Annette Hamm joins Scott Radley for this week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton. Everything from the most serious topics to the least gets covered today including working in the media as the 9/11 attacks happened and making sure it doesn't get lost to time, working at extremely early hours of the day, weird museums, drinking booze out of a taxidermied squirrel and more. Guest: Annette Hamm, Co-Host of Morning Live on CHCH-TV

Tim Hortons Field needs some work done to keep it safe to attend but with a price tag around $1 million, who should be on the hook to pay it? Guest: Lloyd Ferguson, Ward 12 Councillor, City of Hamilton - Toronto's sports teams have had amazing players over the years. Is it time we start introducing Kyle Lowry to the other all-time greats? Guest: Rick Zamperin, Sports Director, Global News Radio 900 CHML - Robots come in peace! Or at least that's what they're telling us. As AI adapts and grows to now be able to write in a way that mimics the style of different writers, could we see the end of professional writing and author? Should we be alarmed or excited by this? Guest: Fiona McEvoy, AI Ethics Writer, Researcher, Speaker, and thought leader based in San Francisco

Hamilton is expected to have some large growth in terms of population. Would this growth cause a massive amount of urban sprawl or will we see Hamilton build up into more high-rises and skyscrapers? Guest: Judi Partridge, Ward 15 Councillor, City of Hamilton - When you hear certain songs you're bound to find some part of your body tapping or dancing along to the beat. Some research has shown that even when you try not to move with the music, you're still going to do it. Why is that and could there be something that makes your music of choice predetermined? Guest: Dr. Jessica Grahn, Associate Professor, Brain and Mind Institute, Department of Psychology, Western University & researcher studying the science of music

There's a vast amount of research that's being done into COVID-19 and how we can stop or slow its spread. Some of this research proves unsuccessful towards combating COVID-19 and then gets cast aside. Could we be making advances in other fields of research but throwing it out simply because it didn't work against COVID-19? Guest: Dr. Edward Mills, Part-Time Professor & Expert, Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University - COVID-19 hasn't been very friendly to Tim Hortons' sales numbers. Why would this be and how could it explain why sales were up for some other establishments but not Tim's? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Associate Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - Watching the giants that play professional football is impressive on TV and in person but when you're on the sidelines and they're coming at you, that's a whole different story. With the return of NFL football coming soon, Scott looks to get an inside line on what it's like to be an NFL official this season. Guest: Steve Foxcroft, Member of the Buffalo Bills' Chain Gang

This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton features Jamie West. Together, Scott and Jamie will tackle some of the most intellectually intense and highly debated topics of our day. Some of these topics include Hamilton's airport, cursive writing and whether or not we should keep calling them "Buffalo boneless chicken wings" when there isn't a chicken wing without the bones at all. Guest: Jamie West, Host of 'What Were You Thinking' on Global News Radio 900 CHML and CEO & Creative Director of Westpro Media

There's a chance that Cogeco might get bought out of the telecommunications business by a large American company. While some of the business would be sold to Rogers, how would that impact Cogeco's customers and Rogers' customers alike? How would having less carriers change the field of telecommunications? Guest: Marvin Ryder, Associate Professor of Marketing, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University - The Canadian Football League is giving fans an opportunity to share an honour that was previously held by only the best teams. For as much as $400 you can get your name added to a special base that the Grey Cup will sit upon. How good of an idea is this and will it be enough to help the league? Guest: Rick Zamperin, Sports Director, Global News Radio 900 CHML

A survey of Hamiltonians on our recycling practices had some interesting findings. Is recycling really that confusing and why does some recyclable material still end up in landfills? Guest: Angela Storey, Director of Recycling and Waste Disposal, City of Hamilton - The government seems to grow and grow and grow but have we ever seen it shrink? No matter what party is in power, the government seems to keep growing. Why is that? Guest: John Robson, Columnist, National Post - This week is the 40th anniversary of Terry Fox's original Marathon of Hope. What was it like being on the very first Marathon of Hope that saw Terry Fox attempt to run from one side of Canada to the other? Was there another side to Terry that the public rarely saw? What's it like looking back on his story? Scott is joined by someone who was not only with Terry Fox, but helped make his Marathon of Hope what we have come to know it as. Guest: Bill Vigars, Canadian Cancer Society’s Ontario Division Director of Fundraising and Public Relations during Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope & friend of Terry Fox

On this day, 25-years-ago, Paul Bernardo was convicted and sentenced to prison. His crimes did more than just impact the lives of his victims but also the lives of the jurors who convicted him. One of those jurors wants to make sure that jurors are provided help so they can deal with the traumatic and damaging evidence they are sometimes faced with. Has any progress been made? Guest: Tina Daenzer, COO & CFO of The Canadian Juries Commission & Juror in the R. v. Bernardo trial - As winter approaches many people start planning out a winter vacation which sometimes involves a cruise line. Considering COVID-19 pretty much shut down cruise liners, what changes have been made and how can cruising be something we can enjoy while staying safe? Guest: Sherry Laskin, cruise and travel writer, podcaster and creator of cruisemaven.com & contributor to Cruise Radio

We've heard stories of LRT causing issues in other cities and as Hamilton gets back to contemplating one of our own, is there anything that can be learned from these cases? Have we even gotten a proper offer for one? Guest: Jason Farr, Ward 2 Councillor, City of Hamilton - Politicians catch a lot of flak on social media and while some of it is deserved, some of it is simply abusive. An idea at how platforms can be kept critical and free while maintaining civility is being championed by Mayor of Niagara Falls. Scott gets the inside line on this idea from the mayor himself. Guest: Jim Diodati, Mayor of Niagara Falls - The coverage of golfer Mackenzie Hughes, Blue Jays baseball & what happened to the Kentucky Derby? All this and more is on the docket for this week's episode of Sports Talk with Don Robertson. Guest: Don Robertson, Owner & Head Coach, Dundas Real McCoys and Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

