Connections Podcast

We continue our series of interviews with candidates for office. Longtime Republican State Senator Joe Robach is not seeking reelection, and two candidates are vying for his seat. This hour, we hear from Republican candidate Mike Barry, Jr.. He discusses his platform and priorities for the district. Our guest: Mike Barry, Jr. , Republican candidate for the 56th Senate District

When Governor Cuomo locked down the state at the beginning of the pandemic, businesses faced uncertainty and significant losses. When the economy began to reopen in Upstate New York, some businesses downstate got creative. A wine bar in New York City was one of them. The team behind Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels NYC discovered property in Interlaken on Cayuga Lake and opened their new venture, Supernatural Lake , in July. The project is a wine bar, restaurant, and bed-and-breakfast, with the

When we talk about campaign finance, those in favor of reform say corporate money in politics threatens democracy. But two social scientists say the influence of cash in politics is misunderstood and reform is not a cure-all. University of Rochester professor David Primo and University of Missouri professor Jeffrey Milyo say despite what many Americans believe, super PAC spending doesn't dominate campaigns. After analyzing decades of survey data from the public and experts, Primo and Milyo argue

More than 3,000 local households will be part of a brand new community solar program — the first of its kind in the country. Here's the idea: Community solar is designed to enable households to receive the benefits of solar energy—lower electricity costs and reduced carbon gas emissions—without having to install panels on their home or property. But how does it actually work? Who pays for it? What are the drawbacks? Our guests sort through the sometimes-complicated details to explain community

A new multi-agency effort aimed at helping local tenants facing eviction was announced Thursday morning. Legal experts say the pandemic has exacerbated the county's eviction issue, with attorneys bracing for double or triple the number of evictions in the next few months. The new effort — the Special COVID Intervention Part, or SCIP — will ensure that every landlord-tenant case will flow through a single part of the city court system. The program also gives tenants the opportunity to access

Experts in child health and education say the pandemic will have lasting effects on children's social and emotional needs and their overall wellbeing. Effective in April 2021, the Children's Institute will be ROC the Future's new anchor entity. Representatives from the two organizations say the partnership will enable them to better focus their work on the intersectionality of health and education. We talk with them about how parents and teachers can help children navigate this unprecedented

The death of Daniel Prude has led to questions about how police are trained to handle a variety of situations. Marvin Stepherson retired as a police sergeant with 25 years of service in local law enforcement. He now teaches at Roberts Wesleyan, and comments regularly on police-community relations. Stepherson talks about how he sees the Prude case and what kind of change is possible within police structures. Our guest: Marvin Stepherson , professor of criminal justice at Roberts Wesleyan College,

Recent comments made by Fox Sports host Skip Bayless have led to controversy. Bayless criticized Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott for speaking out about his depression. Prescott's brother died by suicide, and the quarterback publicly shared his struggle and his desire to be vulnerable, genuine, and transparent. Bayless said he didn't have sympathy for Prescott's public admission, and said revealing "weakness" could reflect the team's ability to believe in him. The incident has led to

State Senator Rich Funke is not seeking reelection, and two candidates are vying for his seat in the 55th District. This hour, we talk with Democratic candidate Samra Brouk and Republican candidate Christopher Missick about their platforms, their priorities for the district, and their perspectives on a range of issues impacting Rochester and New York State. Our guests: Samra Brouk , Democratic candidate for State Senate, 55th District Christopher Missick , Republican candidate for State Senate,

Longtime Republican State Senator Joe Robach is not seeking reelection, and two candidates are vying for his seat. This hour, we have our first of several conversations with the candidates about their platforms and priorities for the district, as well as their perspectives on a range of issues affecting citizens. Our guest: Jeremy Cooney , Democratic candidate for State Senate, 56th District *Note: Republican candidate Mike Barry was scheduled to participate in this discussion, but cancelled