12:00: How Monroe County’s JEDS program is addressing youth crime
1:00: Local spelling champs on the high pressure world of spelling bees
Monroe County’s Juvenile Enhanced Diversion Stabilization (JEDS) program aims to reform kids who steal cars for fun. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans has said it works. County Executive Adam Bello has praised the program. State lawmakers point to JEDS. So how exactly does it work? We discuss it with our guests. In studio:
- Kristine Durante, chief probation officer for Monroe County
- Cynthia Smith, assistant chief probation officer for Monroe County
- Dawn Shaw, senior probation office for Monroe County
- David Catholdi, chief of the Brighton Police Department
- "Z,"* teenager who participated in the JEDS program
*Note: Due to the circumstances of this guest's case, we are withholding his name.
Then in our second hour, a Finger Lakes student advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals this year. Penn Yan Middle School student Ryan Creary outlasted some of the favorites before getting knocked out on the word “apamin” (We don’t know what that word is either.). We talk about the high pressure spelling bee world, tricks for spelling difficult words, the brain-numbing qualities of auto-correct, and more. Our guests:
- Ryan Creary, rising freshman at Penn Yan High School who was a finalist in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee
- Kevin Creary, Ryan's dad
- Michelle Creary, Ryan's mom
- Elias Seppo, rising freshman at Brighton High School who competed in a Scripps Regional Spelling Bee this year
- Antti Seppo, Elias' dad
- Tim Banach, finalist in the 1997 Scripps National Spelling Bee
