WFHB FireHouse Broadcasting

Sue Murphy from Volunteers In Tutoring Adult Learners (VITAL) discusses literacy challenges in our community with host William Morris. In the first part, Sue talks about the particular challenges caused by illiteracy and specific steps taken by VITAL to quash illiteracy in Monroe County. In the second part, VITAL's 33-year history is described, including a short segment about the late Cathy Rogers, who spearheaded VITAL for over 20 years.

The executive director of the Foundation of Monroe County Community Schools says the Bloomington district is unique in the state in having to fundraise to maintain extracurricular activities. Tina Peterson tells host Will Murphy that the Foundation is in a race against time to come up with $750,000 by August 1 to restore extracurricular stipends for the coming year.

Host Helen Harrell interviews local pastor David Bremer about efforts to make Bloomington's churches more welcoming to people traditionally ostracized by organized religion.  Reverend Bremer also discusses humanitarian relief aid projects local churches are supporting in Africa.

Host Dave Stewart welcomes Milton Fisk to Interchange.  Milton Fisk has just returned from the Social Forum in Detroit and reports on the proceedings there, which he categorized broadly as Economics, Environment, and Empire.  A common thread during the conversation is Labor and the fact that unless workers organize and work for their rights inequality is not going to be addressed.  Milton's local Bloomington activism in Education, Health Care, and Jobs with Justice are discussed.  This interview is sort of a continuation of the interview with Michael Gasser on the World Soc

Helen Harrell interviews Jada Barbry, local singer, creative activist, and founder of Verbal Terrorism Productions and the Bloomington Burlesque Brigade. Discussion includes issues related to Barbry’s personal ambitions and aspirations that inspire her creativity; burlesque as a form of feminist performance art; the group's impact upon the Bloomington community; and some of the challenges and successes she has experienced over the previous decade.

Host Dave Stewart talks with Indiana University Professor Michael Gasser about the process called the social forum, events where people get together in an "open space" to discuss social problems and solutions. Gasser will be attending the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit on June 22-26, 2010, billed as a platform to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, and share analysis of the problems our communities face. Its mantra is "Another world is possible, another U.S. is necessary.

Host Helen Harrell interviews Rob Stone, a Bloomington emergency room doctor and Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. Stone is also founder of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan, advocating a single-payer system as part of progressive healthcare reform. Our discussion focuses on Dr. Stone’s role as a health care activist, his motivation for promoting healthcare reform and what he believes can and must be done to improve health care in America.

Host Dave Stewart interviews veteran sports reporter Lynn Houser, who has covered local athletics since 1984. Houser talks about how he got interested in being a sportswriter and his early days working in the newspaper business near Fort Wayne, Indiana and how he came to Bloomington. We then talk about the craft of sportswriting and the crucial concept of a good "lead". Houser offers anecdotes about in-depth reporting that earned him state awards and the classic sports movie “Hoosiers”. A fascinating insight into one man's quest to follow local sports with joy.

Host William Morris interviews Dr. John McCluskey, a recently retired professor of African-American History and Creative Writing at Indiana University. Dr. McCluskey shares insights from his rich academic past as a writer, author and lecturer, as well as his experiences as the first African-American quarterback at Harvard University. Dr. McCluskey traces his athletic and academic interests back to his hometown of Middletown, Ohio where he was inspired by loving parents, a football coaching legend, and a working-class community that gave him the tools to succeed.

Host Emily Cohen welcomes local brewer Caleb Staton. Staton has been a professional brewer at Upland Brewing Company for the past five years and talks about turning his hobby of basement beer brewing into a professional career. The two discuss the education and training necessary to be considered a certified brew master, cooking with beer, and the differences between domestic and imported beer. Topics discussed also include how drinking locally is important to Bloomington and how the beer industry is "going green".