In this edition of WYSO Weekend:
- Jim “Pee-Wee” Martin, a decorated WWII veteran and Greene County native who died Sept. 11, was laid to rest Wednesday morning. Martin fought on D-Day and in the Battle of the Bulge. WYSO’s Garrett Reese reported on Martin‘s funeral Tuesday night and a Wednesday morning procession assembled to honor 100 and 1 year old.
- Our look at the life of Jim Martin continues with his first introduction to WYSO listeners back in 2015 as part of our Veteran’s Voices series. Martin, who was 93 years old then, had parachuted into Normandy that year to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. And, as you’ve heard, at the end of the war, he returned to Xenia to build a house, raise a family, and live a modest life. But when Martin got online and connected with social media, his popularity reached celebrity status. It was Marine Corps veteran Jeremy Dobbins who brought us this story..
- The Brunner Literacy Center in Dayton serves adults in the Miami Valley wanting to improve their reading and comprehension skills. That includes literacy programs for GED attainment; Basic education in reading, writing, and math; continuing education,;and English as an additional language. The center says one in five adults in Montgomery County operate at an extremely low level of literacy, and when the pandemic hit - the center worked to help them understand the changing health guidelines. This week we spoke with the Brunner Center’s Executive Director Ashley Lacovich about their work, and an upcoming event to help them with their mission.
- Ohio State’s University Farm Science Review was this week. It’s one of the biggest agricultural exhibitions in the state, and one of the biggest topics throughout the event is carbon markets. WYSO’s Alejandro Figueroa explains what those are and how they work.
- People love to race things: bicycles, cars, drones…. And last weekend there was belt sander racing at the Front Street Studios & Galleries in Dayton. WYSO’sJason Reynolds was there.
- A report from the nonprofit research firm Rand Corp. says Veterans Health Administration payments to private and community healthcare providers - which are outside the VA structure - have risen dramatically in recent years - from $7.9 billion in 2014 to $18.5 billion in 2021. The report also indicates that a major shift has taken place, and that wait times for outpatient specialty care at VA facilities have declined. This can make the VA a better option for veterans seeking care. For more on this, we spoke with Dayton Daily News Reporter Tom Gnau who recently reported on the Rand report.
- Our program wraps with Bird Note and Bill Felker with Poor Will's Almanack.
