Wgtd's The Morning Show With Greg Berg

Ted Yang, author of "Table for Five: a Father's Story of Life, Love and Loss."   

We catch up with professional musician Zachary Scot Johnson, originally from Racine but now living in the Twin Cities, who has just completed the 3000th segment of his Youtube project "Song A Day."  We also talk about what the COVID-19 pandemic has meant for Zach and other professional musicians.  

From 2007-  On the anniversary of the assassination of J.F.K., we replay this conversation with Vincent Bugliosi about "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy"  in which he methodically takes apart the many conspiracy theories that have sprung up in the wake of the shooting.  Bugliosi's many books include "Helter Skelter."  

From 1998 comes this interview with Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, co-authors of "Seductions of Rice: a Cookbook."   The book explores this astonishing varieties of rice found around the world and the array of things that can be done with rice. 

This is my unabridged interview with Jody Stevenson, an R.N. with Mercy Clinic in West Des Moines, IA - and someone who contracted COVID-19.  

This is my unabridged interview with Carthage College student Tim Wagner about having COVID-19 - and being asymptomatic.  

This is my unabridged interview with Carthage College student Nick Renkosik talking about having COVID-19. 

This is my unabridged interview with 66th Assembly District Representative Greta Neubauer.  

We speak with four different people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 .....  State Representative Greta Neubauer from Racine ..... two Carthage College students,  Nick Renkosik and Tim Wagner ..... and a Registered Nurse from Des Moines, IA,  Jody Stevenson.   Later today,  the complete versions of each of these four interviews will be shared in podcast format.    

Pulitzer Prize winning author Tim Weiner talks about his latest book,  "The Folly and the Glory:  America, Russia, and Political Warfare, 1945-2020."  

We speak with Dr. Jeff Roberg, Professor of Political Science, and Dr. Jon Bruning, Associate Professor of Communications and Digital Media, about the 2020 Presidential Election.   They are team-teaching a course at Carthage College called "Elections and Campaigns," a course which they teach every four years to coincide with our presidential elections.   We'll also hear about Bruning's experience as a poll worker (he was a tabulator at one of the polling locations in Milwaukee.)  

For the monthly visit of Bryan Albrecht, the president of Gateway Technical College, we speak with Neil Reddy, CEO of the MSSC (the Manufacturing Skill Standards Center.)  

We catch up with John Hambrock, creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip "The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee," which has just begun its 15th year of syndication.   Hambrock lives in Kenosha. 

From 2009-  Jennifer 8 Lee, author of "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food."  

From 2009:  Seth Shostak, author of "Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence."  

The book is "Dalko: The Untold Story of Baseball's Fastest Pitcher."  Steve Dalkowski (1939-2020) is widely regarded as the fastest pitcher in history - but unfortunately,  he lacked control of his fastball and he never went beyond the minor leagues.  His is a fascinating story of unrealized potential- and of how his story might have played out very differently had he come along at a different time.  Dalkowski died earlier this year from COVID-19.   Brian Vikander, one of three co-authors of "Dalko," is a nationally-recognized pitching coach. 

For Nan Calvert's November visit to the Morning Show, we explore the work of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy,  which helps to facilitate the transformation of abandoned railroad lines into publicly accessible trails - and the statewide network of such trails known as the Route of the Badger.   Our guest is Willie Karidis, who is project manager for the Route of the Badger. 

We explore some of the realities of the COVID-19 Pandemic through the eyes of two of my family members:  Dr. Randi Berg (my sister), a medical doctor with Gunderson, and Aidan Spencer-Berg, (my niece), who lives in Paris, France- which at the moment is under a state of Confinement because of the pandemic.  

I speak with Laura Gellott,  Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, about her new book "Helen Perry Curtis and the European Trip of a Lifetime."   Gellott's favorite book during her childhood was Ms. Curtis's "Jean & Co., Unlimited," which tells the story of a young American girl's first trip to Europe.  Decades after first reading the book, Gellott was able to uncover the fascinating real life story of Helen Perry Curtis and chronicles that story in this book.  

From 2018 - Lenora Chu, author of "Little Soldiers: An American Boy, A Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve."