Podcasts about Lake County

In December 1999, the body of an unidentified young woman was found beaten to death in a forest preserve near North Chicago in Lake County, IL. Ten days after the body was discovered, Jeremy Tweedy, Jason Johnson and Jason Strong were brought in for questioning after Tweedy mentioned the woman's death to an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute. Police charged 24-year-old Jason Strong with first-degree murder and concealing a homicide and charged Tweedy and Johnson with concealing a homicide. Officers furnished a narrative about the circumstances of the victim's death to the two purported "witnesses," Tweedy and Johnson, both of whom agreed to testify against Jason Strong in exchange for lesser prison sentences. On October 18, 2000, Jason Strong was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 46 years in prison. https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/with-jason-flom Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a deadly "derecho" storm and flash floods slammed the midwest in early August, downing trees and power lines, tens of thousands of residents in and around Gary, Indiana have been surviving without power for 12 days and counting. According to the Associated Press, "Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said 68,000 customers were still without power as of Thursday morning, the majority of them in Lake County beside the Illinois border. The utility said it has restored power to 306,500 others since Aug. 11. But power is not expected to be fully restored until Tuesday [Aug. 25] in some places, including Gary." In this urgent episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of residents and community leaders about the ongoing blackout in Gary and the conditions that led to this avoidable national tragedy. Panelists include: GlenEva Dunham, president of the Gary Teachers Union, AFT Local 4; Freida Graves, Project Director at the faith-based nonprofit Families Anchored in Total Harmony (FAITH) CDC; and Reverend John Jackson, Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. Additional links/info:  FAITH CDC website and Facebook page Gary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD) Facebook page Tilly Robinson, Indianapolis Star, "Braun tells NIPSCO to move faster in Gary, while clergy says state must do more" Javonte Anderson, Capital B Gary, "I grew up in Gary. I've never seen a power outage like this" Belly of the Beast, "US policy causes Cuba's blackouts. US citizens bring solar panels for pregnant women" Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

After a deadly “derecho” storm and flash floods slammed the midwest in early August, downing trees and power lines, tens of thousands of residents in and around Gary, Indiana have been surviving without power for 12 days and counting. According to the Associated Press, “Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said 68,000 customers were still without power as of Thursday morning, the majority of them in Lake County beside the Illinois border. The utility said it has restored power to 306,500 others since Aug. 11. But power is not expected to be fully restored until Tuesday [Aug. 25] in some places, including Gary.” In this urgent episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of residents and community leaders about the ongoing blackout in Gary and the conditions that led to this avoidable national tragedy. Panelists include: GlenEva Dunham, president of the Gary Teachers Union, AFT Local 4; Freida Graves, Project Director at the faith-based nonprofit Families Anchored in Total Harmony (FAITH) CDC; and Reverend John Jackson, Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.Additional links/info: FAITH CDC website and Facebook pageGary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD) Facebook pageTilly Robinson, Indianapolis Star, “Braun tells NIPSCO to move faster in Gary, while clergy says state must do more”Javonte Anderson, Capital B Gary, “I grew up in Gary. I've never seen a power outage like this”Belly of the Beast, “US policy causes Cuba's blackouts. US citizens bring solar panels for pregnant women”Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme SongCredits: Audio Post-Production: Jules TaylorBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

South Bend opens the month of August topping 10 runs for the third game in a row, downing Lake County 10-3. The win is their 60th of the 2026 Midwest League season.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cubs win 15-7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Bend homers five times on Thursday as the Cubs hold off Lake County 11-8.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan Jones, Director of Marketing for Visit Lake County, joins Lisa Dent to discuss all of the summer activities just waiting to be experienced in Lake County. He highlights some of the artists people can see at Ravinia Festival, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chance the Rapper, Ricky Martin, and more! While Lake County also […]

Cubs win 8-6.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cubs lose 7-5See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 1, 1987, a radio DJ named Steve Cook put a song on the air at WTCM in Traverse City about a creature with the head of a dog and the body of a man that walks the north woods of Michigan and comes back every 7 years.He'd made up every piece of it over a single weekend as an April Fools joke, including the 7-year cycle and the 1887 origin date that people still repeat as history nearly 40 years later.What came back wasn't a laugh. It was a flood of calls from people who wanted to tell him what they'd already seen out there and had never told anybody.This is the latest stop on the backwoods cryptid road trip, and Brian works the documented history first.The 1887 lumberjack account that no newspaper from that year has ever been found to carry. Robert Fortney's 1937 encounter with 5 wild dogs on the Muskegon River, one of which stood up. The cabin door outside Luther that got clawed from top to bottom in 1987 and became the only physical artifact this legend has. And the Gable Film, the 8mm footage that surfaced in 2007, fooled a national television audience for 3 years, and was admitted as a hoax by a Michigan man named Mike Agrusa in 2010.Then the episode belongs to the encounters.A truck driver comes out of a curve on M-55 at 3 a.m. in November 2014 and finds something roughly 7 feet tall standing on the centerline, and it turns its head toward him and then walks off on two legs. Three campers in the Manistee National Forest spend a night in September 2011 listening to something circle their clearing two steps at a time, and in the morning the one who slept through it asks a question nobody wants to answer.Two cousins walking out of a Lake County hunting property in November 2021 realize something is matching their pace 40 yards off the two-track and stopping a beat late every time they stop. And on the morning of November 14, 2017, a retired tool and die man in a Missaukee County ladder stand picks up amber eyes 6 feet off the ground, chambers a round he never fires, and then sits up there another 20 minutes because climbing down feels worse.The buildings are the part Brian didn't expect. A family near Luther listens to something scratch their front door in October 2019, first at waist height and then at eye level, and then hears what comes out of the dark on the north side of the cabin. A farm couple in Osceola County watches one standing at the corner of the machine shed inside the yard light in 2005, tall enough that its head clears an 8-foot gable trim. A nurse alone at her family's camp northwest of Baldwin in November 2013 wakes to a growl 4 feet from her head with one wall in between, calls 911, and waits 40 minutes for a deputy.A county plow driver east of Lake City catches something with his wing blade in February 2012 and finds hair 4 feet up on the steel, and his foreman tells him it was a deer. A gas well operator pulls onto a pad in Antrim County at 2:30 a.m. in 2019 and watches something go over a 6-foot chain link fence with one hand on the top rail.And a deer camp in Kalkaska County comes out at first light in 2008 to find one buck on the ground with the knot still tied and the other one 60 yards back in the pines with the hindquarters gone.Michigan's Bigfoot record gets its own stretch of the episode, from the circus at Sister Lakes in June 1964, when hundreds of armed strangers drove into a rural township to shoot a monster, to the August 1965 roadside incident near Monroe that left 17-year-old Christine Van Acker with a black eye that ran in the papers.Brian also covers a Roscommon County hunter who watched something close to 7 feet tall walk away up a two-track on two legs during the 2016 firearm season, a fisherman standing on the Fox River before 5 a.m. in 1987, and a timber cruiser working a block in Menominee County in 1998 who had a rock come out of the canopy at him and found a track in a skid trail the next morning that he never photographed.Brian lays out what the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has said about all of this for decades, what Steve Cook has said about his own song for almost 40 years, and what two nights of driving the Baldwin and Luther corridor in the dark actually produced. Email BrianJoin Our FREE NewsletterGet Brian's Books Leave Us A VoicemailVisit Our WebsiteHave you experienced a Bigfoot sighting, Sasquatch encounter, Dogman experience, UFO sighting, or any unexplained cryptid or paranormal event deep in the woods? We want to hear your story.Email your encounter to brian@paranormalworldproductions.com for a chance to be featured on a future episode of Backwoods Bigfoot Stories.Backwoods Bigfoot Stories is a paranormal storytelling podcast featuring real Bigfoot encounters, Sasquatch sightings, Dogman reports, cryptid experiences, and true scary stories from the backwoods.Follow the show and turn on automatic downloads so you never miss a chilling encounter from the forest. Listen with the lights off… if you dare.

This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Sandra Cagan spent decades in property management before a milestone birthday and a brief human-interest news story about a New York cat cafe sent her in a new direction. She cold-emailed her county commissioner in Lake County, Florida — "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but this is what I want to do" — and had his support within the hour. The Orlando Cat Cafe opened in September 2016 as Florida's first cat cafe, and this year marks its 10th anniversary alongside the Community Cats Podcast's own. Sandra built it as a business first: a full-service cafe rather than packaged snacks, separate AC and filtration systems to keep the cafe and cat areas from cross-contaminating, and a "sweet spot" of about 28 cats at a time in a 1,000-square-foot play area, refreshed weekly by exclusive shelter partner SPCA Florida. All 489 adoptions facilitated last year sent 100% of the fee straight to SPCA Florida — a public-private model she credits partly to a public administration master's she earned during the pandemic. That same pandemic tested her resolve: Florida ordered the cafe closed, and she kept it shut into late July rather than reopen too soon, paying her staff the whole time. Her advice to other cat cafe owners: keep six months of reserves and treat the business like any other, rather than publicly asking for help with basics like a broken AC unit. Ten years in, Sandra has turned that playbook into the country's first cat cafe franchise: 18 months of groundwork, a 500-plus-page operations manual, a $42,750 initial fee, and total investment of roughly $450,000–$650,000 depending on location. She and her team vet franchisees closely and personally scout a shelter partner in every new market, favoring slow, strategic growth — currently focused on the Southeast — over rapid expansion. Press Play Now For: How a milestone birthday, a chance news story, and one bold email led to Florida's first cat cafe Why Sandra runs the cat side and the cafe side as two separate legal entities, with 100% of adoption fees going to her shelter partner The financial cushion and mindset that got the Orlando Cat Cafe through a months-long pandemic shutdown without laying off staff What it actually takes to become an Orlando Cat Cafe franchisee — from a 500-page operations manual to the investment range Why the cats do the matchmaking at the cafe, and how that changes the adoption experience Resources & Links Orlando Cat Cafe: https://www.orlandocatcafe.com Orlando Cat Cafe Franchise: https://www.orlandocatcafefranchise.com SPCA Florida: https://www.spcaflorida.org

This week on the Business of Good, presented by BCU: YouthBuild Lake County. Jon Hansen shares how YouthBuild Lake County is investing in underserved young adults to help them acquire life skills to have a better future. To learn more about how BCU can help you with your banking, visit www.bcu.org.

