Dialogue

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The landmark legislation broadened the scope of institutions barred from discriminating against people with disabilities.

WUOT's Chrissy Keuper hosted our June Dialogue, as we got out of lockdown and took the train with Todd Steed. He was our tour guide for his pre-COVID jazz music travelogue that became the podcast, “Improvisations to Go”. 

February is Black History month in America, and along with the usual celebrations of notable African-Americans looms another question: How have we preserved this history? In this Dialogue we'll talk to two people who have attempted to document some African-American experiences, plus a man who lived it. The challenges and triumphs of documenting African-American history with guests Leslie Snow, William Isom II, and Theotis Robinson, Jr.

Knoxville’s zoning code hasn’t had a major overhaul in over 50 years. In that time the country has seen a return to downtown, the rise of gig economies, and seismic shifts in land use. Knoxville’s Metropolitan Planning Commission has been hard at work for nearly two years to redo city codes, and Recode Knoxville has gained more attention as the process inches closer to the finish line. But there’s been enough feedback to delay a vote on the changes until next year. If you’re wondering what Recode is and what it could mean to you, listen in.

In a well-intentioned move to curb drug crime, lawmakers in the 1980’s and 1990’s implemented a raft of legislation that required judges to impose mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes. Today, those laws are under scrutiny as jail populations have soared in a generation. Recently there has been bipartisan support of a bill that would reform many of these changes, and it seems to have tentative support from President Trump.

When the Department of Energy designated Knoxville as a Solar City a decade ago, the number of solar installers was smaller, the public wasn’t as informed on the benefits of solar, and there were only two medium sized photovoltaic (PV) systems in the city. One was a 15-kilowatt system at Ijams Nature Center, and the other was an 8-kilowatt system at Mellow Mushroom near UT campus. How far have we come since then? And what are the options for homeowners looking to reduce their bills?

If you've ever wondered what the "Internet of Things" means, you'll want to listen to this month's Dialogue. We'll discuss connected devices in the home, and zoom out to look at how industrial uses of IOT devices are being integrated into Knoxville's infrastructure to help build the beginnings of a "Smart City."

The technology being put in place promises to help ease traffic woes, make traveling around town safer, and could even help bring autonomous vehicles to local roadways.

Wednesday, April 11 at noon on 91.9FM WUOT.

Four years ago, the shooting of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, helped launch a national debate about how law enforcement deals with minority communities. Similar conversations have arisen, over how we talk about and implement racial diversity in workplaces, government, media and daily life.

America’s National Park Service turns 100 years old this year and on this segment of Dialogue, we take an historical trip in time to celebrate our favorite national park—The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Author Courtney Lix joins host Matt Shafer Powell to discuss some of the people who have contributed to the park’s legacy throughout the last century.  And she discusses her new book Women of the Smokies.  

Pat Summitt may have been the most visible face of the Lady Vols, but for 28 years, Joan Cronan was the engine that moved the women's athletic program at the University of Tennessee.  A tireless ambassador for women's athletics, Cronan built the Lady Vols program into one of the most recognizable and respected in the country.