Connections Podcast

We talk with the incoming president of Houghton College. Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. will be inaugurated on Friday as the college's sixth president. He comes to Houghton from Belmont University in Tennessee, where he served as dean of the School of Education. Prior to that, he served as the commissioner of education for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He also has a background as a teacher in K-12 schools.

The rate of vaccination among Black Americans is significantly lower than the rate among white Americans. Our guests explore the reasons for mistrust and the ongoing challenge of changing hearts and minds in our community.

The Pittsford Central School District is responding to several racist incidents involving students. One involves a video in which a white student is seen brandishing an air-soft gun and threatening to kill Black people. Sheriffs deputies say the video is months-old but was circulated recently. A second incident involves white middle school students making racist remarks via text and on social media. Officials at the district say a student walkout is planned for this morning.

How can members of law enforcement better interact with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities? We hear from participants of a recent event with the Arc of Monroe and the Advocacy Alliance. We talk with members of law enforcement about police training techniques, and we hear from people with disabilities and advocates about their perspectives and experiences.

The performance "Listen to Your Mother" is back on stage next month. We preview this year's event, which highlights the impact of mothers and motherhood.

Do vaccine incentives work? By mid-summer, researchers were concluding that vaccine incentives were not making much of a difference. From lottery tickets to free beer, state and local government tried just about everything. But a new analysis from McGill University indicates that incentives are now one of the most useful tools for increasing vaccination.

How do we hold totalitarians responsible? How do we guard against the return of some of the worst evils of mankind? Myroslav Marynovych was imprisoned in a Soviet Gulag for seven years. He was a prisoner of conscience, locked away for pushing for human rights. His new memoir was published by the University of Rochester Press, and he’s visiting the university to discuss his vision for human rights. But first, we talk with him on Connections. Our guests: Myroslav Marynovych, author of "The

After a recent controversy with City Council, the Rochester Police Accountability Board is hiring . From the beginning, the PAB has stressed its need for independence. It will now have the opportunity to fill dozens of positions. This comes at a time when the City of Rochester is disciplining one officer who was involved with Daniel Prude’s death. Our guests: Conor Dwyer Reynolds , executive director of the Rochester Police Accountability Board Ted Forsyth, member of the executive committee for

On Thursday, a number of local partners announced the launch of a new climate initiative. AMPED is aimed at promoting the use of carbon-free electricity to power the region’s buildings and vehicles. According to AMPED’s leaders, about three quarters of the region’s climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings and transportation. How can companies go “all electric”? What are the costs? What are the long-term impacts? Our guests answer these questions and more: Marc Cohen , chief

Two local organizations have made it their mission to help people who have been disconnected from the workforce find new jobs and careers. Miss Julie's School of Beauty is a faith-based cosmetology school that will offer training to survivors of human trafficking. Imprintable Solutions offers internships to at-risk youth. This hour, we hear from leaders and trainees at both organizations about how their work is changing lives. Our guests: Julie Chapus , director and instructor at Miss Julie’s