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

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State intervention threatens local control across Ohio towns and cities Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Local control has been a bedrock of Ohio governance – with officials elected to represent villages, townships and cities. But if you ask many of those officials today, they’ll tell you that decisions they once made for their residents are increasingly being made by state lawmakers.

As they watch data centers reshape their communities, hear candidates talk about property tax rollbacks, and wonder what kind of authority they still have. We'll discuss what's on the minds of municipal leaders.

Guests:

Kent Scarrett, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League
Matthew T. Starr, mayor of Mount Vernon, Ohio
Kyle Brooks, executive director of the Ohio Township Association

Tech Tuesday: Ohio State professors and students view live launch of Roman Space telescope Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

When the Nancy Grace Roman Space telescope recently blasted into space, a group of Ohio State professors and students traveled to Florida and watched a project they’d worked on soar skyward toward a destination about 1 million miles away.

One of the biggest media formats for anyone who attended school in the 20th century was the film strip. Now there’s a race against time to preserve these culturally important artifacts.

And phone-mania: a new foldable phone, a new iPhone 18 Pro, plus a retro tin phone. We'll tell you all about them.

It's all coming up on this week's Tech Tuesday.

Guests:

David Weinberg, distinguished university professor, department of astronomy, Ohio State University
Mark O'Brien, founder, Uncommon Ephemera
Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

photo: Joel Kowsky / NASA / AP

Columbus State Community College President David Harrison Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Not only is Columbus State Community College transforming its campus, it’s changing downtown Columbus as well.

New buildings and partnerships are happening at a rate the school hasn’t experienced before.

From the Columbus Promise to the Buckeye Bridge, more students have access to higher education.

At the helm of this transformation is CSCC President David Harrison. We’ll talk with him about how the school is evolving and what it means for central Ohio.

Guest:

David Harrison, president, Columbus State Community College

The positive impact of parental involvement in children's education Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Studies have shown that parent engagement in schools has a positive impact, including better school attendance and increased individual and classroom test scores.

Parent involvement also provides protective factors for children, including less substance abuse.

Organizations like the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) strive to build stronger relationships between parents and the schools their children attend.

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center has family engagement programs in which they teach parents how to be present in their children's education and help them create their own programs.

Many books have also been written, including a book that was published this year titled “Family Engagement in Education: Inclusive Approaches for Creating Collaborative and Equitable School Communities.”

Guests:

Barbara Boone, Ph.D., program director for Family Engagement Programs/
director, Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center
Holly Williams, family engagement leader, Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center
Maura Atwater, family engagement leader, Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center
Joseph Passi, PhD., assistant professor of special education at Purdue University Northwest

Weekly Reporter Roundtable: Trump pledges $5K to American voters if GOP wins midterms Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Will the promise of $5,000 to every adult American secure a Republican victory in the November mid-terms?

Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno says he’ll push to make President Donald Trump's $1 trillion promise a reality.

We'll have an update on the governor's race.

Ohio farmers sound off on tariffs and rising prices.

It's all coming up on this week's reporter roundtable.

Guests:

Karen Kasler, bureau chief, Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau
Shane Stegmiller, reporter, Hannah News Service
Susan Tebben, reporter, Ohio Capital Journal

photo: Julio Cortez / AP

Fascinating Ohio: an architect, an author/bookstore owner and filmmaker Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

There’s no chance that a person who’s been to Columbus hasn’t come across a building designed by the firm Moody Nolan.

The Schottenstein Center, Ohio Union, a few Columbus Metropolitan Library branches, and even the new terminal at the John Glenn Airport have all been designed by the Moody Nolan firm.

The business was started by Curtis Moody, and now his son, Jonathan Moody, has carried on his father's legacy as CEO since 2020.

Independent bookseller Linda Kass is known for bringing top literary talent to town to discuss issues of the day.

An author in her own right, Linda’s latest novel is set in Columbus in the pivotal year of 1969, at a fictional high school where students are navigating real-world events that reverberate today.

Good storytelling is important because it shows the world that we are more similar than we are different. Not a single group of people is a monolith, and everyone contains multitudes.

Filmmaker Damon Mosley tells stories through his love of music, his community, and his sneakers.

We're talking to these unique individuals on this week's Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

Jonathan Moody, CEO, Moody Nolan
Linda Kass, author, World News from Waverley High/founder and owner, Gramercy Books
Damon Mosley, writer, producer and filmmaker

When technology and education collide Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

What happens when new technologies are sold to public schools as indispensable learning tools?

Today’s tech titans didn’t invent the sales pitch with their Chromebooks, iPhones, and laptops.

Back in the day, Thomas Edison hailed his moving pictures as superior to books in helping students learn.

A new book explores just what happens when technology and education collide.

Guest:

Natasha Singer, New York Times journalist/author, Coding Kids: Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools

Life in Pike County, beyond the Rhoden family murders Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Pike County is located in southern Ohio.

Known for its beautiful landscape and industrial history, the county was struck with tragedy in 2016 when eight members of the Rhoden family were murdered.

The investigation into the murders took more than two years, spanning across counties and states, eventually leading to the arrest of four members of the Wagner family.

When Laura Paglin, a documentary filmmaker, went to Pike County, she found much more than just the murders that shook the community. She found a place that had been ignored for decades.

In her documentary, "This is Pike County," Paglin displays the hardships Pike County is enduring, ranging from the national drug epidemic to atomic waste at a nuclear site to the upcoming construction of an energy plant and possibly the nation's largest data center.

Paglin uncovers a community that has been overlooked, but fights every day to keep their friends and loved ones safe in the county where they grew up.

Guests:

Laura Paglin, documentary filmmaker/producer and director of "This is Pike County"
Katie Millard, digital reporter, NBC4
Gary Arnett, development director, Pike County Office of Community and Economic Development

photo: scene from the film "This is Pike County"/Laura Paglin

Tech Tuesday: Can AI help make political polling more accurate? Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

How often do opinion polls get it right and zero in on what Americans are actually thinking and feeling when it comes to elections?

We've all seen political polls get it wrong, miss the mark and be an inaccurate barometer of public sentiment.

With an election looming, polling is in overdrive.

Could AI make polling more accurate? That's what a group at Ohio State is working to find out.

Without question, work has changed post-pandemic. Workers and managers have had to navigate many obstacles, including working from home, Zoom, and more recently, the addition of AI.

But just because work looks different, it doesn’t mean the work isn’t working.

Smart lights are new ways of creating unique atmospheres in homes. Some of the lights are now using generative AI.

Dry cat food dispensers have existed for a while now, but what about cats who prefer wet food?

Dishwashers are beginning to include cameras. How do they help get your dishes cleaner?

We're talking about all of these topics on this week's Tech Tuesday.

Guests:

Ryan Kennedy, political science professor and the Timashev Chair of Data Analytics, Ohio State University
Gleb Tsipursky, author and CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts
Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

Weekly Reporter Roundtable: City of Columbus suspends use of Flock surveillance cameras Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced late last week that the city is suspending its use of Flock automatic license plate readers while investigating an officer’s potential misuse of the cameras.

A USA Today investigation found that an officer searched for a single vehicle’s location more than 200 times using the city’s cameras.

Will we get to see Ohio's governor candidates Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy debate? The short answer is no. We will discuss why.

After the death of a 20-year-old Springfield resident and Haitian migrant, many people are once again questioning ICE tactics. Pierre Damas Bel died last week by apparent suicide.

All of these topics and more are coming up on a special Tuesday edition of the Reporter Roundtable.

Guests: