By now, most central New Yorkers have seen several political ads from both candidates running for the 24th Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) has criticized his Democratic opponent Colleen Deacon for what he calls a lack of knowledge of national and international security. Deacon has tried to tie Katko to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, candidates for office around central and northern New York have been holding debates. The candidates running for the 24th Congressional District, Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) and Democrat Colleen Deacon, sat down with WRVO for their first debate of the campaign.

In contrast to the hotly contested presidential and congressional contests, state level races in central New York are, for the most part, not races at all. There are few challengers. One race where there is a challenger is the 127th State Assembly District, which pits incumbent Democrat Al Stirpe against Republican Vincent Giordano. This week on the Campbell Conversations, host Grant Reeher moderates a debate between them, as they discuss education, government consolidation, economic development

Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston has been following Donald Trump’s business career for decades. So when Trump launched his campaign for president, he collected all his files and wrote The Making of Donald Trump . This week on the Campbell Conversations, host Grant Reeher discusses the book with Johnston, and explores how his past business experiences might inform his behavior as president.

This week on the Campbell Conversations host Grant Reeher continues his conversation with Dean Strang, one of the defense attorneys for Steven Avery profiled in the Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer.” This week the two discuss the financials of criminal defense, and in particular the defense of the indigent. They then turn to Strang’s book about a century-old case involving Italian anarchists and the famed criminal defense lawyer Clarence Darrow.

The Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer" made the Steven Avery murder case a cause célèbre and made public celebrities of his two defense attorneys. this week, Grant Reeher speaks with one of those attorneys, Dean Strang . They discuss the Avery case, and the broader lessons about the criminal justice system that it points to, as well as Strang's experiences taking part in the film.

As Syracuse Stage prepares to open its new season, it’s also welcoming new leadership. This week, Grant Reeher speaks with Jill Anderson, Syracuse Stage’s new Managing Director, and Bob Hupp, the new Artistic Director. They discuss the stage, and what place theater has in the community.

On this week's edition of the Campbell Conversations, host Grant Reeher continues his conversations with candidates for New York's 22nd Congressional District seat, a seat made open by Rep. Richard Hanna's retirement. This week he talks with Kim Myers, the Democratic candidate. On a previous program, he spoke with Republican Claudia Tenney . Analysts have rated the race a toss-up, and it offers a contrast of positions and styles.

The New York State Fair takes place in Syracuse from August 25-September 5. This week on the Campbell Conversations, Grant Reeher speaks with the fair's acting director, Troy Waffner. They discuss the history of the fair, why it's located in Syracuse, the renovations that have taken place over the past year, and some of the things fairgoers can expect to see at this year's fair.

Central New York promises to provide some competitive elections this fall. One of them is in the 22nd Congressional District, which covers parts of 8 counties across central New York, the Mohawk Valley and the Southern Tier. That seat is open due to the retirement of Rep. Richard Hanna (R-Barneveld).