spend a Friday evening at historic Perkins Observatory or travel to some of the darkest skies in the state at the John Glenn Astronomy Park. Images and accompanying text by Jason . Twilight appr...

We open the latest episode of the Audio Companion by welcoming Sam Swank , a longtime member of 4-H , who discussed his experiences with the organization and his current project studying yeast breads. Sam, who joined 4-H at age six, described the program as a place where you learn about nature, practical skills and career interests while pursuing projects that match your passions. His own interest...

We were recently joined in studio by Austin Rutherford and Megan Miracle as they promoted Hilliard’s upcoming short film festival. Both Austin and Megan are former students in Hilliard and we’re very pleased to see them developing their passion into local opportunities for fellow creators. 0:00 - 17:34 Intro with the guys… 17:35 - 19:21 Meet Austin and Megan! 19:21 - 21:56 Origins and structure of...

It was a real treat to host old friend Nate Grenier for a chat about our shared history and the business he, his wife and family have grown in Hilliard. 0:00-5:30 - In the beginning...two ‘wild and crazy’ guys . 5:30-10:30 - Building a local coffee culture 10:30-16:30 - Family, marriage, and entrepreneurship 16:30-20:30 - Expansion and COVID’s hard lessons 20:30-23:30 - The economics of Main Stree...

Thanks for listening, everyone! In this episode: * We review our recent interview with Chief Woods. * We spend a good portion of the episode discussing expanding surveillance technology in Hilliard, including the prevalence of residential cameras and growing police use of Flock license plate reader systems . * The growing resistance to the data center buildout at local, state, national levels * At...

With the latest episode of the HBAC the guys welcome Hilliard Police Chief Michael Woods to the program for a focused conversation on our burgeoning suburb. Community Policing Woods described community policing as a core operational philosophy beginning at the hiring stage. Officers, he said, are expected to be visible and approachable whether that means walking neighborhood events, interacting wi...

All jokes aside… * Milestone episode (No. 150) and recap of recent studio activity, including filming a documentary segment with Nicolette Jaworski on our Data Center reporting. Her team recently produced a documentary short on another Ohio story. * We then kick off the episode proper with the return of local super guest Jake Trubiano! Gold Path Solar * Performance and visibility impact of the Wes...

We welcome back Council President Emily Cole this episode for a great conversation on the realities of local governance in our rapidly growing city. Cole, now roughly two and a half years into her first term, described a role full of rewards and demands where meeting preparation alone can range from several hours to well over a dozen depending on the agenda. That workload, she said, is necessary t...

Last Week, The Audio Companion sat down with our second congressional interview of the cycle as we spoke to former state representative Adam Miller on his way to the May 5th primary against Don Leonard. https://www.adammillerforamerica.com Still no interest from the Republican side of the conversation as sitting Rep Mike Carey awaits his own primary challenge from the unconventional conservative S...

On the latest episode of the Audio Companion Jordan and Tim sit down with guests Katie Bondy and Jeff Sanderson for a conversation that (pardon my dad joke) moved well beyond the touchlines. Centered on the Greater Ohio Amputee Soccer Team, the discussion arrives during Limb Loss Awareness Month and offered us a timely look at a sport and community on the rise. Bondy, a teacher at Hilliard Darby i...