Sounds Good

Next week, the American Shakespeare Festival returns to the Murray State campus to present Shakespeare's hilarious comedy Twelfth Night and John Webster's gripping tragedy The Duchess of Malfi. Check out the full festival schedule, which also includes an exciting lineup of workshops, film screenings, and stimulating scholar-led discussions at murraystate.edu/shakespeare. Festival organizers Dr. Barbara Cobb and Dr. Rusty Jones came to the studio to read some Shakespeare and talk about some of the more... interesting elements of  both featured productions.

The Hopkins County Literacy Celebration is March 4 through 9th. Schools are getting books written by Lin Oliver and Henry Winkler, as well as Linn Oliver and Theo Baker. Author Lin Oliver visits for a Chamber Hot Topic Lunch and there's a short story contest for students. Kate Lochte speaks with Patricia Wiles, Coordinator of Marketing and Media for Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce, previewing the upcoming event.

Dr. Ihsan Alkhatib, Assistant Professor of Government, Law and International Affairs at Murray State gives a presentation on Shariah Law and American Family Courts on Thursday (February 28) in Room 500, Faculty Hall, at 4:30 p.m. Dr. Alkhatib examines the workings of the Wayne County Family Court Division in Detroit, Michigan. This county includes a large Muslim population. Interviews with attorneys who represent Muslim litigants reveal that Islamic law issues do frequently come up in family law cases, but instead of Islamic law crossing the boundary separating church and state and imposing itself on the Court, it is the secular law that is imposing itself on the religion. We welcomed Dr. Alkhatib to Sounds Good for a preview.

In December, we reported that Land Between the Lakes will have to cut $1 million from their annual operating budget, following across-the-board budget reduction for all national parks. On Sounds Good, Land Between the Lakes' Denise Schmittou outlines the new season and a few fee changes due to the budget review.

Mark Manning, President. Murray-Calloway County Economic Development Corporation, and Jim Carter, Vice President Institutional Advancement, Murray State speak about the time-frame of two German industries, iwis and Kemmerich, establishing themselves in Murray and hiring and the prospect of partnerships with the University.

Charlotte Beahan is Professor of History at Murray State and her research interests are East Asia, women’s history and world civilizations.  This afternoon at 4 in Faculty Hall Room 506, Dr. Beahan is the presenter for the next in a series of Department of History Research Forums, all of which are open to the community.  Beahan previews the event in a conversation with Kate Lochte on Sounds Good.

Dr. Sue-Jean Park of the Murray State University Department of Music faculty, concert master of the Paducah and Jackson Symphony Orchestras, performs a 54 minute violin concerto twice in the next two weeks. Dr. Park learned the strenuous composition from Yale faculty member and famed American violinist Eric Friedman, who in turn had been taught the piece by the legendary Jascha Heifetz. We hear the violinist's remarkable story with Kate Lochte.

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is a delightful musical based on Charles Schulz' "Peanuts" cartoon characters and an average day in the life of Charlie Brown. The show features vignettes and songs, from Valentine's Day to baseball season, from wild optimism to utter despair, all mixed in with the lives of Charlie's friends. Playhouse in the Park in Murray opens the show Friday, February 22, and runs until Sunday, March 3. Stephen Keene came by the WKMS studios to preview the upcoming production. Click here for ticket information.

Betty Lingenfelter received a liver 15 years ago via the Kentucky Organ Donor program. She waited a year and a half before a liver became available. She's grateful for the time and worries everyday about others who are now waiting like she did. Today, Betty is a Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliate and a Christian County Chamber Diplomat and spoke with Kate Lochte about her work with the program on Sounds Good.

Learn more about Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates on their website.