Brendan King and Tyler Reidy look back on the South Bend Cubs' 7-2 homestand before they head out to Lake County in Ohio this week to take on the Captains. Tyler talks to catcher Logan Poteet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can Falk turn over a new leaf? Are there any genres of story he hasn't explored that would be worth trying? Why are alligators flat? Listen to find out!Not Funny, episode 154 of This Gun in My Hand, was stripped of all humor by Rob Northrup. This episode and all others are available on Youtube with automatically-generated closed captions of dialog. Visit http://ThisGuninMyHand.blogspot.com for credits, show notes, archives, and to buy my books, such as Sisyphus, Eat Your Heart Out, available in paperback and ebook from Amazon. What keeps everyone around me from laughing? This Gun in My Hand!Show Notes:1. My mom told me the jokes about elephants jumping out of trees and the original Cherry Pachyderm joke probably 45 years ago.2. Columbia Pictures released 28 Blondie films between 1938 and 1950, based on the newspaper comic strip.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blondie_(film_series)3. According to etymonline dot com, the word “glitch” is thought to have been in circulation among radio broadcasters since the early 1940s, derived from the Yiddish glitsh, “a slip;” or German glitschen, “to slide or slip,” or gleiten, “to glide.”4. You can find several copies of The Lester Dent Master Fiction Plot (or The Lester Dent Formula) online. First published in Writer's Digest Yearbook 1936. https://bruces.medium.com/the-lester-dent-master-plot-formula-by-lester-dent-6779fd822695Credits:Music in this episode came from these public domain films:The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950), and Too Late for Tears (1949, aka Killer Bait). Most of the music and sound effects used in the episode are modified or incomplete versions of the originals.Other music during the commercial comes from the film Screaming Mimi (1958), which is available on archive.org. Some blogs claim it's public domain.The image accompanying this episode is a modified detail of the public domain photo “Detail of storefronts, south facade, east side - Indiana Hotel, 5116 Hohman Avenue, Hammond, Lake County, IN.” Photographer and date unknown.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail_of_storefronts,_south_facade,_east_side_-_Indiana_Hotel,_5116_Hohman_Avenue,_Hammond,_Lake_County,_IN_HABS_IND,45-HAMM,2-17.tifImage Alt text: Black and white photo at an angle of first floor store fronts. The letters above windows and awnings show where neon signs have been removed, but the painted backgrounds still read, “PASTEY JEWELRY” and “HAMMOND LOAN CO.” Inside the windows of Pastey Jewelry are closed curtains, no merchandise displayed. The streets are empty. Along the right edge of the photo are notes by the photographer: HABS No. IN-233-17.

Reflections from host Sarah Olivieri ... The Trap of Being the Most Capable Person in the Room There is a particular kind of nonprofit leader who is very good at almost everything. They can build the budget. They can write the grant. They can run the intake, fix the database, cover the front desk, and close the books when the bookkeeper leaves. When something breaks, they already know how to fix it, so they do. This is where nonprofit CEO leadership capacity quietly becomes the ceiling on the entire organization. When the most capable person keeps doing the work, the organization can only grow as large as that one person's hours. Everything routes through them. Every decision waits for them. And because they are competent, nobody notices the bottleneck until the organization is straining against it. This looks like a time management problem or a delegation problem, when in fact it's a leadership design problem. Let's talk about how to fix it. A Leader Who Has Made the Shift A version of this comes up almost every time I talk with a leader who is running a good organization and running themselves into the ground to do it. I had a conversation recently with Janelle Miller Moravek, who has led a growing mental health organization since 2009. She has been the fundraiser, the strategist, the operator, and the person who learned every function the hard way. And she has arrived somewhere most leaders need to go, but don't even realize yet. She knows how much to know, and she knows when to take her hands off. Know Enough to Be Dangerous There is a level of knowledge every CEO needs about every function of their organization. Not enough to run it. Enough to tell whether it is being run well. If you know nothing about your finances, you cannot tell a good accountant from a bad one. If you know nothing about your fundraising, you cannot tell whether your development director is stuck or coasting. You do not need to do the work. You need to know enough to provide real oversight. This is the balance that trips people up. Leaders tend to land at one of two extremes. Either they know a function so well that they cannot stop doing it, or they know it so poorly that they cannot supervise it. Neither one is oversight. Oversight lives in the middle, where you know enough to be dangerous and then let go of the doing. The truth is, most leaders overshoot toward doing because doing feels productive and supervising feels like nothing. Sitting in a meeting you do not strictly need to attend, reading a book, walking through the building, thinking about what is coming in eighteen months. None of that feels like work. All of it is the work. The Most Important Job Nobody Schedules The single most valuable thing a CEO can do is figure out what is around the corner that nobody else sees yet. When you plan for that, you are ahead of everyone. When you are ahead, your organization makes a bigger impact with less scramble. I call it brain time. The problem is that brain time never makes it onto the calendar, because everything else is louder. The payroll approval, the bank call that only the CEO is allowed to make, the fire that flared up this morning. Those tasks are real, and someone has to clear them so the rest of the team can move. But they are not the job. They are the price of admission to the job. When leaders let the loud, clearable tasks crowd out the quiet, high-value thinking, the organization loses its ability to see around corners. It becomes reactive. It handles what is in front of it and gets blindsided by what was predictable all along. Leadership You Can Buy Before You Can Afford It Here is the move that changes the math for organizations in the one-to-five-million range. You can bring in leadership without adding it to your management structure. When you outsource a function to a strong fractional or contracted firm, whether that is finance, HR, IT, or billing, you are not just buying task execution. You are buying leadership. A good outsourced finance team does not wait for you to direct them. They lead you. They tell you what you are missing. They bring a level of expertise you could never afford to hire full-time and could never provide yourself. This is what lets a leadership team stay lean. Janelle runs a nearly three-million-dollar organization with a management structure of two people, herself and a deputy director, because the CFO brain, the HR strategy, the billing compliance, and the fundraising all live with expert partners outside the building. The leadership is baked in. The payroll taxes, the turnover, the recruiting, the risk of getting a specialized compliance task wrong, all of that belongs to someone whose actual job it is. One line from that conversation has stayed with me: "It really hampered our growth before we outsourced." What I appreciate about this framing is that it names the mechanism. When a leader hoards functions they are not expert in, the organization does not just carry the cost of their learning curve. It carries the cost of everything that leader could have been doing instead. The growth that never happens is the most expensive line item, and it never shows up on any budget. Delegating Outcomes, Not Just Tasks There is a difference between handing someone a task and handing someone a result. Task delegation is "process this batch of invoices." Outcome delegation is "own our financial health and tell me when something is off." Most leaders get comfortable with the first and never make it to the second. So they stay busy checking work instead of free to lead. This is the shift from managing tasks to distributing outcomes and decisions across the organization. The shift usually becomes possible when the right person is in the right seat. And the right person is almost never the one with the most polished resume. It is the one with learning agility and curiosity, the one who can grow into responsibility you have not even defined yet. Hire for that, and you can eventually hand over not just the doing but the deciding. That is what frees a visionary leader to actually be one. I say this to clients constantly, and I had to learn it on myself first. For years my rule was that just because I can do something does not mean I should. I am a highly capable person. If I keep doing everything I am capable of, I will hold my own organization back, and I will not be a very happy human either. The capability is not the question. The choice about where to point it is. What Changes When You Stop Being the Doer When a leader stops being the doer, the whole organization stops waiting on one person. Decisions get made closer to the work. The team develops instead of stalling. And the leader finally has room for the thinking that only they can do. The heaviness that comes from being the answer to every question starts to lift. The work has not disappeared. It is finally sitting where it belongs. The organization stops being an extension of one person's stamina and starts being a system that can carry its own weight. That is what staying power actually looks like. It is not a heroic leader holding everything together. It is a structure built so that no single person has to. The Marathon This is not about doing less work. It is about doing the work that only you can do. Nonprofits can grow past the founder's capacity. They can build leadership they could not otherwise afford. They can run without one person anchoring every decision. Not by that person working harder. By building an organization that no longer needs them to. About the Guest Janelle Miller Moravek is a nonprofit leader & mental health advocate. She has led Youth & Family Counseling as Executive Director since 2009, driving its growth and impact across Lake County, Illinois. With a deep commitment to increasing access to mental health services, she oversees strategy, programming, and operations while fostering strong partnerships throughout the community. Janelle also plays a key leadership role in the region, serving on the board of the Lake County Alliance for Human Services and co-chairing the Lake County Behavioral Health Action Team. Her prior experience includes development roles at Carmel Catholic High School and Barat College. She holds a BA in French Studies from Wesleyan University and lives in Libertyville with her husband and three children. Connect with Janelle: Website: CounselingForAll.org/  LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/janelle-miller-moravek-903a815b/ Janelle's profile: accessspeakers.biz/speaker/janelle-miller-moravek-nonprofit-leader-mental-health-advocate/ Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that and follow us on LinkedIn.

