In this edition of WYSO Weekend:
On August 14th, 18-year-old Abby Alexander, a Miamisburg native now living in Cambodia - was traveling on a motorbike with a fellow teacher. The pair were seriously injured when the petrol station they were riding past exploded, engulfing the two in a massive fireball. Other riders and bystanders were also injured. By late Thursday or early Friday, Abby was taken aboard a medical transport plane back to a medical facility in Denver. Abby still has family in the Miami Valley and her aunt, Cathy Wierzbowski of Springboro, was kind enough to speak with us about how her niece is doing. We sat down to talk outside a coffee shop in Centerville.
Each year in the U.S. around 500,000 people die from Alzheimer’s Disease. 5.8 million currently live with it. Those stats paint a dire picture of the illness and its destructive impact on society. But for people who have made Alzheimer’s prevention, research, and treatment a part of their mission, there is hope in the wake of new developments on those fronts. To find out more about this, we spoke with Eric VanVlyman Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley Chapter.
Professional baseball is celebrating its 150th anniversary this summer, and the pro-game has its roots here in Southwest Ohio. In 1869, The Cincinnati Red Stockings were America’s first and only pro team. They toured the country playing amateur clubs. Baseball was different then, and tougher. It was played barehanded. There were no gloves, no stadiums, no peanuts and cracker jacks. Dayton has what’s known as a vintage baseball team, called the Carillon Clodbusters. They still play the game old style, and this weekend, they’re playing a Cincinnati Red Stockings vintage team. Community Voices Producer Jason Reynolds says vintages baseball is a blend of historical reenactment and amateur athletics.
