WYSO's newest series, County Lines, focuses on small towns and rural communities in the Miami Valley and beyond. Community Voices producer Renee Wilde travels down the highways and back roads to bring our listeners stories of country life that go beyond the stereotypes. In the first story from this series, we hear that across the U.S., a growing number of rural communities are facing a growing veterinarian shortage, that is expected to worsen in coming years.
In central Ohio, law enforcement have seen an increase in sex trafficking, likely due to the opioid epidemic. The demand for this work is driven by men who seek sex. While criminal justice plays a big role in curbing that demand, reporter Esther Honig of Side Effects Public Media asks if education or punishment is more effective?
In the age of online advertising, some people still use the old-school method to promote the things they want to buy and sell, or promote the services they offer –– by posting on bulletin boards in laundromats, restaurants and other places. WYSO’s Bulletin Board Diaries brings you the stories behind some of these notices. Today, a business card found on a bulletin board at a Lebanon restaurant leads us to a horse barn in Franklin.
A century ago, Dayton helped drive the global economy with inventions that changed the world –– think, the airplane, the cash register, the self-starting engine. In another of WYSO’s latest innovation series - Scratch - reporters ask: where is that spirit of invention still alive and well? Today, Producer Jess Mador takes us inside an event aimed at helping aspiring entrepreneurs realize their business dreams.
Another Scratch series report details how more and more Americans are using technology such as LED light bulbs and programmable “smart” thermostats to save on utility bills. Buildings are serious electricity hogs and a major source of the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. Now, researchers are working on technology to make buildings even more energy efficient. Mador visited one new facility near the University of Dayton that could help revolutionize the way we heat and cool our homes, offices and other spaces in the future.