Where Michigan Is Growing (and Where the Price Data Makes No Sense)Michigan added about 56,000 people since 2020, but 26 of our 83 counties actually lost population over that same stretch. The fastest growing county in the state? Not Oakland. Not Kent. It is Lake County, a place most lifelong Michiganders could not find on a map. Meanwhile, one of Michigan's biggest cities added a grand total of six residents last year.In this episode, I break down the newest U.S. Census Bureau estimates covering 2020 through 2025 and lay my own MLS price data over the top of them, and the results genuinely surprised me. The fastest growing township in Michigan saw home prices go DOWN. All ten of the fastest shrinking communities in the state, every single one in Wayne County, saw home prices go UP, including one that jumped roughly 40 percent in three years.You will hear:Why Kent County and Grand Rapids are leading Michigan in raw population growth, and what that means for buyers competing there. Why northern Michigan is growing at more than double the state's rate while the Traverse City region faces a shortage of roughly 30,000 housing units by 2027. Why Lyon Township, the fastest growing community in the entire state, saw its median price dip while Inkster, the fastest shrinking, posted the strongest price growth in this whole episode. The three variables you have to read together (population, supply, and price tier) before you trust any headline about the Michigan housing market. Plus a real story about a relocating family who almost let a "top ten places to live" list steer them away from exactly what they wanted.Whether you are relocating to Michigan from out of state, moving within Southeast Michigan, or just trying to make sense of conflicting housing headlines, this episode gives you the full picture instead of half the board.Grab my free 74-page Michigan Relocation Guide below. It breaks all of this down county by county, including cost of living, taxes, and communities across the state.CONTACT ME

Which structure works best for a property management business: Departmental or Portfolio? This is a topic that can be pretty polarizing in the industry. Welcome back to The Property Management Show, where we deep dive into the world of property management, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Today, we're talking with two prominent property management business owners in Central Florida. Welcome to Maryann Hoffman and Andrew Dougill of Hoffman Realty and David and Stacy Wilson of Wilson Management Group. These experts are talking about the structures they've adopted and offering some advice to property management owners who have not yet decided on how they want to organize their businesses. td {vertical-align: top; border:1px solid #eee;} li {font-size:15px;} .clean-td {border-bottom:none;} Podcast Summary Each type of management structure has its pros and cons. For property management companies that are about to build out their own structure, they need to think about the things they like to do and don't like to do. Deciding what works best will require flexibility. Processes and systems are often more foundational than how a property management company is organized. Guest Bios: Hoffman Realty Andrew and MaryAnn Hoffman are the founders and principals of Hoffman Realty, bringing decades of leadership and experience to the Tampa Bay property management industry. MaryAnn, a licensed real estate broker, entered the industry in 1983 and established Hoffman Realty in 1988 with a clear vision: to deliver personalized, high-quality service to small residential investors. In 2000, Andrew, then Vice President of Engineering at TECO Energy, joined the firm to lead business operations, aligning his background as a long-time real estate investor and landlord with the company's mission. Together, they have built a 38+ year track record of supporting residential investors throughout the Tampa Bay area and currently oversee a portfolio of approximately 450 managed properties. Hoffman Realty's continued success is rooted in a disciplined operational approach and a strong commitment to client service, with MaryAnn remaining actively involved in day-to-day oversight to ensure every client receives personal attention, and no property owner is overlooked. Both Andrew and MaryAnn are deeply engaged in the professional community. Andrew is an active member of Suncoast Tampa Area Realtors (STAR), the Bay Area Apartment Association, and the Tampa Bay Chapter of NARPM. He has served as Property Management Chair for Greater Tampa REALTORS®, is a member of the STAR Government Affairs and Property Management Committees, a former Tampa Bay NARPM Board member, and currently serves as Tampa Bay NARPM Legislative Chair—advocating for landlord-tenant policy at both the state and national levels. Wilson Management Group Wilson Management Group was founded in Orlando in 1986 and has been family-owned and operated ever since. David Wilson obtained his Real Estate Salesperson's license in 1993 and began working for WMG as a property manager. In 2005, he obtained his Real Estate Broker's license and gradually transitioned into overseeing all day-to-day business operations. David, and his wife, Stacy, purchased the business from his parents in 2014, and they run it together with their fantastic team. They are active members of NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers). David has been a member since the Orlando/Central Florida chapter was formed in 1995. They are passionate about keeping Florida a landlord-friendly state, for the benefit of their current and future clients. They participate every year with NARPM in annual legislative summits both in Tallahassee, FL and Washington, DC, advocating for the rights of landlords here in Florida. What Do Successful Central Florida Property Management Companies Look Like? Let's take a look at who we're talking to today: Hoffman Realty is based in the Tampa Bay Area. They serve communities as far north as State Route 54 and as far south as Apollo Beach and Wimauma. They're a departmental structure and have about 450 companies under management. Wilson Management Group is in Orlando. They're a portfolio style management company and serve all of Orange and Seminole Counties, with part of Lake County, Volusia County, and Osceola County within their scope. They also manage about 450 doors. How Do These Structures Differ? At the NARPM Broker/Owner Conference this year, Matthew Tringali of BetterWho presented a framework called The Team Structure Checklist, which highlighted the fundamental differences between each business structure. Here's what Maryann reported from that event: Departmental Structure. Most people are in the office and available for phone calls, answering questions, and serving more specialized areas of expertise. There's one person managing inspections for all properties and another person managing the accounting or the leasing. One point of contact takes care of customer service. There are property management departments. Portfolio structures would have one professional with a portfolio of 75 to 125 properties and they handle everything. The entire experience of that property is under their purview, whether we're talking about maintenance or leasing or tenant management. The primary point of contact is the property manager overseeing the portfolio. Does the Company Structure Impact Quality of Service? When we talk about departmental vs. portfolio structures, is it merely an internal operational decision that owners don't notice, or are there differences in how service is delivered and perceived? It depends. When we talk about portfolio models, we're often talking about companies that cover a larger geographic area, and to expand the business portfolio is necessary. Departmental structures work better for smaller service areas. Both structures can provide excellent client experiences. This depends on policies and procedures and how effectively and consistently the company can apply those. It also depends on staff. A leasing agent having a bad day in a departmental structure will not affect an owner who calls to talk about accounting. But in a portfolio structure, the property manager may be having a bad day, and that can affect any owner who calls for help. The answer to high-quality service delivery in either structure? Having strong systems. Which Model is More Scalable for Property Management Companies? Property management companies may want to know if one type of company can support growth better than the other, but the answer comes down to company goals and vision. Portfolio property management companies are geographically based. Each property manager has a portfolio that they manage, and the properties assigned are based on maintaining boundaries geographically. There's always a bit of overlap, but it's not going to work to have property managers crossing counties while trying to provide great service. David and Stacy want their property managers to concentrate on their portfolios to the best of their ability. So from an expansion perspective, portfolio works for management companies that want to grow geographically. It's possible to add another property manager when new doors are added in different neighborhoods or cities. Departmental management companies grow best within a tight service area. Maryann and Andrew note that their employees go home at night without being on call for owners or tenants who might need them (Maryann hands out her cell phone for that purpose). The point is to have good property managers who communicate well with existing clients before growing. A new client joined Hoffman Realty because he had not heard from his previous property manager for three months. It turned out his assigned manager had left the company, but no one there had told him. In each business structure, growth is only possible with good systems, clear assignment of duties, and smart staff. What Are Some of the Weaknesses in Portfolio and Departmental Property Management Structures? What if a tenant doesn't pay rent? What if there are complaints that repairs are taking too much time? What if a key property manager leaves the company? Portfolio The main challenge for portfolio companies is the loss of that knowledge and expertise when a property anger leaves. And it's also important to be clear about who owns the client. In a portfolio system, you would not want a property manager to leave your company and take your clients with them. Property management is a relationship business. Internal controls are needed no matter what your structure. You will need: Management agreements Independent contractor agreements (this is how Wilson hires) Policies and procedures David and Stacy have done a great job of mitigating risk and establishing that clients belong to the company, not the property manager. Most of the professionals working for them have been with the company for over 15 years. Departmental For departmental companies, it can be a challenge to juggle all the repairs. It requires a lot of time management to negotiate every single lease renewal. Things come up and Maryann and Andrew must decide when the limits of their system have been reached and it's time to hire another person. Another weakness in departmental businesses is that sometimes owners and landlords can feel passed around from one person to another. They're talking to someone different about maintenance and accounting, for example. As the Business Development Manager, Maryann makes sure she is the point of contact for any struggles owners may encounter. There are lots of questions when they're being onboarded, but once the path is clear, things settle quickly. How Are Florida Property Management Companies Unique? The housing collapse in 2008. COVID eviction moratoriums. Massive hurricanes. Post-pandemic pricing surges. Major relocation of new residents into Florida. Major insurance crisis. Florida management companies have been through a lot. How does each business structure approach these elements that are unique to Florida property management? Andrew said that for Hoffman Realty, the 2008 crisis was one of the worst to manage. There had just been a huge boom and prices were high. Then, the market crashed and people who had no intention of being landlords found themselves renting out homes when they could not sell.That included a lot of private equity firms.Maryann remembers a meeting with a huge company that was planning to buy hundreds of properties in 2010. It was exciting at first; the idea that they would get so much business. But the geographic area covered seven counties. Hoffman Realty would have had to change their entire operation in order to accommodate that management contract. For Stacy and David, the COVID pandemic and hurricanes are particularly memorable.During the pandemic, people did not want to leave their homes but they needed to see properties. At that time, video walk-throughs were not common, but they quickly became necessary. They could not imagine doing without video tours, now. Property management companies in Florida have to adapt to manage these crises.In 2004, there were three different hurricanes that hit the Orlando region in a span of three weeks, including the very powerful Hurricane Charlie. That storm took out the power to the Wilson Management Group office for two and a half weeks. But they still had to operate. Trees were down everywhere and property managers could not use phones or email. This was long before the technology we have today. David was grateful that they had planned ahead and printed out what they needed and were able to physically check on their properties. Diving Deeper into Hurricanes: How Do Business Structures Respond? More recently, after Hurricanes Milton and Helene in 2024, Hoffman Realty had three pages of roof repairs that their properties needed. This is how the departmental process served them: One person was in charge of roofs. Another person was in charge of fence repairs. Another handled mold remediation. Separate people were assigned to insurance adjusters. Staff members were calling tenants to ask about any damage. It was a mess, Maryann said, but everything was departmentalized already. As a portfolio-based company, David and Stacy would have their property managers check in with tenants, first. In the first few days after a hurricane, roads were dangerous. There were no stop lights and trees were down across town. Before putting their property managers in any kind of situation where they had to go out and put eyes on a property, they'd ask their tenants for reports. Instead of conducting 30 inspections a month, their property managers were eventually conducting about 30 per day. What is the Relationship Between Team Structure and Company Size? Is there a size where one specific structure makes more sense than the other? It may not matter. Regardless of the business model a Management company has, there is some level of overlap into different sorts of business models no matter what. Some companies have a pod style, with senior and junior managers and they have coordinators in that pod. Andrew and Maryann have a departmental business which is similar. In the Wilson portfolio structure, property managers still have back-office support for accounting and leases. Overlap should be expected. Scaling any of those structures can be challenging. For portfolio companies, property managers are geographically aligned, so if there is a burst of new properties that come under management, how are they assigned when all of the existing property managers are at capacity? How Do Property Managers Know Which Structure is Right for Their Company? Maybe you're a smaller company at 50 to 100 doors, and you have to decide whether to form a portfolio or department company structure. What clues should you be looking for that might tell you which path is the best? Andrew says that if you're growing from a one-person show to a larger company, you'll realize you need help, and you should delegate the tasks you don't like to do. Maybe you like leasing and talking to landlords but you don't like coordinating maintenance. That maintenance supervisor should be your first hire. Stacy and David advise to be prepared for one thing: systems will break down as you grow. Whether you gravitate towards departmental or portfolio or something else, you'll have to pivot or adjust at some point. You might start off with one model and pivot to the other. Try to anticipate where the break might occur. If you can see it coming, you can prevent it. How Can AI and Technology be Used? Thanks to automation and AI, it's possible to do more with fewer people. With the help of technology, property management owners know that they can focus more on relationships. And remember that AI is able to do a lot of things, but it can't just be plugged into a property management business. Automating something that is broken will just allow mistakes to be made faster. We're saying it again: processes and procedures are essential. Deploying AI will not magically fix problems. Will Owners Care about Company Structure when Choosing a Property Management Partner? Hopefully, clients will ask deeper questions about how your business functions. How are applicants screened? How quickly does the staff handle maintenance? How and when will my residents get solutions to their problems? These are the things that help determine how efficient a property management business is. Company structure is rarely a part of the interview. Property managers trying to earn new business will want to clarify with the property owners and investors what the long-term financial goals are. That may play into how they decide what kind of company they hire. But that may not have to do with structure; it may have more to do with the perspective of the business and how they manage. What Are the Last Words from Hoffman Realty and Wilson Management Group? Here's what our guests want to leave you with: Loving what you do is a big part of success. Start off with strong systems and get those down before growing a property management company. Owning investment real estate is great. If you're starting off, keep moving forward. How can you connect with our fantastic guests today? Connect with Maryann and Andrew from Hoffman Realty at http://hoffmanrealty.com/ Connect with Stacy and David from Wilson Management Group at https://www.wilsonmanagementgroup.com/about Thanks for joining us on The Property Management Show. If you have any thoughts about what we've discussed, please contact us at Fourandhalf. var gform;gform||(document.addEventListener("gform_main_scripts_loaded",function(){gform.scriptsLoaded=!0}),document.addEventListener("gform/theme/scripts_loaded",function(){gform.themeScriptsLoaded=!0}),window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){gform.domLoaded=!0}),gform={domLoaded:!1,scriptsLoaded:!1,themeScriptsLoaded:!1,isFormEditor:()=>"function"==typeof InitializeEditor,callIfLoaded:function(o){return!(!gform.domLoaded||!gform.scriptsLoaded||!gform.themeScriptsLoaded&&!gform.isFormEditor()||(gform.isFormEditor()&&console.warn("The use of gform.initializeOnLoaded() is deprecated in the form editor context and will be removed in Gravity Forms 3.1."),o(),0))},initializeOnLoaded:function(o){gform.callIfLoaded(o)||(document.addEventListener("gform_main_scripts_loaded",()=>{gform.scriptsLoaded=!0,gform.callIfLoaded(o)}),document.addEventListener("gform/theme/scripts_loaded",()=>{gform.themeScriptsLoaded=!0,gform.callIfLoaded(o)}),window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",()=>{gform.domLoaded=!0,gform.callIfLoaded(o)}))},hooks:{action:{},filter:{}},addAction:function(o,r,e,t){gform.addHook("action",o,r,e,t)},addFilter:function(o,r,e,t){gform.addHook("filter",o,r,e,t)},doAction:function(o){gform.doHook("action",o,arguments)},applyFilters:function(o){return gform.doHook("filter",o,arguments)},removeAction:function(o,r){gform.removeHook("action",o,r)},removeFilter:function(o,r,e){gform.removeHook("filter",o,r,e)},addHook:function(o,r,e,t,n){null==gform.hooks[o][r]&&(gform.hooks[o][r]=[]);var d=gform.hooks[o][r];null==n&&(n=r+"_"+d.length),gform.hooks[o][r].push({tag:n,callable:e,priority:t=null==t?10:t})},doHook:function(r,o,e){var t;if(e=Array.prototype.slice.call(e,1),null!=gform.hooks[r][o]&&((o=gform.hooks[r][o]).sort(function(o,r){return o.priority-r.priority}),o.forEach(function(o){"function"!=typeof(t=o.callable)&&(t=window[t]),"action"==r?t.apply(null,e):e[0]=t.apply(null,e)})),"filter"==r)return e[0]},removeHook:function(o,r,t,n){var e;null!=gform.hooks[o][r]&&(e=(e=gform.hooks[o][r]).filter(function(o,r,e){return!!(null!=n&&n!=o.tag||null!=t&&t!=o.priority)}),gform.hooks[o][r]=e)}}); URLThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.First Name(Required)Last Name(Required)Email(Required) Phone(Required)Company NameComments or QuestionsThis field is hidden when viewing the formDate MM slash DD slash YYYY gform.initializeOnLoaded( function() {gformInitSpinner( 33, 'https://fourandhalf.com/wp-content/plugins/gravityforms/images/spinner.svg', true );jQuery('#gform_ajax_frame_33').on('load',function(){var contents = jQuery(this).contents().find('*').html();var is_postback = contents.indexOf('GF_AJAX_POSTBACK') >= 0;if(!is_postback){return;}var form_content = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_wrapper_33');var is_confirmation = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_confirmation_wrapper_33').length > 0;var is_redirect = contents.indexOf('gformRedirect(){') >= 0;var is_form = form_content.length > 0 && ! is_redirect && ! is_confirmation;var mt = parseInt(jQuery('html').css('margin-top'), 10) + parseInt(jQuery('body').css('margin-top'), 10) + 100;if(is_form){jQuery('#gform_wrapper_33').html(form_content.html());if(form_content.hasClass('gform_validation_error')){jQuery('#gform_wrapper_33').addClass('gform_validation_error');} else {jQuery('#gform_wrapper_33').removeClass('gform_validation_error');}setTimeout( function() { /* delay the scroll by 50 milliseconds to fix a bug in chrome */ }, 50 );if(window['gformInitDatepicker']) {gformInitDatepicker();}if(window['gformInitPriceFields']) {gformInitPriceFields();}var current_page = jQuery('#gform_source_page_number_33').val();gformInitSpinner( 33, 'https://fourandhalf.com/wp-content/plugins/gravityforms/images/spinner.svg', true );jQuery(document).trigger('gform_page_loaded', [33, current_page]);window['gf_submitting_33'] = false;}else if(!is_redirect){var confirmation_content = jQuery(this).contents().find('.GF_AJAX_POSTBACK').html();if(!confirmation_content){confirmation_content = contents;}jQuery('#gform_wrapper_33').replaceWith(confirmation_content);jQuery(document).trigger('gform_confirmation_loaded', [33]);window['gf_submitting_33'] = false;wp.a11y.speak(jQuery('#gform_confirmation_message_33').text());}else{jQuery('#gform_33').append(contents);if(window['gformRedirect']) {gformRedirect();}}jQuery(document).trigger("gform_pre_post_render", [{ formId: "33", currentPage: "current_page", abort: function() { this.preventDefault(); } }]); if (event && event.defaultPrevented) { return; } const gformWrapperDiv = document.getElementById( "gform_wrapper_33" ); if ( gformWrapperDiv ) { const visibilitySpan = document.createElement( "span" ); visibilitySpan.id = "gform_visibility_test_33"; gformWrapperDiv.insertAdjacentElement( "afterend", visibilitySpan ); } const visibilityTestDiv = document.getElementById( "gform_visibility_test_33" ); let postRenderFired = false; function triggerPostRender() { if ( postRenderFired ) { return; } postRenderFired = true; gform.core.triggerPostRenderEvents( 33, current_page ); if ( visibilityTestDiv ) { visibilityTestDiv.parentNode.removeChild( visibilityTestDiv ); } } function debounce( func, wait, immediate ) { var timeout; return function() { var context = this, args = arguments; var later = function() { timeout = null; if ( !immediate ) func.apply( context, args ); }; var callNow = immediate && !timeout; clearTimeout( timeout ); timeout = setTimeout( later, wait ); if ( callNow ) func.apply( context, args ); }; } const debouncedTriggerPostRender = debounce( function() { triggerPostRender(); }, 200 ); if ( visibilityTestDiv && visibilityTestDiv.offsetParent === null ) { const observer = new MutationObserver( ( mutations ) => { mutations.forEach( ( mutation ) => { if ( mutation.type === 'attributes' && visibilityTestDiv.offsetParent !== null ) { debouncedTriggerPostRender(); observer.disconnect(); } }); }); observer.observe( document.body, { attributes: true, childList: false, subtree: true, attributeFilter: [ 'style', 'class' ], }); } else { triggerPostRender(); } } );} ); The post Portfolio vs. Departmental: Which One is a Better Property Management Team Structure? appeared first on Fourandhalf Marketing Agency for Property Managers.

