WYSO Weekend: December 29, 2013

In this edition of WYSO Weekend:

• Since the late 70s, neighborhoods surrounding Salem Avenue have been in decline. The reasons vary and include foreclosures, the loss of businesses and residents, and rising crime. Now, an effort is underway to revitalize neighborhoods, including Five Oaks, Grafton Hill and Mount Vernon. Businesses, residents and city officials are teaming up to re-brand the area. Dayton Police Chief Richard Biel says the area has been officially designated as the Salem Avenue Peace Corridor.

• On New Year's Day, in a hour long special, WYSO will present speeches from the 2013 Dayton Literary Peace Prize award ceremony.  We’ll broadcast the special at noon and 8pm. Today, we have a preview of that special with a speech from Adam Johnson.  He's the author of The Orphan Master's Son which won the 2013 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for fiction.  It's the life story of a young man living in North Korea during the Kim regime.  Johnson begins by talking about some of the real life stories that inspired his novel.