Shawshank Redemption Prison
An abandoned prison cell at the Ohio State Reformatory.
Due to its compelling story and powerful acting, the 1994 film “Shawshank Redemption”, based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, is considered by many to be one of the best movies of all time. It tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a prisoner who forms an unlikely friendship with fellow prisoner “Red”. The prison that was used to film the movie, the Ohio State Reformatory outside of Mansfield, has been out of use for a long time. However, the building is getting a new lease on life as a tourist attraction after escaping demolition.
Last year alone, the former prison drew up to 80,000 visitors. Last week, it hosted the celebrations that marked the 20th anniversary of the film’s release, which included a 40s-themed cocktail party. Up until 1990, the Ohio State Reformatory was an actual prison, although it was originally due to be demolished to make way for a parking garage. Over the years, the massive granite building had fallen into disrepair. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society purchased the site 20 years ago with the understanding that it would revert to the state if progress wasn’t made to turn the prison into a viable tourist site. Popular events at the site include mystery dinners, Halloween haunts and festivals and ghost hunting activities. The site is apparently haunted by the ghosts of prisoners and guards who met their end at the site over the years.
The building will get further enhancements over the course of the next six months, being cleaned up and decorated so that it will be weatherproof for tourists. Right now, tourists can take a 13-stop self-guided “Shawshank” tour that takes in some of the movie’s key moments, such as the bench where long-term convict Brooks fed the birds, the courthouse where Dufresne was convicted of murder and the old oak tree where Andy concealed money for Red. For a long time, the site has also been serving as a haunted prison during the Halloween season, where the expanse of halls and abandoned cells make for a great night of frights.
Violence Continues in Ukraine
Earlier this week on Tuesday, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police in front of Ukraine’s parliament in Kiev while deputies inside repeatedly voted 
down proposals to recognize a controversial World War II-era Ukrainian partisan group as national heroes. Previously, thousands of supporters of the Ukrainian Svoboda nationalist party rallied in the capital in celebration of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, whose struggle for Ukrainian independence was tainted by their collaboration with the Nazis. Later, masked men attacked and threw smoke grenades at lines of police outside parliament as lawmakers met inside.
Meanwhile, at least 14 people were killed in fighting between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine. Despite the ceasefire that was put in place back in early September, violence continues on a regular basis. Svoboda claims that they weren’t responsible for the unrest in Kiev, despite police accusations. The unrest overshadowed the passage of laws that the government hopes will contain the rampant corruption that has plagued the Ukrainian economy. While addressing the issue, President Poroshenko equated the problem of corruption to terrorism.
One law backed by the majority of the Ukrainian parliament would create an anti-corruption bureau to fight graft. Other proposals thrown around include laws to stem money-laundering and to increase corporate transparency. Parliament also approved a new defense minister, former National Guard head Stepan Poltorak, an essential move to combat the continued unrest in eastern Ukraine’s industrial regions. Tuesday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said their positions had come under rocket fire more than 30 times in 24 hours alone. In the same period of time, seven servicemen in eastern Ukraine were killed, mostly by landmines.
Much of the fighting in eastern Ukraine has been focused on the government-held airport in the rebel-held city Donetsk. In the last three weeks, rebels claim that 27 of their men have been killed fighting for the airport. However, it’s civilians who have been hit hardest by the fighting.
About Nelson Lewis
An exposure to politics at a young age had a profound effect on media maven Nelson Lewis, who worked as a volunteer for numerous Republican politicians in and around his native Savannah. Nelson worked as a reporter and eventually anchor at two Savannah television stations growing up, WJCL ABC-22 and WTGS FOX-28, also recording voice teasers for airing on Fridays on WJCL-FM KIX 96 and previewing his upcoming stories, which aired on the Sunday evening news.
One of Nelson’s favorite experiences at WJCL was reporting live from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade (America’s second largest) from 1998-2000. Continuing in the spirit of his grandfather’s pioneering and trailblazing footsteps (he was the first to bring all-color television and stereo to the Savannah market), Nelson became the first person in Savannah market to bring a kid’s perspective to local news as its first youth reporter. In fact, one of the competing stations, WSAV NBC-3 hired their own youth reporter, Sean Champion, 18 months after Nelson began his reports and WJCL/TGS’s ratings dramatically increased.
Work In Political Media
While a sophomore and junior at Lynn University, Nelson Lewis hosted “Politijam”, a lively political debate show that became well known across the university campus and served as the media editor of the univeristy’s weekly EPulse newspaper. While at Lynn, Nelson was selected to represent the entire undergraduate student population as a member of Lynn University’s Academic Task Force, charged with the duty of streamlining the core curriculum of the universities.
While attending Lynn’s College of International Communication, Nelson developed a friendship with Irving R. Levine, a well-known and nationally recognized correspondent for NBC News who became the network’s first full time economics correspondent, and was the creator of the precursor to CNBC. After a 45-year career in journalism, Levine went on to become Dean of Lynn’s communication program. After finishing college, Nelson Lewis followed Levine’s suggestion and moved to Washington, DC where his first job was as a press intern for a Republican congressman, which then led to a job booking at the Fox News Channel from 2006-2010. Here, he was able to put his love of politics and interest in the Republican Party to good use.
Upon the suggestion of Mr. Levine, Nelson Lewis enrolled in the Masters of Professional Studies in Journalism (International Politics) program at Georgetown University in 2009, where a special emphasis was placed on the dissolution of America’s Fairness Doctrine and on the major player in its demise, Bruce Fein.
Nelson was honored to be invited to speak at a roast honoring Levine’s 2009 death at the National Press Club, where he spoke alongside Levine family members and contemporaries such as former Meet the Press Moderator Marvin Kalb. He subsequently wrote a letter to the editor published in The Hill newspaper eulogizing Levine as a “top-notch raconteur” who many others have tried to emulate.
From his work at Fox News, Nelson Lewis was able to take a firsthand role in the DC journalism scene, and was blessed with the opportunity of meeting entertainment, political, and academic luminaries on a daily basis, including numerous sitting and former representatives, senators, governors and cabinet secretaries. These unique experiences gave Nelson a front row seat to many historic events and gave him a firsthand experience of how the Washington system works, from how laws are created to how news is made.
Through Nelson Lewis’ work creating Her Golf Network, coupled with his extensive booking experiences in segment producing gained at America’s highest rated cable news channel and through his time performing key internships at places such as WPBT’s Nightly Business Report in Miami, where he honed his scriptwriting skills, and at WTOC in Savannah, where he provided copyediting and on-site production assistance at the 2004 Sea Island G-8 summit, have provided him with a solid foundation and understanding of the news business. His time as a reporter/anchor growing up prior to his undergraduate studies helped him get an early start at doing what he loves most, reporting.
