In this edition of WYSO Weekend:
- After this week’s election a lot of people are seeing red – at least on the political map. The Democratic Party found themselves on the losing end of another electoral sweep in statewide races. In Ohio, the party chairman – Chris Redfern resigned. Now, Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports leaders and analysts are weighing in on how the party can bounce back and rebuild.
- School tax renewals on ballots in Ohio this week passed overwhelmingly. Additional levies, bond issues and the like largely failed. Voters did what they usually do, and said no to two-thirds of them. Many of the districts that lost Tuesday are already gearing up campaigns for another try. As WKSU’s M.L. Schultze reports for Ohio Public Radio, a consultant who works with schools on such campaigns says they all need to be aware that most people simply don’t like paying taxes.
- The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has upheld anti-gay marriage laws in four states—a ruling that breaks a trend by other courts that have considered the issue. In early August, the three-judge panel heard arguments on gay marriage bans or restrictions in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee. The ruling was announced Thursday. Following the decision, I spoke with Michael Premo of Why Marriage Matters Ohio to get their reaction.
- While the repeal of don’t ask, don’t tell has allowed gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military, the policy change doesn’t extend to transgender people. Cyrsti Hart, a 65-year-old resident of Springfield, is among those who have been opposed to that ban for years. Hart was drafted and went to Vietnam and Thailand with the army in the 1970s, ending up as a radio and TV broadcaster for the Air Force. At age 60, she came out as a trans woman, and transitioned from male to female. She talked to WYSO’s Lewis Wallace asked about her experience—starting with her time as a military broadcaster and DJ.
- The bookstore business is volatile these days, and while independent bookstores are fighting off online competition better than record stores did, there are still causalities. And it’s not just the owners and employees that suffer when an indie bookstore shuts down. The cities and towns they serve suffer too. Community Voices Producer Jason Reynolds reports.
- Bill Felker brings us Poor Will's Miami Valley Almanack.
