Wgtd's The Morning Show With Greg Berg

Part One: A discussion about storm water runoff with Laura Buska (program managers with the Root Pike Watershed Initiative Network) and Samantha Katt (policy expert with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.) Part Two: Ann Burg talks about her novel "Force of Nature," based on the life and legacy of the legendary environmentalist Rachel Carson.

For the anniversary of 9-11 ..... from the archives (2005) Tom Downey talks about his book "The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse." Many firefighters stations in Brooklyn's Rescue 2 lost their lives on 9-11. We replay this memorable interview in honor of first responders and the important, life-saving work that they do.

We speak with Shawn Rivers, Racine County Veterans Service Officer with Racine County Veterans Services. They are co-sponsoring a Veterans Stand Down resource fair this Saturday, September 13th, 10:00-2:00 at Racine's Festival Hall. We talk about the many services that RCVS offers - all free of charge - to veterans and their families. We talk in particular about resources designed to address concerns around veteran homelessness, food insecurity, and mental health.

Richard Sexton discusses his latest book "Food Fight: Misguided Policies, Supply Challenges, and the Impending Struggle to Feed a Hungry World." Sexton contends that in the formulation of our policies regarding the production and distribution of food, we are creating inadvertent consequences that will seriously undermine our ability to feed the people of the world in coming years.

From the archives- a portion of a past conversation with Zachary Scot Johnson, talking about his Song a Day Project on YouTube. He's returning to his hometown of Racine for a special concert this Friday night, September 12th- a benefit for the Music and More Series. He will be joined by Bob Benson and Dana Roders.

We speak with labor and workforce expert Ron Hetrick, who is going to be the keynote speaker for the next event sponsored by the Carthage Business and Professional Coalition. In this interview, Hetrick talks about some of the most dramatic ways in which the workforce in our country (and in our region) will change over the next few years in ways that will impact all of us. The event at Carthage occurs this Thursday, September 11th.

We explore the fascinating legacy of the women known as Harvey Girls - who worked as waitresses in the restaurants and hotels owned and operated by the Fred Harvey Company in the late 19th and early 20th century. We begin with writer Juliette Fay, talking about her novel "The Harvey Girls." The book follows two women who became Harvey Girls for very different reasons. One was a young teenager masquerading as an 18-year-old so she could help out her nearly-destitute parents. The other was a woman fleeing an abusive marriage. The Harvey Girls came to prominence at a time when nearly all fine restaurants utilized male waiters - and when most waitresses were regarded with disdain by polite society. Fred Harvey treated his so-called Harvey Girls with respect, paid them well, and even gave them opportunities for advancement that were almost never available to women in that era. In Part Two, we speak with Andrew DeBoer, the father-in-law of local musician and music teacher Jessica DeBoer. He has

We explore the fascinating legacy of Fred Harvey and the so-called Harvey Girls, those women who served as well-paid waitresses in the Harvey-operated restaurants and hotels that dotted the American West in the late 19th and early 20th century. We begin with writer Juliette Fay, talking about her novel "The Harvey Girls," which focuses on two women who have become Harvey Girls for very different reasons- one is a young teenager (pretending to be older than she was) who wants to help out her nearly-destitute family. The other is a woman fleeing an abusive marriage. After that, we talk with Andrew DeBoer, father-in-law of local musician and music teacher Jessica DeBoer, who has collected Harvey memorabilia for many years.

From 2007 - Joe Sutter, author of "747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation"

From 2010 - Andrew Dilnot, co-author of "The Numbers Game: The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News, in Politics, and in Life."

Christina Keim, author of "Unwanted: The Causes and Effects of America's Horse Population Crisis."

We speak with Mark Gould, who for almost three decades was the principal or co-principal trumpeter for the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera. His book "Tales from the Pit" is an exceptionally frank and entertaining memoir about his years with the Met and his unlikely journey to get there.

We preview the next Racine Theater Guild production - Oscar Wilde's classic comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest" with Doug Instenes, managing and artistic director of the RTG, who is also the stage director for this production. (It opens this Friday and runs for the next three weekends.)

From 2009- for Labor Day- Joe Lamacchia, author of "Blue Collar and Proud of It: The All-in-One Resource for Finding Freedom, Financial Success, and Security Outside the Cubicle."

We celebrate the 25th anniversary of CUSH - Congregations United to Serve Humanity - with three representatives of this Kenosha-based organization: Grant Pitts, Executive Director and Organizer .... Karen Kempinan, President of the Board of Directors ..... and Rev. Kathleen Gloff, a member of the Board of Directors and President of WISDOM Wisconsin (to which CUSH belongs.) The group has worked on various issues related to social justice such as the environment, homelessness, immigration, and equal right for the LBGTQ+ community. They have a celebratory banquet planned for October 23rd.

In honor of the city of New Orleans and its citizens twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, we replay this interview with Jason Berry, author of "City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300." The book was originally published in 2018. A documentary film of the same name has been created that is expected to be made available through streaming in the next few months.

Hurricane Katrina unleashed its savage fury 20 years ago this weekend. This is a rebroadcast of a conversation with Christopher Cooper in which he talks about his book "Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security."

Earlier this year marked the 50th anniversary of the final withdrawal of American troops from South Vietnam, amid a scene in Saigon that could only be described as desperate and chaotic. We begin with Tom Clavin, co-author of "Last Men Out: The True Story of America's Heroic Final Hours in Vietnam." After that comes a portion of a conversation with Lewis Sorley in which he talks about his book "A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam." The book was originally published in 1999, and has been re-released in several different editions over the years. Sorley passed away on September 25, 2024 at the age of 90.)

We talk with Kevin Ervin, current co-owner of Frank's Diner, one of the best-known landmarks in downtown Kenosha- which is about to celebrate its 99th anniversary on September 13th. Ervin shares the story of how the diner was built (from a kit) 100 years ago- what prevented them from opening for an entire year- and what it means to take ownership of such a beloved institution.

We speak with Todd Kapp, CEO and Founder of Kivi Bio, which is one of the tenants of the Kenosha Innovation Center. We talk about - among other things - what the field of biotechnology entails and what Kivi Bio is doing to help others launch their own biotechnology ventures.