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For more than a decade, Dana Cope grew the State Employees Association’s political power at the state legislature, representing 60,000+ state employees. So much so, a national union joined forces, and he ended up at the White House and exotic locations around the world.

Then, it all came to a screeching halt. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the same organization. After serving four years in prison, Cope is sharing his story for the first time in great detail.

From behind the scenes of the association’s growing power, to the details of his crime, his time in prison, and now his apology to everyone that used to work for him. 

It’s episode you do not want to miss.

Get the ultimate insider's take on D23 Expo! Disney’s massive fan event starts soon, and VP Michael Vargo joins the Attractions Insider podcast for a special bonus episode to offer a preview of what to expect this weekend. 

As a child, Congresswoman Ann Wagner aspired to Broadway stardom. But her hardworking parents made sure she had something to fall back on — even if they didn’t necessarily expect it to be elected office. But after working at two well-known Missouri companies, she found herself married and living in Jefferson City, and that’s exactly what happened.

Wagner speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about her St. Louis upbringing and the experiences that have made her who she is today. They also discuss the value of a dollar, how the arts can affect your life, and how a Christmas party conversation with the president changed everything.

Jay Ashcroft grew up in politics. It’s been a part of his life forever, and the family dinner conversations often centered around it. His childhood also included meeting presidents and Arnold Schwarzenegger, sitting first row for the St. Louis Cardinals, and sneaking around the governor's mansion. And while he also worked as a lifeguard, a Dairy Queen worker, an engineer, a teacher and a lawyer, it is, perhaps, unsurprising that he has ended up where he is now - as an elected official.

Ashcroft speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about his road to becoming Missouri Secretary of State. They also touch on raising a family, and his family’s response to his decision to enter politics, which met with a rather surprising reaction from his mother.

Perhaps there’s no direct path from childhood to Lieutenant Governor, but Mike Kehoe’s story has a few more surprises than one would expect. Raised in northern St. Louis by a hardworking single mother, Kehoe was the youngest of six. He went from being a teenager washing cars at the Ford dealership to owning one. He also became a first-generation farmer. And, of course, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. 

Kehoe talks with journalist Lindsey Christ about his journey, and why he feels his life experience makes him a good politician. He also discusses the importance of core values, common sense and writing on paper plates.

As Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights creeps closer, Ashley and Allison share some noteworthy updates. Speaking of Halloween, Legoland Florida has “monster” plans for its Brick-or-Treat. And finally, Disney has launched its new MagicBand+ device. Ashley took it for a spin and shares what she learned.

In case you didn’t know Disney World is getting a TRON attraction. The ride has been under construction for a few years now, but in the last few months, it’s really taken shape. Hosts Ashley and Allison talk about the latest details released about the attraction while we wait for it to open.

But first, Ashley and Allison pay their respect to the former Tower of Terror billboard. And for the Shrek fans out there, they have an update on the character meet and greet at Universal.

For Florida theme parks, 2022 is shaping up to be a big year. Many parks have already opened or are getting ready to open new attractions, ranging from roller coasters to an entire park. Ashley Carter and Allison Walker break down the new attractions at the parks this year. 

Visiting Disney World soon, but haven't been in a while? There are some changes you should be aware of before you go. Join Ashley Carter and Allison Walker as they discuss what's changed at the parks over the pandemic. 

Have fun like the experts! Get the inside scoop on your favorite Florida attractions, from new rides and special events to helpful tips and tricks. Find out everything you need to know with Ashley Carter and Allison Walker every Friday on the Attractions Insider podcast.

March 16, 2022: Teachers across the country are quitting their jobs and changing careers, which is being known as “The Great Teacher Resignation.”

The National Education Association, the country’s largest teacher’s union, recently conducted a survey that shows 55 percent of its members are thinking about leaving the profession earlier than they had originally planned.

Among some reasons cited were staff shortages, pandemic-related stress and low pay.

When teachers who took part in the survey were asked about what school districts can do to keep teachers, they pointed to reasons including higher salaries, hiring more teachers and support staff, and less paperwork.

On this episode of To The Point Already, Spectrum Bay News 9's Rick Elmhorst and Roy De Jesus talk with Marlene Sokol, an educational writer for the Tampa Bay Times, Spectrum Bay News 9's Fallon Silcox and Leah Sarsfield, a former teacher, about the big issues facing teachers, schools and families today.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Spectrum Bay News 9 anchor Rick Elmhorst sits down with the people that represent you, the people fighting for change and the people with fascinating stories to ask the hard questions.

