Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Captain Bert Minshall aboard the "Wild Goose," a yacht formerly owned by John Wayne, berthed at Hornblower Cruises in Newport Beach Harbor in California.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Join Spud Hilton , former San Francisco Chronicle travel editor, as he rediscovers his hometown. Hilton shares insights about the city’s fabled Union Square —the heart of San Francisco since the Gold Rush days.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Correspondent Tom Wilmer discovers why the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco was proclaimed as the best place to work in the Bay Area . Wilmer visits with Michael Dunne, area vice president of Hilton Hotels & Resorts; Nora Johnson, front desk training supervisor (celebrating her 47 th year with Hilton); and John Bernier, area director of human reso ...…

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Dublin-based Tourism Ireland , shares his passion for exploring Ireland and experiencing the 1,600-mile-long Wild Atlantic Way . Start at a Dublin pub named The Bar With No Name —a place you’ll have to search for as there is no sign out front—but well worth the walkabout.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Thomas Crosby, CEO of Pal’s restaurant chain, at the firm’s first diner in Kingsport, Tennessee . Today there are 29 Pal’s throughout northeast Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. Crosby shares insights into Pal’s corporate model , via which he says employees earn a living wage. Annual employee retention at ...…

Discover why the employee retention rate at the Hilton Austin is one of the highest in the region. According to the management, the company's philosophy empowers the employees and supports community engagement inside the hotel and throughout the community.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Correspondent Tom Wilmer explores the region around Elkhart Lake , Wisconsin. Environmental educator Jackie Scharfenberg provides insights about the "Ice Age Legacy" at Kettle Moraine State Forest .By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Michael Brown, general manager at the General Morgan Inn in Greeneville, Tennessee, shares his recommendations for exploring the region and the town’s historic past. Dick Nelson, longtime resident of nearby Johnson City, talks about how the era of malls nearly killed the downtown, and how the demise of malls paved the way for its renaissance.…

Todd and Rachel Montaba, owners of Quit Qui Oc Golf Club in Elkhart Lake , Wisconsin, share insights about how marketing to multigeneration families is a vital ingredient in the success of their community golf course.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Sue Tipton crafts award-winning white wines in Acampo, California. She ignored the experts who warned she could not make it as a winemaker without also producing reds.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Cal Poly aerospace engineering professor Paulo Iscold has designed aircraft that hold nine world speed records. As he prepares to participate in the 2019 Red Bull Air Race in Abu Dhabi on February 3, Iscold and his aeronautical engineering students simultaneously put the finishing touches on their high-tech sailplane with a custom-designed, 90- ...…

The Panella family has been farming in the Lodi region since the 1930s. Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a conservation with Heather and Dan Panella, third-generation farmers and winemakers who share insights about the family’s Oak Farm Vineyards , and producing award-winning wines from their 60 acres of estate vines.…

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Mike Coldani at his Lodi, California ranch, where he and his family farm more than 1,000 acres and produce award-winning, organically-grown olive oil .By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Fire and Rain: Ecopoetry of California is an anthology of 250 poems about California’s ecosystems. Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a chat with Los Osos-based poet Jackie Marcus. Her work is included in the collection, which serves to propel environmental awareness through evocative poetry.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

In this Journeys episode, Sparta, Tennessee-based Olympic freestyle kayaker Eric Jackson talks with correspondent Tom Wilmer about his extreme kayaking passion and simultaneously owning a multimillion-dollar kayak manufacturing company. Rangers at two of Tennessee’s most popular state parks, Fall Creek Falls and Standing Stone , share insights ...…

On this week's Issues and Ideas : Monday marks the transition from Jerry Brown to Gavin Newsom as California's next governor; we'll hear stories about "Brownisms" and Newsom promises. Tyler Pratt reports on a new California prison integration program has inmates' families worried for their safety. And Greta Mart attends a recent public forum on ...…

Correspondent Tom Wilmer continues his reporting from the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Cookeville, Tennessee, situated in an area of the state known fondly as Upper Cumberland.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).

SLO NightWriters is a San Luis Obispo County-based group of authors, poets and screenwriters. Its mission is to "advance quality writing, promote publication, and expand author recognition in a forum that nurtures a spirit of community for all its members," and the group meets monthly in San Luis Obispo. In this segment, correspondent Tom Wilme ...…

The Quick Pickle Kit is designed specifically to generate income for nonprofit organizations and schools via home pickling. Any fresh garden produce imaginable—from carrots to seaweed, along the classic cucumber—is fair game for pickling.By tomwilmer@aol.com (Tom Wilmer).