Untangled

Deciding what to do after high school used to feel like a one-way street leading straight to a four-year university.Today, however, the rising cost of tuition and a shifting labor market have reopened the debate between the traditional college path and specialized trade schools.And now, the rise of artificial intelligence has added a complex layer to this age-old debateWhile a four-year degree focuses on critical thinking, and trade schools emphasize essential manual expertise, the rapid advancement of AI now threatens to automate roles in both sectors. Guests:Jeff Strohl, research professor and director, Georgetown University Center on Education and the WorkforceStephanie Hightower, president & CEO, Columbus Urban LeagueKevin Fox, founder, Foxwerx Group

A new report from the American Immigration Council shows that immigrants play a crucial role in Ohio’s economy.In 2023, immigrants earned $27.3 billion in income and paid $7.3 billion in local, state and federal taxes.Immigrants help fill Ohio’s workplace shortages.Hear from the City of Columbus about how they are connecting immigrants to in-demand jobs in central Ohio.And learn about the key role H-2A Visa workers play in Ohio’s food system.Guests:Micaela McConnell, policy manager on the State and Local Initiatives team, American Immigration CouncilKym Douglas, director of the City of Columbus' Department of NeighborhoodsAnisa Kline, human geographer and researcher with expertise in immigration, guest worker programs and farmworker health

For years, computer science was the hottest college major, outpacing all others. It was considered "the golden ticket" to a lucrative job.Then why has enrollment dropped significantly? Computers aren’t going away.Guest: Shira Ovide, technology reporter, The Washington Post

A strategic plan that looks at the “workers of tomorrow” will probably ensure the right people are in the right positions at the right time.But how do you plan for tomorrow when technology is changing so rapidly? From AI to automation... There are lots of concerns about what the future of work will look like and how we prepare for it.   To discuss ways the state of Ohio is looking ahead and planning for the workers of tomorrow, we have Matt Damschroder, Director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

We’ve all heard the buzzwords: AI, automation, and hybrid.But behind the tech are the people who will actually drive our world forward.Join us for Untangled from All Sides as we look past the headlines to ask: Are we actually ready for the workers of tomorrow?From the classroom to the boardroom, we’re mapping out the skills, the shifts and the mindset needed to thrive in a world that hasn't even been built yet.Is there such a thing as a 'future-proof' workforce? We’re talking about how we prepare today’s students for jobs that don't exist yet and how we ensure no one gets left behind.Guests:Scot McLemore, vice president for talent strategy, Columbus State Community CollegeLisa Gray, president, Ohio Excels

Across the country and here in Central Ohio, work is changing fast; creating new opportunities and real questions for workers, families, and employers navigating a complex moment.Artificial intelligence is transforming jobs across every industry. The immigrant workforce is becoming a vital part of our economy. And many people are reconsidering whether college is the only path to a stable, meaningful career.In this first episode of Untangled: Reshaping Work, we will get an overview of the current state of jobs, workers, and businesses around the state and in central Ohio.This season of Untangled is a part of the WOSU Public Media project – Inside: Reshaping Work.Guests:Steve Stivers, president and CEO, Ohio Chamber of CommerceDerrick Clay, president and CEO, Columbus Chamber of Commerce

The landscape of work is shifting rapidly, leaving workers and employers in Ohio and beyond to navigate a future defined by AI, evolving education paths, and the expectations of lifelong learning. In this new season of Untangled—part of WOSU Public Media’s Inside: Reshaping Work initiative—host Amy Juravich explores the challenges and opportunities of the modern workforce, starting April 20th on 89.7 NPR News and your favorite podcast platform.

At times when school levies and property tax relief are hot-button political issues, a persistent myth about Ohio Lottery profits and education tends to resurface. One listener asked WOSU’s "Curious Cbus," “Wasn’t the state lottery supposed to replace property taxes as a method of school financing?”

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are trying to reform property taxes, but is there a way to do that without leaving public K-12 schools in financial distress? We will hear from two Ohio lawmakers: Republican State Sen. Louis Blessing and Democratic State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney.

We’ll hear from the superintendents of Columbus City Schools, Hilliard City Schools and Fairfield-Union Local Schools for an urban, suburban and rural perspective.

We talk to three different Ohio school districts that are asking voters to support their local schools in three different ways.

The use of taxes, including property taxes, to pay for that education dates by to the America's original 13 colonies. We talk about the history of education funding in the United States and Ohio and where it is heading in the near future.

In Ohio, there has been a growing debate over fairness when it comes to education. But what about outside of Ohio. How do other countries pay for a child’s education? And how do other states pay for their K-12 public schools?

How much does it cost to educate Ohio’s school kids? We will break down where the money comes from and how much is currently being spent.

At the foundation of every school building is a battle: a battle over taxes, spending and fairness. Education is a fundamental right. The responsibility is clear, but who pays? That answer is not so clear.

From Medicare to Medicaid to social security, health care has long been a hot-button political issue. What can be done by policymakers to create a better elder care system?

In this bonus episode, we learn about an innovative program from the Franklin County Office of Aging that adds lively competition and personal connection to the gaming experience.

Caring for elderly family members can take both a physical and mental toll. But who takes care of the caregivers?

Are there enough nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home health aides to help everyone regardless of income and location?

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to taking care of the elderly is the cost of home health care, assisted living and legalities attached to them.

Navigating the complex system of American healthcare insurance can be frustrating, to say the least.

Join us for a new season of Untangled where we will unpack our eldercare system and explore if we, as a society, are prepared to support our future aging population.

We’re breaking down what is and is not in Issue 1, so you can make an informed choice this November when you head to the polls. Guests include Ohio Sen. Rob McColley and Jen Miller, Executive Director of League of Women Voters.