Dru Mamo Kanuha was just 28 when he was first elected to represent the people of his Kona community. Though his family can trace its local lineage back 12 generations, Kanuha has forged a path in politics all on his own. In this episode of the podcast, he explains how much the local canoe club meant to his childhood sense of community and how it still plays a role in his life today.

Though Kanuha started out helping his father with contracting work and then went to college planning on becoming a marine biologist, he has found a place as the Hawaii State Senate majority leader.

With several life stories that read like a movie script, Hawaii Island Mayor Mitch Roth had a circuitous path to elected office. In this episode of the podcast, he discusses the impact of several key moments in his life, from a teenage plan to take a trip around the world, to a side-job caring for his boss’s elderly mother, to almost losing his life twice.

Roth didn’t plan to run for office and then when he initially did, he says nobody expected him to win. Now, a year into the role of mayor, he is focused on using his life experiences to make a difference for Hawaii County.

Josh Green first ran for office hoping to work on some of the issues he had seen first-hand as an emergency room physician. But his experience and expertise took on an unanticipated relevance during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in addition to his role as lieutenant governor, Green became Hawaii’s Covid response liaison.

In the first episode of the Hawaii season of The People’s People podcast, Lt. Governor Green discusses his role in helping manage Hawaii’s pandemic policies and the personal impact the virus had on him and his family. He tells journalist Lindsey Christ about his weekend work in the emergency room, and how his patients react to him now that he is a statewide leader.

The wide-ranging conversation includes details about Green’s childhood in Pittsburg and how he met his wife in Hawaii. And he is the first elected official to take the Hawaii lightning round, answering pressing questions like whether he prefers Spam or Portuguese sausage and whether he would choose brunch or pau hana.  

While Senator Susan Collins is often in the national news for her decisions in Washington, her conversation with journalist Lindsey Christ focuses on who she is and how she became such a significant national figure. Senator Collins describes growing up near the Canadian border with two parents who believed it was wrong to complain if you don’t get involved. Her first job was manual labor that paid in pennies and an early encounter with a senator from Maine inspired her future career. Collins also discusses a dramatic moment in the U.S. Senate that almost resulted in her missing a vote – and ruining her perfect record. Learn what she thinks is the biggest challenge facing Maine and how she answers our burning lightning round questions, like whether she would choose a weekend at the ocean or a lake.

Being the chief executive of a state during a pandemic is a job nobody could prepare for, but Maine Governor Janet Mills learned to work through challenges and thrive through adversity at an early age. In the debut episode of The People’s People podcast, Governor Mills speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about the more unusual experiences that helped shape her into becoming the first woman elected governor of Maine. That includes taking on a newspaper route at the age of five, “slinging hash” in a restaurant, being a psychiatric aide at a hospital and helping raise five stepdaughters. And Governor Mills explains why being the first woman to be a district attorney in New England was a starker experience than when she broke the glass ceiling in the executive office. They discuss how while Mills was making the tough decisions for Maine during the Covid-19 pandemic, she was also learning to live with the same restrictions as other Mainers, which included trying to bake over video calls with her grandchildren. 

And Governor Mills is the first to take on The People's People lightning round of sticky questions only a Mainer could answer - like whether she would rather sleep in a tent or an RV. 

When Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos blasted off on their own private spacecrafts this summer, it became clear that space travel was no longer solely the domain of government agencies. The question now is: How long will it be for those who aren’t super-wealthy to one day hitch rides beyond the Earth’s atmosphere? Josh Robin interviews Dr. Wendy Whitman Cobb of the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. They talk about the cost of space travel, why leaving Earth on a rocket doesn’t neglect problems on our planet -- and the Jetsons. Plus, a debunked prediction about bacon of the future.

The Delta variant is continuing its deadly march -- particularly among those who haven’t been vaccinated. It’s also draining the optimism of only a few months ago that the U.S. had turned the corner on COVID-19. For perspective, we look back to the far deadlier influenza pandemic of 1918: how it started; how it was treated; how it divided people; how it ended; and what it helped create. Laura Spinney, author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918, and How it Changed the World joins Josh Robin to discuss the parallels.

Students are returning to schools amid another spike in COVID-19 cases and a heated debate over mask mandates. But even as more kids return to traditional classroom environments, experts say the pandemic has already changed the education landscape forever.  In this episode of What Could Be, Josh Robin talks with Liz Willen, editor in chief of the education news site The Hechinger Report about the future of virtual school; mental health check-ins; and why weather-related days off may be a thing of the past. Plus, a debunked prediction about the future of writing instruments.