Nov. 19, 2024 - New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs joins the show to discuss the mixed election results for his party in New York. He explains why he was surprised by President-elect Donald Trump’s strong performance, considers Governor Kathy Hochul’s role on the top of the ticket in 2026, and addresses whether congestion pricing will…

Nov. 18, 2024 - Conservationists have long eyed Whitney Park, a 36,000-acre property in the heart of the Adirondacks under private ownership, whose future is up in the air. We discuss moving it under the state's stewardship with John Sheehan, of the Adirondack Council, and Pete Nelson, of the Adirondack Wilderness Advocates.…

Nov. 18, 2024 - The federal landscape is shifting, with Republicans taking control of Congress and the White House in 2025. We consider what one-party rule could mean for health care policies and funding in New York with the help of Paul Francis, chair of the Step Two Policy Project.WCNY

Nov. 18, 2024 - The state's Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board is calling on the governor to declare a public health emergency and wants access to better data to inform their recommendations. We discuss their recommendations with Christine Khaikin, senior health policy attorney for the Legal Action Center.…

Nov. 15, 2024 - Volunteer advocates around New York are responsible for overseeing the care at state-run facilities serving vulnerable New Yorkers, but is the Hochul administration doing enough to support these important watchdogs? We examine that question and learn about the state's boards of visitors with Patricia Wright, a representative of the …

Nov. 15, 2024 - The switch to cashless tolling has created opportunities for drivers to illegally avoid tolls, which has drawn the attention of state and local officials. We consider the effectiveness of this crackdown on "ghost vehicles" with Alfonso Castillo, transportation reporter for Newsday.WCNY

Nov. 15, 2024 - We explore why environmentalists have long coveted a tolling system for Manhattan's central business and whether Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan meets the state's environmental and transit needs with Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters.WCNY

Nov. 15, 2024 - After initially blocking the implementation of congestion pricing in New York City this summer, Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing a scaled back tolling system to take effect in early January. We discuss the potential legal and administrative hurdles to realizing this latest iteration of congestion pricing in Manhattan with Michael Gerr…

Nov. 12, 2024 - Politico New York health care reporter Katelyn Cordero provides an update on the effort to revitalize SUNY Downstate, a teaching hospital in Brooklyn that is running massive deficits and has deteriorating facilities.WCNY

Nov. 12, 2024 - Micron has fallen more than a year behind schedule with its construction projects in a Syracuse suburb. We explore what's happening and what the future could look like with Glenn Coin, a reporter with Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard.WCNY

Nov. 12, 2024 - Siena College Research Institute Director Don Levy compares his election surveys to the actual voting results in 2024. We explore an outlier poll from a respected Iowa pollster, consider how the media should cover polls, and identify areas of improvement.WCNY

The 2024 elections were a mixed bag for New York Democrats, who reversed the 2022 gains Republicans made in the state’s congressional delegation, but also saw their traditional electorate shrink. To make sense of the results, as well as the polls leading up to Election Day and where Democrats in the Empire State go from here, we're sharing an excer…

Nov. 8, 2024 - Assembly Children and Families Committee Chair Andrew Hevesi, a Queens Democrat, discusses his recent hearing on the statewide central register for reporting child abuse and reflects on how this process can be improved.WCNY

Nov. 8, 2024 - New York Attorney General Letitia James was dealt a setback this fall in her legal effort to hold Pepsi accountable for its alleged role in plastic pollution in Buffalo. We talk about this stalled lawsuit and where it could go from here with Eugene Welch, a partner with the law firm of Tully Rinckey.…

Nov. 7, 2024 - New York's court system has until late 2027 to set up processes for implementing the Clean Slate Act, so we consider the road ahead with Laura Harshbarger, a labor and employment attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King.WCNY

Nov. 7, 2024 - Is it time for the 50-year-old Emergency Tenant Protection Act to get a major face lift? We examine an update to the rent control system with Cea Weaver, coalition director for Housing Justice For All.WCNY