In July 1949, four young African Americans — Ernest Thomas, Charles Greenlee, Samuel Shepherd, and Walter Irvin — were falsely accused of raping a white teenager in Lake County.The Groveland Four, as they became known, were posthumously exonerated in 2021. This year, the state set aside $4 million to make their families whole. But can justice delayed ever be served?Then, why the Stop WOKE Act appellate ruling isn't the end of the controversy, a rock music camp is teaching more than music to young girls, and a huge art exhibit at the Straz offers insight into an incognito artist.Website: https://www.wusf.orgSign up for our daily newsletter: https://www.wusf.org/wakeupcall-newsletterFollow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WUSFInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wusfpublicmedia/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsN1ZItTKcJ4AGsBIni3

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart joins Karen Conti to discuss the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative and how it has helped drastically reduce gun violence since the 2022 Highland Park parade shooting. Eric also talks about Firearm Restraining Orders, what he has done to solve domestic violence issues in Lake County, and law enforcement’s close connection with […]

Jon Griffel from Macoupin County, a winner in the Illinois Farm Bureau "Put Me In Coach" promotion, will throw out the first pitch at the Cardinals vs. Cubs game a Busch Stadium on July 30.Eric Muller from Lake County details his experience with the Illinois Ag Leadership Foundation Class of 2027.IHSA Friday Friday Friday segment features Dave Nanninga of the Illinois High School Glory Days website.  

A look back at the Guards back to back walk-off winners over the visiting Chicago White Sox. Plus, Chase DeLauter and David Fry sit down with Rosey to talk about their recent success at the plate. Also, the weekly Farm Report with V.P. of Player Development Stephen Osterer who fills us in on the happenings in Lake County. That's all on this edition of Guardians Weekly with Jim Rosenhaus on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE! PART TWOOn Crown Point's Main Street stands a charming red-brick mansion hiding a chilling secret—the Old Lake County Jail. Once home to just ten cells, it eventually crammed in 150 inmates by 1928. Among them was America's most wanted gangster, John Dillinger, who famously escaped in 1934, leaving his captors humiliated—and some spirits behind.Though Dillinger slipped away, many prisoners never left. Visitors report apparitions of inmates and guards, the clang of cell doors slamming shut, phantom footsteps on the metal stairs, and whispers in dark hallways long after closing hours. Locals say this historic jail still holds those who served a life sentence—and never stopped.In this episode of The Grave Talks, we join Jacquie Thompson and Sandy Boyd to explore the haunted history of Old Lake County Jail. From the building's violent past to modern-day paranormal encounters, we uncover why this site is believed to be one of Indiana's most haunted places.For more information on the jail, tours, and paranormal investigations, visit their website at oldsheriffshouse.org or their Facebook page at Old Lake County Jail.#HauntedJail #OldLakeCountyJail #JohnDillingerGhost #RealGhostStories #HauntedIndiana #HistoricHauntings #GhostlyPrisoners #TheGraveTalks #HauntedPlaces #TrueParanormal #ParanormalInvestigations #GhostHuntingLove real ghost stories? Want even more?Become a supporter and unlock exclusive extras, ad-free episodes, and advanced access:

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE!On Crown Point's Main Street stands a charming red-brick mansion hiding a chilling secret—the Old Lake County Jail. Once home to just ten cells, it eventually crammed in 150 inmates by 1928. Among them was America's most wanted gangster, John Dillinger, who famously escaped in 1934, leaving his captors humiliated—and some spirits behind.Though Dillinger slipped away, many prisoners never left. Visitors report apparitions of inmates and guards, the clang of cell doors slamming shut, phantom footsteps on the metal stairs, and whispers in dark hallways long after closing hours. Locals say this historic jail still holds those who served a life sentence—and never stopped.In this episode of The Grave Talks, we join Jacquie Thompson and Sandy Boyd to explore the haunted history of Old Lake County Jail. From the building's violent past to modern-day paranormal encounters, we uncover why this site is believed to be one of Indiana's most haunted places.For more information on the jail, tours, and paranormal investigations, visit their website at oldsheriffshouse.org or their Facebook page at Old Lake County Jail.#HauntedJail #OldLakeCountyJail #JohnDillingerGhost #RealGhostStories #HauntedIndiana #HistoricHauntings #GhostlyPrisoners #TheGraveTalks #HauntedPlaces #TrueParanormal #ParanormalInvestigations #GhostHuntingLove real ghost stories? Want even more?Become a supporter and unlock exclusive extras, ad-free episodes, and advanced access:

After a scoreboard update from Landon Coons, Eddie Garrison begins the final hour talking with Howard Kellman, the voice of the Indianapolis Indians as they talk the Tribe’s 4-3 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Eddie then talks with Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files as they talk the Fever’s blowout victory over the Los Angeles Sparks. We then hear from the voice of the South Bend Cubs, Brendan King, as he and Eddie talk over the Cubs 11-1 victory over Quad Cities. We also hear from Mike Maahs, the voice of the TinCaps as Fort Wayne fell 8-6 to Lake County. Eddie Garrison closes out the show asking the crew what their walk-out song would be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Morning Briefing — Thursday, June 25, 2026 | West Rogers Park, ChicagoWeather With Enthusiasm | Kol Simcha Productions─────────────────────────────────────────HEBREW DATE & PARSHA─────────────────────────────────────────11 Tamuz 5786Parashat Chukat-Balak (diaspora combined) — read Shabbos June 27─────────────────────────────────────────TODAY'S ZMANIM — WEST ROGERS PARK (ZIP 60645)─────────────────────────────────────────Alos HaShachar: 3:22:25 AMMisheyakir: 4:01:31 AMNetz HaChama (Sunrise): 5:16:26 AMSof Zman Krias Shma: 9:04:57 AMSof Zman Tefila: 10:21:07 AMChatzos: 12:53:28 PMMincha Gedola: 1:31:33 PMShkiah (Sunset): 8:30:29 PM─────────────────────────────────────────WEATHER SUMMARY─────────────────────────────────────────Mostly quiet Thursday — partly sunny, upper 70s to near 80°F inland, cooler near the lake due to lake breeze. 20% isolated shower chance in Lake County.FRIDAY: Rain 20-30% north of I-80, 60-70%+ south of I-80. Storm threat low.SATURDAY NIGHT: Showers/storms possible along warm front.NEXT WEEK: First heat wave of summer — highs in the 90s, dewpoints 70s, heat indices ABOVE 100°F through mid-week.NWS Chicago AFD issued 2:50 AM CDT Jun 25, 2026. Forecaster: KJB.SPC Severe Hazard Outlook:• Tornadoes: Level 3 (some EF-2+)• Damaging Winds: Level 3 (gusts 60-80+ mph)• Damaging Hail: Level 2 (some 2"+ diameter)• Flash Flooding: Level 2 (locally significant)─────────────────────────────────────────KIDS ACTIVITIES — CHICAGO─────────────────────────────────────────1. Chicago Children's Museum — FREE today (Every Child Thrives Festival) 10AM-5PM, 700 E Grand Ave2. Museum of Ice Cream — FREE today, sessions at 11AM/2PM/4PM, 435 N Michigan Ave (call ahead: 312-527-1000)3. Millennium Park Summer Music Series — FREE, 6:30-9PM, Jay Pritzker Pavilion4. Art Institute of Chicago — FREE for IL residents, 5-8PM, 111 S Michigan Ave5. Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Star Wars in Concert — 7:30PM, Symphony Center, 220 S Michigan Ave (tickets required)─────────────────────────────────────────WEATHER HISTORY — JUNE 25─────────────────────────────────────────June 25, 1953 — The Udall, Kansas tornado killed 80 people and destroyed 90% of the town, the deadliest tornado in Kansas history. Coming just 17 days after the Flint-Beecher tornado (116 killed), it made June 1953 one of the most catastrophic tornado months in American history.─────────────────────────────────────────TOMORROW'S ZMANIM — FRIDAY, JUNE 26 (12 Tamuz)─────────────────────────────────────────Alos HaShachar: 3:22:52 AMMisheyakir: 4:01:56 AMNetz HaChama (Sunrise): 5:16:48 AMSof Zman Krias Shma: 9:05:14 AMSof Zman Tefila: 10:21:23 AMChatzos: 12:53:40 PMMincha Gedola: 1:31:44 PMShkiah (Sunset): 8:30:32 PM─────────────────────────────────────────SHABBOS TIMES — PARASHAT CHUKAT-BALAK─────────────────────────────────────────Hadlakas Neiros (Candle Lighting): Friday, 8:10 PM (20 minutes before Friday shkiah — Chicago minhag)Havdalah: Saturday, 9:20 PM (50 minutes after Saturday shkiah of 8:30:32 PM — Chicago minhag)─────────────────────────────────────────ABOUT THIS PODCAST─────────────────────────────────────────Weather With Enthusiasm is produced by Kol Simcha Productions.New episodes drop daily — morning forecasts at 7 AM every day on Spreaker, plus a historical weather deep-dive every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 AM CDT. Most podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music) typically receive new episodes within 1–3 hours of release.Contact: kolsimchaproductions@outlook.comSupport the show — exclusive bonus episodes for just $5/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simcha.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.Weather with Enthusiasm is produced by Kol Simcha Productions.New episodes drop daily (B'N)— a morning forecast at 7 AM and historical deep dives Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact: kolsimchaproductions@outlook.comHistorical content is thoroughly researched and factually verified. After it has been factually verified it often will say so in the description. Should you find any mistakes, please email kolsimchaproductions@outlook.com so we can look into it and correct it. Not affiliated with any government agency or academic institution. Presented for educational and entertainment purposes — with meaning.Support the show — exclusive bonus episodes available to subscribers for just $2/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simcha

