Mike Ward

Mike Ward

Mike Ward is the afternoon anchor/reporter for 1590 WAKR. He has been a radio news reporter and anchor for over 20 years, for a variety of stations in Ohio, Virginia, and California. For seven years, he was a news reporter and anchor for Sacramento's top-rated news/talk station, KFBK, and was also news director for WFIR in Roanoke, Virginia. He's also been heard on Cleveland stations. Mike has a special interest in technology, and was a regular on the nationally syndicated radio show "On Computers with Gina Smith". Despite his out-of-area experience, Mike is an Akron native. He was born at Akron City Hospital, and grew up in Cuyahoga Falls. He's been with WAKR since 2009. You can reach Mike through the newsroom at 330-864-6397, or by email at mward@rcrg.net.

Pete Meadows and Alex Shannon talk to WAKR's Jasen Sokol about the annual Meadows Turkey Bowl backyard football game for charity.

http://meadowsturkeybowl.com/

 

Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Wadsworth) joins Jasen Sokol to talk about the Preparing Homeless Youth for Education and Employment Act, tax reform and other issues.

 

Dr. Toni Bisconti's weekly visit to the Jasen Sokol show, November 20, 2017. She talks with Jasen about topics including sports rivalries and fraternity life.

Monday, 13 November 2017 15:03

AUDIO Dr. Toni Bisconti's Weekly Visit

Dr. Toni Bisconti from the University of Akron talks with Jasen Sokol in her weekly segment, November 13, 2017.

Monday, 13 November 2017 15:00

AUDIO Rep. Larry Householder, House Bill 380

Rep. Larry Householder (R-Glenford), the 72nd District state representative, talks with WAKR's Jasen Sokol about his bill that would end workers compensation in Ohio for illegal aliens.

 

Dr. Toni Bisconti, Associate Professor at the University of Akron, joins Jasen Sokol, November 6, 2017 to talk about impacts of recent news events, like the Texas church shooting and other things in the news.

 

Monday, 06 November 2017 15:40

AUDIO Foodbank CEO Responds To ABJ Column

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank CEO Dan Flowers joined Monday's edition of The Jasen Sokol Show to respond to a column by Akron Beacon Journal/Ohio.com columnist Bob Dyer about policies at the Foodbank that some may find controversial.

 

Thursday, 10 November 2016 15:38

President Welcomes World Champion Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers went to the White House on Thursday afternoon, and got congratulations on their NBA championship from President Obama.

On the White House East Lawn, the President listed some of the key highlights of the Cavaliers' Game 7 win over the Golden State Warriors.

"There was the block, what LeBron has said was the defining play of his career, the shot by Kyrie, putting the Cavs up five, the stop by Kevin Love," he recalled.

And President Obama said he knows the championship ended Cleveland's tortured sports history.

"The city that throughout sports history has been through a lot," the President said, listing some of the more infamous local sports moments, "the Fumble, the Drive, Jordan over Ehlo, a whole lot more...but through it all, Cleveland was always Believeland, and that's why...and that's why the Cavs have always given back to their fans and the community that's been loyal to them."

President Obama mentioned, among other things Cavaliers team members have done for the community, LeBron James sponsoring University of Akron scholarships for Akron school students.

The President got an "Obama / 16" Cavaliers jersey from Kevin Love.

The president says the Cavaliers were already a championship team before last year, and that Cleveland should be proud of them.

Wednesday, 09 November 2016 15:06

Ex-Fugitive Sentenced For Multi-Million Fraud

A long-time fugitive who defrauded investors out of $65 million with his Doylestown company will be behind bars for 20 years.

Eric Bartoli was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight counts of fraud, securities charges and income tax charges.

Prosecutors say his Cyprus Funds company was a large scale Ponzi scheme in the late 1990s, and that Bartoli fled in 1999 after being charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The law caught up with him in Peru in 2013.

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(U.S. Attorney's Office Northern Ohio, news release) Eric V. Bartoli, who a fugitive for more than a decade, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for defrauding hundreds of investors out of millions of dollars in the 1990s, law enforcement officials said.

Bartoli pleaded guilty earlier this year to eight counts, including conspiracy, securities fraud, sale of unregistered securities, wire fraud, mail fraud and attempted income tax evasion.

Bartoli operated a large-scale Ponzi scheme from 1995 through 1999. He created and operated a company by the name of Cyprus Funds, Inc., which was based in Doylestown, Ohio and incorporated in Central America. Bartoli and his co-conspirators operated Cyprus to sell certificates of deposit and unregistered mutual funds. Cyprus raised approximately $65 million from an estimated 800 investors in Latin America and the United States. Some of Cyprus's victims included retirees, according to court records.
Bartoli was sued in 1999 by the Securities and Exchange Commission on charges involving the Cyprus Funds, Inc.

Bartoli did not appear at a scheduled hearing regarding the SEC charges. He was subsequently found in contempt of court and a civil arrest warrant was issued. Bartoli had fled Ohio and was arrested in New Hampshire. Bartoli was not detained at that time and became a fugitive.

An indictment was filed against Bartoli in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in October 2003.

Bartoli was taken into custody by the Peruvian National Police in Lima, Peru, in 2013. The operation was a joint effort between the FBI, Diplomatic Security Service, and the Peruvian National Police. He was returned to the United States last year.

"Mr. Bartoli spent years stealing millions of dollars from hard-working people, then more than a decade on the run," said U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon. "Sometimes the wheels of justice grind slowly, but today Mr. Bartoli was finally held accountable for his crimes. The fact that he will spend the foreseeable future in prison is a testament to the efforts of everyone who worked on this case."

"After years of living on the run, Mr. Bartoli will now serve time behind bars for swindling individuals out of large sums of money, including entire life savings," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony. "The FBI will continue to investigate fraudsters, like Eric Bartoli, and will hold them accountable for their criminal behavior, no matter how long it takes and no matter where they try to hide."

"More than a decade has passed since Mr. Bartoli's criminal actions were brought to light in an indictment. Well, today marks the end of a long successful investigation that uncovered a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme laced with a web of financial lies that left 800 investors in financial peril," said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. "The IRS, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office never stopped pursuing Mr. Bartoli, proving that you can run, but you cannot hide from the federal government."

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antoinette T. Bacon and Christos M. Georgalis following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Monday, 07 November 2016 17:39

KSU Football Player Suspended

A Kent State football player has been suspended from the team after kidnapping charges.

Senior Nate Holley is off the team indefinitely facing first degree felony kidnapping charges, in a case involving a female last week in Franklin Township.

That's according to the Record Courier.

Cleveland.com reports that he's posted 10 percent of a $50,000 bond and has been ordered to stay at Akron's Oriana House.

Holley has a preliminary hearing set for Thursday in Ravenna.

Kent State has confirmed the suspension, and say they are taking the matter "very seriously".

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