How is this election moving along? Are things going the way we expected when the writ was initially dropped? Guest: Kate Harrison, Vice Chair, Summa Strategies - The price of meat is rising rapidly and there's no denying it. The question, however, is why? Has it been the pandemic alone that's caused this spike or is there something more to it and is it time to start stashing tonnes of meat in your freezer? Guest: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois a.k.a. The Food Professor, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University - Naming a band is a daunting task because whether you like it, or not, it's going to stick with you forever. Some names have cool stories behind them while others stem back to a spur-of-the-moment idea. Unfortunately, only so many names can exist before we enter the realm of bands with weird characters and symbols, with no way of pronouncing them, in their name. What are bands and musicians doing to ensure their name is unique to them, and them alone? Guest: Alan Cross, Music Historian & Journalist; Author 'A Journal of Musical Things' & Host, The Ongoing History of New Music

This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Graeme Mackay who joins Scott to talk about the current situation in Afghanistan, vaccine hesitancy, the fact that Hamilton has 9,000 employees, conscious cartooning and more. Guest: Graeme Mackay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator

Why are social media platforms willing to ban people like Donald Trump from their platforms while at the same time allowing members of groups like the Taliban to use it. Where is the line drawn and why aren't social media companies fully enforcing their own, self-imposed, policies? Guest: Allen Mendelsohn, Canadian Internet and Tech. Lawyer - There's a chance that you remember the company Consumers Distributing. 25-years-ago this week, Consumers Distributing went out of business despite it being used by so many people. What's caused this business, and many like it, to fade into the history books? Guest: Craig Patterson, Editor-In-Chief & Founder, Retail Insider

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Crashing your car is one of the last things that you want to do. What can make it even worse is when you crash a nice Audi Q7 into a 371-year-old house built by the ancestors of Abraham Lincoln. Wouldn't it be crazy if all of this actually did happen and just because the driver tried to avoid hitting a squirrel? 2) What do you do when there's a tree that sits right on the property line and one owner wants the tree while the other doesn't? Split it! One side gets beautiful canopy and other side gets pruning cuts. 3) Donating your body to science is something that helps allow medicine and science to progress in many different ways. What you might not expect is for your best friend to find your body being the one that gets pulled for anatomy class. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

A new poll has found that around one third of Ontarians say they are house-poor meaning the majority of their income goes towards their mortgage and/or house-related bills. Of that third, half of them say they're concerned they won't be able to make ends meet in this coming year. Guest: Don Fox, Principal, IG Private Wealth Management & Co-host, Planning Your Financial Future on Global News Radio 900 CHML - Bob Ross is one of the few people who's loved by just about everyone and a documentary all about him and the battle for his business is set to be released on Netflix. Guest: Dr. Kristin Congdon, Professor Emeritus, Art and Media, University of Central Florida & Co-Author, "Happy Clouds, Happy Trees: The Bob Ross Phenomenon"

Interesting numbers are arising as the federal election campaign gets underway. Where can we expect to be seeing support and for whom will that support be for? Guest: Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist & Founder, Nanos Research - If you take a look at who's running in your local riding chances are you won't see anyone familiar. How might this lack incumbent MPs impact the outcome of this election? Guest: Larry Di Ianni, Host & Community Producer, Cable 14 & Former Hamilton Mayor - Don Robertson joins Scott to talk about the Honus Wagner baseball card that sold for a whopping $6.6 million, childhood heroes, the kids of famous athletes trying to imitate their parents' success and more in Sports Talk with Don Robertson. Guest: Don Robertson, Head Coach & Owner, Dundas Real McCoys & Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features our friend Mike Fortune who joins Scott to talk about the new Jeopardy! lineup, the potential for a federal election, how people vote, vaccine passports and more. Guest: Mike Fortune, Co-host, The Hamilton Network, Cable 14

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) The University of Wisconsin is removing a rock from its campus because some people are saying it's racist. That's because of a name that it was referred to as at one point in time. 2) If there's one place OJ Simpson will never return to, it's Los Angeles. Why might you ask? Well isn't it obvious, the killer is still there! 3) They say that a picture is worth a thousand words however you only need a couple words to paint this picture. Flasher. Swinging. They were used in a police report to describe what someone was doing at traffic and now they're two words that can be used to describe what you're envisioning in your mind. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

What do you do when you're the president of the United States and you cancelled an oil pipeline from being built on your first day but your country needs more oil to bring gas prices down? Request more oil! But don't order it from Canada, request it from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and more. Guest: Stephen LeDrew, Political Commentator; Host, The LeDrew Three Minute Interview; Former President, Liberal Party of Canada - The movie set where Field of Dreams was shot has welcomed the MLB to take it from fiction to reality. Complete with Kevin Costner and the players entering the diamond from the corn, what else can we expect to see from tonight's game in Iowa? You're also going to be hearing none other than our friend Bubba O'Neil doing the play by play for this weekend's Ticats game! Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor, CHCH-TV

Monday, August 9th saw Hamilton City Council vote 10-2 to remove the homeless encampments. This vote specifically removes a Superior Court injunction that prevented the tent cities from being removed. Renewed regular enforcement will resume in 3 weeks. Scott spoke with the Councillor who introduced the motion, Jason Farr. GUEST: Jason Farr, Ward 2 Councillor Hamilton   As the situation in Afghanistan quickly deteriorates, in light of the US army's departure from the region, many people are wondering the same thing: Was it worth it? Guest: Dr. Geoffrey Hayes, PhD. History professor with special research interests in Canadian Military History and Afghanistan.   Then, in a rare showing for Scott, we replay an old interview with W.P. Kinsella, in honour of the Field of Dreams game White Sox vs Yankees. Guest: W.P. Kinsella (archived), Canadian author of "Shoeless Joe" a sports fiction novel later adapted to film as "Field of Dreams"

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Some people really, really love certain bands to the point of getting tattoos of them. A mother from New Zealand may have taken that love to a whole new level when she decided to name her kids after three of her favourite heavy metal bands, Metallica, Pantera and Slayer. Let's hope that her kids will grow up to share her love for metal. 2) Extracting teeth is not something just anybody can do. Years of schooling, examination and practice must be completed or at least that would be the case for someone who wants to do it the right way. Instead, this lady broke into a dentist's office where she pulled 13 teeth on top of some other shenanigans. 3) Flying over 2,000km from England to Russia is an amazing feat regardless of what kind of animal you're talking about. When it gets accomplished by a bat the size of your thumb, that makes things even more spectacular! How do we know that this bat is from England? You can thank an unfortunate run in with a cat for that. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

All around the world, there is a growing anti-government sentiment. Where is this feeling coming from and where could we see it lead to? Guest: Bill Kelly, Host, The Bill Kelly Show, Global News Radio 900 CHML - Licensing private rental properties is the basis of a new pilot project that got the green light from Hamilton City Council today. Why do they want to license these properties and how would it work? Guest: John Paul Danko, Ward 8 City Councillor, City of Hamilton - When you lose one of the great players from any game, there's always a sombre feeling however the passing of NHL Hall of Famer Tony Esposito also evokes memories of when goalies were simply the coolest player on the ice. How have sports changed since the time of Esposito and why are different sports being played so similarly? Guest: Steve Foxcroft, Sports Broadcaster, NFL Chain Gang Member, NBA Court-side Administrator & Vice-President, Fluke Transport

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) The Olympics added some new sports to its long list of disciplines and sports which has prompted a guy to petition the International Olympic Committee to add another. He, and others, think that it's an "injustice" that the heart-racing, high-octane sport of Yu-Gi-Oh! (a trading card game) is not a part of the Games. Could we see the Olympics relent and welcome this as its next sport or could it be banished to the Shadow Realm instead? 2) Scented candles can really change the atmosphere of a room and while usually for the better, there are some that have some rather unusual smells. Ikea has thrown its hat in the ring with candles that smell like their iconic Swedish meatballs. Whether you think this would smell amazing or dålig is up to you. 3) Breaking up with someone introduces a whole ton of questions about what comes next. Very few people would ever expect their now-ex to take their car and run through a bunch of red lights and yet that's exactly what this one lady did 49 times! Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

How can you get today's kids interested in the news? Is it just a matter of interest or perhaps it's attention span that's lacking? Guest: Joyce Grant, Freelance Journalist, Children's Author & Co-Founder, TeachingKidsNews.com - When people in the sports world make moves that will get them massive amounts of money, and they're from Hamilton, you can bet that Scott and Don Robertson will talk about it! Also, is it time for the Canadian Premier League to launch a women's league that'll run parallel to the current CPL? Would you pay to see some of the best women in the world play soccer? Guest: Don Robertson, Head Coach & Owner, Dundas Real McCoys & Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

Ontario’s big city mayors call for decriminalization of drugs and Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward joins Scott to talk more about what this may look like. Also addressing a few common misconceptions about decriminalization.   There have been some rumblings that Live Aid may come back in aid of COVID this time. Scott brought on music publicist Eric Alper for this one.   And Bubba O'Neil from CHCH discusses the state of NHL and MLB officiating. Is it ruining the sports as some commentators say? Or is it no big deal?

