More School Districts Are Buying the Door Bearacade

Bill Cushwa, National School Control Systems, demonstrates the Bearacade/Photo credit: Jim McIntyre

Another local school district is shelling out cash for these locally conceived and produced devices that can help keep our kids safe inside their classrooms when there are bad guys outside.

Dan Coughlin Goes Back To The Drawing Board: Hackers Are Holding His New Book Hostage

Dan Coughlin and Jim McIntyre
Photo credit: Salem Media Group

Dan Coughlin has covered sports in Cleveland for more than four decades.  He has enough material for several books, and has written two: Crazy With the Papers to Prove It: Stories About the Most Unusual, Eccentric and Outlandish People I've Known in 45 Years as a Sports Journalist, and Pass the Nuts:More Stories About The Most Unusual, Eccentric & Outlandish People I've Known in Four Decades as a Sports Journalist, published by Cleveland's Gray & Co Publishers

His third book is being held hostage.  As was reported by Plain Dealer Tipoff columnist Michael K. McIntyre, cyber thieves hacked into Dan's computer and threatened to hold its contents, including the work he has done on the new book, as electronic hostages unless he pays them $700.

He refuses to pay, and says he'll rewrite what's been lost to the criminals.  In this interview, he talks about the chapter he was writing about former Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien.  Dan also expands on some of the stories he wrote in his first two books, and notes with irony how 50 years after beginning his career by covering high school sports, he is again covering high school sports as the Friday Night Touchdown Commissioner for Fox 8 News.

Busting Myths At The Great Lakes Science Center

Dr. Kirsten Ellenbogen, President and CEO of the Great Lakes Science Center
Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/Salem Communications

Mythbusters: The Explosive Exhibition runs through May 3, 2015 at the Great Lakes Science Center. Dr. Kirsten Ellenbogen, President and CEO of the Science Center explains in this interview how "hands-on" the exhibition is, but would NOT spill the beans about the results of the myths visitors can explore.

Dr. Ellenbogen also expresses optimism regarding the latest lakefront development proposal, which includes the Science Center and its next door neighbor, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Connecting For Kids Brings Support Resources Together At A Single Event In March

Lisa Ruman and Sarah Rintamaki
Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/Salem Communications

Parents looking for answers to questions about the behavior of their children will likely find answers at the annual Meet and Greet, hosted by Connecting for Kids.  The non-profit brings resources from Cleveland's western suburbs together to offer support for the parents of children with behavior, attention, developmental or bullying issues.

The event takes place at the Don Umerley Civic Center in Rocky River on March 26. It's just one of several events Connecting for Kids sponsors throughout the year.

The Meet and Greet is sponsored by The Child and Family Counseling Center of Westlake.  Founder and President Lisa Ruman joins Connecting for Kids founder and Executive Director Sarah Rintamaki in this interview.

Brewer's Daughter Reboots America's First Craft Beer

Various mementos of the original New Albion Ale, surrounding a picture of brewer Jack McAuliffe
Photo credit:  Renee DeLuca and Jim McIntyre

America's first craft beer is being brewed once again.  New Albion Ale was introduced by Jack McAuliffe in Northern California in 1976, but it only lasted a few years.  His daughter Renee DeLuca, known as The Brewer's Daughter is now picking up where her father left off, brewing the beer at Platform Brewing and selling it by the growler at Heinen's as of Friday, February 20th.

But the route by which the recipe for New Albion Ale went from father to daughter is a weird and wonderful one.

Renee did not know Jack was her father until a few years ago.

Jack didn't even know he HAD a daughter.

Renee's story is about much more than resurrecting the original craft beer in Cleveland.  It's also about adoption, open records laws (or lack thereof) and the reverence with which the craft brewing community considers Jack McAuliffe and how he inspired an industry, as you will hear in this interview with The Brewer's Daughter, Renee DeLuca.

Unique Health Center at Tri-C Provides Low Cost Care

Cindy Rakow, Coordinator of the Community Health, Wellness and Preventative Care Center at Tri-C
Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/Salem Communications

Cuyahoga Community College offers low-cost preventative health care to Cleveland residents, while providing hands-on experience to students studying occupational therapy, physical therapy, and dietetic technology.  They work under the direction of licensed professionals.
Cindy Rakow is coordinator of the Community Health, Wellness and Preventative Care Center, which has limited hours, and is open only when school is in session.  She explains the numerous services provided in this interview.

We Are In The Golden Age Of Space Discovery

Photo provided by Jay Reynolds

Is this the Golden Age of Discovery in outer space?  For Cleveland State University Astronomy professor Jay Reynolds, the answer is an emphatic "yes."  In this interview,  Jay discusses probes currently exploring our solar system, including the New Horizons mission, The Dawn spacecraft, and the Hubble Space telescope.  Even Voyager 1, which was launched in 1977 is still sending data back to Earth.

The picture above is the last image Voyager sent back to Earth, 25 years ago.  It was taken 3.7 million miles away from Earth, showing our planet as a pale blue dot.