Ahead of Tuesday night’s vice presidential candidate debate, we were joined by Gerald Laurain, chief investment officer of First Tennessee Bank Advisors Inc. He is in Jacksonville to discuss what impact the November election might have on the economy. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson from the Mayo Clinic and Tom VanOsdol from St. Vincent’s HealthCare spoke about their joint venture, the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Junior Achievement’s Sabrina Kinslow and local student Deyona Burton talked about the organization’s upcoming annual “Smart Women Make Change” luncheon and we met David Richman who is biking from Los Angeles to New York City to raise money for cancer research.
Election and the economy
Laurain said there are many factors involved in the economy but there have been patterns connected to which party holds the White House. He told host Melissa Ross it’s best to take the emotion out of election campaigns and focus on the statistics when trying to predict the nation’s economic future.
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
It’s a brand new collaboration between two local leading hospitals. The new Mayo Clinic Cancer Center will open later this month at St. Vincent’s in Riverside. Johnson and VanOsdol talked about how the joint venture came about and the need for more cancer treatment clinics in Jacksonville.
JA Girl$
Junior Achievements, JAGirl$ program helps young women learn the importance of financial literacy, workforce preparation and entrepreneurship. The annual luncheon on Oct. 20 highlights the success ofthe program and honors students who have been very successful. This year’s keynote speaker is Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria on Sesame Street. WJCT is a media sponsor of the event.
Cycle of Lives
Richman lost his sister June to brain cancer in 2007. Since then he has been on a quest to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. He’s writing a book “Cycle of Lives” that tells the story of several cancer patients and those who spend their lives fighting cancer from around the country. During his 5,500 mile bike ride, he is meeting several of the people he’s writing about.
Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax
