Latest news with #RealityCheck
Axios
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
The Ones List with Philly radio personality Tonya Pendleton
Tonya Pendleton's two-year reign as host of WURD Radio's "Reality Check" ended last week, but she won't be off the airwaves for long. Why it matters: Pendleton, WHYY's "Things to Do" curator and one of Philly's enduring journalists and broadcasters, is already cooking up her next adventure. We caught up with Pendleton in our latest edition of "The Ones List" series. The interview was condensed for clarity: What's one story you tell about why you got into radio? While interning in college at WILD Radio in Boston, the music director left and I took her spot at 22 years old. Radio made me happier than anything else. Who's one person you grew up admiring in media? Charlie Rose. It was just him, the person at a table, and no fancy backdrop. Your one can't-break rule in radio: Respect the audience. There's somebody who may have woken up that day just to hear your voice. What's one daily ritual you can't do without? Meditation. I'm a fan of Insight Timer. What's one podcast you can't do without? Steven Bartlett's "The Diary of a CEO." What's one habit you wish you could break? Procrastination. Your one favorite person in Philadelphia: Rapper Chill Moody. He put the "E" in entrepreneur. Who's one person you interviewed who you still think about? Prince. The paramount thing to know about him: He cared about his craft. What's one thing you're going to miss about "Reality Check" and WURD Radio? Connecting with an audience that cares about our community.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How did Merced County food businesses, schools fare in latest health inspections?
Reality Check is a Merced Sun-Star series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email tips@ All 22 food businesses and schools visited by Merced County health inspectors in the past week received passing marks for cleanliness and food-safety compliance. The latest inspections across the county were conducted between May 27 through May 29. Nineteen of the food businesses and schools received a 'good' rating and three received a rating of 'satisfactory.' The county gives 'good' ratings to businesses with six or fewer violation points, 'satisfactory' ratings for seven to 13 violation points, and 'unsatisfactory' ratings for 14 or more violation points. Two Los Banos food businesses Taco El Tono and Dino Mart both received 'good' ratings after re-inspections were conducted after both locations received 'unsatisfactory' ratings earlier this year. Businesses that received perfect scores with no violation were: ▪ Dos Palos Elementary School ▪ Dos Palos High School ▪ Valley Community School, Merced ▪ Farmdale Elementary School, Merced ▪ Escuela Popular Instituto de Cesar Chavez, Merced ▪ El Nido Elementary School ▪ Ada Givens School, Merced ▪ Cruickshank Middle School, Merced ▪ Westside High School, South Dos Palos ▪ Tenaya Intermediate, Merced ▪ Plainsburg Elementary School Cafeteria, Merced ▪ El Capitan High Food and Pool, Merced ▪ Dino Mart, Los Banos The inspections represent a snapshot of conditions found at the time of a visit and may not indicate a pattern of good or bad food safety practices. In most instances, if an inspector finds a problem, it's something that can be fixed on the spot. This can include having enough bleach or sanitizer in the water used to wipe down food-preparation areas, replenishing soap, paper towels and toilet paper in the restrooms, or reminding employees to wash their hands and wear gloves and hairnets. But some violations are considered more serious and, in some instances, can result in immediate closure of restaurants or food businesses when they are observed by health inspectors. Those may include insect or vermin infestations; refrigerators that don't keep food cold enough or steam tables that don't keep food hot enough to inhibit bacterial growth, or clogged sinks or drains that cause contaminated water to back up into kitchens. A lack of hot water is one of the most common violations that health inspectors find when they make their routine visits. Hot water at a temperature of at least 120 degrees is considered important by inspectors for safely washing pots, pans, dishes and glasses, and 100 degrees for employees to wash their hands. Merced County's Environmental Health Division maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections online for public viewing at its web page, click the 'Food Inspections' tab along the left side of the page.
Axios
06-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Four employees out in shakeup at WURD Radio
At least four employees, including one of WURD Radio's top hosts, are being let go as part of what's described internally as a cost-cutting measure, Axios has learned. Why it matters: WURD is the only Black-owned radio station in Pennsylvania, and among only a handful nationwide. The station, founded by the late Walter P. Lomax Jr., broadcast live during last year's presidential campaign from the White House complex — a major get. Driving the news: The layoffs include "Reality Check" host Tonya Pendleton and her lead producer, Troy Wilmore. He had been with the station for 18 years. Pendleton, one of Philly's well-known radio personalities, has led "Reality Check" for the last two years. Content writer Kiara Santos and one other employee were also among those let go. The show won't continue to air, the station's general manager, Ashanti Martin tells Axios. She wouldn't say whether WURD would ever bring back the program. WURD CEO and president Sara Lomax-Reese, the late founder's daughter, wrote in a memo obtained by Axios that the layoffs were meant to "ensure the station's long-term survival." She praised the laid-off staffers' "meaningful contributions to our station, our community and our city." "This decision was not made lightly. As an independent media radio station, it is imperative that we maintain our ability to give Black Philadelphia a voice and a place to make their voices heard," she wrote. What they're saying: The WURD employees affected by the cuts either declined to comment or didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. State of play: The media landscape is shifting, and competition for dwindling advertising revenue is fierce. WURD faced a setback earlier this year, when a conservative health care nonprofit filed a lawsuit alleging the station and one of its partners engaged in reverse racism when it launched a Black doctors directory to help connect people seeking care with physicians of color in the region. Martin tells Axios the cuts were unrelated to the lawsuit. The bottom line: Martin says the radio station is trying to find its footing while dealing with the "erasure of Blackness" from society. "I'm very confident we will survive and thrive," she says. "It's time like this that outlets like WURD are needed more than ever. We want to be around for another 22 years and another 22 after that."
Sunday World
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
New voice in Irish fiction Vicki Notaro dreams of her stories making it to the big screen
LONG STORY SHORT | Vicki Notaro gave up a solid career in magazines to pursue her ambition of writing books, and she tells Denise Smith how she dreams of her stories making it on to the big screen some day 'I love a sex scene,' laughs the 39-year-old Dubliner, who's just released her second novel, Long Story — a whip-smart tale of the complexities of female friendship, with plenty of sex, sass and chaos in between. 'I feel like they're a bit less filthy and overt than they were in my first book. Maybe they're not. Maybe I'm just more used to it. Either way, I do feel sorry for the poor actress who has to narrate the audiobook — it must feel awkward,' she grins. 'But for me, sitting alone writing them, it's grand. I enjoy it.' Vicki's debut, Reality Check, was a commercial and critical success, topping book charts and cementing her place as an exciting new voice in Irish fiction. Despite her seamless segue into the literary world, her decision to leave her role as editor-in-chief of Stellar magazine wasn't made lightly. Reflecting on the identity shift of stepping away from a high-status job, the You Had Me at Hello podcast host explains: 'For me, it was more about disengaging my ego. I had worked my way up in Irish media and I was managing director of a company that publishes three amazing magazines. For me, that's your job title and not who you are, and once you make a decision to walk away from that, you are also walking away from people licking up to you in a way,' she says with impressive candour. Vicki Notaro Laughing, she adds: 'And getting great opportunities like press trips and free makeup. You have to be secure in doing that, and hopefully you've built yourself a strong enough reputation that people will still remember you and want to talk to you about your work. And that has come to pass. So I feel very lucky in that way as well.' Delving into the financially viability of her career change, Vicki laughs when we probe if she's now on the pig's back. 'I'm still very much the new girl. So I mean, the hope is that eventually I'll be on the pig's back. But I have a very supportive husband. And yeah, I mean, of course I was walking away from a salary, so I was walking away from guaranteed money. But really I'd already made the decision to leave my job before I even knew I had a book deal,' she explains. 'The magazine industry has changed a lot, and selling on shelves is harder than ever.' Though still a relatively new name in fiction, there's no denying that the Tallaght native is quickly carving out her niche in a literary tradition rich with Irish women's voices that spotlight women's lives with wit, warmth and insight. 'We've such a rich literary tradition in Ireland. I'm not claiming to be any sort of literary writer, but I think we do have such a rich history of the likes of Marian Keyes, Patricia Scanlan, Cathy Kelly, writing for women and writing about women's stories at every stage of their lives. Vicki's new book Long Story delves into female friendships and all that goes with them News in 90 seconds - June 2nd 'And I think other Irish women just really relate to that. And there's nothing, to me, like reading an Irish book because you just relate to it so much more. We've such a specific humour and turn of phrase.' While Long Story is full of sex, sass, and escapism, it's also got heart. 'It's about female friendship — the complexity of it, how it's rarely straightforward,' Vicki says. 'We tend to put all our energy into romantic relationships, but our platonic ones deserve just as much attention. I hope people come away from the book laughing, maybe crying, and feeling like they've spent time with characters they recognise or relate to. It's glossy, it's fun, it's light — but it's meaningful, too. And honestly, I just want to keep doing this forever.' Like most authors, Vicki dreams of a screen adaptation but she's fully aware of how difficult it is to break into the TV and film industry. 'I think it's a lot harder than anyone realises, even harder than I realised,' she admits. 'There are so many books published every week, not just in Ireland but globally. Everyone has that dream. What you really need is a producer to say, like my publisher did, 'I get you. I see your vision.' Look at Marian Keyes —30 years on, her Walsh Sisters books are being adapted into a series, and Grown Ups is on the way too. It can happen at any time.' When asked who she'd cast to play her beloved characters, she politely declines to comment. 'I'm far too close to them. I have a very specific image in my head, and I think there's a reason authors shouldn't cast their own work,' she says. Still, she gives us a taste. 'Sean Sweeney, the romantic interest-slash-villain of Long Story? I saw someone in my head who's a mix of Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell — rugged, tattooed, kind of bad-boy energy. If any man out there fits that description… congrats, the role is yours!' Now already putting pen to paper as she writes her third book, this is one seasoned journalist that is truly keeping her feet on the ground. 'I still feel like the new girl,' she says with a grin. 'But I'm so grateful. Vicki's new book Long Story 'The feedback has been gorgeous. You can go through life thinking the world's a bit dark, and then something like this reminds you people are actually lovely. 'Sometimes I am like, 'I can do this, you've built a great career and you have brilliant contacts, it's all about ideas and you've got good ideas and the ability to see them through' and the other side of it is 'who do you think you are?' which is so Irish. Right now though I couldn't be happier.' Long Story Short is available in all good book stores now.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Clinton, Franklin, Essex Reality Check youth take action against tobacco at national conference
PLATTSBURGH — Clinton Franklin Essex Reality Check youth traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to stand up to Big Tobacco as part of the 2025 Mobilize Against Tobacco Lies conference. Reality Check is a youth-led program that empowers teens to fight back against tobacco marketing and work toward a healthier, tobacco-free future for their generation. The event took place from May 14 to May 15 and brought together young advocates from across the country to call out tobacco industry deception and demand change. The two-day event began with intensive training led by national public health organizations such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Counter Tools. These sessions covered rally planning, media engagement and current nicotine trends equipping students with the tools to make their voices heard. The conference culminated in a powerful demonstration outside the Washington, D.C. lobbyist office of Altria Group, which was holding its annual virtual shareholder meeting. Just steps from the U.S. Capitol, youth delivered a bold message: 'Don't Get Caught in Altria's Web of Lies.' 'Being there in person and seeing the effect we had on shareholders and the general public was really impactful,' Ada Burgess, a local Reality Check participant, said. 'Even negative reactions showed they noticed us and were affected by what we were saying. It's powerful to realize we can actually make a difference.' Reality Check participants and national youth leaders also made their voices heard inside the virtual shareholder meeting by using Altria stock to submit tough questions to company executives during the Q&A session. These powerful contributions challenged the company's narrative and brought youth concerns directly to the forefront. McKenna McGrath, another Reality Check advocate, said 'it was a really powerful and valuable experience.' After the demonstration, the group gathered with peers and mentors to reflect on the day's actions, share insights, and plan how to bring the momentum back to their local communities. Alice Elizabeth Ladue, Reality Check Coordinator for Clinton Franklin Essex, praised the students. 'These young people are fierce, informed, and fearless,' Ladue said. 'They're taking on one of the most powerful industries in the world and they're already making a real impact.'