In this episode of Discovering Grayslake, host sits down with Paul and Jill Miller, Grayslake residents since 2011 and owners of Zoomin and Groomin, a mobile pet grooming franchise serving Lake County. The couple shares their inspiring journey from educators to entrepreneurs, discussing how their business brings a fully equipped grooming van right to your doorstep. They highlight the convenience, reduced pet anxiety, and personalized care that sets mobile grooming apart. From dogs to exotic pets, Zoomin and Groomin does it all! Find them on Facebook and Instagram at Zoom and Groom Lake County.

Three weeks after beating Kildare, Galway stand 70 minutes away from reaching an All-Ireland senior football quarter-final in Croke Park, as they host Leinster champions Westmeath in Round 2A on Sunday (14th June 2026). The Tribesmen will be favourites but the Lake County have caused problems in the past, and will be full of confidence having beaten Longford, Meath, Kildare, Dublin and Cavan to reach this stage.  While Galway won thier previous championship meeting in 2024 (1-12 to 0-11), Westmeath's last visit to Salthill saw them leave victors in 2006 (1-8 to 0-10). Former Galway captain Gary O'Donnell joined Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly on 'Over The Line' to look ahead to the game. == Throw-in at Pearse Stadium on Sunday is 2pm and we'll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM.

Eric Waggoner, Planning, Building, & Development Director for Lake County, joins Lisa Dent to talk about the area’s pursuit of a moratorium on AI data center applications. With variables like energy costs and cooling resources, Eric feels there’s too much at stake to rush into the process.

After retiring twice, Chris Baker, President of Brassfield Estate, was lured back in by a unique opportunity to build one of the world's largest monopoles in the High Valley AVA of Lake County, California. Its unique volcanic terroir is now being scaled nationally with a 10 year contract and national alignment with Southern Glazers. Chris describes the best practices in working with distributors and partnering together to create a successful brand, built on trusted relationships. Detailed Show Notes: Chris' background: hospitality, distribution, ran wineries, has tried to retire twice and come back due to his love of wineBrassfield overviewHigh Valley AVA, in Lake County CA100% estate grown and produced 5,000 acre property, 500 acres planted, up to 2,000 plantable65k sf cave, only 15% utilizedGrows 17 varietals (10 in distribution), best known from Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot NoirRetail price points - $16-17 whites, $25-30 redsNational partnership with Southern GlazersWas in 14 states, now in 45Perks to being nationally aligned - a little more attention, assigned trade development managerHave a 10 year contract (normal is 2-3 years) w/ automatic renewalSouthern chose Brassfield because of its scalability (potential to be biggest monopole in the world) and they didn't have a national product for Lake CountySales team being built out9 division managers, 1 national accounts on-premisePicked up experienced people (e.g. - from Vintage, others) who know a lot of accounts and not afraid to put a bag on their shouldersTeam needs to know distributors feet on the street all the way to state leadersKPIs to drive velocity (getting several products in the right accounts, volume goal, rate of sales, accounts sold goal, 50/50 on- and off-premise split)Small, medium wineries need to do more DTC, social media in new distribution environmentNeed to identify brand's uniquenessDistributors and accounts want to know what brand will do to create pullFocus on top moving accounts: top 250 restaurants, top retailers, share accounts b/w distributor and winery, need to understand what brands are important for the distributors (to not cannibalize sales)“We're in the relationship business”National account restaurants - often have 3rd party agencies (e.g. - Patrick Henry, IMI) to work through, hard to get direct contact, can meet some people at Vibe conference, trade conferences, Aspen Food & WineNeed to learn about customers and get to know each otherBest practice: being present, everyone is trying to get mindshare of distributors, can't only go once every 6 months, need frequent communications, involvement, and call on accounts direct w/ or w/o distributorDistributors have big notebooks of incentives (some suppliers have big ones), they cherry pick what they think will be easiest to accomplishThe top down approach can work, if distributor leads push down priorities to teamCreating consumer awareness (marketing, social, PR) can get attention w/o incentive programs, Brassfield hired a PR agency in NY and a marketing company in NapaBiggest success stories: Lazy Dog - national account w/ Eruption Red Blend, participates in their annual summitSugarfish Sushi - Sauvignon Blanc is in all 17-18 locationsAnnual Volcano Camp (started 2025)Brassfield responsible for High Valley AVAPartnered w/ SommJournal to bring somms from around the countryDug soil pitsInvestment in education builds brand ambassadors, believes it is high ROI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hour 2 of the Tuesday 6-9-26 Bob Rose Show, on the morning's biggest stories, including the surprise earthquake felt in much of Florida, the strongest recorded in the state. Theme parks rides stopped, high rises evacuated, and Lake County even closed gov't offices. As the Bob Rose Show pumps you up to seize the day and take charge of your Trash Talkin' Tuesday

Director Dean Alioto joins me to discuss his new documentary, The Experiencers: Full Disclosure.Dean is best known to many in the UFO world for The McPherson Tape and Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, two cult projects that blurred the line between fiction, found footage and UFO folklore.In this conversation, we get into why he turned his attention to experiencers and abduction accounts, the challenge of handling such a divisive part of the topic, Betty and Barney Hill, Travis Walton, Terry Lovelace, hybrid claims, hypnosis, evidence, high strangeness and why Dean believes abductions may be the real elephant in the room.A fascinating discussion on one of the most controversial areas of the UFO subject.The Experiencers: Full Disclosure is available now.https://www.experiencersmovie.com/

