What The Hal?

A vacation on a cruise ship is relaxing, fun and enjoyable but within the past few months fears of infections on local cruise ships have rose.  In November four people were hospitalized after getting sick aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship that had docked in San Pedro. On December 1st several other people became ill after returning from their cruise, also on a Norwegian ship.  The illnesses were...

From responding to house fires, natural emergencies and even the Rose Parade, volunteers with the Red Cross are always out in full force helping the people in their community.  In Los Angeles there are roughly 8,000 volunteers and many help both in the local community as well as other states and overseas.  In this podcast we speak with two volunteers who discuss what they do, why they do it and th...

Los Angeles firefighter Eric Stevens is now in the fight of his life against ALS also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  Stevens was diagnosed in August, just a month after his wedding. As shattering as that diagnosis was, Stevens and his family take comfort in the support of his fire department cronies and the public.  In this podcast Stevens discusses his journey with ALS as well as clinical trials...

Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson is opening up about his son’s struggle with drug abuse, mental illness and homelessness. Wesson recently put out a campaign ad featuring his search for his homeless son. The ads feature his wife narrating as the councilman searches Skid Row. In this podcast Wesson discusses the emotional and personal ad and his reason behind it. He also discusses the...

Knowing how to stop the bleed can help save a life. Launched in October of 2015 by the White House, Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and a call to action that encourages bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. Our guests include Melissa Barnes a trauma nurse at Providence Holy Cross medical Center and Do...

With the busy holiday shopping season many consumers are online or at malls across the nation hunting for the best deals and gifts. But while finding that deal many people can fall victim to scams. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer says many of the scams his office sees include stores selling recalled items, counterfeit items being sold online, people obtaining fake credit cards, identity theft...

While urban sprawl and changing weather conditions have made firefighting more difficult in the city of LA, the department has grown and adapted to meet the challenges. LA City Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas is a 35-year-veteran with the Los Angeles Fire Department and has served as chief for five years. In this podcast Terrazas discusses how firefighting has changed in the city as well as discuses new...

Michael Simonsen and his “partner” Officer Byrd, a green macaw, have worked together with the Los Angeles Police Department since the 1970's. Officer Byrd and Simonsen help teach kids about safety like stranger danger as well as lift up their spirits during school visits and charity events. Simonsen talks about the PSA’s that aired back in the ‘80’s on channel 11, which were intended to protect ch...

Students from Saugus High School are still on extended break from classes after a gunman opened fire on campus—killing two people before turning the gun on himself. It was a shooting that rocked the whole community, many still in disbelief.   In this podcast we talk to some of the students and a teacher who were running for cover and barricading inside a classroom as chaos erupted on campus. We al...

For 25 years FOX 11 has been helping foster kids find a forever home through our segment Wednesday’s Child. Since the segment launched nearly 500 kids have been adopted.  In this podcast we talk with two adoptive parents who found their child after watching Wednesday’s Child as well the coordinator for Wednesday’s Child.   Our guests include social worker and adoptive parent Fawnda Sandoval, adopt...

California is in the middle of wildfire season and it seems each year is worse than before. Luckily, firefighters throughout the state are getting some relief. Cal Fire is adding 19 new aircrafts to its fleet and LA County Fire is getting a new Blackhawk. But even with all the added tools --- firefighters say the best thing when a fire breaks is for residents to be prepared and ready to evacuate. ...

Keeping a child safe is always a parent’s top priority. And on Halloween night basic activities like trick-or-treating could be hard. It was a mother in Hawaii whose Facebook post went viral when she came up with the idea of using blue buckets for kids with autism or who are nonverbal, like her 3-year-old son. A blue bucket is to help those giving out candy know that a child may be autistic, so th...

It's time for the 71st Prime-time Emmy Awards. The award show will be live on FOX 11 September 22nd.  In this podcast we talk about the history of the Emmy statue.  We also learn that the first Emmy winner had to be talked in to attending the Awards Ceremony (not something that has to be done these days). Our guests include Laurel Whitcomb Marketing Vice President of the Television Academy and Dr....

The allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Film Producer Harvey Weinstein lit a fire under the women’s movement. Now, more and more women are joining the fight on a wide range of issues, from equal pay to equal power in government and business. An organization called “The United State of Women” is trying to inspire young women to be more active in their communities. Our guests includ...

You've probably never heard of Barbara Jean Jepsen, but in 1956 her murder made headlines. Jepsen's husband found her stabbed to death at their home in Van Nuys. She was four months pregnant at the time. At one point, Liberace's brother was a suspect. So were several soldiers at a local military base. Now, more than six decades later, the Jepson cold case is back open. Stephanie Lazarus was once a...

A lot of people around the world are keeping their eyes on Brazil and the massive fire that is burning in the rainforest.  The fire has been burning for nearly three weeks, and can be seen from space. About 60% of the Amazon region is in Brazil. The vast Amazon also spans parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, an overseas region of France. In this...

Mass shootings seem to be happening more and more; at schools, workplaces, malls, and places of worship. And they have just about everyone on edge. In this podcast we talk about how to deal with "active shooter anxiety" while remaining vigilant and safe. Our guests include Clinical Neuro-psychologist Judy Ho, Anaheim Police Officer Brett Heitmann, and Judge Mary Chrzanowski. Dr. Judy Ho’s new book...

They survived the unspeakable-- the Holocaust. David Lenga and Adela Manheimer were both children living in concentration camps at the time of Nazi Germany. Filmmaker Donna Kanter recently released a documentary highlighting stories of people involved in the Holocaust.  Today's guests are Holocaust survivors David Lenga, Adela Manheimer, Fred Zaidman, who is the son of a the Holocaust survivor, an...

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to live through a mass shooting.  Tiffany Huizar survived after being shot three times during the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas in 2017. Steven Campbell was inside the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks when it came under fire on November 2018.  In this podcast they discuss their experiences surviving a mass shooting, how it changed their lives...

Social media can influence people to think and act in different ways. In this podcast we talk about the effects social media has on society, everything from spreading hate, fake videos and even forming eating disorders. Today’s guests are Marc Berkman the executive director of Organization for Social Media Safety, Ed Peisner the founder of Organization for Social Media Safety, his son Jordan Peisn...

They are some of the top artists in Motown Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves and Marvin Gaye and there’s one man who introduced us to these chart-topping artists: William Mickey Stevenson. Stevenson is Motown’s first A&R man. He sat down with Hal Eisner to talk about his role in Motown and how he met and helped so many artists. Hit the subscribe button on this podcast and connect with me on social:...

At 18-years-old Kendall Stier is a 3x High School All-American named by the United States Olympic Committee, Paralympic Division. Kendall hit the A Standard in the 2017 Shot Put, the 2018 Javelin and the 2018 Shot Put. In this podcast she tells us what it was like growing up with cerebral palsy, how she got involved in track-and-field and the obstacles she faced being an athlete with disabilities....

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Those are the words Neil Armstrong said as he stepped onto the Moon on July 20th 1969. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission. It’s the first time any human has stepped on another planet. The legendary astronauts involved in the mission were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Our guest, astronaut Garr...

We all have recycling bins. Bottles, cans, and plastic go in, what comes out is a mountain of material. But what happens to all that stuff? You might be surprised to find out some of your recyclables are not being recycled. Our guests are Coby Skye Assistant Deputy Director at the L.A. County Department of Public Works, Jamie Court President of the public interest group Consumer Watchdog, and Kim...

We don't know when or where they'll strike. But wildfires, once they hit, can leave behind a wake of destruction lasting years. In this episode we talk about the recent California wildfires and what people can do to better protect their homes. Our guest are Fire Captain Tony Imbrenda of L.A. County Fire, Captain Steve Kaufmann of Ventura County Fire, and Scott Harris the Chief Operating Officer of...