Episodes

July 4, 2017

The Fighter

Wayne cherishes his independence. And having had ALS for 33 years, he has to fight for it everyday. But his disease is only one of the seemingly insurmountable challenges he’s faced. Credits: Edited by Emily Siner, Mack Linebaugh and Anita …

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June 20, 2017

The Role of a Lifetime

When Denice Hicks has to step unexpectedly into the role of King Lear, in some ways, she’s doing what she’s always done: living life like it’s her last day. What happens when you do that everyday over the course of …

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May 30, 2017

The Party Planners

Eddie and Mary Helen live in Chattanooga, Tenn. — a city, like many in the country, that still feels the effects of segregation. They started examining their hometown through the lens of race and ended up throwing a party. Credits: …

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May 16, 2017

Dave, The Weather Nut

Dave Hayes is a “social media-rologist”. He has no meteorology degree, but posts dense and poetic weather updates on Facebook where he’s grown quite a following. Hear how one man uses his computer to bring Western Massachusetts together and protect …

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May 2, 2017

The Funeral Director

Bethany embalmed bodies for a living, but she couldn’t help but empathize with every corpse she worked on, seeing her job as one final gift—one that was taking its toll. It turns out, some professions require a certain detachment. Edited …

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April 18, 2017

Every Breath Is Precious

Hannah has a rare genetic disorder that causes her to stop breathing when she goes to sleep. She wears a ventilator at night. How does having to constantly monitor a basic human function change how Hannah and her family approach …

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April 4, 2017

The Oregon Trailblazer

In 2011, Rinker Buck crossed the Oregon Trail — yes, that Oregon Trail — in a covered wagon pulled by a team of mules. He traveled with his brother Nick and a Jack Russell Terrier named Olive Oyl. The journey …

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March 31, 2017

Season 4 Starts April 4, New Episode Every Two Weeks

Hey Everyone, a new season of Neighbors starts Tuesday April 4th. Tell your friends, tell your family, the party starts Tuesday. www.podcasts.wpln.org

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Dec. 27, 2016

A Musical Recovery

The season 3 finale is a little different. It is a personal story of Jakob’s told by taking a musical journey all around Nashville. Together, you will experience an Irish session, an Indian jam in a Mexican restaurant, a Jewish …

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Dec. 8, 2016

The Ordinary Radicals

In 1969, Leroy and Gloria Griffith got married in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It would have been an ordinary event, except that they are believed to be the first interracial couple to legally wed in the county. We hear the story of …

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Nov. 22, 2016

The High Five Revisted

Two men walk over a mile once a week just to give each other a high five. It's a seemingly meaningless act, but one that can take on a powerful meaning over time. We examine why they do this and …

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Nov. 11, 2016

Barbershop Duet, Part Two - Stephen

Like part one, this is a story of a barber who followed an unlikely path to the grooming profession. Stephen Mason's journey took him from 20 years on the road, playing guitar in a Grammy-winning Christian rock band, to a …

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Oct. 21, 2016

Barbershop Duet, Part One - Ronnie

Ronnie Clardy grew up near the barbershop he owns in Nashville, but the path that led him to his current life is anything but short and straight. He started dealing drugs at 13 and relapsed into a life of crime …

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Sept. 9, 2016

The Grave of Rosa Mary Dean

On a rainy night in 1949, a young woman arrived by train in Franklin, Tennessee, and walked off into the night. The next morning, her body was found near an incinerator by the high school. Her throat had been cut. …

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Aug. 4, 2016

Honoring Wishes

We want to do right by the people we care about. But sometimes, honoring someone's wishes can put us at odds with social norms, our own values, or even the law. In this episode of Neighbors, three stories where the …

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July 7, 2016

The Fence Jumper

Most people might think it’s not worth the trouble to intervene in someone else's life. But in this episode of Neighbors, we get to know a woman who sees that obstacle—and will do everything she can to jump over it. …

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May 19, 2016

The Genius Improviser

Michael Kearney is a genius — he holds the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to graduate from college, at age 10. Now he's 32, and he's not curing cancer or solving world hunger. He's running an improv …

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April 22, 2016

The Language Learner

We meet Gin Thawng. The 66-year old is a refugee from Burma living in a Nashville apartment with his ailing wife, a baby grandson, his daughter-in-law and son. A graduate of an innovative ESL program-on-wheels, Thawng shows us something about …

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March 29, 2016

This is Not a Love Song

What keeps you up at night? For some, it's the shape-shifting song of a mockingbird outside the bedroom window. It turns out, not everyone is amazed by this bird's musical feats. What is a wonder of nature to some, to …

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March 15, 2016

The Tuba Man

It's an odd scene: A man, playing a sousaphone, stands inside a tunnel on a busy Nashville road during rush hour. Is he crazy, divinely inspired or something else entirely? In this episode of Neighbors, we go inside the world …

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March 1, 2016

The Baker's Son

Sam Tucker is a gifted baker, but the one thing that is his greatest passion just might put his family in danger. With the premiere of Season 3, I am thrilled to announce Neighbors' partnership with Nashville Public Radio. Some …

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Dec. 24, 2015

Grinching

This is a small bonus story about how the Christmas tree from your curb disappeared.

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Dec. 17, 2015

The Fool

A story of how one clown turns his sorrow into connection. Some music by Podington Bear Editors: Tally Abecassis and Rob McGinley Meyers Production Help: Bailey Robbins Sponsors: Yazoo Brewing Company www.yazoobrew.com Baja Burrito Neighbors is a part of The …

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Oct. 16, 2015

The High Five

Why do two grown men walk a mile and a half every week, rain or shine, to give each other a high five? Editors: Bailey Robbins, Rob McGinley Meyers, Tally Abecassis Music: Podington Bear and Dan Burns AKA Dop Shrah …

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