The Cheat Sheet is The Murder Sheet's segment breaking down weekly news and updates in some of the murder cases we cover. In this episode, we'll talk about cases from Indiana, North Carolina, and Michigan.The Charlotte Observer's report on the arrest of Johnny Steven Talbert for the murders of Donna Barnhardt, and Darrell Noles at the Sun Drop Bottling Company: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article315888339.htmlMichigan Live's report on Omar Brogdon's killing of Orhan Hosic: https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2026/05/man-sentenced-to-life-for-fatal-shooting-in-facebook-marketplace-sale-gone-wrong.htmlCheck out our upcoming book events and get links to buy tickets here: https://murdersheetpodcast.com/eventsPre-order our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Check out more inclusive sizing and t-shirt and merchandising options here: https://themurdersheet.dashery.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this month's episode, host Jenny Craig-Brown sits down with Patty Stovall, founder and CEO of Sounds of Sarah Inc.! Sounds of Sarah Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Northwest Indiana, founded in 2022 in memory of her daughter Sarah, who was lost to illicit drug poisoning. The organization focuses on youth education, community awareness, naloxone access, mobile crisis response, and grief support related to the overdose crisis.Biography: Patty Stovall is the Founder and CEO of Sounds of Sarah Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Northwest Indiana, founded in 2022 in memory of her daughter Sarah, who was lost to illicit drug poisoning. Sounds of Sarah focuses on youth education, community awareness, naloxone access, mobile crisis response, and grief support related to the overdose crisis. Patty brings more than 25 years of experience in addiction counseling, mental health services, and community leadership. Her background includes 16 years as an addiction counselor and leadership roles with Mental Health America, South Lake Mental Health, Northwest Indiana Community Action, and Addiction Counseling Services. She has extensive experience in program development, cross-sector collaboration, and building community-based responses to behavioral health and substance use challenges. She leads the expansion of Sounds of Sarah's Mobile Crisis Program serving Lake County, Indiana, providing community-based crisis response, care coordination, and connections to mental health and substance use services. The organization also provides naloxone training and distribution, youth education, community awareness initiatives, and grief support for families impacted by substance-related loss. Patty holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Public Administration. She is a member of the Lake County Overdose Fatality Review Team, conducts Next of Kin (NOK) outreach, serves as Board Chair of Prevention for SAFE (Supporting Addiction Free Environments for Lake County), and sits on the Executive Board of Directors for the Crossroads Chamber of Commerce. She regularly presents at conferences, schools, and community forums.GreatNews.Life & Podcast Host Jenny Craig-Brown have transformed the All About the Girls annual event into a podcast! These monthly episodes feature incredible women giving the audience all the insight about what makes them happy, successful, and motivational. New episodes launch on Sundays to make sure to start your week on a positive note!The All About the Girls Podcast is brought to you by GreatNews.Life GreatNewsLife looks to form positive, online communities centered around the idea that, given the option, viewers prefer to see all the good things going on in their community, as opposed to negative news. Here you'll find exclusively positive, hyper-local stories, features, and news touting everything exceptional about the communities that make up Northwest Indiana. We invite you to partake in the Region's only source for all-positive news, all the time. Watch it. Love it. Share it.

This week on News Now, host Taylor Inman dives into some of the best feature stories coming out of Northwest Montana - and this episode has everything from reality TV to community pride to a kid businessman who's already shipping products nationwide.Kalispell pitmaster Stephen Kina of 406 BBQ is competing on the Food Network's brand-new series Chopped Castaways - an eight-episode island survival cooking competition with a $100,000 grand prize. Kina shares how his military background, Hawaiian roots, and love of fire cooking carried him into one of the most challenging experiences of his life, and why he's proud to represent both Montana and Hawaii on the national stage.Then, we take a look inside Two Eagle River School's 24th Annual Art Slam, a vibrant celebration of Indigenous student creativity featuring original paintings, beadwork, poetry, song, and unforgettable performances from the heart of Lake County.Meet retired Kalispell firefighter Alan "Gus" Gustafson - the self-appointed keeper of the Kalispell Fire Department's history. Now 80 years old and more than two decades into retirement, Gus is still on the hunt for lost artifacts, driving a 1925 American LaFrance fire engine, and training the next generation of historians to carry on the legacy.And finally, Duke Rauscher, a Kalispell Middle School student, just won a statewide entrepreneurship award for Rapid Fire Montana - his eco-friendly fire starter business he launched at age 9 and is already shipping across the country.Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support A big thank you to our headline sponsor for the News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair! They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com.Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us! Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Commissioners in Lake County, Florida, adopted a “Bill of Rights” ordinance protecting the God-given, constitutionally protected rights of citizens from unconstitutional mandates, statutes, or decrees from Tallahassee or D.C., explained Commissioner Anthony Sabatini in this interview on Conversations That Matter with The New American magazine’s Alex Newman. Sabatini, who previously served in the state legislature ... The post FL County Adopts ‘Bill of Rights Ordinance’ to Nullify Unconstitutional Power Grabs appeared first on The New American.

Major changes could be coming to Northwest Montana — from fishing regulations and downtown Kalispell cruising to jail oversight battles and a troubling Libby drug court case. In this episode of News Now from the Daily Inter Lake, reporter Taylor Inman breaks down four of the week's biggest headlines impacting the Flathead Valley and beyond.Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing sweeping fishing regulation changes aimed at protecting endangered bull trout and native trout populations. The proposals could eliminate possession limits for certain non-native species in western Montana waters, including Flathead Lake, while expanding restrictions on bait and tackle use across several rivers and streams.Then, the growing debate over Friday night cruising in downtown Kalispell continues as city leaders, business owners and car enthusiasts search for ways to preserve the classic Americana tradition while cracking down on reckless driving, burnouts and speeding along Main Street.Also in this episode, Lake County commissioners are moving toward shifting jail administration away from the Sheriff's Office, citing lawsuits, liability concerns and accountability issues. The controversial proposal has sparked questions about detention officer retirement benefits and the future of county jail operations.And finally, a Libby man previously convicted on fentanyl and methamphetamine possession is facing renewed legal trouble after authorities say he failed treatment court, violated probation conditions and continued struggling with addiction.Northwest Montana deserves strong news reporting. Your donation helps continue work like this possible. Learn more at dailyinterlake.com/support A big thank you to our headline sponsor for the News Now podcast, Loren's Auto Repair! They combine skill with integrity resulting in auto service & repair of the highest caliber. Discover them in Ashley Square Mall at 1309 Hwy 2 West in Kalispell Montana, or learn more at lorensauto.com.Visit DailyInterLake.com to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from the Flathead Valley and beyond. Support local journalism and please consider subscribing to us. Watch this podcast and more on our YouTube Channel. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a news tip, want to place an ad, or sponsor this podcast? Contact us! Subscribe to all our other DIL pods! Keep up with northwest Montana sports on Keeping Score, dig into stories with Deep Dive, and jam out to local musicians with Press Play.

Ger Gilroy, Enda Coll, Dara Smith-Naughton & Matthew Brennan reflect on last night's win for Arsenal over Burnley as they edge closer to the Premier League title.There's also plenty of conversation around Westmeath's phenomenal victory over Dublin as Matthew relive's a monumental occasion for the people of The Lake County!Off The Ball Breakfast with Viagra Connect 50mg film-coated tablets. Contains sildenafil. For adult men with erectile dysfunction. Subject to suitability. Maximum dosage one 50mg tablet per day. Always read the label.Catch The Off The Ball Breakfast show LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app.SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/joinOff The Ball Breakfast is live weekday mornings from 7:30am across Off The Ball

Ger Gilroy, Enda Coll, Dara Smith-Naughton & Matthew Brennan reflect on last night's win for Arsenal over Burnley as they edge closer to the Premier League title.There's also plenty of conversation around Westmeath's phenomenal victory over Dublin as Matthew relive's a monumental occasion for the people of The Lake County!Off The Ball Breakfast with Viagra Connect 50mg film-coated tablets. Contains sildenafil. For adult men with erectile dysfunction. Subject to suitability. Maximum dosage one 50mg tablet per day. Always read the label.Catch The Off The Ball Breakfast show LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app.SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/joinOff The Ball Breakfast is live weekday mornings from 7:30am across Off The Ball

Ger Gilroy, Enda Coll, Dara Smith-Naughton & Matthew Brennan reflect on last night's win for Arsenal over Burnley as they edge closer to the Premier League title.There's also plenty of conversation around Westmeath's phenomenal victory over Dublin as Matthew relive's a monumental occasion for the people of The Lake County!Off The Ball Breakfast with Viagra Connect 50mg film-coated tablets. Contains sildenafil. For adult men with erectile dysfunction. Subject to suitability. Maximum dosage one 50mg tablet per day. Always read the label.Catch The Off The Ball Breakfast show LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app.SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/joinOff The Ball Breakfast is live weekday mornings from 7:30am across Off The Ball

Oregon's last geothermal water-blaster, Old Perpetual, erupted for the last time sometime in the spring of 2009; a few dozen years ago, the state had two. (But now it's fixed again — see editor's note at end!) (Lakeview, Lake County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1011c-last-geyser-in-oregon-goes-still-in-lakeview.html)

Discovered (sort of) by Oregon's first governor, the dry lakebed in south-central Oregon's Lake County is a gold mine of Ice Age fossils, from tiny rodents to wooly mammoths, saber-tooth cats and dire wolves. (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1010c-fossil-lake-oregons-answer-to-labrea-tar-pits.html)

Lake County's largest public safety expo is returning to Gurnee Mills this weekend, bringing together dozens of police and fire agencies for live demonstrations, family activities and public safety education.

A look back at the Guardians series in Kansas City to finish up the road trip. Plus, conversations with sluggers Rhys Hoskins & David Fry. Also, the weekly Farm Report with Director of Player Development Stephen Osterer who fills us in on what's happening in Lake County. That's all on this edition of Guardians Weekly with Jim Rosenhaus on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Election results across Lake County; Indiana State Senators who voted against congressional redistricting lose bigly; suit alleges Indiana Attorney General investigator threatened man over social media post; photos of the food being served to U.S. troops causes uproar.

Trent and Lori Tobias, owners of the 15 Commerce Drive shopping center. The couple shares their journey from careers in car dealership and education to building a thriving community hub. Their crown jewel, Great Lakes Antique Boutique, features over 600 vendors across two locations, bringing a Galena-inspired charm right to Grayslake. The center also houses restaurants, salons, an escape room, and "The Room," a versatile event space. With plenty of parking and something for everyone, this neighborhood gem is truly worth discovering! Discovering Grayslake: How Local Businesses Build Community and Create Hidden Gems Welcome back to the heart of Lake County! In this episode of Discovering Grayslake, we sat down with Trent and Lori Tobias, the dynamic husband-and-wife team behind the thriving shopping center at 15 Commerce Drive. Their story is more than just a tale of entrepreneurship—it's a masterclass in community building, creative business management, and the power of local connections. Whether you're a Grayslake resident, a small business owner, or someone dreaming of launching your own venture, this in-depth guide will break down the key lessons and actionable tips from the episode. We'll explore how Trent and Lori transformed a half-empty plaza into a bustling hub, the secrets behind their wildly successful Great Lakes Antique Boutique, and how they've created spaces that bring people together. Table of Contents The Power of Local Connections Revitalizing a Community Space: Lessons from 15 Commerce Drive Building a Unique Retail Experience: Inside Great Lakes Antique Boutique Creating Versatile Community Spaces: The Room Vendor Management and Growth Strategies Seasonal Merchandising and Store Staging Balancing Passion, Family, and Business Actionable Takeaways for Local Entrepreneurs Final Thoughts: Kindness and Community The Power of Local Connections Main Theme:   At the heart of Trent and Lori's story is the idea that local businesses are more than just places to shop—they're the backbone of a community. Their journey began with a simple desire to bring the charm of Galena's antique scene closer to home, and it blossomed into a network of businesses that serve, connect, and uplift Grayslake. Key Insights: Word-of-mouth and personal relationships** are invaluable. Trent and Lori's businesses grew rapidly because they fostered genuine connections with vendors, customers, and other local entrepreneurs. Community involvement**—from hosting events to collaborating with neighboring businesses—creates a sense of belonging and loyalty. Actionable Advice: Get to know your neighbors.** Attend local events, introduce yourself to other business owners, and look for ways to collaborate. Be visible and approachable.** Trent and Lori are often present in their stores, greeting customers and making everyone feel welcome. Revitalizing a Community Space When Trent and Lori purchased the shopping center at 15 Commerce Drive, it was only about 45-50% occupied. Their approach to revitalizing the property offers a blueprint for anyone looking to breathe new life into a commercial space. Steps to Revitalization Invest in Infrastructure    Rehab and Renovate: They invested in updating the units, making them attractive to potential tenants.    Parking Matters: A new, well-lit, and convenient parking lot was a game-changer, especially in a small town where parking is often limited. Curate Your Tenant Mix    Community-Focused Tenants: They sought out businesses that would benefit the community—restaurants, salons, a dance studio, a chiropractic office, and more.    Synergy Between Tenants: The proximity of The Room event space, the escape room, and restaurants allows for seamless event planning and cross-promotion. Create Gathering Spaces    The Room: A 1,700 sq. ft. facility for micro-weddings, parties, concerts, and more. This space is designed to be flexible and accessible for all kinds of community events. Expert Tip:   When revitalizing a property, think beyond just filling vacancies. Ask yourself: How can this space serve the community? Look for tenants and amenities that complement each other and create a destination, not just a collection of businesses. Building a Unique Retail Experience: Inside Great Lakes Antique Boutique Great Lakes Antique Boutique isn't your average antique store. With over 600 vendors across two locations (Grayslake and Antioch), it's a treasure trove that draws shoppers from all over. What Sets It Apart? Sheer Scale and Variety:**     The boutique is deceptively large, with endless nooks and crannies. Customers often spend hours exploring and still find new surprises on a second lap. Constantly Changing Inventory:**     The store is staged and restocked for every season and holiday, ensuring there's always something new to discover. Personal Touch:**     Lori's passion for curating unique clothing and décor shines through. She travels to shows and markets across the country to find one-of-a-kind items. Actionable Tips for Retailers Create a Journey:**     Encourage customers to walk the store in both directions—you'll double their discoveries and time spent in-store. Make It Personal:**     Share stories behind your products. Lori loves hearing customers' memories and connections to the items they find. Offer Something for Everyone:**     From "bougie" upscale finds in Grayslake to farm antiques and a "man cave" in Antioch, the boutiques cater to a wide range of tastes. Creating Versatile Community Spaces: The Room One of the standout features of the shopping center is The Room—a flexible event space that fills a crucial need in Grayslake. Features and Uses Size:** 1,700 sq. ft., seating up to 75 people. Amenities:** Chairs, stage, sound system, and adaptable layout. Events:** Micro-weddings, birthday parties, comedy nights, concerts, art shows, and corporate meetings. Why It Works Convenience:**     The Room is adjacent to restaurants and an escape room, making it easy to plan multi-part events (e.g., a birthday party with food and entertainment all in one place). Community Focus:**     The space is designed for locals to gather, celebrate, and connect. Pro Tip:   If you're considering adding an event space to your business, think about how it can complement your existing tenants and serve unmet needs in your community. Vendor Management and Growth Strategies Managing over 600 vendors is no small feat. Trent and Lori's approach offers valuable lessons for anyone running a multi-vendor retail operation. Key Strategies Start Small, Scale Fast:**     Their first location filled up within days, and they quickly expanded to additional buildings and locations. Maintain a Waiting List:**     Demand for booth space remains high, ensuring a steady pipeline of new vendors and fresh inventory. Vendor Diversity:**     By offering spaces for everything from antiques to new clothing, they attract a broad spectrum of sellers and shoppers. Actionable Advice Foster a Vendor Community:**     Regular communication, collaborative events, and a supportive environment keep vendors engaged and invested in the store's success. Rotate and Refresh:**     Encourage vendors to update their booths regularly to keep the store dynamic and exciting. Seasonal Merchandising and Store Staging One of the boutique's biggest draws is its ever-changing look and feel. Lori and her team spend weeks preparing for each season and holiday, transforming the store into a new experience every time. Best Practices Plan Ahead:**     Start staging for major holidays and events well in advance. Team Effort:**     Involve staff and vendors in the process to bring fresh ideas and energy. Create Visual Impact:**     Use creative displays, themed décor, and strategic product placement to draw customers in and inspire purchases. Why It Matters Repeat Visits:**     Customers return again and again to see what's new, driving loyalty and word-of-mouth. Emotional Connection:**     Seasonal themes tap into nostalgia and celebration, making shopping a memorable experience. Balancing Passion, Family, and Business Trent and Lori's story is also about finding joy and balance in work and life. After long careers in education and the car business, they built a new chapter together—one that combines their love of antiques, travel, and community. Lessons Learned Follow Your Interests:**     Lori's passion for clothing and antiques led to a business that never feels like "just a job." Work as a Team:**     Trent handles the behind-the-scenes fixes and logistics, while Lori curates and connects with customers. Make Time for Each Other:**     Even during their busiest years, they made Sundays their day for antiquing and reconnecting. Advice for Couples in Business Divide and Conquer:**     Play to each other's strengths and communicate openly about roles and responsibilities. Celebrate Small Wins:**     Take time to enjoy the journey and the community you're building together. Actionable Takeaways for Local Entrepreneurs Whether you're running a boutique, managing a shopping center, or dreaming of starting your own business, here are the top lessons from Trent and Lori's journey: Invest in Your Space:**     Clean, well-lit, and accessible facilities attract both tenants and customers. Curate for Community:**     Choose tenants and offerings that serve local needs and create synergy. Keep It Fresh:**     Regularly

Oregon was once known as a place full of “great liars” — tellers of tales so tall they'd cause every pair of pants in the room to spontaneously burst into flame. Central Oregon storyteller Reub Long could hold his own with the best of them. (Fort Rock, Lake County; 1930s, 1940s, 1950s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2405c-1209a.reub-long-sage-of-fort-rock-1of2-187.650.html)

What happens when the mental health system is quietly crumbling — and the woman holding it together has been doing so for 25 years? In episode 257 of Joy Found Here, Janelle Miller Moravek, Executive Director of Youth & Family Counseling, pulls back the curtain on America's behavioral health crisis — from a shrinking workforce and impossible pay rates to the hidden toll social media is taking on our kids. Hopeful yet eye-opening, this conversation is a reminder that access to mental health care is not a luxury.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(3:54) How a French major stumbled into 25 years of nonprofit leadership(7:49) Why loving your work makes it harder to switch off(10:39) What nonprofit fundraising really looks like(17:47) Why the mental health crisis didn't start with COVID(20:05) The workforce shortage driving therapists out of behavioral healthcare(22:57) How social media is rewiring kids' tolerance for discomfort(30:16) The wrestling mat conversation that led to her son's ADHD diagnosis(36:48) The "atlas" project helping people navigate to the right care(38:22) Why one person getting help creates a community ripple effect(39:30) What Medicaid rollbacks mean for mental health nonprofits in 2026Janelle Miller Moravek is the Executive Director of Youth & Family Counseling (YFC), a nonprofit mental health organization serving Lake County in the Chicagoland area. A Wesleyan University graduate, she joined YFC in 2000 as its first-ever development director and has spent over two decades building it into a leading provider of affordable, accessible mental health services — including bilingual care and Medicaid-covered options — for children, teens, adults, and families. In this episode, Janelle Miller Moravek brings 25 years of nonprofit leadership to a candid conversation about the growing gap between mental health need and workforce capacity — tracing the roots to chronically low reimbursement rates, a lengthy therapist training pipeline, and COVID-era burnout. She connects social media's rise to a surge in adolescent mental health struggles, shares a personal story about parenting a son with ADHD that deepened her advocacy, and makes the case for treating behavioral health literacy as common knowledge. She also introduces YFC's "atlas" project — a navigation tool to help people find the right care — while sounding an honest alarm about what Medicaid rollbacks could mean for organizations like hers in 2026.Connect with Janelle Miller Moravek:LinkedInYouth & Family Counseling websiteLet's Connect:WebsiteInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.