Connections Podcast

We continue our series of conversations about the creative ways local businesses have adapted to the pandemic. This hour, we talk to local restaurant and coffee shop owners about their strategies, and what they anticipate for reopening in Phase 3. Our guests: Jonathan Leach, co-owner of JonJohn's Bakery John Keltos, co-owner of JonJohn's Bakery Rory Van Grol, founder of Ugly Duck Coffee Kevin McCann, owner of McCann's Local Meats Shoshana Weissamnn , senior manager of digital media and fellow at

We're joined by the president of the Rochester Police Locust Club, who discusses the events of the weekend, and his thoughts on proposed changes for policing. Our guest: Mike Mazzeo, president of the Rochester Police Locust Club

If you had fallen asleep in early February and woke up now, in June, would you know by looking around you that you'd be living in a global pandemic? The warm weather has shown people are eager to be outside. There have been big parties, backyard gatherings, and people congregating in public spaces -- with many people not wearing masks or face coverings. How do we move into the summer season, keep re-opening, and adjust our behavior appropriately? And now should we be having conversations about

Saturday's peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Rochester included hundreds of people who gathered to march in solidarity with the BLM movement nationwide. Local organizers are calling for several reforms: a divestment from police, the removal of police from Rochester City Schools, an end to mass incarceration, and more. This hour, we talk to two of the organizers about the events of the weekend and their goals for the movement in the weeks and months ahead. Our guests: Stanley Martin, civil

We continue our conversation about the events of the weekend, about the Black Lives Matter movement, and about broader issues of race and police-community relations across the country. Our guests: Danielle Ponder , diversity and inclusion officer for the Monroe County Public Defender's Office, and lead singer for Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People Jonathan Ntheketha , actor, performance educator with Impact Interactive, and adjunct professor Anthony Hall, dean at Vertus Charter High School

The events in American cities over the last several days, including Rochester, have revealed the depth of decades of pain. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says the protests have been important and peaceful, but the looting shows that the community can fall into a trap set by people outside of the movement. This hour, our guests discuss those issues and more: Danielle Ponder , diversity and inclusion officer for the Monroe County Public Defender's Office, and lead singer for Danielle Ponder and the

On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at limiting liability protections for some social media companies. The move comes just days after Twitter fact-checked and labeled two of his tweets as inaccurate. According to NPR, legal experts say it's unlikely that the order will have any practical effect on tech giants like Twitter. Meanwhile, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg called out Twitter for its fact-checking, saying Facebook won't be "arbiters of truth." What does all of

The story of a white woman in New York City who called police and falsely accused an African American man of threatening her has gone viral. Amy Cooper was walking her dog in an area of Central Park where leashes are required. Christian Cooper (no relation), an avid bird watcher who was in the park for that purpose, approached her and asked her to leash the dog. When she didn't, the situation escalated and led to the woman calling police and claiming the man was threatening her and her dog.

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated social inequalities, and at times, led to frustration, stress, and even fights in the community. The Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence has launched a new campaign called "Nonviolence Now" to help people communicate peacefully and resolve conflicts without causing harm. We talk to representatives from the Institute about the project and what they hope to accomplish, especially during the pandemic. Our guests: Kit Miller , director of the Gandhi Institute

How is the nominating process changing for political parties as a result of the pandemic? This hour, we discuss that question with local members of the Libertarian Party. The party moved its presidential nominating convention and a convention to elect party officers to Zoom and YouTube. Our guests talk about the process, and share additional updates from the party, including their selection for a presidential candidate. Our guests: Tony D'Orazio , chair of the Libertarian Party of New York Kevin