Discover Janesville

Discover Janesville at Janesville Fire Station #1 - Dennis LeCaptain

2009-11-15T20:27:00.001-08:00

Dennis LeCaptain is a detective with the Janesville Police Department specializing in crimes against children, and he is also the President of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. In our conversation, Dennis shared what it's like to be a cop on night beat, which he during his first 9+ years with the JPD. Then, we talked about what Dennis does now as a detective. Please take a look as Dennis gives some great insights into what goes on in an abusive relationship, the 2nd part of the interview has some particularly good information. We also talked about what is required of a police officer and of the importance of treating people with respect.

Dennis LeCaptain part 1

Dennis LeCaptain 2

Discover Janesville at Janesville Fire Station #1 - John McManus

2009-11-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do a show that highlighted people who work in Janesville's Police and Fire departments. Thank you to both departments for making it so easy!

John McManus and I have talked in the past and I was glad that John was going to be able to join me on Discover Janesville. John was going to be on duty that day but I had little idea of what that actually meant until in the middle of our conversation.

John told me about what it's like being a fireman. He talked about having the trust that our firemen receive. And he talked about the excitement of having to be a constant learner because there's so much that our fairly small fire department is asked to do.

And then a man walked in with chest pains, and John got up and basically saved the man's life. A few minutes later he came back and we continued our conversation. It was incredible and almost ordinary all at the same time.

Thank you John, and thank you to our firefighters who save us from fires but really do so much more than that.

John McManus 1

John McManus 2

Discover Janesville at Speakeasy - Frank Fiore

2009-11-10T20:20:00.001-08:00

I've known Frank for sometime and he is not only a great musician and a guitar instructor but always a fun person to talk to. For our interview we sat down and talked about what it's actually like to be a working musician in Janesville. Perhaps surprising to some, Janesville's location plays a big part in what a musician can do - gigs in Madison, Rockford, Milwaukee and even Chicago are not out of the question. Frank always puts on a great show and if you have a chance - go and check him and his band out at your favorite local coffee shop or bar.

part 1

part 2

Looking for guests!

2009-10-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

As I work through ideas for future episodes of Discover Janesville, I find myself calling on my friends to suggest future guests for the show. This only makes sense as I have only been in Janesville for a few years now and do not know everybody. Yet. :)

Thus, I'd like to ask you to suggest ideas for future shows and guests. In the meantime, I'd like to share with you some of the upcoming
So here are some of ideas for future shows:

Visual Arts - Who do you think are the most accomplished Janesville artists?
Sports - Who do you think personifies Janesville sports?
Coolest houses on the market - Of all the houses on the market in Janesville, what are the 3 coolest ones?
Business Legends - Who do you think are the legends of Janesville business?
Future Leaders - Who do you think are the future leaders of Janesville?
Automotive History - Who do you think are the people that personify Janesville's auto history?
Education - Who do you think are the leaders in Janesville education?

NBC 15 features Discover Janesville!

2009-10-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sarah Carlson of NBC 15 in Madison came down to the taping of Discover Janesville and did a great story about the program, which aired on the evening news both at 6 pm and at 10 pm. Here's the story

Watch the video of the story right here

The show itself turned out great and I can't wait to be able to post the finished footage.

My first guest was Sue Melton from the Janesville Area Conventions and Visitors Bureau. Sue's interview was also sponsored by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board because prior to becoming a marketing professional, Sue was a welder, first at Beloit Corp., and then at another company in Evansville.

Other guests were Dennis LeCaptain of the Janesville Police Department, Gary King of the Janesville Transit System and John McManus of the Janesville Fire Department.

Discover Janesville at Speakeasy - Aaron Keim

2009-10-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Originally from Janesville, Aaron is a multi-instrumentalist who lives in Colorado and plays with the Boulder Acoustic Society. Aaron also has a Master's Degree in Musical History and he manufactures ukuleles. In our conversation, Aaron talked about growing up and working in Janesville and support he received from the Janesville community while developing his musical skills. Eventually our conversation shifted to talking about teaching and learning from others using the internet, which can be done from anywhere, and of course about the joys of playing a ukulele. Enjoy!

