Real Newport Beach

The college admissions scandal has been a big headline.  Experts are saying there is much more to this story - not only in more chapters to come, but also in what is says about our society and parenting.  Newport Beach is sadly part of this story.  The topic works its way into many conversations locally, so I decided to talk with a couple parents to hear their opinions.  Jennifer Mehditash and John Ward have children in the local schools.  Listen in as they talk about their opinions, experiences and self-reflection about one of the biggest academic scandals in our history.

An innovative application to help protect against home break-ins recently appeared on Amazon Alexa devices. It’s called, “Chaos 911”  It seems pretty simple - using police radio chatter to scare away someone breaking into your home - so we reached out to noted crime expert, Mark Baughman for his opinion. Mark is a retired federal law enforcement agent and television personality on crimes in Florida.  Listen in as Mark talks about how the innovation of Chaos Alarms is it’s pure simplicity powered by your voice. 

She was doing some distance swimming a couple hundred yards off shore in Corona del Mar, CA when she was severely attacked by a great white shark.  Maria Korcsmaros was saved by Newport Beach lifeguards and remarkable surgeons.  She takes us back to the attack, shares her journey to recover and talks about her mission to stop shark harvesting.  It’s an amazing commitment from an extraordinary woman.  

When families move to a new town or new school, your children face fresh challenges meeting new friends and gaining acceptance.  Author Louie Lawent can relate. “Haley’s Friendship Challenge,” is a story about a little girl’s experience being the “new kid” in the neighborhood.  Haley starts off reluctant and nervous, but, with the help of a special new friend, she makes a happy transition to the new phase in her life.  I met with Louie at a coffee shop in Westcliff on a beautiful sunny morning. 

Mars is in our future.  In his book, "Life on Mars, what to know before we go," Dr. David Weintraub tells us all what to expect when we get there.  Listen in as he talks about what we know about life forms, the challenges of getting home, other planets that should also capture our attention and even a glowing  critique of the popular Matt Damon movie, "The Martian," plus much more.  It's a fascinating interview with Joe and one of his oldest friends who now teaches at Vanderbilt and is one of the go-to experts on the universe.  Enjoy.

The Marathon Show produced an encore broadcast at the 2017 GEICO Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon in Las Vegas on November 12.  Joe was at the expo, on the course and having fun covering the race and running along with more than 40,000 runners on the Las Vegas strip.

Along with 22,000 other people, Sonia Magee was in the audience for the Route 91 Harvest Concert in Las Vegas when gun fire started raining down.  Here’s her account of the night, what she saw, her escape and two very, very somber closing thoughts that make us all realize how precious life is.

The advent of an SRO (school resource officer) means police departments have closer relationships with schools across the country.  Officer Gary Clemente of the Newport Beach Police department is in his second year of being on campus, full time, at Corona del Mar high school and middle school.  Although he is a seasoned police officer, Officer Clemente went through additional extensive training when he accepted this position.  He's completely in touch with the daily lives of our children.  While many of their challenges are a function of the "times", you'll hear him advise parents that their experiences as kids weren't much different than what students face in 2017

Every high school in America has to contend with substance abuse by its student population and students everywhere face a range of challenges in addition to substance abuse.  Forward-thinking Corona del Mar High School took steps in 2015 to help students get back on track when they made poor choice.  ONE Recovery comes on campus each week and runs a program where kids can voluntarily get involved and earn a second chance at making good choices.  Parents are involved also, so ONE Recovery is helping families with their amazing program. Lynne Pedersen is the founder of ONE Recovery which operates in a few high schools in southern California. She's proud of the difference the program is making by helping students to achieve their full potential.

The high school rivalry between Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor produced a hard-fought, entertaining football game on a beautiful September night.  Before, during and after the game, more than a few students were violating the district policy on alcohol and controlled substances.  In her message about punishment, CDM principal Kathy Scott cited parental culpability.  Licensed child psychologist, Dr. Cynthia Baker, has some insights on the effects of teen alcohol abuse, mistakes parents are making and things parents need to evaluate in their own alcohol use.  The Battle of the Bay has started a conversation that every parent should have with their children.  

A last minute scheduling change is what kept Phil Sieg from being in his office next to the World Trade Center on 9/11.  That change, however, meant he ended up with a clear view of the second plane striking the south tower at 9:03 a.m.  On the 15 year anniversary of 9/11, Phil shares his account of the day, his attempts to sort out what he saw in real time, what things were like in New York after 9/11 and his fond memories of friends he lost and the solemn reminder of how precious life can be.

Apparently, most pediatricians are now recommending the HPV vaccination for children.  The vaccine has gone mainstream in the last 8 years and now part of the routine physical for girls and boys ages 11-16.  So with so many doctors recommending it, do you really need to consider whether or not to have your children vaccinated?  Pediatrician, Dr. Allyson Berkey, is not so quick to support the vaccine.  The combination of side effects, new treatments and preventative measures has this mother of 3 standing on the sidelines.  Dr. Berkey shares her thoughts, some statistics and facts you don't often hear at your child's annual physical.

On Sunday, May 29, Triathlete, Maria Korcsmaros went for a 1 1/2 mile open water training swim at Big Corona in Corona del Mar, CA.  She had done this swim many times before, as Corona del Mar had been her favorite training area.  Shortly into her swim, about 200 yards from shore, Maria was attacked by, what is now estimated to be, a 10 foot, male Great White shark.  With 2 quick bites, Maria suffered traumatic, life threatening injuries.  Here's Maria's account of what happened with her thoughts about her amazing good fortune that a Newport Beach lifeguard patrol boat was only 30 yards away.  It's a remarkable story of survival, outstanding first aid and trauma treatment and the indomitable spirit of an athlete who will not give up. 

The tragedy in Orlando was one of the worst in American history.  Law enforcement reacted immediately.  Within hours, stories surfaced with questions about how law enforcement performed.  Mark Baughman is a former Federal agent, sheriff and police officer who lives in Florida.  He is the go-to personality for Florida television and he was on-site after the event.  Mark talks with Joe about what he heard in the days after.  They'll also discuss what law enforcement is now saying about things you can and should do if you're ever in an active shooter situation. 

There's no getting around it, the 2016 presidential election is a topic everyone is talking about.  Joe went out to three polling places on "primary" election day and conducted interviews with people that were willing to speak with him. Rather than asking someone whom they support, Joe chose to start off each interview asking which positions motivated them to be voting in the primaries.  Each interview generally ends up with an opinion about a candidate and if you thought Newport Beach with lock-step with the Republican party...think again.  You'll hear that both candidates have some work to do.   The weather was perfect so no reason for people to stay home on this election day.  Listen in as Joe goes to polling places at City Hall, then to a church and finishing off at an elementary school.

The Cincinnati Zoo was faced with a horrible, life and death situation.  Risk the life of a little boy who fell in the enclosure or shoot and kill Harambe, the 450 pound silver back gorilla.  By now everyone knows the outcome, but what was the process zoo officials went through to shoot and kill Harambe?  The protocol was planned, rehearsed and carefully thought out in advance.  Director of the Santa Ana zoo, Kent Yamaguchi, talks about the precautions all zoo officials must take, his insights on the emotional dilemma faced by the zoo officials and the silly things some parents do at zoos.  Joe sat down with Kent, under a big shade tree, just outside the enclosures of about 60 monkeys, just a few minutes before all the student field trips came into the zoo.  

Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Anaheim so I showed up with my microphone and camera to interview the people in attendance.  Much is said of his supporters, so you’ll get to hear from about 50 people in a series of short, quit-hitting interviews on topics ranging from: the wall, immigration, women, things he said that offended people, minorities and a whole host of other topics.  There is an extraordinary moment that both Hillary and Trump supporters will love.  All in all the event was safe and the people were pleasant.  No matter your view or your candidate, every campaign stop is part of history.  For a few hours I had a front row seat and documented the proceedings with great interest. 

If you know Laguna Beach, you've visited some of its many art galleries. With more than 80 galleries in Laguna, visitors and residents can take in some of the great artists and works from around the world in just a few city blocks next to the ocean.  Townley Gallery International is unique because it rotates exhibits each month.  I visited with Townley representative Meghan Hula. We talked about what goes into choosing artists to display, what experienced collectors look for when shopping and how to bring the subject of "how much?" Townley Gallery is right in the middle downtown Laguna, so it's a bustling street with galleries as far as the eye can see.

What do you hear about drugs in CDM and Newport Harbor high school?  There's a battle in our schools, just like every school, where our children are tempted with access to alcohol, marijuana, prescription and street drugs.  If you're tolerant of occasional alcohol or marijuana use, then you've opened the gateway to harder drugs, lower grades and negative social skills.  Lynne Pedersen is the CEO of One Recovery. She runs programs at CDM, Newport Harbor and other schools in southern California to help children fight back, stay clean and get their life back together.  Winning starts with positive choices and positive choices start with parents.

Did you ever wonder why you feel differently when you drive across the bridge onto Balboa Island?  Over the last 100 years people have flocked to Balboa Island for an amazing, heart healthy walk, shopping or dining on a street that makes you feel like you're on vacation or to take a ferry ride that never seems to get old.  CEO Gary Sherwin and his team at Newport Beach and Company are the architects of the Newport Beach brand which is bigger around the world than you may have guessed.  Gary sat down and talked with Joe about the Balboa Island centennial, some fun history about the island and what he and his firm are doing to make, both, visitors and residents proud of our amazing city.