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The News Man Weekly Podcast is brought to you by our friends at Relax, It’s Just Coffee!
MANSFIELD — Cassandra Kurek is one of the most positive people in the world.
Period. Full stop.
The Wynford High School graduate and Ohio Northern University student was Miss Ohio’s Outstanding Teen 2022 and Miss Ohio Teen Volunteer 2025. She has earned a spot in this year’s Miss Ohio Scholarship Program as Miss Northern Ohio.
At age 20, she is now also battling Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, diagnosed in January and undergoing chemotherapy treatments at The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University.
But you could never tell by the smile on her face and the love for life in her heart.
Deputy Managing Editor Carl Hunnell and Cassandra reminisce about sharing the stage at the Mansfield Playhouse 11 years ago, discuss her journey from theater kid and Bratwurst Festival royalty to Miss Ohio contender and explore her advocacy for accessibility in the arts.
The conversation also turns deeply personal as Cassandra opens up about her recent diagnosis, the treatments she’s undergoing and why she refuses to let cancer sideline her goals, her voice or her future.
Episode 88 of the News Man Weekly opens with Hunnell reflecting on turning 65 last year and why he is not retiring, maybe ever.
From there, the show rolls into its usual mix of banter, a fresh edition of “What’s Carl Watching?” and a rundown of the week’s biggest local headlines — including a major downtown Mansfield housing project, new cannabis tax revenue and a $100,000 reward in the search for the driver accused in a fatal construction-zone hit-and-run.
As always, our conversations are powered by the great folks at Relax, It’s Just Coffee.
Related links:
- Downtown Forward: $25M vision set to spark a new era in Mansfield
- Kokosing Construction offers $100K reward for info about driver who killed worker
- Cannabis revenue in Mansfield helps replace income tax dip in 2026 budget
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