Nov. 6, 2024 - We consider the current and future impact of state environmental regulators authorizing permits for carbon-based power plants that fuel energy intensive cryptocurrency mining efforts. Our guests are Liz Moran, policy advocate with Earthjustice, and Deb Gondek, chair of the North Tonawanda Climate Smart Task Force.…

Nov. 6, 2024 - New York Focus reporter Chris Gelardi shares the brief and erratic experience of a commissioner on the state Board of Parole, who was fired by Gov. Kathy Hochul less than a year after she suddenly appointed him.WCNY

Nov. 11, 2024 - In advance of regulations taking effect in 2025 that are intended to get more zero-emission trucks on the road in New York, Trucking Association of New York President Kendra Hems is warning of unintended consequences.WCNY

Nov. 6, 2024 - We break down the 2024 election results in New York and consider what they mean for the Empire State's future with the help of Jack O'Donnell, managing partner of O'Donnell & Associates.WCNY

Nov. 5, 2024 - We analyze the state's fiscal position with Patrick Orecki, director of state studies for the Citizens Budget Commission, who helps us break down the mid-year financial update from the Hochul administration.WCNY

Nov. 5, 2024 - After years of requiring municipal bond auctions to be held by the mail, state lawmakers have finally begun letting these sales happen with online bidding. We discuss this evolution with Dave Lucas, of the New York State Association of Counties, and Aaron Kohler, a financial analyst for Onondaga County.…

Nov. 5, 2024 - We shine a spotlight on the big and small initiatives underway in New York to spur innovation, including grants to startups and partnerships between businesses and higher education institutions. Our guest is Ben Verschueren, executive director of Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology, and Innovation…

Nov. 4, 2024 - Riverkeeper staff attorney Victoria Leung explains the rationale behind legislation requiring state environmental officials to proactively disclose the results of background radiation monitoring they're conducting.WCNY

Nov. 1, 2024 - A new survey of former service members in New York is providing a fresh perspective on the challenges facing veterans and how to meet their needs. We discuss these findings and what should come next with Derek Coy, a senior program officer for the New York Health Foundation, which commissioned the study.…

Nov. 1, 2024 - Chronic absenteeism spiked during the pandemic around the country and continues to be a problem, with nearly one in three kids meeting this distinction in the 2022-2023 school year in New York, according to a report from the state comptroller's office. We discuss the issue and how it can be addressed with Lynn Jennings, senior direct…

Nov. 11, 2024 - In light of the severe and unique mental health needs of some veterans there is an effort to treat them with specially trained mental health providers. We discuss the idea behind a veterans mental health training initiative with Dr. Frank Dowling, an associate professor with Stony Brook University, and Aynisa Leonardo, a licensed cl…

Oct. 31, 2024 - SUNY is looking to build on the existing partnerships between local news outlets and students journalists with a summer internship program starting in 2025. We explore the potential benefits of these relationships with Todd Franko, project manager for the Center for Community News, which is working with SUNY on these initiatives.…

Oct. 31, 2024 - In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, more than 200 state and local government employees from New York were deployed to help communities across the South. We talk about this experience with Adam Picket, Nick Johnston, and Erin Hanczyk, who are part of the state's incident management team and were deployed to Nor…

Oct. 31, 2024 - To better prepare for future wildfires the State Department of Environmental Conservation is partnering with the early warning weather detection system at the University at Albany. We discuss the new partnership with June Wang, director of the New York State Mesonet at UAlbany, and Scott Jackson, a captain with the state forest rang…

Oct. 31, 2024 - Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a Brooklyn Democrat, wants to get creative with federal and state resources by doling out an $1,800 cash payment for families on Medicaid who have a child.WCNY

Oct. 30, 2024 - SUNY Chancellor John King discusses the effort to bring higher education into New York's prisons, ensure a smooth transition for transferring students, and a campaign to automatically accept qualifying students into select public institutions.WCNY

Oct. 30, 2024 - New York is not on track to hit its green energy and emission reduction goals for 2030, so the Citizens Budget Commission says it's time to reset our goals so our response to the climate crisis can be recalibrated. We examine this argument, including what it means for an effort to cap pollution, with Andrew Rein, the group's preside…

Oct. 29, 2024 - We talk with Alexi Ashe Meyers, the director of anti-trafficking policy at Sanctuary for Families, about the increased brothel activity in a Queens neighborhood and discuss why she thinks the response to situations like this is to decriminalize the role of prostitutes, while enforcing criminal penalties against people who patronize …

October 29, 2024 - Times Union data reporter Emilie Munson discusses her examination of how law enforcement in New York dispose of seized drugs and explains why some practices are dangerous and even illegal.WCNY

Oct. 29, 2024 - We discuss regulations governing the licensing and certifying of mental health care providers in New York with Keith Brennan, a former assistant counsel with the State Office of Mental Health and is now of counsel at the Barclay Damon law firm.WCNY

Oct. 28, 2024 - Assembly Aging Committee Chair Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, discusses a public hearing examining a state-funded program providing services to keep low-income seniors, who don't qualify for Medicaid, in their homes and out of institutional settings.WCNY

Oct. 28, 2024 - While some of New York's big green energy and emission reduction goals are out of reach, state policymakers were successful in deploying 6 GW of distributed solar projects before 2025. We explore the significance of this accomplishment and how it happened with Doreen Harris, president & CEO of the New York State Energy Research and …

Oct. 28, 2024 - New York Power Authority President & CEO Justin Driscoll gives an update on the state's effort to develop and operate new renewable energy projects and explains why the state's existing hydropower facilities need additional support.WCNY

Oct. 25, 2024 - Should New Yorkers face fees to access government benefits? Legislation pushed through by Democratic lawmakers would end the practice for electronic benefit cards, including debit cards for unemployment benefits. We discuss this proposal and financial fees more broadly with Andy Morrison, associate director of the New Economy Projec…

Oct. 25, 2024 - We explore the potential benefits of a state Parkinson's disease registry with Zach Hardy, state government relations manager for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.WCNY

Oct. 25, 2024 - The state's chief information officer, Dru Rai, is in the studio discussing the behind-the-scenes response to this summer's global computer outage, plans for the state Office of Information Technology's staff and budget, and the state government's use of artificial intelligence. We also get to know his personal technology habits.…

October 24, 2024 - We explore the role mental health peers play in supporting New Yorkers struggling with mental illness. Our guests are Luke Sikinyi, director of public policy and public engagement at The Alliance for Rights and Recovery, and Harvey Rosenthal, the group's CEO.WCNY

Oct. 24, 2024 - The construction and demolition industries are major contributors of waste and have a significant carbon footprint, which could be limited by promoting a more circular construction process. We explore potential changes to the building process with Felix Heisel, an assistant professor and the director of the Circular Construction Lab…

Oct. 24, 2024 - State lawmakers unanimously support adding an insurance industry liaison to the state's Disaster Preparedness Commission, so we examine the intersection between disasters and insurance with the help of Cassandra Anderson, executive vice president for the New York Insurance Association.…

Oct. 23, 2024 - The Hochul administration has put the finishing touches on regulations intended to keep 1,4-dioxane, a likely carcinogen, out of household products. We discuss the root of this precaution and how it's being implemented with Conor Shea, section supervisor for the pollution prevention unit of the state Department of Environmental Cons…

Oct. 22, 2024 - Assemblymember Brian Cunningham, a Brooklyn Democrat, explains why he wants the state to study a transition to renewable energy sources for New York's cell phone towers.WCNY

Oct. 22, 2024 - Assemblymember Grace Lee, a Manhattan Democrat, talks about her legislation increasing the security of transactions made over peer-to-peer payments services on smartphonesWCNY

Oct. 22, 2024 - The acting head of the state Office of Cannabis Management, Felicia Reid, joins us in the studio for a status check on New York's marijuana landscape, including addressing a backlog of license applications, increasing access to medical marijuana, hiring state cannabis regulators, reviewing existing regulations, and reversing the eff…

Oct. 21, 2024 - State lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul honed in on the backlog of early intervention needs in this year's budget, but not much progress has been made solving this critical problem. We discuss what the state is doing and could be doing to delivery more early intervention services with Brigit Hurley, chief program officer for The Child…