Aaron Keim part 1

Aaron Keim part 2

Discover Janesville at Speakeasy - Theresa Carroll

2009-10-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

At daytime, Theresa Carroll is a mild-mannered associate at Bliss Communications, but at night, Theresa sings with Bop Ritual, a local rock/funk band. Our conversation centered on the value of expressing yourself, and remaining true to the things that are important in our lives. What I expected to be a good interview, turned out to be a great conversation. Enjoy!

Theresa Carroll part 1

Theresa Carroll part 2

Discover Janesville at Speakeasy - Caleb Burhans and Grey McMurray

2009-10-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Episode 10 of Discover Janesville was filmed at Speakeasy and the interviews will be posted up on YouTube over the next couple of weeks. Huge "thanks" goes to everybody at Speakeasy.

The first interview is with Caleb Burhans and Grey McMurray. Caleb spent his formative years in Janesville and is now a recording artist in New York City. Together with Grey McMurray, they comprise the "itsnotyouitsme".

Our interview centered on what it was like to grow up in Janesville, to be from Janesville and be living in New York City, the value of community and self expression. We had a great conversation and I hope that you will find these interviews entertaining and perhaps inspiring.

Caleb Burhans and Grey McMurray part 1

Caleb Burhans and Grey McMurray part 2

Discover Janesville on Facebook

2009-09-24T09:48:00.001-07:00

Discover Janesville now has a Facebook fan page. Check it out right here

Introducing our newest sponsor: Alliant Energy!

2009-09-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

MADISON, WI – September 18, 2009 – Alliant Energy is providing a $4,000 sponsorship for two episodes of the Discover Janesville TV show during the program’s upcoming second season. The dollars will be used to underwrite the show’s episodes themed as “Future Leaders” and “Continuing to Discover Janesville’s Attractions.” Discover Janesville is a TV program broadcast on JATV, the City of Janesville public access television station.

“We are pleased to support Discover Janesville and its efforts to promote Janesville and its people, culture and history,” said Julie Bauer, Alliant Energy Community Affairs Manager. “Alliant Energy and Discover Janesville share a common goal of encouraging community involvement and leadership and we look forward to viewing the upcoming episodes.”

Discover Janesville is broadcast on the Charter Communication system at Cable Channel 98 and Digital Cable Channel 994 and it is also posted on YouTube. While no specific time slot is dedicated to the program, each episode of Discover Janesville airs at least six times over the season for community viewers.

“Discover Janesville appreciates the sponsorship from Alliant Energy for its second season,” said Yuri Rashkin, the show’s creator and host. “To successfully air a show on public access, it is critical that we receive sponsorship support from the community and businesses. This support allows us to further promote Janesville and instill a greater sense of pride and interest in our city.”

Discover Janesville is a winner of a 2009 Award of Merit from the Wisconsin Association of Public, Education and Government Access Channels. Ongoing sponsorship of the program is provided by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. For more information on Discover Janesville, visit http://www.discoverjanesville.com/

Alliant Energy is an energy-services provider with subsidiaries serving approximately 1 million electric and over 400,000 natural gas customers. Providing its customers in the Midwest with regulated electric and natural gas service is the company’s primary focus. Alliant Energy, headquartered in Madison, Wis., is a Fortune 1000 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNT. For more information, visit the company’s web site at http://www.alliantenergy.com/.

Looking to the future

2009-09-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Discover Janesville is gearing up for its second season. Considering that the program was designed to be shot on monthly basis, it now is nearing completing its first 12-month cycle. During that time I have learned much about what I wanted this program to be. It is a lot of fun and has been tremendously helpful to me, and hopefully to the audience, in learning more about Janesville.

The first season the program had one sponsor: the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. I can not overemphasize the importance of that partnership, for it helped the program find its feet, while proving its usefulness to the SWWDB. Now, for our second season, Discover Janesville will be joined by some excellent sponsors. Stay tuned for some exciting developments!

Here is a video designed to introduce our future supporters to Discover Janesville and its mission.

Viewer letter

2009-09-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

This letter came in the other day. Written in long-hand, it talks about our interview with Geoffrey Parker earlier this year:

"A must-see for every Parker pen lover and any affecionado of American craft of the twentieth century."

Carla Mortensen
President
Pen Collectors of America

Thank you!

Discover Janesville: Walk a Mile In Her Shoes and the Literacy Connection

2009-09-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

While we were out and about, Jon Wangerin stopped by to talk about the Walk a Mile In Her Shoes fundraiser for the YWCA that he is chairing for the second year in a row.

Jon Wangerin

Cathy Jennings is the executive director of the Literacy Connection in Janesville. This is an organization dedicated to eradicating literacy in our area. It is run in main part due to its many volunteers.

Cathy Jennings

Discover Janesville: Visiting a Weatherization Job Site

2009-09-09T07:13:00.001-07:00

For our August show, we visited a Summer Youth Employment Program site that is supported by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board (SWWDB). As part of this program, youth in 6 southwestern counties in Wisconsin are set up with existing businesses to help them out for the summer.

This was a very exciting program as we got to talk with several people in this chain and we got to see (and show you) several different perspectives on this project. First, we talked with Ron Coppernoll who is the community outreach liaison for the SWWDB, then we talked to Glenn Swedlund, who works for CISA 2 and is the liaison between the program, the business owners and the employees. Then we talked to Cliff Wakefield who runs Beneficial Insulation Solutions and two of his new employees, Erica and Shirley.

The sense of excitement that came from all of the program participants is infectious. It is clear that these people are doing the jobs that they want to do and thanks to the stimulus funding they are able to do their jobs better and on a bigger scale. The biggest concern was that this program continues in its current form because it helps everyone involved - from the youth workers for some of whom this is the first job ever, to the business owners who are able to get more things done, to the homeowners who are able to get their homes weatherized.

Ron Coppernoll

Glenn Swedlund

Cliff Wakefield with Erica and Shirley

Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin - Terry Thomas

2009-09-04T08:26:00.001-07:00

Terry Thomas is a Rock Count Supervisor currently serving his first term. Terry retired from the General Motors plant a few years back and got his accounting degree. We talked about his experience of being a non-traditional student, as well as what it's like to serve on the Rock County Board of Supervisors.

Terry Thomas part 1

Terry Thomas
part 2

Discover Janesville at Codos Coffee - Teri Huber

2009-08-09T13:32:00.001-07:00

Teri Huber has been the manager of the Janesville Farmers Market for the last 4 years. Under her leadership, the market has grown steadily and has become a cultural event held on weekly basis in downtown Janesville. Featuring produce as well as arts and crafts provided exclusively by vendors from Wisconsin, the JFM delivers a wonderful opportunity for the visitors to the market to buy and eat local, as well as speak directly to the growers of their food. A number of different events take place at the JFM on regular basis, including appearances by buskers (street musicians) and tasting competitions, making it the place to be on Saturday mornings.

Discover Janesville at Codos Coffee - Jose Carrillo

2009-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

As is true for many of our guests, it is difficult to introduce Jose Carrillo as a representative of any one organization. He is a community activist in its most purest sense. Jose's involvement in our community is diverse and includes the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Rock County Partners in Prevention, Rock County Council on Aging, Justice Overcoming Borders, Badger Council of Girl Scouts and Prison Industries Board. He is even one of the trustees of the Hedberg Public Library. A retired GM worker, originally from Mexico, Jose worked as a migrant worker in California before settling in Janesville.

In our conversation, we retraced the steps that brought Jose to Janesville, and the reasons behind his decisions to get involved with the community groups that he is helping. We also talked about the Labor movement, which is a very important part of Jose's life and some of the ways that we can preserve American jobs.

part 1

part 2

Discover Janesville at Codos Coffee - David McKay, PhD

2009-08-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

The episode filmed at Codos Coffee shop will be broadcast on JATV next weekend. It will feature interviews with Teri Huber, Terry Thomas, Jose Carrillo and David McKay. In the meantime, I will begin to post the clips of the interview here and on YouTube.

First is the interview with David McKay, PhD. David is a professional historian, who lectures on history and also works as the Fine Arts Coordinator at the UW Rock. We sat down and had a great discussion talking about several areas of David's expertise. These include the Electoral College and its value to our democracy. David made a very interesting statement when he said that so far the Electoral College has not disgraced itself sufficiently to warrant its removal.

We also talked about the Jeffersonian Dilemma, which had to do with the fact that Thomas Jefferson knew that slavery was deeply wrong. Yet Jefferson felt that correcting the evil of slavery was going to be difficult and thus he chose to not address the subject. A very interesting discussion that has to do with the philosophical implications of this simple dilemma: if we are aware of evil but feel that ending it will be too complicated, is that a sufficient justification to ignore the evil?

Finally we discussed a class that David teaches together a physicist and a philosopher at UW Rock that deals with the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Japan by the United States, at the end of the WWII. David covers the historical significance of this powerful event, while the philosopher and the physicist look at this historic event from their respective perspectives. This has to be a very interesting class and I highly recommend anyone who has an opportunity to take it, to do so.

Here is the interview:

part 1

part 2

part 3

Update

2009-07-19T11:17:00.001-07:00

The latest show of Discover Janesville was taped at yesterday at Codos Coffee (119 N. Main). Many thanks to my guests: Terry Thomas, Teri Huber, Jose Carrillo and David McKay!

Terry Thomas talked about his experiences of working for the General Motors, becoming a student, receiving his Bachelors degree in Accounting and being a Rock County Supervisor.

Teri Huber talked about becoming involving and now doing her 4th year as the manager of Janesville's farmers market.

During the filming, Terry and Teri discovered that they live and have lived just several houses away from each and never knew that until they came to be on the show!

Jose Carrillo talked about some of the many community groups that he is involved with, and about his journey from being a migrant worker in California to a 30-year veteran with the General Motors.

Dave McKay teaches history at UW Rock. We talked about everything from the founding of the respublic, to freeing of the slaves to dropping of the nuclear bomb on Japan. Dave knows and cares deeply about history and it is very apparent when you see how he talks about it.

Discover Janesville at Janesville Senior Center

2009-07-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest episode of Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin. It features interviews with Roger Axtel, Kevin Murray, Janet McLean and Pat Tobin. Our guest from the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board this month is Gregg Bosak. This episode was filmed at the Janesville Senior Center, one of great amenities available to Janesville residents. In fact, you don't even have to be a Janesville resident to enjoy what the Senior Center has to offer. People come from many surrounding communities to take part in various programs offered.

Our guests:

Roger Axtel is a retired executive with Parker Pen Company. Roger has also co-authored of a whole series of books titled "Dos and Taboos", which cover any number of potentially embarassing situations, which can be encountered by American business travels. Roger has also served on the Board of Regents for the University of Wisconsin system and is a distinguished public speaker. In our interview, we took the opportunity to cover all of those areas of Roger's life and much more. On top of everything that Roger has accomplished, he is a famous story-teller!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Kevin Murray is a retired fire-fighter and a member of the Janesville School Board. Our conversation included talking about being a firefighter, being in public service, Kevin's experience working with Tim Cullen and the Studer Group.

Part 1

Part 2

Pat Tobin and Janet McLean

Pat and Janet are the two wizards of the Senior Center, who've been here for 20 and 15 years respectively. Both teachers, Janet and Pat are a big part of the reason that the Senior Center is as popular among those over 50 as it is. In our interview we learned more about the women running the center, as well as about the many programs offered to the center's users.

Part 1

Part 2

Gregg Bosak

Gregg works for the Southwest Workforce Wisconsin Development Board and he joined us for the interview to talk about the many programs offered by the SWWDB, including the newest - Hire a Neighbor - which is done in a partnership with Monster.com. Gregg also talked about CORD, which stands for Collaborative Organizations Responding to Dislocation.

Part 1

Part 2

Discover Janesville at Roosevelt Elementary

2009-06-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest episode of Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin, featuring interviews with Becky Weber Johnson, Lynn Karges, Earl Gretschman and Pam Good! We filmed this episode at the Janesville's Roosevelt Elementary, a historic building with memories going back 77 years when the building was originally constructed. Many thanks to Mrs. Langston whose room we used!

Our guests:

Becky Weber Johnson is the president of the Spotight on Kids, which is a childrens' theater. Becky is also involved with other projects including teaching sunday school, working for an insurance salesman and WCLO, scrapbooking and running Janesville Rental with her husband. How she finds the time is beyond me! In our interview Becky talks about the Spotlight on Kids and the upcoming production of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (July 17-19 at the JPAC), as well as about the value of theater to children.

Becky Weber Johnson part 1

Becky Weber Johnson part 2

Dr. Lynn Karges has been with the Janesville School District for 38 years and a principal of Roosevelt Elementary since 1991. She has made a tremendous impact at Roosevelt, as well as on the entire district and is now about to retire. Last year when my relatives came to visit from Russia, getting a tour of the Roosevelt Elementary by Mrs. Karges was the highlight of their trip. In the interview, Dr. Karges shares her perspective on her experience of working with the Studer Group as well as her opinion on various issues such as paying kids for good grades.

Dr. Lynn Karges part 1

Lynn Karges part 2

Lynn Karges part 3

Pam Good was employed by the General Motors plant in Janesville until its last day in December of 2008. Now, Pam is going to school and she shares her experiences as she looks forward to new accomlishments. This interview was underwritten by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board.

Pam Good

Earl Gretschman was also formerly with the General Motors plant in Janesville where he worked for 43 years. Having newly acquired a CDL license, Earl looks forward to the future as a retiree and perhaps as a commercial truck driver. This interview was underwritten by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board.

Earl Gretschman

Discover Janesville at Mocha Moments

2009-05-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest episode of Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin, featuring interviews with Nick Fitzgerald, Pam Van Brocklin and Kay and Neil Deupree!

Nick is the leader of the Young Professionals group in Janesville and was just named one of the People Who Matter by the Janesville Gazette. All around great guy who always looks for a way to help, Nick is a Commercial producer with TRICOR Insurance.

Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin - Nick Fitzgerald

Pam Van Brocklin is the Vice President of Friends of Riverside Park group. A grass roots organization, the Friends were organized just a few years ago, and have already made a major impact on this historic Janesville park. Pam is very passionate about the park and its history, and she's not alone.

Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin - Pam Van Brocklin

Kay and Neil Deupree are involved in so many different organizations and projects that help make Janesville a better place to live, that I was not even sure how to introduce them. Having people who feel that their involvement in our community matters is so important, and I was glad that Kay and Neil could take a part in Discover Janesville. Especially considering that the patio at Mocha Moments was getting a bit chilly in early April when we filmed this episode.

Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin - Kay and Neil Deupree - Part 1

Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin - Kay and Neil Deupree - part 2

Update

2009-05-23T11:53:00.001-07:00

With help from Dave Haldiman, the latest episode of Discover Janesville has been filmed. This time, we shot on location at Roosevelt elementary. Discover Janesville's guests were Dr. Lynn Karges, Becky Weber-Johnson, Pam Good and and Earl Gretschman.

I'm very excited about our next program, which is scheduled to be filmed in early June. Our guests will include Kevin Murray and Roger Axtell.

Air times for the next episode

2009-03-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

The next episode of Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin will air this coming weekend, March 28-29, 9:30 a.m., 2:30 & 7:30 p.m.

Discover Janesville at Rock County Historical Society

2009-03-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

Another episode of Discover Janesville with Yuri Rashkin is edited and ready for broadcast! It features interviews with:

Ed Martinez
Jim Lyke
Madge Murphy
and
Geoff Parker

The interviews have been posted on YouTube and the entire program will be broadcast on JATV next week.

Our first interview with Ed Martinez is underwritten by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board.

Ed Martinez is Employment Training Specialist at Rock County Job Center. Ed has a long history helping workers in Janesville and in Rock County through his many years of working at GM and being active in the community. In the interview, Ed discussed various programs available for displaced workers looking to retrain, but he also shared with us his personal journey, going from working at GM to helping others make the transition.

Ed Martinez 1

Ed Martinez 2

Jim Lyke is a writer, actor and a man about town. He's also a great guy who knows a lot about Janesville's history. We talked about his play "Janesville in Stages", documentary "Janesville in Reel Life", which featured footage shot in Janesville by a traveling film company in 1940.

Jim Lyke 1

Jim Lyke 2

Madge Murphy is the executive director of the Rock County Historical Society. We talked about the Parker exhibit, as well as about some of the upcoming events at the RCHS, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.

Madge Murphy 1

Madge Murphy 2

Geoffrey Parker, author, historian, manager of the Parker Family Archives. Grandson of George S. Parker who started the Parker Pen Company in Janesville, Mr. Geoffrey Parker was in town for just a couple of days to help promote the Rock County Historical Society's Parker Pen exhibit. We were able to sit down for a conversation that was both entertaining and educational. For instance, did you know that George S. Parker and Frank Lloyd Wright were involved in a correspondence?

Geoffrey Parker 1

Geoffrey Parker 2