Hearsay With Cathy Lewis

Government officials sometimes decide that private industry is better suited to carry out some of the duties they are tasked with. There is increasing buzz that the operation of Virginia's package stores will be privatized and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) just revised a contract with Northrop Grumman that amounts to Virginia's largest ever privatization deal. Today we'll talk about the pros and cons of privatization and public-private partnerships. Guests: Richard Norment, Executive Director of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) and Dr. Gilbert R. Yochum, a Professor of Economics at Old Dominion University.

Today we'll talk about the stories making headlines across Hampton Roads and the nation.

Will be talking about all things fluffy, furry and finned today with our favorite veterinarian Dr. Phyllis Neumann today on HearSay. Call during the show or send us your questions in advance through Facebook or hearsay@whrv.org.

Six candidates are facing off in the Republican primary on June 8th. Today we'll bring you interviews with all six candidates. If you live in the 2nd District, which includes all of Accomack and Northampton Counties as well as the City of Virginia Beach and parts of the cities of Norfolk and Hampton, or are a political junkie you'll want to be sure to tune in.

Memorial Day is coming up this weekend and with it comes the un-official start of summer. When we think about summer foods we think about firing up the grill, ok we also think of ice cream, but for today we're focusing on the grill. Our resident foodie Patrick Evans-Hylton joins us along with Lee Ann Whippen of Wood Chick's BBQ and Chef Sam McGann of River Stone Chophouse. They'll have tips and tricks that will make your grilled summer meals come off without a hitch.

Summer doesn't officially start for almost a month, but we've already had some warm weather in Hampton Roads. Today we'll talk with our gardening guru Jim Orband about the tasks you should be tackling in your yard. We'll also check in with Kathy Van Mullekom of The Daily Press to get the latest on garden related happenings in Hampton Roads.

Today we'll talk about the stories making headlines across Hampton Roads and the nation. They include the effort to recall Portsmouth Mayor James Holley, the discovery of $11 million in transportation funds available for use in Hampton Roads, and more.

We hope you've been reading Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club along with us. We'll discuss the book with the author of the CliffsNotes for the book, Dr. Laurie Rozakis and Dr. Kaa Hinton-Johnson, Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University which is hosting an ongoing Big Read initiative surrounding the book.

The Brookings Institution released a report on the State of Metropolitan America last week. The Hampton Roads region, the nation's 35th largest metro area, was noted as having a slow growing, aging population with less education and diversity than the national average. We'll talk about the implications of the studies and the ways changing demographics are impacting the region. Guests: Alan Berube, Senior Fellow and Research Director of the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, Mike Gruss, lifestyle columnist for The Virginian-Pilot and John Skirven, CEO of Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia.

Last week the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), along with its co-plaintiffs, settled a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the agreement amounts to a new way ahead when it comes to Bay cleanup. We'll talk with local CBF Director Christy Everett about what the implications of the settlement and the Obama administration's newly announced plans for restoring the Bay. We'll also talk about the latest on the potential carrier move - a new Government Accountability Office report notes a "lack of completeness" in the Navy documents regarding the move. Join us!

James Horn, Vice President of Research and Historical Interpretation and O'Neill Director of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, has written a new book on the Lost Colony titled A Kingdom Strange: The Brief and Tragic History of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. We'll talk with Horn about the lore of the Lost Colony, which continues to capture our imaginations. We'll also talk with Nicholas Luccketti, the First Colony Foundation's Vice President for Research, who has conducted numerous archaeological digs on Roanoke Island about what has been unearthed there.

Our roundtable of Hampton Roads religious leaders joins Cathy for a conversation on recent headlines from the religious realm. Join us for this always interesting conversation. Guests: Rabbi Michael Panitz, Father James Parke and Imam Vernon Fareed.

Recent statistics on home sales offer some hope that the real estate market is beginning to rebound. Today we'll talk about what to consider if you're thinking about buying with Kevin Zywna, a Certified Financial Planner with Bunting Capital Management and Charlee Gowin, past-chair of the Hampton Roads Realtors Association. We'll also talk about Tidewater Builders Association's first Spring Homearama at Founders Pointe in Isle of Wight County.

Today we'll talk with our go-to guy on all things tech Ed Sykes and the 'Pied Piper of Facebook', Mari Smith about leveraging social media to promote your business and market yourself. You'll want to tune in for tips on ways to strengthen relationships through social networking. And remember - you can find us on 'the facebook' for updates on our programming.

We'll talk about President Obama's commencement address at Hampton University, concerns surrounding the future off-shore drilling in light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf Coast off of Louisiana and the death of a University of Virginia senior last week.

Studies have shown that once someone takes ownership of an item the value of that they place on that item is greater to them than the value that others would assign to it. That may explain why, for so many of us, it can be so hard to get rid of our 'stuff'. In some cases the compulsion to retain items is so strong it becomes a phenomenon called 'hoarding'. Today, we'll talk about hoarding and ways to cut through the clutter in all of our lives. Guests: Gail Blanke, author of Throw Out Fifty Things, Dr. Gail Steketee, co-author of Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, Kevin Salwen, co-author of The Power of Half : One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back, and one of the field producers of A&E's series Hoarders.

Polls indicate that optimism among black Americans rose after President Obama's election. Despite that optimism, disparities in achievement persist. White Americans over 25 are more than one and a half times as likely to hold a bachelor's degree and there are more African-Americans under correctional control today than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the start of the Civil War. Today we'll talk with two educators who are working to encourage success among black American males - Dr. Alvin J. Schexnider, President of Thomas Nelson Community College and Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and co-author of Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males. We'll also bring you a conversation with Antwone Fisher about his latest book A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie : And Other Lessons for Succeeding in Life.

The citizens of Hampton Roads have cast their votes in local elections. Today we'll talk about the results and look ahead with Harry Minium of The Virginian-Pilot and Dan Curran of Newport News Politics.net. Join us!

When most of us think of pirates we conjure images of eye patches, parrots and Johnny Depp. Recent increases in the incidences of piracy are changing those long held impressions. Today we'll bring you our recent interview with CAPT Richard Phillips whose experience with pirates captured the world's attention. Then we'll talk about the history of piracy, the factors that causes it and possible actions that could curb it with Prof. Virginia Lunsford, associate professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy, specializing in maritime and European history and Professor Richard Norton from the Naval War College's National Security Decision Making Department. To hear the Norfolk Mayor Candidate Forum that Cathy Lewis moderated last week visit - https://www.hearsay.org/page/Decision-2010.aspx

Today we'll talk about the local elections taking place on May 4th with a focus on the Norfolk Mayor's race. Send us your questions in advance via hearsay@whrv.org or call during the noon - 1 p.m. hour - 440.2665 or 1.800.940.2240. To hear the Norfolk Mayor Candidate Forum that Cathy Lewis moderated last week visit - https://www.hearsay.org/page/Decision-2010.aspx