Connections Podcast

The Community Design Center's (CDC) Reshaping Rochester series continues with a conversation about multi-modal transportation in urban areas. Shin-pei Tsay is the director of policy, cities, and transportation at Uber. Previously, she was a commissioner of public design in New York City. She'll be in Rochester next week for the CDC's series, but first, she joins us on Connections to discuss how we can reasonably assess public demand for different forms of transportation in cities, what kind of

Michael Bloomberg is taking criticism for his comments about farmers and American workers. His campaign says he was taken out of context. Farmers respond that their work is not as simple as Bloomberg described. We discuss the dignity of work and the challenge of farming with our guests: Christopher Missick, owner and winemaker for Bellangelo winery Ruth Blackwell, owner of Mud Creek Farm Matt Kelly , Finger Lakes farmer

The New York State Medicaid Redesign Team II is holding a public forum Tuesday afternoon to take questions and comments about possible changes to the state’s Medicaid program. This hour, we discuss the program, possible upcoming changes, and more. In studio: Wade Norwood , CEO of Common Ground Health who serves on the Medicaid Redesign Team II Dr. Deborah Pierce , M.D., clinical associate professor of family medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center

Acclaimed Irish tenor and Paralympian Ronan Tynan is coming to Rochester to speak and sing at two events. Tynan was born with phocomelia, a lower limb disability that caused both of his legs to be underdeveloped. At the age of 20, both of Tynan’s legs were amputated after a car accident. Since that time, he has used prosthetic legs and won Paralympic medals in track and field. He’s also a physician specializing in orthopedic sports injuries and has worked in the prosthetics industry. This hour,

Weekend Connections is a collection of some of the most noteworthy moments from the week on Connections with Evan Dawson. This episode includes conversations about: The debate over Governor Cuomo's paid sick leave proposal; The rise of anti-Semitism; The proposed Equal Rights Amendment. Connections intern Emmarae Stein assisted with the production of this podcast.

A powerful play at the Multi-Use Community Cultural Center is generating conversations about race. “Blues for Mister Charlie” is an award-winning work by James Baldwin that’s loosely based on the assassination of Emmett Till. 14-year-old Till was lynched in Mississippi after being accused of offending a white woman in a store. In the play, Richard Henry returns to the deep South from New York City to find his segregated home town embroiled in racism and hate. Heated encounters with a local white

Representatives from the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative say the project’s adult mentoring programs are showing signs of success. The Democrat and Chronicle reports that one of the programs showed an average increase in employment of 110 percent, and that the average earned household income increase by 118 percent. Program leaders say the mentoring model is helping families find their way out of poverty. This hour, we sit down with one of the mentoring pairs who share their story. We

We sit down with supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar. Klobuchar finished third in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, earning 20 percent of the vote. While experts say primaries in Nevada and South Carolina may be tough for her, Klobuchar’s supporters hope her recent success will lead to more strong showings. This hour, we discuss her candidacy, her platform, and more. In studio: Patty Kaptein, Klobuchar supporter Gail Seigel, Klobuchar supporter, SUNY Buffalo

A new proposal from Governor Cuomo has led to debate among workers and the business community. Cuomo’s plan would require businesses with at least five employees to provide a certain number of paid sick days, depending on the number of workers. According to the state, a lack of paid sick days leads to staff showing up to work ill because they fear they may otherwise lose their jobs. But small business owners say the plan would be an additional burden on employers who are already struggling to

Data shows anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes are rising across the country. Why? The news has left community members wondering how to address and counter these issues, both in conversation and in legal terms. This hour, we discuss hate crimes and hate speech from a number of angles. In studio: Hava Leipzig Holzhauer, executive director of the Konar Center for Tolerance and Jewish Studies at Nazareth College Meredith Dragon, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester Don Thompson ,