Connections Podcast

A west coast company was looking to expand, and narrowed their list of cities down to Dallas, Portland, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and... Rochester. Ultimately, they chose Rochester. We examine the process this company used to make their decision; they found that top-sized cities were generally very expensive, and Rochester offered some advantages that other cities didn't have. Our guests: Mark Oney , senior vice president at Employee Channel, Inc. Richard Glaser , co-founder of RocGrowth

In January, Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled a plan to legalize recreational marijuana in New York State. The proposal has led to a debate. We sit down with members of Roc NORML , a group that supports the decriminalization of cannabis; and members of local law enforcement, who who say legalizing marijuana would negatively impact traffic safety and impose additional costs to police departments. In studio: Steve VanDeWalle, deputy chief of Roc NORML Jason Klimek, legal advisor for Roc NORML Patrick

We discuss how language evolves, and how seemingly innocuous words or phrases can take on entirely new meanings. We also discuss how to recognize words or language that used to mean one thing, but now mean another. Our guests: Maya Abtahian , assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Rochester Jeff Spevak , writer, and arts and culture contributor for WXXI News

Journalist and author Sarah Smarsh recently shared the story of her father and his tax return. He thought he would be getting a significant tax cut with the new tax law. Instead, because of the new rules regarding write-offs for workers, he’s paying a lot more. It turns out a lot of workers have questions about why their tax bills aren’t what they expected. We welcome a journalist who is writing a book on the American tax code, David Cay Johnston .

Is Twitter irredeemably flawed? A growing list of critics say yes, including a philosophy professor who told us this week that she stays off social media because it has no constructive value. Journalists have been criticized for their reporting, largely via social media, on stories like the Jussie Smollett case. But defenders of Twitter say it retains a tremendous reach and potential. So how to get the most out of it? Our guests weigh in: Emily Hessney Lynch , director of content at I Heart ROC,

We continue our series of conversations about urbanism in Rochester with participants in the Community Design Center’s Reshaping Rochester program. Klaus Philipsen is the president of ArchPlan, an architecture and urban design firm in Baltimore. He joins us for a discussion about affordable housing – what it looks like and how to achieve it in a city like Rochester. We also discuss how to revitalize neighborhoods without displacing current residents. Our guests: Klaus Philipsen, president of

We're joined by University of Rochester philosophy professor Zeynep Soysal . She discusses the ways in which we form beliefs and why there can be value in doubting them.

Amazon is not coming to New York City after all, and that has reignited the debate about whether Amazon should hold a kind of sweepstakes to search for a second headquarters. Should Rochester get back in the game? Amazon’s approach has divided the political left. We talk to Democrats about their views on the issue and its broader impact on economic systems and policies. Our guests: Alfred Vitale, co-founder of the Association of Working-Class Academics Karen Vitale, co-chair of the Rochester

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: How to approach revelations of racist actions or statements, with former Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson; Challenges faced by women in politics; If retail will return to downtown Rochester; Slam poetry.

SUNY Geneseo has an ambitious plan to create a Center for Local Municipal History. Professor Michael Oberg says there is an acute need, because "In many places we've lost sight of our local history." There are hundreds of historians in the state of New York, most unpaid and appointed by local municipalities. As a consequence, most are white. Oberg wants to help historians see the layered local histories that might allow students and residents to feel more connected to their own communities. Our