All Sides with Ann Fisher Podcast - All Sides with Ann Fisher

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Ohio State College of Medicine researchers working on large-scale mental health study Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

The State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (SOAR) project is Ohio State University College of Medicine's attempt at creating a comprehensive mental health study for Ohio’s population.

Researchers have collected mental health data on many counties across Ohio.

What the Framingham study did for heart disease is what the SOAR project wants to do for mental health.

We're discussing the issue on this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

Scott Langenecker, PhD, professor and vice chair of research for psychiatry and behavioral health, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Anthony King, PhD, psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center/director, STAR Trauma Recovery Center and Program for Resilience

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Alex Green / Pexels)

Study details how drugs are being smuggled into Ohio's prisons Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Drugs flow into Ohio’s prisons in ways that are both brazen and clandestine.

The brazen way is with visible and noisy drones making drops inside prison yards or provided by corrections officers themselves.

The clandestine way is when contraband is smuggled inside prisons on tiny pieces of drug-soaked paper.

Potent narcotics addict, and even kill, men and women trying to turn from a life of crime while housed in state-run, taxpayer-funded facilities, which are under constant surveillance.

In the words of one prison official, keeping narcotics out of prisons is "like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole." You close off one route and another one pops up.

Coming up on this hour of All Sides, reporters from the Columbus Dispatch and The Marshall Project discuss their year-long project: Smuggled.

Guests:

Laura Bischoff, investigative reporter, The Columbus Dispatch
Doug Livingston, staff writer, The Marshall Project-Cleveland
Chris Mabe, president, Ohio Civil Service Employees Association

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

Tech Tuesday: Former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

NASA plans to blast a crew back to the moon any day now, with Wednesday marking the earliest possible launch window.

It’s been more than 50 years since the last moon mission, and the Artemis Two crew is the most diverse to orbit the lunar surface.

When it comes to breaking barriers and records, former astronaut and current central Ohio resident Kathryn Sullivan knows a thing or two about that.

The first American woman to walk in space, she’s also the first woman to dive to the lowest point on Earth.

She joins us for this week's Tech Tuesday to talk about the evolving role of women in space, her adventures under the sea and how she’s educating a new generation of thrill seekers.

We'll also discuss the significance of the recent Meta verdict.

Guests:

Kathryn Sullivan, first American woman to walk in space/oceanographer/author
Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

How does reaction to the Iran war compare to past conflicts with the United States? Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

The recent strikes on Iran by the United States and its allies have resulted in one of the lowest-approved conflicts in history, according to recent polls of the American public.

Further action is polling even lower, with most Americans deeply opposed to boots on the ground in Iran.

How does the reaction to this war compare to past conflicts with the United States, and what makes this one different?

Also, it’s not just the public reaction that matters, but how do lawyers and lawmakers feel about this war?

Guests:

Dakota Rudesill, professor, Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law
Bill Butler, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.)/president, National Veterans Memorial and Museum

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Ted Shaffrey / AP)

Love Is Blind star and Ohio State Professor Victor St. John Mar 30, 2026

Show notes

Ohio and Ohioans star in Season 10 of “Love is Blind."

We’ll talk with Ohio State professor and reality TV star Victor St. John, who made a splash and gained a wife during his time in the limelight.

This hour, we’re exploring the enduring and growing popularity of reality TV.

Guests:

Victor St. John, Ohio State professor/star of season 10 of "Love is Blind" reality TV series
Kim Akass, professor of television studies/independent scholar
Bobbi Miller, pop culture critic and host, Culture Kitsch

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

Weekly Reporter Roundtable: The corruption trial of two former FirstEnergy executives Mar 30, 2026

Show notes

The jury is still out in the corruption trial of two former FirstEnergy executives. The utility company's former CEO Chuck Jones and former lobbyist Michael Dowling are accused of bribing a top utility regulator.

How many taxes can we propose getting rid of? Turns out, quite a few.

Joining proposals to ditch property taxes and income taxes comes this one from an Ohio Republican: capital gains taxes.

Reverse an abortion? A new bill would require providers to tell patients about an experimental process to “give your baby a second chance at life.” Two previous attempts to pass similar legislation failed.

Drag shows aren’t entertaining; they’re obscene. That's according to a new House bill.

One of the few monuments in the country honoring women is dedicated at the Ohio Statehouse.

We're talking about all of it on this week's Reporter Roundtable.

Guests:

Jo Ingles, senior reporter, Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau
Jessie Balmert, state government and politics reporter, Columbus Dispatch
Jeremy Pelzer, chief politics reporter, Cleveland.com

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/NABJ)

All Sides Weekend: Arts and Culture Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

Central Ohio is slowly warming up as spring is starting to take hold. Like so many spring flowers, the central Ohio arts community is blossoming.

All Sides Weekend and Classical 101 Morning Host Christopher Purdy is talking with some leaders of the local arts community about what's to come during this spring season.

Host:

Christopher Purdy, Classical 101 Morning Host

Guests:

Melissa Starker, film critic
Antoine Clark, founder/conductor/music director, Worthington Chamber Orchestra
Julia Noulin-Merat, general director/CEO, Opera Columbus

Fascinating Ohio: Two entrepreneurs and a landscaper Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever gotten confused while trying to measure something very precise with a ruler?

If you have struggled with those tiny black lines on a ruler, you’re not alone. We will meet a local man who reinvented the standard ruler by adding colors.

And then we’ll meet a landscaper who believes that good designs with native plantings can cure most of our environmental and emotional woes.

And finally we will meet a local Air Force veteran who channeled his grief into a means of helping others via an entrepreneurial effort that launched at this year’s Arnold Sports Festival.

We're talking with two innovative entrepreneurs and a landscaper on this week's edition of Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

Keith Scanlon, artist/art educator/founder of ColoRule
Amy Dutt, co-owner, Scioto Gardens Native Plant Nursery
Zach Caudill, founder, Battle Flow Nootropics

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

Voting 101: Everything you need to know for the May primary Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

We're a few weeks away from Ohio’s May 5 primary, and the noise surrounding voting in America can be deafening.

To hear President Trump tell it, our elections are corrupt and the federal government should get involved, but our Constitution gave that power to the states for a reason.

Election officials across the U.S., including Ohio, say fraud is rare and non-citizen voting is rare, yet Republicans are putting forth bills to make changes.

Democrats say any measure to make voting harder serves to disenfranchise the very people whose interests are most at stake. Then there’s the question of who to vote for. What should voters do?

Confusion helps no one, in fact, it may make potential voters throw up their hands in frustration.

We’re spending the next hour walking you through when to register, new rules on voting absentee and what’s on the ballot. It’s our Voting 101 show.

Guests:

David Becker, executive director/founder, The Center for Election Innovation and Research
Jen Miller, executive director, League of Women Voters of Ohio
Aaron Ockerman, executive director, Ohio Association of Election Officials

Primary Election 2026: Everything Ohio voters need to know before heading to the polls
League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus webinar registration: Local Election Integrity: Are We Secure Enough?

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Joe Shlabotnik / Flickr)

ICE comes to the aid of the TSA at US airports Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

The TSA staffing at U.S. airports is currently operating without pay, understaffing and with overwhelmingly long lines. In addition, TSA staffers are quitting or calling out sick.

President Trump is calling on ICE to come to the aid of the TSA, but will it be enough?

We’re talking about ICE coming to the aid of the TSA at the nation’s airports.

Guests: