Community Connection With Tina Cosby December 15th, 2026

Todays Show covered a range of topics, starting with community events and the work of Child Advocates in Indiana. CEO Phyllis Armstrong and staff attorney Kelly Miles discuss the organization’s impact, including serving nearly 4,600 children and resolving over 900 cases through their mediation program. They also highlight their upcoming Inspire and Ignite event on April 22, 2026, and encourage community support through donations.

Later, the discussion shifts to broader issues, including the deaths of Jubilant Sykes and Rob Reiner, addiction, and mental health challenges. The financial collapse of Martin University is also addressed, with all staff terminated due to lack of funds, raising concerns about the future of this historically Black institution.

The conversation concludes with lighter topics like motorsports, NASCAR, and IndyCar. The tone varies from serious to hopeful, emphasizing the importance of community support and the need for solutions to pressing local and national issues.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we are back with Community Connection, our guest producer
for the entire week. We get him all week long.
Be Swift.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Everybody from Hot one hundred point nine, the Indiana Pacers,
in the Indiana Fever, and every place else in the community.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
No problem with us. As Eric takes a much needed vacation.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
The last our last segment, we had one call that
we didn't get to. So we're gonna as we get
child advocates ready, we'll go to a doctor Brown.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Doctor Brown, are you there.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
I'm here, I'm here.

Speaker 4 (00:35):
You all get a beautiful presentation.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh well, thank you, thank you. Did you come down
and do your show here Saturday?

Speaker 4 (00:46):
I'm still trying to how do we get inside that place?
I gotta.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Yeah, you just need a key card.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
Yeah, that's what I need, a key card.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (00:56):
But the other thing is.

Speaker 4 (00:58):
You see when I say them, let it snow, let
it snow.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Oh yes, this is Jersey Swift.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
I don't know if you know it or not, but
doctor Brown, it cannot snow enough for him.

Speaker 6 (01:08):
Oh wow.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
So he's been in heaven. He has been. He's enjoying it,
enjoying it. Enjoying it.

Speaker 4 (01:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Now what about the cold, doctor Brown?

Speaker 5 (01:16):
Well, the cold you always had successful weekend in the cold.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yes, we did, Yes we did.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
The cold didn't keep us, keep everybody away, so and
we're grateful for that.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
We're grateful for that.

Speaker 7 (01:30):
You really enjoyed.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Hello, I heard enjoy, I heard enjoy.

Speaker 8 (01:40):
Okay, I think doctor Brown's in a bad signal spot.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, he might be driving or something.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Doctor Brown, when you when you get uh, get back
in range, give us a call, give us call, let
us know.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
We'll we'll we'll get you back on yep.

Speaker 9 (01:53):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
In the meantime, it's time to go to our friends
at Child Advocates. You hear every time the show starts
brought to you by Child Advocates, and.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
So here with us now the last show of the
year with their year end plan and more. Phyllis Armstrong,
CEO of Child Advocates, and Kelly Miles. Kelly, you're a
Child Advocate staff attorney and director of the Child Advocates
Mediation Program. So to both of you, welcome back, glad
to have you with us. Have you been staying warm?

Speaker 10 (02:25):
Hey, thanks for having us again.

Speaker 11 (02:27):
And it's hard to stay warm, but yes, I'm fortunate
to have a home with a roof over my head
and a.

Speaker 10 (02:33):
Space heater in addition to a regular heater.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
So I thought I was the only one that did that.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
You know, I turn my heat on in the house
and then I'll sit under a space heater because I
want more direct heat or you know, wrap up. But yeah, yeah,
I can certainly understand that.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
So how you been. What's going on?

Speaker 11 (02:52):
Yeah, we're just rounding out the year, looking back at,
you know, all all the great things that we've been
able to do, and all the great support we've.

Speaker 10 (03:00):
Had from the community and donors and and just and
programs like yours.

Speaker 11 (03:04):
So we're just very grateful and just looking to what
the year ahead is and we've got a lot of
work to do.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, And so that's that's kind of what I was
going to ask you before we get into the to
the other and Kelly, Kelly, thank you for being.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
With us and welcome back as well.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Some of the things that you'd like to highlight that
went particularly well for you this year that you're proud of,
and then some of the things you're looking to next year,
including challenges, because by all indications, we're all going to
be challenged in so many ways coming up next year,
So you want to you want to take.

Speaker 11 (03:38):
That one, sure, sure, Well, we haven't rounded up our
numbers yet for tallied them for the final you know,
last day of the month obviously, because.

Speaker 10 (03:47):
I just said there are a couple of weeks ahead
of us.

Speaker 11 (03:49):
But when we last looked going into December, are actually
going into mid November, we had we were very near
our total years of service last year across all of
our programs. So yeah, we've served almost forty six hundred children.
So yeah, there's a lot of work, as you know,
a lot of need out there, and we were able

(04:10):
to make impact and continue to do that across all
of our programs.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
So meeting the need is what so many not for
profits are challenged with and are finding creative ways to do.
And I'm sure Child Advocates is in that group, is
not excluded from that.

Speaker 10 (04:32):
Correct, Absolutely.

Speaker 11 (04:33):
It's a challenging time in the fundraising space. There are
lots of organizations that are struggling with funding cutbacks at
state and federal levels, and our local funders are really helpful,
but there's only so much they can do, right and
there are lots of organizations you know, working in all
spaces in the nonprofit areas.

Speaker 10 (04:54):
So we're among great folks doing great work, but it's
a challenging time and I know I don't need to
tell you that.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Noel, No, not at all, Not at all.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
So I wanted to talk a little bit about the
mediation program that you head up, Kelly.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Can you share a little bit about the latest on that.

Speaker 9 (05:14):
I would be happy to thank you, Bret.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
Well, thank you.

Speaker 9 (05:18):
We've been looking at numbers as well as we approach
the end of the year, and when we looked from
January of twenty twenty four to September of twenty twenty five,
our program has served over two thousand children involved in
over a thousand cases and reached resolution in over nine
hundred of them. So it's been really rewarding part to
be doing, be involved in.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
So when we talk about the Child ADVOCATEC mediation program,
it really is, you know, quite ingenious in a lot
of ways, because my understanding from our last meeting was
that it not only mediation is just what it is,
but what Child Advocate seeks to do, if I'm not
if I'm correct, is to help resolve, you know, the

(06:01):
conflicts that can come up between the foster parents, the parents,
the guardians, and anyone else involved in the child's care.
And it also helps with court you know, and and
the extended court cases not court cases, well, it's if
it's a court case, the time that a court case takes,

(06:22):
mediation can cut down on that and which helped which
in turn helps the children get back to safer, more
permanent environments quicker without all the court delays that could
come up as a result.

Speaker 1 (06:34):
Is that fairly close?

Speaker 9 (06:37):
That That is a good summary of what we do.
It's all about trying to help the parties to cases
and child welfare cases find their own resolution in a
way that limits the time where the child is in care. Yeah,
because we know that continued time and care is not
good for children. Anything we can do to help expedite
that process we are more than happy to do.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
We had some pretty alarming numbers a while ago about
Indiana and the number of months that children stay in
the in the system. Has that changed at all or
is that still concerning.

Speaker 9 (07:10):
I from my perspective, I may not have the most
current numbers that I am seeing those numbers be much
higher than they should be, or that they could wow
so so we are here doing our part trying to
bring those numbers down.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, yeah, so your your staff attorney as well. And
so this is what attorneys do, right, mediation.

Speaker 9 (07:32):
This is definitely what some attorneys do, and this is
what I do full time. We have another media that
I work with. Together, we have over fifty years of
experience in the child's welfare system and we're able to
bring that to bear as we're trying to work with
parties and their attorneys to find a resolution that works
for everyone.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
So are we projected to have more the same whatever
for children that are that are going to be in
contact with the child welfare system in in twenty twenty
six or what are those projections looking like?

Speaker 1 (08:03):
What do you think is ahead of you?

Speaker 9 (08:05):
I know, based on experience, the anecdotal experience where we are,
we are seeing the requests for mediation ride. When we started,
we were exclusively in Marion County, and as we have
expanded across the state, we're able to show more people
the value of mediation and that has increased the number

(08:26):
of referrals and increased the demands, which is fantastic. It's
just there's a lot of work ahead of us.

Speaker 1 (08:33):
Phillis.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
Where would you say you've made the biggest strides this
year with child advocates?

Speaker 11 (08:40):
Oh goodness, I'd stay across all of our programs. We
really have done well because there is a lot of
need out there, and we've been able to with our
small teams that we have across our direct Representation program,
which is our attorneys for children in child welfare, our
educational Liaisons so you've heard from before or who provide

(09:01):
educational advocacies for free helping parents who have children that
are struggling in school with social, emotional.

Speaker 10 (09:07):
Academic issues. And then of course our.

Speaker 11 (09:09):
Community education and Training program that there is need for,
there's demand, and our teams have stood ready from day
one to serve in all those variety of ways and
are just helping people because it's a challenging time.

Speaker 10 (09:22):
I know you were asking about projected numbers.

Speaker 11 (09:24):
I don't know that we've heard any actual projections, but
I think what we know is there's a correlation to
poverty in our community and the number of children who
end up in care. Families are struggling economically, and as
unhoused members are increasing, I think you find more children
that are at risk of system involvement. So you know,

(09:46):
it's just if there is anything families folks can do,
your listeners can do, it would be to support your
local nonprofit and certainly we're one of those nonprofits that
try to reach as many children that are struggling as
we possibly can.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah, and again you all look after the needs of
children who are in the child welfare system through no
fault of their own, and work really really hard to
get them all the resources necessary and to eventually get
them out of the system because the system is nowhere
to be exactly.

Speaker 1 (10:17):
For these children.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
And I don't know how Indiana's system stacks up against
the rest of the nation, but any system that were
that children are caught up in is a concern, I
would think absolutely.

Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, So you were saying your year end and then
your projections ahead for twenty twenty six, what are the
ages of the of the kid? Has that changed at
all the ages of the children you represent?

Speaker 11 (10:48):
No, I think our Council for Children program is focused
on children that are twelve and older. But the services
we provide other service propridor or anywhere from pre K
to you early adulthood, eighteen nineteen twenty year olds so
it just really depends on the program.

Speaker 10 (11:06):
But we there are needs across all those ages. So
with those that are in school or are.

Speaker 11 (11:11):
Getting ready to go to school, certainly our educational aisons
that we don't put a restriction on those ages. And
mediation cases can be children of any age basically that
are caught up in the child welfare system.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah, the mediation back to the mediation cases. How how
many well since its inception, since the program started, I
know you said, what two thousand children have been helped
with the mediation.

Speaker 9 (11:44):
That's just from January I'm twenty fourth through September twenty five,
So that isn't even touch the number of kids that
we've helped overall.

Speaker 1 (11:52):
How long has the mediation program been in place?

Speaker 11 (11:56):
We started it and we had social workers who were
trained mediators who began the program about twenty five years ago.
So it is a standing program within Child Advocates and
it became an attorney mediator led program in twenty twelve.
So we've served i'd say, not an exaggeration of probably

(12:16):
tens of thousands of children since the beginning. And sadly
there are that many children that need this service, right,
I mean, but we have been doing it for a
long time, and we've learned and we've expanded our offering
so that it didn't require an active litigation case like
a case that was set for a final trial, but

(12:37):
actually cases that are still midway and the child welfare journey,
and we've been able to pull families and stakeholders together
to sit down and say, why is this case still
in the system. What can we do to get it
out rather than waiting for a trial date to then
have the mediation process start.

Speaker 10 (12:53):
So we've learned.

Speaker 11 (12:54):
Along the way that there can't be too many conversations
that we're having intentionally with families in the system, because otherwise,
you know, things just tend to just drag and go,
not as quickly as children need them to go.

Speaker 2 (13:06):
How much time do you think the mediation program cuts
down on in terms of the judges, the courts and
handling cases that may have a trial date that several
months down the road. How much how much time does
that actually cut up?

Speaker 10 (13:22):
Yeah, that's a great question.

Speaker 11 (13:24):
That is something that I you know, hopefully sometime will
actually formally be studied.

Speaker 10 (13:27):
But I can tell you that we know just.

Speaker 11 (13:30):
By you know, a case in the system, if we
are able to avoid a case, especially a termination of
parent child relationship case. If we're able to avoid that trial,
then we are saving that child time in the system,
because if there is a trial and DCS wins, even
if it's only against one parent, the child in the
system has to stay and cannot be adopted, cannot move

(13:55):
beyond until the court of appeals process happens and is concluded.
So it and take a year to a year and
a half longer for those cases that you know, if
they go through the trial route and a termination a
parent show relationship case. So we know we're saving that
much time, but it's the time that is saved in
the court docket, the case manager time, provider's time, all

(14:15):
those things.

Speaker 10 (14:17):
It's I would venture to say it's exponential.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
See and Kelly, what what types of things do are
mediated in these mediation sessions. Is there a most common
I don't know a most common issue or do they
vary according to the case.

Speaker 9 (14:34):
We offer three different times or two different kinds of
mediations and permancy facilitation, so a little bit. It depends
on where it is in the process and we get
involved early on. We're looking at whether the child is
a child in need of services, and if the child
is going to be involved in the system, what's the
framework for returning the child to the parent's care. Where
are we now what needs to happen later? You heard

(14:56):
Phyllis talk about termination cases if the child has been
in the systems for some time and it does not
look like the child can be successfully unified with the
children with the parents, and you're looking at where is
the child going to go and what kind of involvement
is that parent going to have in that child's life
in an ongoing way, and in the middle there's all
kinds of questions where should the child be placed, what

(15:18):
sort of services.

Speaker 10 (15:19):
Should be involved.

Speaker 9 (15:22):
Yeah, the challenges that keep kids in that the system
are many, and coming up with those creative solutions is
something that we'll get at.

Speaker 5 (15:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah, Judges and courts that handle this type of thing.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
Overloaded, absolutely absolutely, yeah, yeah, definitely in need.

Speaker 2 (15:44):
So, Philip, you were talking about ways that our community
in the public can help with what you do, and
I know at various times throughout our conversations you've asked
for vololunteers or expressed the need for volunteers, but there's
probably no more I don't know where you are with volunteers.

Speaker 1 (16:06):
You can let us know that.

Speaker 2 (16:07):
But I think probably the most expressed need right now
has to be financial, not only for child advocates, but
for as you were saying, all the not for profits.

Speaker 10 (16:17):
You're right about that for sure.

Speaker 11 (16:19):
And we don't have any active volunteer programs right now,
oh okay, And those would be kind of a case
by case initiative, like if we were we had some
sort of a drive going on for school supplies or
things like that. But we are always the need of
funding and community support in that way, and our website

(16:41):
is the easiest way for folks to see the programs
that we offer and to see if that aligns with
their giving and the health agencies that they want to support.
But we certainly can make it easy for folks. They
can go on our.

Speaker 10 (16:55):
Website and give. It's there at the very top of
our page.

Speaker 11 (16:58):
The fact, I think the word is give, and they
can land on our donation page and make a donation,
you know, online that way. But we have events throughout
the year. We have our Inspiring Ignite event that's coming
up in April April twenty second, and that showcases art
and poetry from the youth that go through our community

(17:18):
workshop program, and they use their art forms to really
express how they experienced the program, what it's done for them,
how they were impacted, and they're amazing and creative funch
and it's an opportunity to showcase that, to have them
present and speak to folks in the audience.

Speaker 10 (17:38):
It's just for our community.

Speaker 11 (17:39):
To see the good work that our youth are doing
and see what our futures are looking like, because they
are our future, as we know, and so we're happy
to be able to spot like them when we were
doing it at the Builtwell Event Center, which is on
the south side of Indie. And like I said, it'll
be April twenty second, I believe it starts at six
o'clock in our website, we'll have that information as there's

(18:01):
more time coming towards that. But folks can also donate
in support of that program itself too.

Speaker 1 (18:10):
And the donations go the majority of the money goes
directly to these kids, right to the programs for these children,
right exactly.

Speaker 11 (18:18):
It's supporting our work and support those children. And it's
no time like the present for.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
None at all, so especially right the giving season, right
about now. We you know, we certainly don't mind sending
out the appeal, so fill us again the website and
when they get to the website, what do they need
to do?

Speaker 11 (18:36):
Sure, So our website is Child Advocates with an S
dot net and they just look at the top of
that landing page and they'll see the give tab or
give the give and highlighted bolded letters and go to
that page and they have the ability to just you know, make.

Speaker 10 (18:54):
A donation there online. We also have a text to
give opportunity.

Speaker 11 (18:59):
Well that's not yep and the word they would that's
texting Child Advocates with no space in between the words
and the phone number they would text Child Advocates with
no space between the words is five three five five five.

Speaker 1 (19:14):
I have three five five five text the word Child Advocates,
no spaces. I love tech.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
I love text to give because there's probably not a
human of age on the planet that doesn't have a
cell phone in their hand and it's one of the
easiest ways to give. You just text a word to
a certain number and there you go.

Speaker 1 (19:35):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (19:35):
So the Text to Give and the website Child Advocates
dot Net. Okay, so when are you don't close down
for the for the holidays.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
I know, I'm.

Speaker 11 (19:45):
Sure just a couple of days we do, and our
staff are available. There's always someone on each of our
teams available to respond to phone calls and emails. That
we are closed the Christmas eves, Christmas Eve Day, Christmas
Day the.

Speaker 10 (20:02):
Day after, and then New Year's even New Year's Day.

Speaker 11 (20:05):
Otherwise we are around, but we are checking our email
and our we're messages though even around that time.

Speaker 10 (20:12):
So we hope to be able to serve where there's need.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
Exactly well like you always do, as you've always done. So,
Phillis and Kelly, thank you both so much. And I
know you're wrapping up your year end plan and looking
forward to twenty twenty six, and I would ask, I
hope that you'll stay in touch with us and feel
free to join us on air on Community Connection anytime,
and if we can ever be of help in getting

(20:37):
out the word on anything that can help the children
in our community, just let us know. The door is
always open and we would love to have you anytime.
Hopefully you'll be back with us at some point in
time next year on the show, telling us and sharing
and letting the community know what they can do to
help out, just like we just like we love to
talk about that.

Speaker 11 (20:56):
Sounds what we'd love to We appreciate the partnership more
than you realize. You've been a wonderful supporter and a
friend and provided us with a really important space for
us to have critical conversations about our work and about
the child welfare system in Indiana. And we are forever
grateful and we will most definitely stay connected, continue to
support you the show and Radio one. It's been a privilege.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
And the privilege has been ours.

Speaker 2 (21:20):
So like I said, don't be a stranger, let us
know and anything we can do to.

Speaker 1 (21:24):
Help, we will.

Speaker 2 (21:25):
The happiest of holidays to each and every one of you.
Thank you for all your support over the years as well.
And like I said, this isn't the you know, we're
not saying goodbye, We're just saying, hey, let's talk again
next year.

Speaker 11 (21:36):
Absolutely takes care and happy holidays to you and your
families and teams.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Same to you. Thank you very much, We appreciate you indeed.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
And yeah, that's our friends at Child Advocates, longtime friends
at Child Advocates, and they do so much work and
the thing that I like about child advocates Swift is
that the kids that can't speak for themselves.

Speaker 6 (21:57):
Yeah, they're the voice.

Speaker 2 (21:58):
They're the voice like a parent make arrested or has
to go to to rehab or anything, and there's nobody
in the family to take care of them, to represent
them and their interest in their needs, and so that
they don't get like she was saying, just pushed away
in some institution or what have you. They worked to
get these kids back into society, back into their families,

(22:21):
back into homes, in schools.

Speaker 8 (22:25):
And it's needed, you know, Like you say, so many
people don't have a voice unfortunately and get tossed around
and become a number per se. And so to know
that there's someone out there who cares and who goes
and fight, well.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
That's what she was talking about. With the older kids,
they have lawyers for them.

Speaker 6 (22:42):
Now and that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (22:43):
That's great though, Yeah, because they can speak now for
themselves and they can share with lawyers who are on
their case. Hey, this is the issue, you know, Rather
than what's written down, these folks talk to the kids
and let the kids participate in their own cases.

Speaker 1 (22:57):
And you've you've worked with the young people. They're not
too yeah, they're never too young. You get a nine
or ten year old can tell you a whole lot, a.

Speaker 8 (23:04):
Whole lot if you give them a chance to speak,
they will let you know, especially when it's dealing with
them directly, and they want to be heard. Right, who
wants to be placed over here and you don't know
what's going on? Let me tell you what's going on
because I'm living here, I'm going through it versus you
just assuming so.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
Yeah, And that's that's where the system versus Child Advocates
comes in, because the system is the system, and I mean,
it's it's all we got, but it's it's it's imperfect. Yeah,
And not not to say that you know anything else
is going to be perfect, but there are alternatives and
there are ways that these kids can get more help
than perhaps what they get on the regular as they

(23:41):
are in the system.

Speaker 1 (23:42):
And again, this isn't their fault. They take no fault
of their own. And so we hope that Child Advocates
keeps on keeping on because we love supporting them. So
still ahead, I do believe.

Speaker 2 (23:55):
We've got a little bit more on our pledge together
for Indianapolis Initiative we'll be talking about that coming up
in our next hour and a bunch of other things,
So stay tuned. Our number three one seven for eight
zero thirteen ten three one seven for eight zero thirteen
ten back with our second hour after this, and we

(24:17):
are back with Community Connection, our guest producer for the
entire week.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
We get him all week long. Be Swift.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
Everybody from Hot one hundred point nine, the Indiana Pacers
and the Indiana Fever and every.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
Place else in the community. Thank you so much for
being here.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
No problem with us. As Eric takes a much needed vacation.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (24:40):
The last our last segment, we had one call that
we didn't get to. Uh, so we're gonna as we
get child advocates ready, we'll go to a doctor Brown,
Doctor Brown, are you.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
There, I'm here, I'm here.

Speaker 4 (24:52):
You all get a beautiful any presentation?

Speaker 1 (24:57):
Oh well, thank you, thank you?

Speaker 2 (24:59):
Uh did you come down and do your show here Saturday?

Speaker 4 (25:02):
I'm still trying to how do we get inside that place?

Speaker 10 (25:06):
I gotta.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
Yeah, you just need a key card.

Speaker 5 (25:10):
Yeah, that's what I need, a key card.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (25:13):
But the other thing is.

Speaker 4 (25:14):
You see when I say to let it snow, let
it snow.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
Oh yes, this is Jersey, uh Swift.

Speaker 2 (25:21):
I don't know if you know it or not, but
doctor Brown, it cannot snow enough for him.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
Oh wow, So he's been in heaven. He's he's enjoying it,
enjoying it, enjoying it.

Speaker 4 (25:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:31):
Now what about the cold, doctor Brown?

Speaker 4 (25:33):
Well, the cold? You always had successful weekend in the cold.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
Yes we did, Yes we did. The cold didn't keep us,
keep everybody away.

Speaker 1 (25:41):
So we're gave for that. We're grateful for that.

Speaker 4 (25:47):
You really enjoy.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
Hello, I heard enjoy. I heard enjoy.

Speaker 6 (25:57):
I think doctor Brown's in a bad signal spot.

Speaker 1 (26:00):
Yeah, he might be driving or something. Doctor Brown, when
you when you get get back in range, give us
a call, give us call, let us know. We'll get
you back on yep. In the meantime, it's time to
go to our friends at Child Advocacy. You hear every
time the show starts brought to you by Child Advocates,

(26:20):
and so here with us now the last show of
the year with their year end plan and more.

Speaker 2 (26:26):
Phyllis Armstrong, CEO of Child Advocates, and Kelly Miles. Kelly,
You're a Child Advocate, staff attorney and director of the
Child Advocates Mediation program. So to both of you, welcome back,
glad to have you with us. Have you been staying warm?

Speaker 10 (26:41):
Hey, thanks for having us again.

Speaker 11 (26:43):
And it's it's hard to stay warm, but yes, I'm
fortunate to have a home with a roof over my
head and a space heater in addition to a regular heater.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
So I thought I was the only one that did that.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
You know, I turn my heat on in the house
and then I'll sit under a space heater because I
want more to.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
Or you know, wrap up.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
But yeah, yeah, I can certainly understand that.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
So how you been. What's going on?

Speaker 11 (27:09):
Yeah, we're just rounding out the year, looking back at,
you know, all all the great things that we've been able.

Speaker 10 (27:15):
To do, and all the great support we've.

Speaker 11 (27:16):
Had from the community and donors and and just and
programs like yours. So we're just very grateful and just
looking to what the year ahead is and we've got
a lot of work to do.

Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, And so that's that's kind of what I was
going to ask you before we get into the to
the other and Kelly, Kelly, thank you for being with
us and welcome back as well. The some of the
things that you'd like to highlight that went particularly well
for you this year that you're proud of, and then
some of the things you're looking to next year, including challenges,
because by all indications, we're all going to be challenged

(27:50):
in so many ways coming up next year.

Speaker 1 (27:52):
So you want to you want to take.

Speaker 11 (27:55):
That one, sure, sure, Well, we we haven't rounded up
our numbers for tallied them for the final you know,
last day of the most obviously that's just another are
a couple of weeks ahead of us. But when we
last looked going into December, are actually going into mid November,
we had we were very near our total years of
service last year across all of our programs. So yeah,

(28:18):
we served almost forty six hundred children. So yeah, there's
a lot of work, as you know, a lot of
need out there, and we were able to make impact
and continue to do that across all of our programs.

Speaker 2 (28:31):
So meeting meeting the need is what so many not
for profits are challenged with and are finding creative ways
to do. And I'm sure Child Advocates is in that
group is not excluded from that, correct.

Speaker 11 (28:49):
Absolutely, It's a challenging time in the fundraising space. There
are lots of organizations that are, you know, struggling with
funding cutbacks at state and federal levels, and our local
funders are really helpful, but there's only so much they
can do right and there are lots of organizations working
in all spaces in the nonprofit areas. So we're among

(29:12):
great folks doing great work, but it's a challenging time.

Speaker 10 (29:15):
And I know I don't need to tell you that.

Speaker 1 (29:17):
No, no, not at all, not at all.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
So I wanted to talk a little bit about the
mediation program that you head up, Kelly. Can you share
a little bit about the latest.

Speaker 9 (29:29):
On that, well, I would be happy to thank you, Bret.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Well, thank you.

Speaker 9 (29:35):
We've been looking at numbers as well as we approach
the end of the year, and when we look from
January of twenty twenty four to September of twenty twenty five,
our program has served over two thousand children involved in
over a thousand cases and reach resolution in over nine
hundred of them. So it's a really rewarding part to
be doing, be involved in.

Speaker 2 (29:56):
So when we talk about the Child Avocas mediation program
is uh, you know, quite ingenious in a lot of
ways because my understanding from our last meeting was that
it not only mediation is just what it is, and
but what child Advocate seeks to do, if I'm not
if I'm correct, is to help resolve, you know, the

(30:18):
conflicts that can come up between the foster parents, the parents,
the guardians, and anyone else involved.

Speaker 1 (30:25):
In the child's care. And it also helps.

Speaker 2 (30:30):
With court you know, and and the the extended court
cases not court cases. Well if it's if it's a
court case, the time that a court case takes, mediation
can cut down on that, uh and which helped which
in turn helps the children get back to safer, more
permanent environments quicker without all the court delays that could

(30:50):
come up as a result.

Speaker 1 (30:51):
Is that fairly close?

Speaker 9 (30:54):
That That is a good summary of what we do.
It's all about trying to help the parties to cases
and child welfare cases find their own resolution in a
way that limits the time that a child is in care. Yeah,
because we know that continued time and care is not
good for children. Anything we can do to help expedite
that process we are more than happy to do.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
We had some pretty alarming numbers a while ago about
Indiana and the number of months that children stay in
the system.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
Has that changed at all or is that still concerning.

Speaker 9 (31:27):
I from my perspective, I may not have the most
current numbers that I am seeing those numbers be much
higher than.

Speaker 10 (31:33):
They should be or that they could Wow.

Speaker 9 (31:36):
So we are here doing our part trying to bring
those numbers down.

Speaker 5 (31:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:41):
Yeah, so your staff attorney as well. And so this
is what attorneys do, right, mediation.

Speaker 9 (31:49):
This is definitely what some attorneys do, and this is
what I do full time. We have another media that
I work with. Together, we have over fifty years of
experience in the child's welfare system. We're able to bring
that to bear as we're trying to work with parties
and their attorneys to find a resolution that works for everyone.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
So are we projected to have more the same whatever
for children that are that are going to be in
contact with the child welfare system in twenty twenty six
or what are those projections looking like?

Speaker 1 (32:19):
What do you think is ahead of you?

Speaker 9 (32:22):
I know, based on experience, the anecdotal experience, where we
are we are seeing the requests for mediation rides. When
we started, we work exclusively in Marion County, and as
we have expanded across the state, we're able to show
more people the value of mediation and that has increased

(32:43):
the number of referrals and increased the demands, which is fantastic.
It's just there's a lot of work ahead of us.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
Phillis, Where would you say you've made the biggest strides
this year with Child Advocates?

Speaker 11 (32:57):
O goodness, I'd stay across all of our programs we
were have done well because only there is a lot
of need out there, and we've been able to with
our small teams that we have across our direct representation
program which is our Attorneys for Children and Child Welfare,
our Educational Liaison so you've heard from before, who provide

(33:18):
educational advocacies for free helping parents too, have children that
are struggling in school with social, emotional, academic issues.

Speaker 10 (33:25):
And then of course our community.

Speaker 11 (33:26):
Education training program that there is there is need for
there's demand, and our teams have stood ready from day
one to serve.

Speaker 10 (33:34):
In all those variety of ways and are.

Speaker 11 (33:36):
Just helping people because it's a challenging time.

Speaker 10 (33:39):
I know you were asking about projected numbers.

Speaker 11 (33:41):
I don't know that we've heard any actual projections, but
I think what we know is there's a correlation to
poverty in our community and the number of children who
end up in care families are struggling economically, and as
unhoused numbers are increasing, I think you find more children
that are risk of system involvement. So you know, it's

(34:03):
just if there is anything families, folks can do, your
listeners can do, it would be to support your local
nonprofit and certainly we're one of those nonprofits that try
to reach as many children that are struggling as we
possibly can.

Speaker 2 (34:15):
Yeah, and again you all look after the needs of
children who are in the child welfare system through no
fault of their own, and work really really hard to
get them all the resources necessary and to eventually get
them out of the system because the system is nowhere
to be exactly for these children. And I don't know

(34:36):
how Indiana's system stacks up against the rest of the nation,
but any system were that children are caught up in
is a concern, I.

Speaker 10 (34:47):
Would think absolutely.

Speaker 5 (34:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yeah, So you were saying your year end and then
your projections ahead for twenty twenty six, what are the
ages of the of the kid Has that changed at all?

Speaker 1 (35:02):
The ages of the children you represent?

Speaker 11 (35:05):
No. I think our Council for Children program is focused
on children that are twelve and older, but the services
we provide other service propridor or anywhere from pre K
to early adulthood eighteen nineteen twenty year olds. So it
just really depends on the program. But there are needs
across all those ages. So with those that are in

(35:27):
school or are getting ready to go to school, certainly
our educational aisons do not We don't put a restriction
on those ages. And mediation cases can be children of
any age basically that are caught up in the child
welfare system.

Speaker 2 (35:41):
Yeah, the mediation are back to the mediation cases. How
how many well since its inception, since the program started,
I know you said, what two thousand children have been
helped with the mediation.

Speaker 9 (36:01):
That's just January twenty fourth through September twenty five, So
that isn't even touch the number of kids that we've
helped overall.

Speaker 1 (36:09):
How long has a mediation program been in place?

Speaker 11 (36:13):
We started it and we had social workers who were
trained mediators who began the program about twenty five years ago.
So it is a standing program within Child Advocates and
it became an attorney mediator led program in twenty twelve.
So we've served I'd say not an exaggeration of probably

(36:33):
tens of thousands of children since the beginning, you know,
and sadly there are that many children that need.

Speaker 10 (36:40):
This service, right, I mean, but we have been.

Speaker 11 (36:42):
Doing it for a long time, and we've learned and
we've expanded our offering so that it didn't require an
active litigation case like a case that was set for
a final trial, but actually cases that are still midway
and the child welfare journey. And we've been able to
families and stakeholders together to sit down and say, why

(37:02):
is this case still in the system. What can we
do to get it out rather than waiting for a
trial date to then have the mediation process start.

Speaker 10 (37:10):
So we've learned.

Speaker 11 (37:11):
Along the way that there can't be too many conversations
that we're having intentionally with families in the system, because otherwise,
you know, things just tend to just drag and go,
not as quickly as children need them to go.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
How much time do you think the mediation program cuts
down on in terms of the judges, the courts and
handling cases that may have a trial date at several
months down the road. How much time does that actually
cut off?

Speaker 10 (37:39):
Yeah, that's a great question.

Speaker 11 (37:41):
That is something that I you know, hopefully sometime will
actually formally be studied.

Speaker 10 (37:44):
But I can tell you that we know just.

Speaker 11 (37:46):
By you know, a case in the system, if we
are able to avoid a case, especially a termination of
parent child relationship case, if we're able to avoid that trial,
then we are saving that child time in the system.
Because if there is a trial and DCS wins, even
if it's only against one parent, the child in the
system has to stay and cannot be adopted, cannot move

(38:12):
beyond until the court of appeals process happens and is concluded.
So it can take a year to a year and
a half longer for those cases that you know, if
they go through the trial route.

Speaker 10 (38:23):
And a termination a parent show relationship case. So we
know that we're.

Speaker 11 (38:26):
Saving that much time, But it's the time that is
saved in the court docket, the case manager time, provider's time,
all those things. It's I would venture to say it's EXPONENTIALE.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
And Kelly, what what types of things do are mediated
in these mediation sessions? Is there a most common I
don't know a most common issue, or do they vary
according to the case.

Speaker 9 (38:51):
We offer three different times or kism and kinds of
mediations and permancy facilitation.

Speaker 10 (38:55):
So a little bit.

Speaker 9 (38:55):
It depends on where it is in the process, and
we get involved early onoking at whether the child is
a child in need the services, and if the child
is going to be involved in the system, what's the
framework for returning the child to the parent's care. Where
are we now what needs to happen later. You've heard
Phyllis talk about termination cases if the child has been
in the system for quite some time and it does

(39:18):
not look like the child can be successfully unified with
the children with the parents, and you're looking at where
is the child going to go and what kind of
involvement is that parent going to have in that child's
life in an ongoing way, and in the middle there's
all kinds of questions where should the child be placed,
what sort of services.

Speaker 11 (39:36):
Should be involved.

Speaker 9 (39:39):
Yeah, the challenges that keep kids in that the system
are many, and coming up with those creative solutions is
something that we'll get at.

Speaker 1 (39:48):
Yeah. Yeah. Judges and courts that handle this type of thing.

Speaker 10 (39:53):
Overloaded, absolutely, absolutely, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:59):
Yeah, definitely in need.

Speaker 2 (40:01):
So, Philip, you were talking about ways that our community
in the public can help with what you do and
I know at various times throughout our conversations you've asked
for volunteers or expressed the need for volunteers, but there's
probably no more.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
I don't know where you are with volunteers. You can
let us know that.

Speaker 2 (40:24):
But I think probably the most expressed need right now
has to be financial, not only for child advocates. But
as you were saying all the not for profits.

Speaker 11 (40:34):
You're right about that for sure, And we don't have
any active volunteer programs right now, oh okay, and those
would be kind of a case by case initiative, like
if we were we had some sort of a drive
going on for.

Speaker 10 (40:48):
School supplies or things like that.

Speaker 11 (40:50):
But we are always in need of funding and community
support in that way.

Speaker 10 (40:56):
And our website is.

Speaker 11 (40:57):
The easiest way for folks to see the programs that
we offer and to see if that aligns with their
giving and the agencies that they want to support.

Speaker 10 (41:07):
But we certainly can make it easy for folks. They
can go on our website and give. It's there at
the very top of our page.

Speaker 11 (41:14):
The fact, I think the word is give, and they
can land on our donation page and make a donation,
you know, online that way but we are. We have
events throughout the year. We have our Inspiring Ignite event
that's coming up in April April twenty second, and that
showcases art and poetry from the youth that go through
our Community Workshop program, and they use their art forms

(41:39):
to really express how they experienced the program, what it's
done for them, how they were impacted, and they're amazing
and creative function and it's an opportunity to showcase that,
to have them present and speak to folks in the audience.
It's just for our community to see the good work
that our youth are doing and see what our future

(42:00):
are looking like, because they are our future, as we know,
and so we're happy to be able to spotlight them.
When we were doing it at the Builtwell Event Center,
which is on the south side of Indie, And like
I said, it'll be April twenty second, I believe it
starts at six o'clock and our website will have that
information as there's more time coming toward that. But folks

(42:21):
can also donate in support of that program itself too, and.

Speaker 2 (42:27):
The donations go the majority of the money goes directly
to these kids, right to the programs for these children.

Speaker 10 (42:33):
Right exactly.

Speaker 11 (42:34):
It's supporting our work and support those children. And it's
no time like the present.

Speaker 2 (42:39):
For that, none at all, So especially right the giving season,
right about now. You know, we certainly don't mind sending
out the appeal. So phillis again the website. And when
they get to the website, what do they need to do?

Speaker 11 (42:53):
Sure, So our website is Child Advocates with an s
dot net and they just look at the top of
that landing page and they'll see the give tab or
a give the give and highlighted bolded letters and go
to that page and they have the ability to just
you know, make a donation there online.

Speaker 10 (43:13):
We also have a text to give opportunity.

Speaker 1 (43:16):
Well that's yep.

Speaker 11 (43:17):
And and the word they would that's texting Child Advocates
with no.

Speaker 10 (43:22):
Space in between the words and.

Speaker 11 (43:24):
The phone number they would text Child Advocates with no
space between the words is.

Speaker 10 (43:28):
Five three five five five.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
I have three five five five text the word child Advocates,
no spaces.

Speaker 1 (43:36):
I love tech.

Speaker 2 (43:37):
I love text to give because there's probably not a
human of age on the planet that doesn't have a
cell phone in their hand and it's one of the
easiest ways to give.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
You just text a word to a certain number and
there you go. I love that.

Speaker 2 (43:52):
So the text to give and the website Child Advocates
dot net. Okay, so when are you don't call down
for the holidays?

Speaker 1 (44:01):
I know, I'm sure.

Speaker 11 (44:03):
Just a couple of days we do, and our staff
are available. There's always someone on each of our teams
available to respond to phone calls and emails. That we
are closed the Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day
the day after, and then New Year's even.

Speaker 10 (44:21):
New Year's Day.

Speaker 11 (44:22):
Otherwise we are around, but we are checking our email
and our Werefi messages though even around that time.

Speaker 10 (44:29):
So we hope to be able to serve where there's.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
Need exactly well like you always do, as you've always done. So,
Phillis and Kelly, thank you both so much. And I
know you're wrapping up your year in plan and looking
forward to twenty twenty six, and I would ask, I
hope that you'll stay in touch with us and feel
free to join us on air on Community Connection anytime,
and if we can ever be of help in getting

(44:53):
out the word on anything that can help the children
in our community, just let us know. The door is
always open and we would love to have you anytime.
Hopefully you'll be back with us at some point in
time next year on the show, telling us and sharing
and letting the community know what they can do to
help out, just like we just like we love to talk.

Speaker 11 (45:11):
About that sounds we'd love to. We appreciate the partnership
more than you realize. You've been a wonderful supporter and
a friend and provided us with a really important space
for us to have critical conversations about our work and
about the child welfare system in Indiana. And we are
forever grateful and we will most definitely stay connected, continue

(45:32):
to support you the show and Radio one. It's been
a privilege.

Speaker 1 (45:35):
And the privilege has been ours.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
So like I said, don't be a stranger, let us know,
and anything we can do to.

Speaker 1 (45:41):
Help, we will.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
The happiest of holidays to each and every one of you.
Thank you for all your support over the years as well.
And like I said, this isn't you know, we're not
saying goodbye, We're just saying, hey, let's talk again next year.

Speaker 11 (45:53):
Absolutely takes care and happy holidays to you and your
families and teams.

Speaker 1 (45:57):
Same to you. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
We appreciate, indeed and yeah, that's our friends at Child Advocates,
longtime friends at Child Advocates, and.

Speaker 1 (46:06):
They do so much work.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
And the thing that I like about Child Advocates, Swift
is that the kids that can't speak for.

Speaker 6 (46:13):
Themselves, Yeah, they're the voice.

Speaker 1 (46:15):
They're the voice.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
Like a parent may get arrested or has to go
to to rehab or anything, and there's nobody in the
family to take care of them, to represent them and
their interest in their needs and so that they don't
get like she was saying, just pushed away in some
institution or what have you. They work to get these
kids back into society, back into their families, back into home,

(46:39):
in schools.

Speaker 6 (46:42):
And it's needed, you know.

Speaker 8 (46:43):
Like you say, so many people don't have a voice
unfortunately and get tossed around and become a number per se.
And so to know that there's someone out there who
cares and who goes and fight.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
Well, that's what she was talking about. With the older kids,
they have lawyers for them.

Speaker 6 (46:59):
Now, it's crazy. That's great though.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
Yeah, because they can speak now for themselves and they
can share with lawyers who are on their case. Hey,
this is the issue, you know, rather than what's written
down these folks talk to the kids and let the
kids participate in their own cases. And you've worked with
young people, Yeah, they're not too Yeah, they're never too young.

Speaker 1 (47:18):
You cat, a nine or ten year old can tell
you a whole.

Speaker 8 (47:20):
Lot, a whole lot if you give them a chance
to speak, they will let you know, especially when it's
dealing with them directly, and they want to be heard. Right,
who wants to be placed over here and you don't
know what's going on. Let me tell you what's going
on because I'm living here, I'm going through it versus
you just assuming.

Speaker 6 (47:35):
So.

Speaker 2 (47:36):
Yeah, And that's where the system versus Child Advocates comes in,
because the system is the system. And I mean, it's
it's all with God, but it's it's it's imperfect, yeah,
And not not to say that you know anything else
is going to be perfect, but there are alternatives, and
there are ways that these kids can get more help
than perhaps what they get on the regular as they

(47:57):
are in the system. And again, this isn't their fault.
They have no follow their own And so we hope.

Speaker 1 (48:03):
That Child Advocates keeps on keeping on because we love
supporting them. So still ahead, I do believe We've.

Speaker 2 (48:12):
Got a little bit more on our pledge together for
Indianapolis Initiative. We'll be talking about that coming up in
our next hour and a bunch of other things, So
stay tuned our number three one seven four eight zero
thirteen ten. Three one seven four eight zero thirteen ten.
Back with our second hour after this, and we're back

(48:37):
with community Connection as promised. Just about ready to flip
into our second hour. Let's call it second hour anyway. Uh,
three one seven four eight zero thirteen ten. Three one
seven four eight zero thirteen ten.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
Probably have some guests coming up in our second hour.
We'll wait to hear from them. In the meantime. B
Swift is here with us. Eric Garns is on vacation.

Speaker 1 (48:57):
Uh Swift again, glad you're here, Gonna be here all
this week. So yeah, we'll have a good time.

Speaker 6 (49:02):
It's a good time.

Speaker 1 (49:03):
Uh. You want to go to the phone line.

Speaker 6 (49:06):
Let's go to the phones.

Speaker 1 (49:06):
Okay, so you picked.

Speaker 8 (49:09):
Let's go with Pierre Pierre, Pierre, Pierre.

Speaker 6 (49:12):
What's going on?

Speaker 1 (49:13):
Hey Pierre?

Speaker 3 (49:15):
Oh can you hear me?

Speaker 11 (49:19):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (49:19):
I can can you hear us?

Speaker 3 (49:22):
Yeah? Just uh on the on the uh yeah, you know,
you know.

Speaker 5 (49:31):
Just last week.

Speaker 3 (49:33):
Uh psch a famous and yes, was killed.

Speaker 2 (49:42):
I forgot about that, and I was being critical of
I completely forgot about that. Well, his son with mental issues,
similar to the son that apparently has mental and addiction
issues that with Rob Reiner was accused of or has been,
isn't it booked suspicion of his murder?

Speaker 3 (50:01):
Yes, and that happened right down the road in Santa Monica, Monica.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
That's right, thank you for yeah, thank you for reminding.
You know, that didn't get any play either. It was
that one was kind of an afterthought as well. I
mean he wasn't clearly he wasn't as well known as
Rob Reiner, but still well known and highly regarded in
a lot of circles including opera.

Speaker 3 (50:24):
Yeah, and that see but seeve Tina, that's why you
got to read the LA Times and New York Times, right, yeah,
so at any rate, and then you know, uh, it's uh,
it's an issue. You've got parents taking care of these
thrown a dope signs, but these mental health issues. Yeah,

(50:48):
you know, we've had some high profile issues here in
our city.

Speaker 1 (50:56):
This addiction. Yeah, this addiction thing is no joke. It's
just no joke.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
Well, and it cuts across all I mean, it cuts
across all lines. I mean, black, white, rich, for everything
else in between. It is, it just doesn't discriminate.

Speaker 3 (51:14):
Yeah, you got you got egition issues, but then you
got some of these kids, and it seems like kids today,
Uh seems like they're entitled, you know, and you mix
up with mental health issues or gig issues and things
of that nature. So just wanted to and I ain't
gonna say it. Uh, you know, I I know something

(51:37):
about that, uh in uh in my family.

Speaker 5 (51:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
Well, I don't know too many families that have managed to.
I mean, I won't say every family, but if it's
not in your family, it's somebody, you know. I mean,
that's that's just how widespread the epidemic is. It really is.

Speaker 3 (51:54):
He's grown as dope men with these living in your house,
with these mental issues. Uh yeah, I understand sometimes why
parents do things got to do. But I just wanted
to bring up and.

Speaker 9 (52:12):
Week.

Speaker 2 (52:12):
Yeah, his son, I believe his son, Micah Micah Sykes
is under arrest for the the killing. It was a
knife attack too, wasn't it, Pierre? Wasn't that a knife attack?

Speaker 3 (52:25):
Did you belong with stab too?

Speaker 1 (52:27):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (52:29):
Like I said, it's just it's just unfortunate. I didn't
want to get lost that it did happen just last week.

Speaker 2 (52:40):
Yeah, thank you, thank you for bringing that to our attention.
And it, uh, it certainly did. This was a an
African American artist music, like I said, well thought of.
And yeah, his son's under arrest for his knife attack.

Speaker 1 (52:56):
Knife attack. You know, I had.

