Connections Podcast

Is there a gender gap in support for populist politics? Our guests are political science professors who have been studying this question. We talk with them about gender patterns in voting, what the basis is for supporting populist parties, and how and why populist and right-wing parties are reaching out to the female electorate. It's a preview to a virtual lecture hosted by the University of Rochester at 4 p.m. called "A Century of Votes for Women." Our guests: Christina Wolbrecht , professor of

What is a collective impact model when it comes to climate action? A local organization called the Climate Solutions Accelerator has recommendations and goals for how bring different sectors, ideas, and experiences together to combat climate change. We talk with them about their mission and their work, and what they expect to see in terms of solutions in our region. Our guests: Simeon Banister , co-chair of the Climate Collective Impact Steering Committee at the Climate Solutions Accelerator,

After years of public debate and false starts, Rochester’s Parcel 5 has a future, or, at least some new grass seed. The one-acre plot in the heart of downtown has long been a coveted space, and for now, it will become a green gathering place. We talk about what that means for Rochester. Our guests: Rachel DeGuzman , founder and executive director of 21st Century Arts, Inc. Mary Lupien , member of Rochester City Council André Primus , planner with Highland Planning LLC Ben Woelk, principal at

We sit down with another group of candidates for Rochester City Council. 16 candidates are running for five at-large seats. Our goal is to talk to all of them at length prior to Primary Day. This hour, three candidates share their priorities and platforms, and answer our questions and your about issues affecting Rochester. Our guests: Mitch Gruber Jazzmyn Ivery-Robinson Miquel Powell

We get an update on vaccine distribution in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region. We talk with the co-leaders of the Finger Lakes Vaccine Task Force about vaccine supply and demand in the region, about increasing equity in access, and about the region's pandemic response. Our guests: Nancy Bennett , M.D., co-leader of the Finger Lakes Vaccine Task Force, professor of medicine and public health sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center, founder and director of the Center for Community

Do you have questions about what can be recycled and what can't? Are you confused by the numbers on the bottom of containers? We've heard from many listeners with questions like these, so we've invited representatives from Monroe County's Environmental Services team to help us understand what we need to know. They answer your questions about recycling and how the process works in Monroe County. Our guests: Mike Garland, director of the Monroe County Department of Environmental Services Tina

New York State Attorney General Letitia James hired one of the country's leading police defenders to offer expert testimony in the Daniel Prude case. In dozens of cases, Dr. Gary Vilke has essentially argued the same thing: police did nothing wrong. That's exactly what he told a grand jury in Rochester, emphasizing that RPD officers might even have been giving Daniel Prude a better chance at survival. Now there are growing demands from the community for an explanation: why did AG James hire Dr.

“Structural racism is why I’m leaving organized psychiatry.” That’s the title of an op-ed for Stat News written by Dr. Ruth Shim, a physician and professor of cultural psychiatry at UC Davis. Dr. Shim says she ended her membership with organized psychiatry, specifically with the American Psychiatric Association, due to racism, microaggressions, and because “organized psychiatry has repeatedly refused to examine its contributions to this system.” We talk to Dr. Shim about the issue. She will be

The High Acres Landfill in Perinton is the source of plenty of garbage, both from the Rochester region and beyond. It's the source of powerful odors. And now it's the source of a new controversy. The Town of Perinton is working on a new deal with Waste Management, but residents are split about what that deal should include. Town leaders want a reduction in the amount of trash brought in by rail from New York City. Local residents want no more New York City trash, and more control and

Restaurants can't find enough people to fill shifts: servers, front of house, back of house. Owners say that former employees are reluctant to give up unemployment benefits that run through August. Meanwhile, restaurants and bars can stay open until midnight, and more vaccinated clientele are ready to go out to eat and drink. So what happens next? Our guests: Kelly Metras, owner of Salena's and Nox , and chapter president of the NYS Restaurant Association Art Rogers, owner and chef of Lento