Connections Podcast

What’s next for Parcel 5? It’s a question Rochestarians have been asking for years. On Tuesday, City Council unanimously approved a measure that would allow Mayor Lovely Warren to apply for $4.7 million in state funding to develop the site. The Warren administration is aiming to model Parcel 5 after Kansas City Live!, an entertainment district flanked by restaurants and bars that hosts year-round events and concerts. This hour, we’re joined by community members who have been active participants

The Greater Rochester Parent Leadership Training Institute was founded in 2012, and since then, its alumni have worked to enact a number of changes in the community. This hour, we hear from local parents who have become active citizens working to alleviate bullying, poverty, and discrimination in schools, recreation activities, and more. We also talk to them about a number of issues related to parenting in Rochester in 2019. In studio: Manish Dixit , interim initiative director and alumnus of

This week, New York became the first state in the nation to ban the declawing of cats. Animal rights activists are celebrating the bill, which prohibits the amputation procedure unless the process will help treat a medical condition. It’s a win for groups that have fought the issue for years, and who are also calling for the end of horse racing. Thousands of horses in the U.S. have died from racing or training since 2014, and over a six-day span this month, four horses died at Finger Lakes

Photojournalist Alex Kormann captured a shot of pro golfer Alex Wolff after Wolff won his first tournament. Then the photo went viral, thanks to Nike. The problem, as Kormann sees it, is that Nike offered no photo credit, and no compensation for its use. And Kormann is hardly alone; photographers commonly find that their work has been used for Instagram posts, advertisements, and more. We discuss who owes what in the online economy, and we discuss how to make sure we’re properly compensating

RG&E has asked for permission to raise rates. That request goes through the New York State Public Service Commission, which will hold a public hearing in Rochester on August 6. A number of stakeholders plan on attending the hearing, offering their views on RG&E’s rates, but also on energy policy more generally. RG&E has provided a statement to WXXI News. We discuss what the rates mean with our guests: Scott Oliver, deputy for energy programs for PathStone Corproration Kristen Van

Have you tried FaceApp, the social media app that shows you what you might look like in your twilight years? Many users expressed concerns about privacy when they learned FaceApp's developer is based in Russia. Experts say the concerns about security are largely overblown, but they're glad users are thinking about privacy. What actually happens to your data when you submit it to apps or websites, either willingly or without knowing? Our guests help us understand how the technology works and our

We discuss the results of a survey that collected committee feedback about celebrations following the annual Puerto Rican Festival. In October, the Northeast Safety Committee asked residents in Monroe County and beyond to share their opinions about post-festival celebrations. In previous years, the events on the Sunday night following the festival -- which are not organized by the Puerto Rican Festival or Puerto Rican Parade -- have been marked by disorderly behavior and sometimes dangerous

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: Pain management and the opioid epidemic; First-year teachers' experiences in the classroom; Challenges faced by members of the transgender community.

When the University of Rochester signed on to serve as the Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) for struggling East High School, UR representatives acknowledged they did not enter the partnership lightly. In 2015, New York State labeled East an "out of time" school. It would have closed, if not for the EPO. This hour, we sit down with representatives from the partnership to discuss the EPO’s three-year progress report . They share the challenges East has faced, the successes they’ve seen,

We’re joined by Governor Andrew Cuomo for a conversation about efforts to remediate flooding on Lake Ontario. Last month, the governor announced $300 million in funding to improve infrastructure along the shoreline. The pledge is part of the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative, or REDI, commission – a multi-agency effort that will implement legislative changes, aid packages, and executive actions to address the flooding. Cuomo has been critical of the International Joint