Hearsay With Cathy Lewis

Does your pregnant dog need a sonagram? Does your cat need surgery to remove a growth? It's all possible - but it's expensive. Last year, Americans spent more than $12 Billion on veterinary care for pets. So is pet health insurance worth the investment? Our favorite veterinarian, Dr. Phyllis Neumann, is back with us for today's pet health edition of HearSay. Join us with your thoughts on health insurance for pets.

We'll talk with mortgage and homeownership experts about the latest on the foreclosure crisis in the headlines.

We bring you some brand new conversations with several authors including award-winning songwriter Neil Sedaka. He joins Cathy Lewis for a delightful conversation about his iconic music career, his hit number one hit song "Breaking Up is Hard to Do", and his latest venture, a children's book entitled "Waking Up Is Hard To Do." We'll also talk with author Joe Tennis as he takes readers on both sides of the Blue Ridge to explore the ghostly tales of Appalachia and the Crooked Road in his new book "Haunts of Virginia's Blue Ridge Highlands." And local author Waverley Traylor explores the rich and colorful stories of the Great Dismal Swamp in "The Great Dismal Swamp in Myth and Legend."

We're going live from the garden in this special edition of HearSay. Join us, and our gardening expert Jim Orband, Live from our Williamsburg studio. We're also in for a special treat, as we'll talk live with Melissa Bigner, author of the gorgeous new book, "Southern Bouquets." Give us a call with your fall gardening questions.

Segment A: From The Headlines Today we'll talk about the stories making headlines across Hampton Roads and the nation. And, what's on your mind? We want to know, so send us your comments and feedback to hearsay@whro.org. We'll read them on the air, then open up the phone lines. Give us a call at 440-2665 or 1-800 940-2240. Segment B: Terry McAuliffe Former Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has been out of the political spotlight recently, so what's he up to? McAuliffe has been focusing his business on clean energy and green jobs and promoting electric cars. We'll catch up with the businessman and political strategist in our second half-hour of the program.

The race for Virginia's 2nd Congressional district is probably the most-watched in Hampton Roads. According to the New York Times, the district is a toss-up between Democrat incumbent, Rep. Glenn Nye, and Republican challenger, Scott Rigell.On Saturday, October 9th, the candidates squared-off at the ODU Higher Education Center in a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters. Our own Cathy Lewis was a questioner on the panel. The debate was co-sponsored by ODU and WHRO. Tune in today at Noon to listen to Saturday night's discussion.

Raise your hand if you've been hearing a lot about charter schools lately? Thanks in part to the film "Waiting for 'Superman,'" charter schools are quickly becoming the education issue of the year. So, what are charter schools? How do they work, and why so many parents, teachers, and students see charter schools as an answer for American education. We'll hear both sides in today's discussion.

Governor Bob McDonnell hosts "Virginia: Energy Capital of the East Coast - The Governor's Conference on Energy" this week at the Richmond Convention Center. The Conference will feature a comprehensive program that will cover every aspect of doing energy business in Virginia and also give the latest information on state and federal regulatory activities. It will also present the insights of business and government leaders about our state's energy future. Today, we'll talk with energy and economic experts about the idea of Virginia as an "energy capital."

Where can you find 500 million people all at once? Facebook, of course. It's is just one of the many online social platforms every politician needs to know how to use. Today on HearSay, with the mid-term elections fast approaching, we'll examine how political campaigns are turning to the world wide web to gain supporters. Our guests include: HearSay tech consultant and career expert Ed Sykes of The Sykes Group, also the President of the Public Affairs Council and the Foundation for Public Affairs Douglas Pinkham, and Pew Internet research specialist Aaron Smith. Join us!

Today we'll talk about the stories making headlines across Hampton Roads and the nation. And, what's on your mind? We want to know, so send us your comments and feedback to hearsay@whro.org. We'll read them on the air, then open up the phone lines. Give us a call at 440-2665 or 1-800 940-2240.

Art in its many forms-visual, theatrical, musical-is undoubtedly inspirational, and that inspiration is powerful. In Hampton Roads, community service and outreach is a driving force for several creative projects. On this edition of HearSay, award-winning Virginian-Pilot photographer Stephen Katz joins us to tell us about his project, "Shoot for Good" and how you can participate. Plus, we'll hear how community outreach plays a big part in the Virginia Stage Company's current staging of "The Diary of Anne Frank," and its overall mission from artistic director, Chris Hanna. And then, we'll celebrate 15 years of community arts with the Virginia Arts Festival, which what built upon the very notion of giving back, with executive director (and accomplished musician), Rob Cross.

Segment 1 - Your Brain & Business: Switched-On Selling In the sales and marketing world of business, success can also require someone to go beyond traditional sales techniques and address deeper psychological and physiological challenges and opportunities to get ahead in the game. Highly-successful salespeople more easily work through challenges and keep focused on their goals. In Dr. Jerry Teplitz's new book "Switched-On Selling: Balance Your Brain for Sales Success," he teaches some fascinating ideas about improving your brain for better selling success. Segment 2 - The "F" Bomb: Overcoming Fear In Business Fear in the business world can easily lead to failure. In a tough economy, the challenges can be even more so and deliver that "running into a brick wall" feeling. Kelly Meerbot, small business owner, advertising, public relations and creative professional with Meerbott Marketing has called "fear in business" the "F" bomb. She'll join us with some ideas that might help you push past your fears

Even though The Health Care Reform Act was signed into law earlier this year, the debate and attempts to repeal it are ongoing. On a local and regional level, how are businesses affected by the changes in health care, and what are they doing to control costs and still provide for the health care needs of thier employees. Join our panel discussion with those answers, and contribute with your own thoughts.

Hampton Roads is facing a lot of challenges entering a new fiscal year. From JFCOM and jobs to traffic and tourism, the regions successes and failures will be covered in the 11th Annual State of the Region report. Old Dominion University economics professor and former President, Dr. James Koch, joins us on this edition of HearSay to preview the report, and discuss some of the most important findings.

A group of private firms has joined forces and proposed doubling the size of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, but at what cost? Meantime, the regional high-speed rail discussion heats up again this week. We'll discuss Hampton Roads transportation, and we invite you to join the conversation.

In 2007, more than $17 billion was pumped into the U.S. security industry, and it keeps on growing. When you invest in a home security system, are you doing so for protection or peace of mind? We'll talk with security industry professionals and a state regulation official about personal and home protection.

Segment 1 - Your Brain & Business: Switched-On Selling In the sales and marketing world of business, success can also require someone to go beyond traditional sales techniques and address deeper psychological and physiological challenges and opportunities to get ahead in the game. Highly-successful salespeople more easily work through challenges and keep focused on their goals. In Dr. Jerry Teplitz's new book "Switched-On Selling: Balance Your Brain for Sales Success," he teaches some fascinating ideas about improving your brain for better selling success. Segment 2 - The "F" Bomb: Overcoming Fear In Business Fear in the business world can easily lead to failure. In a tough economy, the challenges can be even more so and deliver that "running into a brick wall" feeling. Kelly Meerbot, small business owner, advertising, public relations and creative professional with Meerbott Marketing has called "fear in business" the "F" bomb. She'll join us with some ideas that might help you push past your fears

October is Virginia Wine Month, and we're toasting Virginia's rich wine heritage in this special edition of HearSay. Joining us in studio is Norfolk's own award-winning winemaker, Andy Reagan, from Jefferson Vineyards in Charlottesville, to talk about this year's harvest. We'll also talk with Virginia's Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Todd Haymore, who is working closely with First Lady Maureen McDonnell to promote Virginia's wines across the commonwealth and around the world. Hampton Roads Magazine's Patrick Evans-Hylton is also in studio to share his Virginia wine favorites.

Segment A: Banned Books Week What do the books "Alice In Wonderland," "Ulysses," and "Dick and Jane" have in common? At one time or another, access to all three books has been restricted by a government. In honor of Banned Books Week (September 25 - October 2), we'll discuss the practice of banning books because of their religious, moral or political content with ODU English professor and national expert on banned books, Alicia DeFonzo. We'll also hear from Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Deputy Director of the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom.Segment B: The U.S. & Asia - Globalization The U.S. & Asia are Separated by oceans, but economically speaking, the relationship is closer than ever. With increasing reliance on Chinese investments, the Indian workforce, and are American policymakers overlooking some crucial elements and resources? Nayan Chanda, Director of Publications from the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization joins us in studio to discuss our relationship to Asia, a

After weeks of requests, Hampton Roads legislators are headed to Washington this week to discuss the planned JFCOM closing. Governor McDonnell, Senators Webb and Warner, and Representatives Forbes, Nye and Wittman will all question Defense Department officials about the decision to close JFCOM. On this headlines edition of HearSay, we'll discuss the planned hearings, and examine what would happen should the DoD stay with its plan to eliminate JFCOM, and 6,000 Hampton Roads jobs.