In Arizona and Michigan, independent commissions draw the maps, but the process hasn’t been without its bumps. In Iowa, an advisory commission drafts congressional and state boundaries but the state legislature retains final authority to implement them. Guests include: Colleen Coyle Mathis, former chair, Arizona Independent Restricting Commission; Dave Wells, research director, Grand Canyon Institute, retired professor, Arizona State University; Lauren Gibbons, state government reporter, Bridge Michigan; and O. Kay Henderson, news director, Radio Iowa.

When it comes to redistricting everyone says they want fair maps. That’s the easy part. The hard part is setting a legal standard for drawing them. We’re untangling how to draw fair maps this episode. Guests include: Dave Wasserman, Senior Editor & Elections Analyst for The Cook Political Report; Samuel Wang, Princeton Gerrymandering Project Professor; Dan Vicuna, director of redistricting and representation for Common Cause.

Gerrymandering is bad, right? Drawing congressional or statehouse districts to benefit one party at the expense of the other is wrong. Right? As we untangle redistricting this season, we wanted to unravel the belief that gerrymandering is bad. Guests include: Matt Huffman, Ohio Senate President (R-Lima); Maureen O’Connor, former chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court; Allison Russo, Ohio House Minority Leader (D-Upper Arlington); David Pepper, former Ohio Democratic Party Chair; Jeff Berding, co-owner of FC Cincinnati; and David Niven, political science professor at the University of Cincinnati.

Ohioans are going to the polls this November to vote on redistricting, again. It’s the fifth time in 20 years that we’ve been asked whether we want to change how we draw the boundaries for our statehouse and congressional districts. Guests include Matt Huffman, Ohio Senate President (R-Lima); Maureen O’Connor, former chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court; Tom Hunter, professor of political science at the University of West Georgia; Jo Ingles, reporter with the Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau; Allison Russo, Ohio House Minority Leader (D-Upper Arlington); David Pepper, former Ohio Democratic Party Chair; and Frank Strigari, Republican Senate Counsel.

Buckeye voters are being asked this November whether we want to change our process for drawing electoral boundaries. Mapmaking is a complicated process, and it could use a little untangling. Over the next five episodes, we'll untangle the history of redistricting, how to draw fair maps, how other states do redistricting, and let both sides of Issue 1 make their case.

What can be done at the local, state and federal levels to solve the immigration crisis? Join us for the final episode of this season. Guests: Angie Plummer, Executive Director, Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) and David Bier, Director of Immigration Studies for the CATO Institute.

Politicians on the right often bring up crime when discussing immigration but research shows that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S. Guests include Marty Schladen, Reporter, Ohio Capital Journal; Austin Kocher, Geographer, Syracuse University; and Alex Nowrasteh, Vice President of Economic and Social Policy Studies, Cato Institute.

When we talk about our immigration system being broken, we’re really talking about asylum. Our laws let people seek refuge from persecution, but the rules weren’t created to handle hundreds of thousands. Out guests include Emily Brown, director of the Immigration Clinic at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law; Chris Levesque, assistant professor of law at Kenyon College; and Debu Ghandi, senior director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress.

When it comes to the politics of immigration, Ohio's members of Congress have been front and center. We look the political fault lines that severed bipartisan efforts at immigration reform. Guests include Theresa Cardinal Brown, Senior Advisor for Immigration and Border Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center, and James Massa, CEO of NumbersUSA.

The immigration system in the U.S. needs to be fixed, but how and when? We'll discuss with New Yorker reporter Jonathan Blitzer and Roy Beck, an author and founder of NumbersUSA.

Untangled is back. Listen as we take a complicated topic and untangle it. This season we’re untangling immigration - from an Ohio perspective. Guests include Angie Plummer, executive director of Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS); Rob Cohen, an immigration attorney at Porter Wright; Steven Hubbard, data scientist for the American Immigration Council; and Julia Gelatt, associate director of U.S. Immigration Policy Program, Migration Policy Institute.

Let's be honest, these days immigration feels like a four-letter word. Compromise in our current political environment feels impossible and a showdown at the Texas border feels inevitable. But Ohio isn't Texas. Our borders don't touch other countries, but we are touched by immigration.

Housing is the foundation on which our lives are built. Throughout this special series, we’ve looked at the affordable housing puzzle from many different angles.

The growth of income inequality has reached every level of society, and as inflation drives up prices, many people are struggling to afford housing. In this episode, we examine how generational wealth and income inequality can hurt people seeking to buy a house. Guests: Leah Evans, Chuck Collins, and Gene Slater.

A look at how the increased cost of living expenses affects the ability to save up to afford a home. We talk to Stephanie Moulton, Ken Johnson, and Richard Cordray.

How many Ohio homes are part of corporate portfolios? Is Wall Street cashing in on the American dream? In this episode, we talk with State Sen. Bill Blessing, Prof. Athena Tsouderou, and Gene Slater.

It’s not just the raw number of houses being built that is driving the current housing crisis. It's also about what types of houses are being built. In our continuing series looking at the challenges surrounding affordable housing, we're examining the impact of supply and demand. In this episode, we talk to Vincent Squillace, Richard Kahlenberg, and Jason Reece.

The housing crisis is complicated and frustrating. Untangled, the new series from All Sides with Anna Staver, is here to help. In this episode, we look at the highly competitive real estate market in central Ohio and across the nation. We'll talk with Carlie Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, Mic Gordon, real estate consultant with Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty, and Luis Eduardo Quintero, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Untangled, a new podcast from All Sides with Anna Staver, takes a complicated topic and untangles it for you.In the first season, we're untangling the housing crisis, why Gen Z thinks they'll never be homeowners while baby boomers are getting priced out by rising property taxes.Subscribe to Untangled wherever you get your podcasts or listen live on Monday mornings at 11 a.m. on 89.7 NPR news.