Speaker 2 (52:59):
A homicide officer tell me one time that when a
knife is used, it's it's it's emotional, you know, because
people you know, they're they're they're they're working through some
kind You can just tell it's just highly highly emotional
when somebody uses a knife, and it's generally more than once.

Speaker 6 (53:22):
Absolutely uh.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
And they said that that's just that emotion coming through,
whereas a gun, gun.

Speaker 6 (53:26):
Shot once boom and it's over.

Speaker 1 (53:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (53:30):
But I think the I think they said crime passion,
more passionate, more of a crime of passion. A knife
attack is more of a crime of passion than a
than a gun. This is just what a homicide because
they said, that's that's where they start their investigation, that's
where they start looking who was close to them?

Speaker 8 (53:49):
Why could you get that close? And it makes sense
because how are you going to get that close to me?

Speaker 1 (53:53):
Right right?

Speaker 6 (53:53):
You have to be someone.

Speaker 8 (53:55):
I'm dealing with or I love to be able to
possibly walk up that close and strike me like that.

Speaker 2 (54:01):
Because I trusted you exactly who am I emotionally connected to?
They could get, like you said, get as close as
they can get, and that's that's how they used to.

Speaker 1 (54:10):
He shared that I never thought about it.

Speaker 6 (54:11):
That makes sense.

Speaker 1 (54:12):
Yeah, yeah, indeed.

Speaker 2 (54:14):
Uh three one seven four eight zero thirteen ten three
one seven for eight zero thirteen ten.

Speaker 1 (54:19):
Samuel L. Jackson, Go ahead, how are you? That's his name, Swift?
I forgot to you know, Swift is he's on this week,
and I forgot to tell him that we do have
a caller named Samuel L. Jackson. If he happens to
see that, uh, come up on the caller ID.

Speaker 4 (54:34):
Absolutely, Hey, question, Uh what who I get in contact with?
Who I get in contact with? But doing a one
hour uh talk show on the weekend?

Speaker 2 (54:47):
Uh sales Yeah, sales, yeah I can. Uh, it depends
on the station. I don't know who sells this station,
do you know, Swift?

Speaker 1 (54:57):
Well, yeah, everybody, I guess.

Speaker 9 (55:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:00):
It's multi multi.

Speaker 2 (55:01):
Platform, so yeah, we can put you in touch. I
know REV GYM Sales, this station, REV Sales, the station.
We can let you do you want to leave your
number and we can. I can pass it along if
you want to talk to someone.

Speaker 4 (55:16):
Yes, I thought you already had my numy you don't
got rid of it already.

Speaker 1 (55:19):
You know what, Sam?

Speaker 2 (55:22):
It depends man hold on, let me say no, no, no,
Let me let me look. Let me look at my
let me look at my rollerdecks here, electronic roller decks here.

Speaker 1 (55:34):
M hm, Sam, I think.

Speaker 6 (55:36):
I do have it.

Speaker 4 (55:38):
Yeah, I know error gave it to you.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
You sure did, Sam, Sam, Sam Oh Jackson j A
c K S. So when here we go?

Speaker 2 (55:49):
Uh, I tell you what I know.

Speaker 1 (55:52):
He gave it to me. I know he did. Thank you,
he did.

Speaker 2 (55:57):
My my phone ab CD J G H I J anyway, yep, yep,
I think.

Speaker 1 (56:02):
We got we do have it. I do have it?

Speaker 2 (56:04):
Okay, So I will put I will put sales in
touch with you and would do you know what time
what day parts you're looking at for the show.

Speaker 4 (56:14):
It can be It could be anytime on a weekend,
Saturday or Sunday, anytime I before on on Saturday and
anytime on Sunday, I love that.

Speaker 2 (56:23):
Love that love that love, love love love love that
that is perfect.

Speaker 1 (56:27):
So what are you gonna talk about?

Speaker 4 (56:30):
Opportunity with a solution? Say what what opportunity with a solution?
Because we're gonna bring you an opportunity. Praying to God.
You can see divisions for a solution, like, for example, okay,
you want to come off the grid, never pay another
elect to bill and for one example.

Speaker 1 (56:52):
Okay, okay, and you know what, they'd be happy to
sell you the time. I'm sure I know we would
love to have you. We would love to have you
as a client here at the station.

Speaker 4 (57:02):
Yeah yeah, I used to be on field told radio talks.
I need to have a talk show worker with him.
You remember Phil Coleman used to be down on tenth
Street Jefferson.

Speaker 1 (57:11):
No, I don't what did he did he work here?

Speaker 4 (57:15):
No? No, he had this on a radio.

Speaker 1 (57:17):
Oh no, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (57:19):
Yeah, okay, so yeah that.

Speaker 4 (57:25):
Was in twenty twenty two.

Speaker 1 (57:28):
Oh yeah, I should have been aware of that. Just Meetia.
I should have been aware of that.

Speaker 4 (57:32):
Uh yeah, have no idea, you know that. And on
top of that, I used to have a comfort call
for like twenty three years right before the pandemic. I
had about one hundred thousand people in my comfort call
across the globe because we had some of the fantastic
to offer the people.

Speaker 5 (57:48):
Wow, we bring you.

Speaker 4 (57:49):
The best fun to met West. We don't be playing I.

Speaker 1 (57:52):
See, I see.

Speaker 2 (57:53):
Well yeah, I will certainly put you in touch with
our sales department and they will be immediately in touch
with you and we'll get that get that one hour
show going. I'll have to I might have to call
into your show.

Speaker 4 (58:04):
Sam.

Speaker 2 (58:07):
All right, well, thank you much, We'll take care, okay, yeah, Swift.
Just so you know, Sam is he works really hard
in the community. He does a lot of good and
he nicknamed himself. We didn't call him that, and he
nicknamed himself Sam that depends man, because I like that.
He had a number of boxes of depends adult undergarments

(58:32):
that he was in possession of, and because one of
his relatives passed away, there were a whole lot of
depends that insurance company sent and so he would host
these giveaways on Saturdays to people that need depends.

Speaker 1 (58:53):
Come and get him. I'm Sam, I'm the depends man.

Speaker 6 (58:55):
I like that.

Speaker 1 (58:56):
I got more depends then you can shake a stick at.

Speaker 2 (58:58):
Because I think the relative was in their nineties, almost
one hundred and so over the years, not only did
they accumulate a lot of depends, but in a lot
of different sizes.

Speaker 1 (59:13):
So he said, I got, I got small, I got.

Speaker 2 (59:17):
He said, I got depends, I got to them, come
and get them, come and get them.

Speaker 1 (59:22):
So there was that.

Speaker 2 (59:23):
So there's yeah, that was what tea he had. But
you know, I like the fact that he wants to
do his own show.

Speaker 6 (59:31):
Yeah, I think there's dope.

Speaker 1 (59:32):
Yeah I do too.

Speaker 2 (59:33):
People are doing podcasting and he wants to buy actual airtime.

Speaker 6 (59:37):
Yeah. No, I think that's fire.

Speaker 8 (59:39):
I think because we all have so much information we
can give and so many resources, So why not be
that person?

Speaker 6 (59:46):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 1 (59:47):
Yeah, yep, Indity and Deity and didy. So there's that.
So what do we got coming up? Swiftward? Towards the
end of the year. I think we're all just wrapping.

Speaker 8 (59:55):
Up, just wrapping up, trying to figure out what twenty
twenty six looks like, right like, looking at our pacers,
what they look like, looking at the fever. Don't know
what that looks like yet, don't know what the CBA
agreement is going to look like and shout out to
Michael Jordan. We know what NASCAR is possibly looking like
next year after he wins the big lawsuit.

Speaker 6 (01:00:13):
This year he already won. They settled. Yeah, NASCAR had
to set up.

Speaker 8 (01:00:18):
Listen, NASCAR was crazy for letting Michael Jordan take them
the court. Michael Jordan is possibly, if not the greatest
sports icon we have. You put him in a room
with twelve people on the jury. These people have either
watched him play basketball or wore his shoes. They are fans.
And he got on that stand. And after he got

(01:00:39):
on a stand, NASCAR came back with a decision. They
wanted to settle, and they settled. They came up with undisclosed.
You know they can't tell us, of course, but yeah,
they settled and it was in Jordan's and Denny Hammond's
and Jordan said they had a monopoly, so you know,
they was like Mike and Denny was complaining, like, yo,

(01:01:01):
we paid twenty eight million dollars and we don't make
nowhere near that. And I don't think the NASCAR drivers
or the team gets anything off the gates and things
like that. So you know, the charter, you have to
buy a charter to pretty much guarantee your way in,
and I think it was rules on charters being sold
and auctioned off. It was a lot of weird stuff

(01:01:21):
going on, and.

Speaker 6 (01:01:22):
Mike and I was like, Yo, this is crazy. We're
doing the real work and we're not treated fair.

Speaker 8 (01:01:27):
And I think a lot of teams wanted to sue,
but you know, a lot of people get a little
nervous and like, uh, well, we don't know if we
weren't that fight, and it looked like Mike and Denny
and front Row Motorsports went head ahead and prevailed for
the sport, so it could be a great thing for
the sport. Who knows, but yeah, they settled last week,
which was a good move. To shout out to Mike

(01:01:48):
and them for standing up to the bullies.

Speaker 1 (01:01:50):
Yeah, yeah, well you know see this this.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
I mean, I don't know NASCAR, and I certainly don't
know IndyCar Our guy with the recorder, Danny Bridges knows that.
But just from an outside observers perspective, that seems to
be the issue with a lot of motor sports because
there's so many people who can't get in. But then

(01:02:14):
I guess maybe sports in general, but motor sports, especially
because it's so highly politicized in terms of just a
few sponsors running it off. Roger Penske, McLaren's what's the
other guy's name out here on thirty eighth Street.

Speaker 6 (01:02:36):
I know who you're talking about too. It's not Andretti
in them.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
No, no, the Andretti's.

Speaker 12 (01:02:40):
Of course, you can't go without that the but it's
it just so when we talk about when we've talked
about African Americans and young blacks, young young people of
color period, getting into that old boys club, it's almost it's.

Speaker 1 (01:02:55):
Hard because if you're not if you're not an Andretti
or what is his name anyway, or one of the
folks that if you're not connected like that, you're in trouble.

Speaker 2 (01:03:06):
So yeah, but yeah, Iuto racing is something I need to.

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
Learn more about.

Speaker 2 (01:03:12):
And it's kind of funny because I've been in Indianapolis
more than thirty five years and the racing capital of
the world.

Speaker 8 (01:03:20):
And I don't feel bad. I'm gonna tell you shout
out to Jimmy McMillan. You know, with our partnership we
have over at hot I've been able to get into
the sport the last four or five years and it's
very fun to watch. It's very fun to see and
it's a cool sport.

Speaker 6 (01:03:38):
At first, I'm like, well, watch these cars going to circle.
But the more the more you see it, the more
behinds I mean, me and you. We talked to Bubble Wallace.

Speaker 8 (01:03:46):
So it's been fun to watch it grow and to
actually learn more about it. And every year I do
something at the track where I get a chance to
interview the guys, the drivers and just talk about different
things because I don't know the xs and o's of
the sports, right, so I get a chance to really
dig into their personal lives and find out what car
are you driv when you're at home, what's your fastest
car like? And things like that.

Speaker 6 (01:04:06):
So it's been dope.

Speaker 8 (01:04:07):
You know, it's a really cool sport like both ends
Indie car and NASCAR.

Speaker 1 (01:04:11):
Ship Ganassi Okay, yeah, that's taking ship Ganassi out there.

Speaker 2 (01:04:15):
Uh but yeah, that is fun and it's kind of interesting.
There was a I did do a story several years
ago and there was a driver I can't remember his name.

Speaker 1 (01:04:24):
I think it was like Howdi Homes or something.

Speaker 2 (01:04:27):
He had been long retired, but he was driving a
regular car. Uh, and there was somebody else that was
driving behind him, and he was like whoa, whoa slow
down because.

Speaker 1 (01:04:37):
He was getting nervous.

Speaker 2 (01:04:38):
And he said, hey, you know, but he had he
had his soul compartmentalized where driving racing and things was
different than being a regular driver. You don't take that
same mentality and that same attitude to I sixty five
as you do out there and the Indianapolis want to speakway.

Speaker 1 (01:04:55):
But a lot of people think that they do. Yeah,
they really do.

Speaker 2 (01:04:59):
Uh three one seven for eight zero thirteen ten three
one seven four eight zero thirteen ten.

Speaker 1 (01:05:05):
Uh Jeff, Jeff?

Speaker 5 (01:05:06):
Go ahead, how are you, hey, Joe? How you doing? Fantas?
Have my car worked all? That's why I'm kind of
been in and out? So I apologize.

Speaker 1 (01:05:15):
That's okay?

Speaker 4 (01:05:16):
Is it?

Speaker 11 (01:05:17):
Is it?

Speaker 4 (01:05:18):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (01:05:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:05:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:05:19):
You just got charge a bill battery?

Speaker 1 (01:05:22):
You know, hey, I had to buy a new one.

Speaker 2 (01:05:25):
Right the day was it the day before Thanksgiving or
two days? It might have been a day or two
before Thanksgiving.

Speaker 1 (01:05:32):
I was at the grocery store. It was a day before.

Speaker 2 (01:05:35):
Because I was at the grocery store, it was raining
and I go to turn on my car and I
really freaked out because mine is a hybrid, and if
the right battery goes out, you're.

Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
In the five or six grand Oh my god.

Speaker 2 (01:05:49):
Well, because it has two batteries though, it has a
standard sell whatever battery and then the electric battery, which
is part of the hybrid, and they feed off of
each other.

Speaker 1 (01:05:59):
If the car is working the right way, they charge
each other.

Speaker 2 (01:06:02):
Yeah, technically the electric one should never really go out.
I mean it should be beyond the life of your car.
They're like three hundred thousand miles. But I was so
grateful talk about Thanksgiving. It was it was just the
regular cell battery. I think it was like one hundred
and eighty bucks hundred and ninety. Yeah, that was much

(01:06:24):
better than the thousands, but most inopportunity time.

Speaker 1 (01:06:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:06:31):
Well, yeah, I'm glad my stepson's here working on it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:34):
So yeah, oh, he's putting the battery in for you.

Speaker 5 (01:06:39):
No, he's kind of I don't know, he's a jack
of all trade.

Speaker 13 (01:06:42):
I don't know what he's doing, but he knows he
knows what to do because I got one the almost
like a batmobile type situation.

Speaker 5 (01:06:51):
Yeah, anyway, it is what it is. Well, I just
want to say something real quick. I don't get my
doors to Rob running this family. Yeah, and it is.
That's somebody who's a part of my childhood. Yeah, I
remember All in the Family.

Speaker 1 (01:07:06):
And Edith and Gloria Gloria.

Speaker 5 (01:07:09):
Yeah, yeah, mister Jefferson and all that.

Speaker 1 (01:07:13):
Yeah, there were how many? How many shows were a
spin off of All in the Jefferson's was certainly.

Speaker 2 (01:07:18):
A spin off from All in the Family. Mad Yeah,
Mad was Okay, she had a decent run. And then
there might have been one more that was a spin
off of All in the Family. Well, he had, I
mean it was Archie's Place and then something else. He
had a couple of those, but I'm talking about one
that that survived for quite a while.

Speaker 5 (01:07:36):
Yeah, Maud and the Jefferson But only two I can
think of.

Speaker 8 (01:07:41):
It was, according to Google, the Jefferson's Archie Bunker's Place,
Mad uh seven o four houser in Gloria.

Speaker 5 (01:07:51):
Oh okay, okay, I.

Speaker 1 (01:07:54):
Didn't know she did either. It must have been really
really short lived.

Speaker 5 (01:07:57):
Yeah, but those are ye Maud and Jefferson. Only I remember.
But I just want to say, for one thing, we
got a classless individual to White House. You know what
he said about Rob Ryiner.

Speaker 1 (01:08:09):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:08:10):
We got a sick man. He's sick. The man is ill.

Speaker 2 (01:08:13):
Here's the thing I thought about when I heard that,
It's like, why are you all reporting this?

Speaker 1 (01:08:20):
This?

Speaker 2 (01:08:21):
This clearly is not a balance. What is the value
in reporting something like that? You're not gonna You're not
going to shock anybody because all of his ignorance has
been normalized to the point where it's not only accepted,
is it's mimicked.

Speaker 1 (01:08:36):
I I don't know that I would have even reported that.
What did he say that he probably got killed because
liberal politics or something like? What? What he blamed his
death on his political views?

Speaker 4 (01:08:49):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:08:49):
He said he was an art chdemy of say, Rob
Ryan was one of his art enemies and all that stuff.
Some bad things about him, you say, Yeah, anybody, Yeah,
most of the countries says bad things about you about that,
you know, so he's uh anyway, but you know, I
just say, Rob a great body of word. The Prince
was bride, Yeah, I liked.

Speaker 2 (01:09:15):
Yeah, Oh Misery, you know, I want to see that
in the theater and that movie freaked me out.

Speaker 1 (01:09:22):
Did you ever see Misery?

Speaker 11 (01:09:23):
Sweat?

Speaker 1 (01:09:25):
You walk by? Uh? Huh uh huh? How you doing the.

Speaker 9 (01:09:31):
Good?

Speaker 1 (01:09:32):
Good? I was not gonna walk in here.

Speaker 6 (01:09:34):
What are you doing?

Speaker 2 (01:09:38):
Yeah, misery boy.

Speaker 6 (01:09:43):
Yeah, that was a real scary one right there.

Speaker 1 (01:09:46):
Yes, yes, it was the Kathy Bates. She won an
Academy Award for that.

Speaker 6 (01:09:51):
Didn't she.

Speaker 13 (01:09:54):
Yeah, I'm your biggest fan.

Speaker 5 (01:10:01):
WHOA, Yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (01:10:05):
Was telling Swift one of my favorites was a Few
Good Men. I enjoyed that because the mystery and raveling
at all, and you know, a lot of different things.
But yeah, it's so sad. We were talking about addiction
and mental health life.

Speaker 5 (01:10:20):
You forgot spinal tap.

Speaker 1 (01:10:21):
I never saw that one.

Speaker 4 (01:10:22):
Is that?

Speaker 1 (01:10:23):
Did you see that one? Swim Swift? Yeah, I never
saw spinal tap?

Speaker 5 (01:10:27):
What was that about?

Speaker 1 (01:10:28):
What was that about?

Speaker 5 (01:10:29):
Like a parody?

Speaker 14 (01:10:30):
Like a heavy metal band, you know, eighty hair band,
you know Black Sabbath, yea in a heavy metal you know,
rock and roll, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:10:41):
The One of the interesting things that I found in
reading the articles on Rob Reiner and the body of
his work was that his son when he had, I guess,
had his amazing recovery from being homeless on the streets,
drugs and all kinds of things they did together.

Speaker 1 (01:11:00):
They did the movie was it called Finding Charlie or
something Charlie. Hold on, let me look for it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:07):
But anyway, they did a project together that I think
was fairly successful, and it was semi autobiographical, told their
story and of addiction, and the son that's now under
arrest for killing them under and is now under a
four million dollar bond.

Speaker 1 (01:11:24):
He co wrote that with his dad.

Speaker 5 (01:11:27):
Well, yeah, Charlie, I'm just you know, I don't know
what went on their house, but look abra to bring
you to play. You know, you could harm you own
flesh and blood.

Speaker 1 (01:11:39):
You know, being Charlie, not finding Charlie, Being Charlie. May
twenty six, the film Being Charlie debuted and he and
his son I remember them on the tour, so to speak,
the publicity tour that they were taking promoting the movie,

(01:12:01):
and the sun looks squeaky clean.

Speaker 2 (01:12:02):
They looked like they had had a nice collaboration. The
movie I guess again probably enjoyed reasonable success. But wow,
that's a horrible thing. I'm like you, you don't know what
goes on in the house. But Brentwood, they got to
get it together, because that's Brentwood, is not Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:12:25):
That was the sight of the O. J. Simpson situation.
That does Yeah, Brentwood, California, the Brentwood home.

Speaker 5 (01:12:32):
And yeah, it's I'm your u c l A. My chance,
I'm not.

Speaker 1 (01:12:37):
A California person. I could not.

Speaker 5 (01:12:42):
Camp a lung beach for a while. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:12:48):
How'd you like, Kelly?

Speaker 5 (01:12:51):
I like it, you know, I really did like an
expensive strange.

Speaker 4 (01:12:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:13:00):
Yeah, I'm a big city guy. I mean I can
I can get anywhere.

Speaker 2 (01:13:04):
But you know, oh, Brentwood is very near u c
l A, located just west of the campus in the
same general area Westwood, West LA, with parts just a
couple of miles away, making it a popular residential spot
for students and faculty and easily accessible by car or.

Speaker 1 (01:13:21):
Public transport like the bus. Huh so. Yeah, but anyway,
he and his wife lived in Brentwood.

Speaker 5 (01:13:29):
Yeah. Well, as you know, again, I shared my story
with you. You know, I have my demons, the personal
demons to deal with, you know, PTSD addiction. And you
know I'm here to tell you right now, Nick Jugger
had nothing on me. I'm here to tell you that
right now.

Speaker 9 (01:13:45):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:13:45):
So, what do you think about uh Mendoza winning Fernando
Mendoza winning the high school? You had talked about it.

Speaker 5 (01:13:56):
Yeah, I'm gonna get the cold from love too, you
know what I mean? They look good.

Speaker 1 (01:14:03):
I mean, but they you know they really did.

Speaker 5 (01:14:07):
Chris Bell is not the solution.

Speaker 4 (01:14:08):
No.

Speaker 2 (01:14:09):
Well here's the thing though, and and this is what
I understand how I understand front office politics to be,
so to speak, because if and Swift would know better
than I, So Swift correct me.

Speaker 1 (01:14:21):
But if Ballard goes, wouldn't Stikeen have to go?

Speaker 2 (01:14:24):
Not, if not immediately, then eventually Because if you bring
in a new GM, that new GM is gonna want
their own.

Speaker 5 (01:14:30):
Coach up the last time.

Speaker 1 (01:14:32):
Yeah, their own personal dynamics of it.

Speaker 8 (01:14:38):
What most people will probably want to bring their person
of choice in.

Speaker 6 (01:14:42):
But if the owners saying, Stikings, my man.

Speaker 5 (01:14:44):
Give you.

Speaker 8 (01:14:47):
But yeah, you could see that happen because again I
want to bring in who I want to bring in,
who I know who works best for me to me,
I mean Jmv's in the hallway. I'm sure he's over
hearing us a little bit, but.

Speaker 1 (01:15:07):
His phone.

Speaker 8 (01:15:07):
Yeah, but no, that's what I would think. If he leaves,
I would think Shane is on the bubble.

Speaker 1 (01:15:14):
He would even if he does.

Speaker 2 (01:15:16):
The other thing we don't have is a feel for
how the new owners feel and how they operate and
how their administration is going to go and what they're
gonna because.

Speaker 1 (01:15:28):
So far they've just been you know, steering the ship.

Speaker 6 (01:15:31):
They're cool, but.

Speaker 8 (01:15:31):
We know she on that field, that headset on paying attention,
She's she's watching. So I mean, I think that's automatically
shows you how much there she's involved, right, Like for
her to build it.

Speaker 1 (01:15:43):
They says she's been that, she's she's always done that.

Speaker 8 (01:15:45):
Well, I think she knew, you know, I think she
knew it was time was taken before she would step
in ultimately, you know what I mean. So I think
she just and I think she's a student of the game.
You've been around it that long, you want to just
know what's going on.

