Hearsay With Cathy Lewis

It's time to take a break from talking to your plants and spend an hour chatting with our favorite gardener, Jim Orband! Jim stops by to answer all your toughest gardening questions and provide some tips for using the bounty of your yard and garden to decorate your home for the holidays.

Last November was American Diabetes Month, and while awareness is a crucial first step in addressing the problems posed by this chronic illness, it's important to understand the effects diabetes has on our loved ones and their day-to-day lives. Today we'll be taking a look at some ways new technologies are able to help address the illness, as well as where the current state of diabetes research stands today.

Crowdfunding has become a global phenomenon with the creation of Internet platforms like Kickstarter, FundRazr, and Indiegogo. People all over the world are pooling their money together to support the efforts of small businesses owners, filmmakers, and even local governments. Today Cathy is joined by entrepreneurs from Hampton Roads and representatives from one of the region's top universities to discuss how they've used crowdfunding to help launch their initiatives.

Join us for another edition of Headlines, where we tackle the latest news headlines that have you talking. This week we consider redistricting's impact on Virginia's political future and discuss the Commonwealth's upcoming special elections. Join us with your thoughts by calling in live at 440-2665 or 1-800-940-2240. You can also e-mail the program at hearsay@whrv.org or join us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hearsaywithcathylewis.

In Virginia Beach elementary schools, grades of A to F have been replaced by a system using "Advanced Proficient," "Proficient," "Developing Proficiency" and "Novice." School officials tasked with implementing these changes are also eliminating the honor roll system, saying it doesn't match the new grading sytem that replaces the A's needed for principal's list and the B's needed for honor roll. We'll explore the reasoning behind the changes with Beach administrators and consider how they're being recieved by area teachers and parents.

Join us for another edition of Headlines, where we tackle the latest news headlines that have you talking. Join us with your thoughts by calling in live at 440-2665 or 1-800-940-2240. You can also e-mail the program at hearsay@whrv.org or join us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hearsaywithcathylewis.

Sitting in your car at lunch? Tune in Tuesday on HearSay for some serious transportation talk. We're getting your take on the latest headlines on this hot button issue here in Hampton Roads. Today we'll focus on the uncertain future of U.S. 460 and the hundreds of acres of federally protected wetlands that may be impacted as well as the latest on the progress of the local E-Z Pass rollout. Send in your questions or comments by e-mail in advance to hearsay@whrv.org, post them on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hearsaywithcathylewis, or send us a Tweet at www.twitter.com/HearSayWHRV. You can also call in live with your questions during the broadcast at 757-440-2665 or 1-800-940-2240.

The holiday season is all about giving, but two local organizations work tirelessly all year long to give back internationally. Today, Cathy Lewis talks with representatives from Operation Smile and Physicians for Peace about why they chose to base operations in Hampton Roads and how that facilitates their missions to provide global health care for those who can't afford it.

Gift-giving season is in full swing, and your four-legged friends are not to be left out! Resident veterinarian Dr. Phyllis Newman joins us on HearSay to discuss some ideal pet presents and holiday "do's and don'ts." We'll also offer some points to consider before giving a puppy, kitten, or other pet as a gift this holiday season.

Now that winter has arrived, it's time to grab a good book and curl up beside the fire. Host Cathy Lewis is joined today be two local authors whose books are sure to make great additions to your holiday reading list. We'll talk about their upcoming works and the challenges of getting published.

Join us for another edition of Headlines, where we tackle the latest news headlines that have you talking. This week we'll consider the findings of a consortium of the nation's leading experts in gun violence prevention and mental health law and policy. The panel will convene at the University of Virginia this week to propose specific recommendations that are meant to keep firearms out of the hands of those most likely to commit violence. Join us with your thoughts by calling in live at 440-2665 or 1-800-940-2240. You can also e-mail the program at hearsay@whrv.org or join us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hearsaywithcathylewis.

With an imminent influx of funds earmarked for transportation projects, there is renewed interest in a bold proposal to merge the Richmond-Petersburg metropolitan statistical area (MSA) with our own. The newly created "mega-region" would cover 4,630 square miles and make the newly created region more competitive when vying for corporate investments and federal funding. Cathy Lewis is joined today by the the plan's originators and an expert in regional development for a look at the economic benefits and challenges that the creation of a local mega-region would bring.

Join us for another edition of Headlines, where we tackle the latest news headlines that have you talking. This week, in the wake of a violent episode in which Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds was reportedly stabbed by his son, who then fatally shot himself, we consider the state of mental health services in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We open up our lines for you to let us know your thoughts by calling in live at 440-2665 or 1-800-940-2240. You can also e-mail the program at hearsay@whrv.org or join us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hearsaywithcathylewis.

Following last week's 50th anniversary of his assassination, we bring you an intriguing new look at the life, and death, of one of our nation's most iconic figures, President John F. Kennedy. In his new book, The Kennedy Half-Century, the University of Virginia's Center for Politics' own Larry Sabato sheds new light on Kennedy's presidential saga, tragic assassination and evolutionary image that has defined the political world he analyzes for a living. First, Cathy sits down with one of the the country's leading presidential historians, Doris Kearns Goodwin. Her new book, The Bully Pulpit, offers a deeply insightful study of presidents - freshly told through the decades-long and complicated friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

It's fall in Virginia, but don't blink or you could miss it. The chilly winter weather will be upon us in no time. Gardening guru Jim Orband joins us in the studio today to talk about how to maintain your garden as winter quietly creeps up on Hampton Roads.

Join us on today's HearSay for a look at how the race for Virginia's soon to be vacant 6th district Senate seat is already starting to taking shape. We'll look back at Saturday's Democratic "call to caucus" and discuss this Thursday's upcoming Republican "firehouse primary."

Join us for another edition of Headlines, where we tackle the latest news headlines that have you talking. This week we'll discuss the challenges facing seniors as they get behind the wheel and explore the assistance available for elderly citizens who seek to maintain the independence that a driver's license affords. We open up our lines for you to let us know your thoughts by calling in live at 440-2665 or 1-800-940-2240. You can also e-mail the program at hearsay@whrv.org or join us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hearsaywithcathylewis.

Hampton Roads' relationship with the Chesapeake Bay is complex. Local industries rely on it for their livelihoods and countless families enjoy the recreational opportunities it affords, yet the health of the Chesapeake Bay is often threatened by those same activities and industries. Today we talk with members of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Wetland's Watch, the Virginia Conservation Network, and The Army Corps of Engineers about the state of the Chesapeake Bay and the best practices for preserving its health and usability.

Join us for another edition of Headlines, where we tackle the latest news headlines that have you talking. This week we'll discuss the challenges facing seniors as they get behind the wheel and explore the assistance available for elderly citizens who seek to maintain the independence that a driver's license affords. We open up our lines for you to let us know your thoughts by calling in live at 440-2665 or 1-800-940-2240. You can also e-mail the program at hearsay@whrv.org or join us on our Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/hearsaywithcathylewis.

While summer in Hampton Roads is typically the season associated with weddings, fall has become an increasingly popular time of year for getting married. So what makes fall so attractive to the dearly beloved? We'll pose that question to our panel of "nuptial know-it-alls" and get their advice on organizing a fall wedding that is sure to wow without breaking the bank.