This week's edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton welcomes Mike Fortune back to talk with Scott about whether a two-tier healthcare system should be considered, the likelihood of COVID-19 cases to rise once schools open up, Ontario's list of rejected vanity license plates & more. Guest: Mike Fortune, Host, Cable 14

There are rumours floating around that the leader of North Korea is less than healthy. Whether he's dead, sick or in a coma, the next in line would be his sister who surely would be an improvement, right? You might be surprised. Guest: Dr. Charles Burton, Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute - Pretty much every major sports league in North America is seeing the players protesting by refusing to play. While they're calling for change, what specifically do they want changed and who do they want changing? Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor, CHCH

University students are preparing to return to campus in about a week but what's the plan for our local university, McMaster? Their Dean of Students joins Scott to help clear the waters. Guest: Sean Van Koughnett, Associate Vice-President (Students and Learning) & Dean of Students - You'll find a lack of NBA games being played tonight and potentially for the coming future. This is in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in the United States which prompted NBA players to boycott playing. How long will they refuse to play and what kind of effects will it have on the NBA, the players and society as a whole? Guest: Mike Ganter, Toronto Raptors writer, Toronto Sun - Music sale numbers have been released and they might surprise you. How healthy is the music industry and has technology taken over in ways we could have never predicted? Guest: Eric Alper, Publicist, Music Commentator & Shameless Idealist

Working at home has allowed people to spend more time in their house and in turn, asking more from it. Yards, offices, pools and more are all being sought after and as such, this will have an impact on the real estate market. Scott speaks with a local real estate agent to get a glimpse into the market through his eyes. Guest: Rob Golfi, Real Estate Agent, The Rob Golfi Team, Remax Realty - Imagine you were given the opportunity to completely redraw the borders and boundaries of North America however you choose. Would you redo them along party lines so the supporters of every party have their own territory for them to control? Would you have a certain number of each party control different areas? Or would you change anything at all? Could there be an answer to this question that would help in an increasingly divided world? Guest: Brian Giesbrecht, Senior Fellow, Frontier Centre for Public Policy, retired Manitoba provincial judge

There have been calls to slow down Aberdeen Avenue and it now looks like those same calls are being answered. How would allowing parking on the road change the way cars use the road? Guest: Maureen Wilson, Ward 1 Councillor, City of Hamilton - If you've ever driven from Hamilton to Guelph along Highway 6, you've seen the dinosaurs on the roadside but unfortunately there's a chance they might be going extinct. Why would that be and how did they find their way onto the lot of Flamborough Patio Furniture? Guest: Gilles Fortin, Owner, Flamborough Patio Furniture - The sports world has had a challenging time battling with safety and security all while keeping games going and doing so in an entertaining way. Who has the worst job in the current situation? This question and more gets answered in Sports Talk with Don Robertson. Guest: Don Robertson, Owner & Head Coach, Dundas Real McCoys, Broker of Record, ComChoice Realty

For the first time ever, Jen Watson and Jay McQueen join Scott for another edition of The Brightest Conversation in Hamilton. Today's docket sees Scott, Jen & Jay talk about fact-checking, Facebook memes, voice acting and daily COVID-19 case number updates in the news. Guests: Jay McQueen, Weather Reporter, Global News Radio 900 CHML & Real Estate Agent, Realty Network              Jen Watson, Voice Actor, McQueenVoiceOvers.com & former CHML News Anchor & Reporter

A study on children and their likelihood to spread COVID-19 has been released but it directly conflicts with one that was released by researchers at McMaster University. Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children are accredited institutions and so is McMaster University, so how do you determine which one you should believe? Guest: Dr. Ahmad Firas Khalid, Medical Doctor & Health Policy Expert - Some new art installations are coming to Hamilton to help show our appreciation for the work that Hamilton's healthcare workers are doing. A long asked question of "what is art?" has to be addressed and who's art should be displayed? Guest: Ken Coit, Manager, Placemaking, Public Art & Projects, City of Hamilton - Boxing is not what is once was in terms of popularity but that isn't stopping some former stars from coming out of retirement. Are you interested in seeing boxers in their late 40s and 50s coming back to fight again? Guest: Bubba O'Neil, Sports Anchor, CHCH

As Toronto's police force moves to introduce body cameras, the question of if Hamilton's police service will follow suit comes up. Is there already support for them or should we wait and see what happens down the road? Guest: Clint Twolan, President, Hamilton Police Association - Will we see a different approach to spending now that Canada has a new minister of finance? Guest: Aaron Wudrick, Federal Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Canada's now-previous minister of finance, Bill Morneau, has stepped down and been replaced by Chrystia Freeland. What kind of precedent does accepting this job set? Guest: Ian Lee, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University - The price of your groceries are on the rise. If you haven't noticed it yet, you can expect to in the coming future but what's causing this to happen? Is there an upside to these higher prices? Guest: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois a.k.a. The Food Professor, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University - The CFL has announced no season will be played this year. Some people are completely and adamantly opposed to this while others say this is the best course of action. Is the CFL on its last legs as we've heard so often? Guest: Rod Pedersen, Host of The Rod Pederson Show & former play-by-play commentator for Saskatchewan Roughriders