Speaker 6 (01:15:59):
Yeah, we just don't have.

Speaker 1 (01:16:01):
To feel for any of that energy from any of them, No,
we don't. And like I said, they've just been keeping
the ship afloat.

Speaker 2 (01:16:07):
You know, they're just driving it and it's I guess
maybe at the end of the year, end of the
season when they have to decide. But I you know, Jeff,
I've said this on the show a thousand times. I
thought Ballad should have been fired four years.

Speaker 8 (01:16:22):
He's just Yeah, I'm gonna tell y'all, Daniel Jones might
have got ballid jobs saved for another year.

Speaker 5 (01:16:29):
You think, yeah, because.

Speaker 6 (01:16:32):
Think about it.

Speaker 8 (01:16:32):
We had a great season bringing him in. We've done
great until he got hurt pretty much into them last
few games. But now we know he was playing with
we didn't. But I mean, is that hard is that
on them to blame? When you look at Anthony popped
hisself in the face with a rubber band and broke
his out socket.

Speaker 6 (01:16:47):
We had a plan being.

Speaker 8 (01:16:51):
We had a player ome boy popped itself in the
face with a rubber band. Unfortunately though, so our playing
be was gone in our plan. He hurt his knee
in the game he got in like we just I'm
telling you, Indiana has the worst sports mojo put on
them right now, like our mojo and bad luck the
the the curse is real, the curses real Indiana.

Speaker 6 (01:17:15):
Sports Indiana.

Speaker 1 (01:17:17):
Brought in Colon Kaepernick.

Speaker 6 (01:17:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:17:21):
Yeah, but there's a whole connection there between Snichen and
I mean that that fit like hand.

Speaker 8 (01:17:30):
Yeah, somebody you talked to, somebody you've dealt with before,
somebody you trust, even though you ain't played in five years.
You're coaching, which means you're on the field running around
with these kids. You get what's going on. I just
need you for three or four games, bro, come in
and hold us.

Speaker 11 (01:17:42):
Now.

Speaker 8 (01:17:43):
If we make it anywhere in the playoffs, it just
looks amazing for you. I just need you to come
and throw the ball.

Speaker 2 (01:17:48):
He's a fierce competitor though, he's fiercely competitive, and what
an invaluable lesson for those kids at that high school.
Oh man, I mean, you just it just doesn't get
any better than that.

Speaker 1 (01:18:00):
Uh but yeah, Jeff, I figured you were happy for
Indiana University and well, you know, like.

Speaker 13 (01:18:06):
Like I said, I'm a ball fayed guy, all my
siblings with the IU. Yeah, and I was happy for
the Hoosia because they've been down it out for so
long and they needed it, they really needed it.

Speaker 2 (01:18:17):
Well, then they made college football history. I was talking
to Swift. I think they made college football history for
their losing ways.

Speaker 1 (01:18:23):
I mean, I just don't think there was a program.

Speaker 5 (01:18:26):
Well you know what sixty minutes thing on him last,
That's what I was going to say.

Speaker 8 (01:18:29):
You know, when sixty minutes do a story, all you're
talking about your losing ways and now turned around.

Speaker 1 (01:18:34):
Yeah, did you see it in that.

Speaker 6 (01:18:36):
I didn't get a chance to watch myself.

Speaker 1 (01:18:37):
I saw the clips.

Speaker 6 (01:18:38):
Yeah that's all I seen. I wanted to watch it today.

Speaker 1 (01:18:40):
I think i'll watch it later. Yeah, just just killing.

Speaker 5 (01:18:43):
Yeah, I saw bits and pieces of it. He looked
pretty well. But he's I like the I like the
head coach. Yeah, he's a very focused, no nonsense kind
of guy. You know, and you know like he I.

Speaker 2 (01:18:56):
Think he kind of taught some folks to use that
transfer portal and ways they never thought before as far
as football, because he worked it.

Speaker 5 (01:19:05):
He did. Yeah, yes he did. But I but you know,
like a dawns through Rob Ryder, and as far as
that animal in the White House, you know that the
guy has no class. I mean, no human dignity, no
kind of human compassion, no empathy or nothing. I mean,
the family is going through a tragedy and this animal,
I call him an animal. I hope some GP people

(01:19:26):
heard that he's an animal. He's an orangutang. I said it.
I don't care. I know Dil goes both ways Democratic Republican.

Speaker 7 (01:19:35):
But he's an animal. He's an animal. You know, he's
in a orangutang that's what he is. He's an orangutang.
Looked just like one, you know. And you know his
old wife don't want.

Speaker 5 (01:19:45):
Nothing to do with him.

Speaker 10 (01:19:46):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:19:46):
Look she could look at you that she's there, she's disgusted.
I hope e Fstein. I hope Epstein. Now Steve benn
is in the mix. Now do you hear about that team?
He's hanging out with little girls?

Speaker 1 (01:19:59):
Wow? Saw all the pictures Woody Allen. Was no surprise
because I'm married. Yeah, he's a well known one. Yeah,
he's a known pedophile. Married.

Speaker 6 (01:20:08):
They said the file is supposed to come out this
week or something.

Speaker 2 (01:20:11):
Well, the nineteenth is the deadline that Congress gave him
to release him.

Speaker 6 (01:20:15):
But he's not gonna He's gonna fight.

Speaker 2 (01:20:19):
Yeah, and what's come out has been the Epstein of
State release. Yeah, so that that's quite a bit.

Speaker 5 (01:20:29):
But who was it was?

Speaker 11 (01:20:30):
Bannon?

Speaker 1 (01:20:31):
Uh Clinton, Slick Willie.

Speaker 2 (01:20:34):
Clinton, Bill Bill Gates, Uh of course, uh Bannon, Steve Bannon.

Speaker 1 (01:20:44):
There.

Speaker 2 (01:20:44):
You know, there's just a lot of a lot of
high profile folks.

Speaker 1 (01:20:48):
Yeah, and you know some of it, I I do.

Speaker 2 (01:20:51):
I have to believe because everybody, maybe I don't know,
I'm being too Uh, too naive, But you gotta believe
that some of these folks were trying to work business
deals and had nothing to do with that part of it.

Speaker 1 (01:21:04):
They just wanted to be close to the center of power, close.

Speaker 5 (01:21:07):
To it, exactly exactly. And you know they're feeling a
certain kid away because it's kind of guilt by association.

Speaker 9 (01:21:12):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:21:13):
Yeah, they may not I don't know kids, but yeah,
but why you know, you know he was a sex trafficker,
because I know you did your homework on this guy,
and you know, you know what he was about. But
you know, I know you want to make a business deal.
But you know, just.

Speaker 1 (01:21:28):
I would say the more the more.

Speaker 2 (01:21:30):
The people who are more suspect to me are the
ones who continued their association with him and even elevated
it after he was convicted and put on house arrests,
like the Royals. Yes, Prince Andrew, Yeah, Prince Andrew and
and his wife and living lady. Uh she went, you know,
she she doubled down, which.

Speaker 1 (01:21:53):
Is yeah, that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:21:54):
And so now they're they're trying to do some damage
control over there at Buckinghams. Andrews losing everything but his shirt.

Speaker 1 (01:22:03):
He has nothing.

Speaker 8 (01:22:04):
Kicked that little prince out. Yeah, I should have been
kicking that one out.

Speaker 2 (01:22:08):
Oh Harry, are you talking about kicking Harry. Well, Harry
hasn't been Harry. Harry removed them.

Speaker 1 (01:22:15):
He removed himself.

Speaker 8 (01:22:16):
Behind closed doors. I think he was a forceful push.

Speaker 2 (01:22:20):
Now he's not in good favor with them because of
that interview he did with Oprah and the book that
he wrote called Spare, which told a lot of the
you know, behind the scenes story, things that you if
you're a part of the firm, you never ever ever
uh say or put in out there in the public.

Speaker 1 (01:22:37):
But he did it.

Speaker 6 (01:22:38):
He did it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:39):
No, he didn't care.

Speaker 6 (01:22:41):
He still feels some way his.

Speaker 2 (01:22:42):
Mom, absolutely, and I think that that was the recurring
theme throughout the whole Throughout the whole book, if I
understand it correctly, was about his mother and and why
he feels so strongly about uh security for his kids
and how he has no problem he he has not
taking his children back to the UK.

Speaker 6 (01:23:03):
I'm not mad at him because.

Speaker 2 (01:23:05):
Of the paparazzi and what could happen to them if
if he doesn't have the proper security and I mean
a lot of things, But no, I don't think they
kicked him out. I think they'd like for him to
come back because they're running short off. Yeah, they need
him so and he probably would be happy to do.

Speaker 1 (01:23:21):
It, absolutely, but I don't know about I don't know
how he would do it though. He doesn't want to
take the kids. Yeah, I think his wife wants to
go back.

Speaker 6 (01:23:30):
Yeah with my normal life.

Speaker 1 (01:23:33):
Yeah, that's just an unrealistic existence. So oh, Jeff Chokov.
But yeah, no, they didn't kick him out, but hey,
here we go.

Speaker 2 (01:23:44):
So the Royal Watchers. Are you friends with anybody that's
a Royal Watcher?

Speaker 1 (01:23:49):
I am. I'm friends with a couple of folks.

Speaker 6 (01:23:52):
It's real.

Speaker 1 (01:23:55):
We'll be back, we'll.

Speaker 2 (01:23:58):
Be for children, and we're back with community connection and uh,
we're talking about the Royal Watchers. It is fascinating. It's
absolutely fascinating. And if you know somebody who is a

(01:24:20):
Royal Watcher, talk to him. They'll give you the insight
because they typically know more. Uh Swift, this just came
across and I my jaw Dright, you and I both
dropped our jaws.

Speaker 1 (01:24:32):
But it looks as if this.

Speaker 2 (01:24:33):
Is According to WISH TV channel eight, that Martin University
has terminated all of their staff. Martin University has termed
maybe that's what doctor Brown was calling to share with
this maybe yeah, and he couldn't get through the phone
lines wouldn't go.

Speaker 1 (01:24:48):
But here, here we go.

Speaker 2 (01:24:50):
This is and if you have anything you know anymore,
give us a call three one, seven, four eight zero
thirteen ten. But again, this is from the website of
wish TV wish tv dot com and it says a
now former employee of Martin University told News eight Monday,
university leaders have terminated everyone because they don't have the

(01:25:11):
money to pay them. Again, Martin University told News eight
Monday today, university leaders have terminated everyone because they don't
have the money to pay them. Ah, situation like this
happened once before, and I don't have to get back to that.

Speaker 1 (01:25:26):
I'll explain.

Speaker 2 (01:25:27):
Corey amriks Or Emix worked as Martin University's senior financial
aid and veteran affairs advisor. He said staff were told
at a meeting late Monday morning. Late this morning, the
university's bank account is empty and as a result, interim
President Felicia Brocall does not know when they will get paid.

(01:25:48):
That was my next question, When will staff get paid?

Speaker 1 (01:25:52):
Not a good thing.

Speaker 2 (01:25:53):
Right here around Christmas, especially Amics said bro call told
staff she is working to cobble together enough money to
pay the staff their paychecks that were due Monday, including
donations directly from the university's Board of trustees. Ammick said
about two dozen people are affected. Ammi said Brocaw told

(01:26:16):
employees their health insurance plans are good through December thirty first,
He said he was unable to get an answer on
supplementary matters such as outstanding paid time off. Ami said
university leaders gave no indication whether they would be able
to hire employees back. University leadership has not responded to
multiple calls and emails from newsad seeking comment. We just

(01:26:40):
reported last week that operations were going to be paused.
They didn't say indefinitely, but from what I understand, it
was an indefinite pause to reorganize things because money was tight. Actually,
this article did says money's not tight, it doesn't exist.

(01:27:03):
The bank account is empty again. This is according to
WISH TV, which talked to.

Speaker 1 (01:27:09):
A person in the know.

Speaker 2 (01:27:11):
That there was a big staff meeting late this morning
that said, hey, we're gonna let all of you go.
Roughly twenty they said, roughly two dozen people. So twenty
four folks are out of work with no apparent paychecks
in sight.

Speaker 1 (01:27:26):
That, yeah, that is bad.

Speaker 2 (01:27:31):
And apparently, again according to this article, the leadership is working.
The current leadership or the interim leadership there at Martin
is working very hard to cobble together enough money to
pay the staff their checks. But their insurance ends in
a couple of weeks on December thirty first, so they'll

(01:27:53):
have no health insurance and no income and everything else
in between.

Speaker 6 (01:27:59):
Wow, that's tough. That's really really really tough.

Speaker 1 (01:28:04):
Yeah, boy, he went from pause to everybody's fired, nobody's
working there. I didn't think it would be this quick.
I didn't think it would be this quickly.

Speaker 2 (01:28:20):
Martin University, of course, over there on the near east side,
is the state's only predominantly black institution of higher learning.
It is not an HBCU. It missed the designation by
one year, I do believe, but it is, and his story,

(01:28:40):
it is a predominantly black institution that serves people of
all races, sexist and what have you throughout the city
and throughout the states. So there's that that is so
so disheartening to hear It's never good when you're told
your company is down, but it's really magnified when it

(01:29:04):
happens at this time of the year, when you don't
know where your next check is going to come from,
and you know you only have health care until the
end of the year, and that healthcare on the marketplace,
which is supposed to be affordable for most people, is
going to be almost double because Congress has not extended things.

(01:29:26):
So I will read this to you again, and this
comes from our good friends over at WISH TV, and
it just hit about three minutes ago. But it says
a now former employee of Martin University told News eight
Monday today that university leaders have terminated everyone because they

(01:29:47):
do not have the money to pay them.

Speaker 1 (01:29:49):
So, if you are.

Speaker 2 (01:29:50):
An employee or you worked at Martin University, you were
currently employed by Martin University, you no longer have a job.
Everybody has been terminated. It did not say laid off,
It did not say furloughed. The article says terminated, fired,

(01:30:11):
no money. Corey Amex worked as Martin University's senior financial
aid and Veterans Affairs advisor.

Speaker 1 (01:30:19):
He said.

Speaker 2 (01:30:20):
Stafford told it a meeting late Monday morning, the university's
bank account is empty and as a result, interim President
Felicia Brocock does not know when they will get paid.
So again, Swift, if that's what doctor Brown was trying
to reach us, to tell us or to share with us,
we are so sorry that the connection so many people

(01:30:40):
that they give us a call those sometimes they're in
their cars or driving through.

Speaker 1 (01:30:44):
You know, cell phones have made us so mobile.

Speaker 2 (01:30:46):
Nobody sits at there in their house or at their
desk or whatever and talk on the phone on their
landline their mobile. That's why they call the mobile phones
and so they you know, unfortunately they don't always give
us the best reception in all the different areas. But
this is horrible. This is just absolutely awful. I hate
to hear that. I think, as I've I've shared on

(01:31:07):
the air before, my daughter went to Martin recently to
pick up some hours and made the Dean's list. She
was very happy with with what she had over there
and the folks, and she.

Speaker 1 (01:31:17):
Was she was getting a pretty good education.

Speaker 4 (01:31:20):
You know.

Speaker 8 (01:31:21):
I know my mom went a few years back and
graduated from over there, and she loved it.

Speaker 11 (01:31:24):
You know.

Speaker 8 (01:31:24):
She even me like, hey, if you you should really
look at this and to see it. It sucks right
because a lot of us can go there and get
what we need to get done.

Speaker 2 (01:31:34):
And much like in HBC, they take a special interest
and make sure that you don't fail.

Speaker 1 (01:31:40):
Facts, they make sure that you don't fail.

Speaker 2 (01:31:42):
And that that's truly the spirit of all HBCUs that
I've ever known about. And this, being the state's only
predominantly black institution of higher learning university is.

Speaker 1 (01:31:56):
Problematic. Wow wow wow wow.

Speaker 2 (01:32:01):
If you know anything about that, give us a call.
I know it's just down hitting.

Speaker 11 (01:32:04):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:32:06):
Three one seven, four eight zero thirteen ten three one
seven for eight zero thirteen ten. Martin University, in case
you're just tuning in, has fired everyone in the building.
Everyone has been terminated. The reason according to and this
is according to wish TV. This is according to our
our friends at wish TV. Must attribute my source.

Speaker 11 (01:32:30):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:32:30):
And apparently the bank account is empty.

Speaker 11 (01:32:35):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:32:35):
And they do not know when they will be able
to pay employees. Staff apparently is working to get money
together to pay the paychecks or pay the payroll that
was due today, including donations directly from the university's board
of trustees. About two dozen people are affected, so that's

(01:32:56):
roughly twenty four staff members are now out of a job.
Employees were also told, according to WISH TV source, that
their health insurance plans are going to be good.

Speaker 1 (01:33:08):
Through December thirty first of this year.

Speaker 2 (01:33:10):
But that's roughly just a couple of weeks today, what
the fifteenth, so almost exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:33:14):
Two weeks, almost two weeks. He said he was unable to.

Speaker 2 (01:33:18):
Get an answer on supplementary matters such as outstanding paid
time off. University leaders gave no indication whether they would
be able to hire any employees back. Leadership has not
responded to multiple calls and emails from News eight seeking comment.
You know, determination, that's the term that concerns me because

(01:33:39):
when you hear laid off or furlough, there's hope.

Speaker 1 (01:33:43):
Yeah, absolutely, just let us get things reorganized.

Speaker 2 (01:33:47):
Even pause, even with the pause that we reported on
last week, there was still hope that something would happen.
This is not the news you want to hear a
week after you understand that they have put operations on PAW.

Speaker 1 (01:34:00):
This is not the news you want to hear that
there's no staff there. You have a janitor.

Speaker 6 (01:34:06):
That's tough.

Speaker 8 (01:34:07):
Yeah, that's tough because I mean when you look at
the facility, like, what happens?

Speaker 6 (01:34:13):
What happens next?

Speaker 8 (01:34:15):
Like the next thing you know is for sale, right,
it's the scary side.

Speaker 2 (01:34:19):
Yeah, for sale or going to be absorbed into another
university system of some sort, maybe a branch.

Speaker 8 (01:34:28):
Yeah, Like you could see a marion or you know,
I mean an ivy.

Speaker 6 (01:34:32):
Tag or I you you indy produced.

Speaker 8 (01:34:37):
I don't know what they're caught over now, but you
can see one of them possibly coming and grabbing it.

Speaker 6 (01:34:42):
But it doesn't remain the same.

Speaker 1 (01:34:45):
Nope, nope, nope, nope, Well it becomes there.

Speaker 6 (01:34:48):
It's theirs now. Now they do what they want and
we lose what we had and that sucks.

Speaker 1 (01:34:52):
Yeah, how much swift over the years?

Speaker 2 (01:34:55):
How many things have we directed the community to that
we're taking place?

Speaker 1 (01:35:00):
Said Martin.

Speaker 6 (01:35:00):
A lot.

Speaker 1 (01:35:01):
Doors were always on, doors.

Speaker 6 (01:35:02):
Were always open.

Speaker 8 (01:35:03):
Like it's crazy because Tanya called the other day when
she heard about the news, like, Yo, when you to
do a penny drive like we did it back in
the day, And I'm like, I do remember that, Like
I don't know if it helps this lady in, but
I remember that.

Speaker 1 (01:35:14):
See, I wish we would have We probably could have.

Speaker 2 (01:35:17):
As the line said, cobbled together something quickly to get
folks going and get money flowing.

Speaker 1 (01:35:23):
Over there using our voices as broadcasters.

Speaker 2 (01:35:26):
But it's too quick, yes, too quick, and it's way late, too.

Speaker 8 (01:35:29):
Late, you inside holiday season unfortunately. But then it's like
how much is needed to sustain?

Speaker 1 (01:35:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:35:36):
You know?

Speaker 2 (01:35:37):
Yeah, I don't know. Boy, that's a bummer. That is
a bummer. So we you know, hopefully we'll get some
more information on that. I know we will.

Speaker 6 (01:35:51):
Oh yeah, I'm sure more will come.

Speaker 1 (01:35:52):
Yea more is gonna come. But that's just boy does
that stink? So uh? I got a text. Lord, they
didn't even last until the semester ended.

Speaker 8 (01:36:05):
That's what I'm thinking too. I'm like, that sucks for
anybody who's in class and you got a couple day's
letting you might be your senior year. You need these
last couple of credits and this is terrible.

Speaker 4 (01:36:16):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:36:18):
Yeah, well, stay stay tuned. There's more coming, more coming maybe,
But I mean, if they couldn't even meet today's payroll.

Speaker 1 (01:36:27):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:36:28):
I swear if as the and again, our information I
was reading to you directly from wishtv dot com, And
our information came from wish TV.

Speaker 1 (01:36:39):
So there you.

Speaker 2 (01:36:41):
Have it, and I, uh, what I'm gonna do, even
though he wasn't able to get through, I'll keep trying.
I'll leave this location and keep trying to get a
hold of doctor Brown. You know he was a professor
over there for twenty five years. Oh wow, and you know,
served in various capacity and was a good friend of

(01:37:02):
Father Boniface Harden, who founded one of the founders of
Father Boniface Harden, a Catholic priest that walked around channeling
Frederick Douglas.

Speaker 1 (01:37:13):
Have you ever seen any pictures of Father Harden? Yeah,
And so it just has such a rich tradition and legacy.
The one thing that surprised me though, Martin University has
been around for almost fifty years and doesn't have an endowment. Uh,
and endowments kind of keep your your keep the business going.

Speaker 6 (01:37:32):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (01:37:32):
That's what saved a lot of these Ivy League schools
from the Trump intimidation because what they said, what they're
going to do to Trump withhold I mean to Harvard
withhold three million dollars in federal funding when they have
a I don't even know, I'm making up a number,
but they.

Speaker 1 (01:37:49):
It's a it's close. They have a five hundred million
dollar endowment. So yep, yeah, you know what Dion's good at.
I would tell you the you know, he's gonna he'll
come in, drop a bomb and then walk off with
the phone lines to start. Let lighten up.

Speaker 2 (01:38:06):
I gotta go, I gotta so he'll say something really
really get folks going, and then he's he's got a meeting.

Speaker 6 (01:38:13):
He's definitely good for that.

Speaker 8 (01:38:14):
He does that in our conversations too, like, what do
you mean you gotta get out the phone. You can't
get out the phone now, buddy, you got to talk
about this.

Speaker 1 (01:38:22):
Yeah, I gotta go. I gotta zoom, I gotta. I
got a conference call, I got a meeting.

Speaker 6 (01:38:26):
So that's funny.

Speaker 1 (01:38:28):
It is funny. But anyway, so.

Speaker 2 (01:38:32):
Yeah, Swift, we gotta we got a lot of stuff
to We got through a lot of stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:38:36):
Today, we did.

Speaker 6 (01:38:37):
We got through a lot today.

Speaker 2 (01:38:39):
Yeah, And you know, I don't like to end on
a bad note, but uh, you know, maybe there's some
positive that will come of this at some point in time.
You know, maybe somebody out there can stop the bleeding.
I don't know, but we can only hope. It's gonna
be interesting, right, it will be, indeed, it will be indeed,
So a lot more to come this week. Again, thank

(01:38:59):
you for sitting in for Eric. And we'll probably get
ready to take off here because we got to let.

Speaker 1 (01:39:05):
The computer take the commercials.

Speaker 2 (01:39:07):
And we gotta get ready for Willie Moore Junior on
the radio and all that other stuff. So thank you
everyone for listening. We'll be back tomorrow. Until then, have
a great day, be careful out there.