The Lead Live Podcast: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 episode

A recent episode of The Lead Live, hosted by Louis Amestoy, highlighted a community effort to address teen mental health in the wake of the July 4 flood and promoted the Arcadia Live theater’s centennial celebration.

Leah Westra of the Hill Country Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse joined the show to discuss the “Rest and Reset” event, a free, two-hour session for 8th- through 12th-grade students on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Kroc Center. The event is designed to help teens navigate “sticky complicated feelings” like anger and frustration, offering non-traditional coping skills such as somatic movement, art expression and auricular therapy, which includes an option for ear acupuncture.

Westra confirmed a rise in substance abuse and related arrests in the area, noting that the event provides “protective factors” against addiction. Giveaways, including board games donated by local store Level Up, are intended to foster social connection among participants.

In the second segment, a “strike team” from Arcadia Live detailed the theater’s 100th anniversary (1926–2026). The celebration will kick off with the “Prohibition to Prison” party on Saturday, March 7, a 1920s-themed speakeasy event featuring a “password protected” entry, hand-rolled cigars and casino tables. Arcadia staff also issued a call for community members to submit their personal memories of the theater for a video project.

The show opened with Amestoy noting the deaths of actor Robert Duvall, 95, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, 85, and reminding listeners that early voting for the primary election had begun.