The HSR has a new director in charge. As the new director for the HSR, Maureen Cosyn Heath is going to face some new challenges. Is she ready? What challenges await her? Guest: Maureen Cosyn Heath, Transit Director HSR, London school bus CAO. Paul Bernardo's parole hearing has taken place, and to many Canadian's relief, it didn't go well for Bernardo. But why should he have a parole hearing when many Canadians believe he won't be released? Guest: Jeff Manishen, Criminal Lawyer & Associate Counsel, Ross & McBride LLP Vinyl records are seeing such a resurgence in popularity that vinyl manufacturers can barely keep up with the demand. What is driving the interest in vinyl? Guest: Alan Cross, Music Historian & Journalist; Author 'A Journal of Musical Things' & Host, The Ongoing History of New Music

Hamilton legend Ron Foxcroft has recently launched his new book "The 40 Ways of the Fox", and he joins Scott on the podcast to talk more about it. Guest: Ron Foxcroft, Philanthropist, Founder & CEO, Fox 40 International Inc and Chairman, President & CEO, Fluke Transport & Basketball Referee The U.S. Open took place yesterday, and with it, Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes finishing 15th, potentially making Canadian golf history. Also, the Olympics, and their absurd COVID restrictions that (while safe) take the fun out of the game It's all coming up in Sports Talk with Don Robertson. Guest: Don Robertson, Head Coach & Owner, Dundas Real McCoys & Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Jen Watson who joins Scott to talk about cancelling Canada Day, students being sent home for wearing inappropriate clothing, embarrassing stories, removing honours programs from high school and more. Guest: Jen Watson, Voice Actor, McQueenVoiceOvers.com & former CHML News Anchor & Reporter

A new Angus-Reid poll found that many people think the price of things are increasing more than they actually are. What is making people think this? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Associate Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - There are collections of pretty much everything under the sun but one man in Hamilton likes collecting letters and signatures from people who never intended to be famous but rather found themselves thrust into historical moments. How does he get these letters from people who've done just about everything from walking on the moon to following Charles Manson? Guest: Mike Tabone, Collector - He's back! Our friend Bubba O'Neil has healed up and is ready for some more debates and conversations about everything the sports world has to offer. Today, Scott & Bubba discuss who should and shouldn't be nominated for the NHL's GM of the Year award. Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor, CHCH-TV

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) When your drugs get seized by the police it's best to just cut your losses and leave. This guy, instead, made his first stop, presumably after posting bail, the drug lockup to get his drugs back. Clearly all of the previous bad ideas didn't get the message across so let's add trying to raid the police station and City Hall to the list! 2) Sometimes YouTube's algorithms take you on a ride to learn about topics you never would have searched on your own, other times you're just plain bored or curious. Whatever the reason is, don't take the bomb you just built from a YouTube video to the police station for deactivation. 3) Living near an airport has its inherent risks but rarely does the topic of falling poo come up in the conversation. What comes up even less is the likelihood of a half-meter wide mound of poop coming real close to annihilating your car. Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

As we approach the end of the school year, there are a lot of Grade 12 students who aren't sure where they should go next. Is Grade 13 the way to go or is progressing into post-secondary education what students should do? Guest: Michele Vesprini, Guidance Counselor, St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School - There are two stories unfolding on opposing ends of the country that aren't dissimilar however the way politicians are treating it is night and day. What's going on in Alberta and Quebec? Guest: Stephen LeDrew, Political Commentator; Host, The LeDrew Three Minute Interview; Former President, Liberal Party of Canada - The Vancouver School Board is cutting out its honours programs from its high school. What purpose is this suppose to serve and are the words equality and equity misused too often? Guest: Monika Ferenczy, Education Consultant & Author

Today's edition of Ben's Story of the Day features: 1) Girl Guide cookie sales have dropped through the floor thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and now they're sitting on 15 million boxes of cookies! Oh what I'd do to get into that warehouse... 2) Unfortunately McDonald's Happy Meals aren't served all day long much to the dismay of this guy. How did he react to this news? By threatening to execute everyone in the restaurant! 3) Simply wearing your underwear over your pants and putting on a cape isn't enough to bestow you with the powers of Superman. A self-identified comedian from Mexico found that out the hard way after he tried to stop a bus while donning the classic red, blue and yellow costume. Who won this battle? Certainly not the guy who got flattened by a bus! Which one will be crowned Ben's Story of the Day? Which one is your story of the day?

We now know what it would cost to run the LRT in Hamilton... we think. Have all the questions been answered or is there still more to discover? Guest: Lloyd Ferguson, Ward 12 Councillor, City of Hamilton - Some new concerns are on the rise over cannabis use but this time it's revolving around children's use of it. Is this something that actually merits concern or is a ruckus being made about nothing? Guest: Dr. James MacKillop. Peter Boris Chair in Addictions Research. Director of the Peter Boris Centre For Addictions Research. Co-director of the Michael D. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research - The CFL has announced its new season and the Ti-Cats are going to be having a doozy of a year! 4 games against the Argonauts!? Guest: Rick Zamperin, Host of The 5th Quarter, News Director & Sports Director, Global News Radio 900 CHML