Connections Podcast

We continue our series of interviews with political candidates this election season. In this half hour, we sit down with State Senator Joe Robach , the Republican incumbent in the 56th District. He's running against Democratic challenger Jeremy Cooney.

We continue our series of interviews with political candidates this election season. In this half hour, we sit down with State Senator Rich Funke , the Republican incumbent in the 55th District. He's running against Democratic challenger Jen Lunsford.

Democrat and Chronicle columnist Erica Bryant joins us to discuss her reporting on the results of a state grant intended to encourage suburban students to attend city schools. Critics say the $1.2 state grant was a wasted attempt to address racial segregation in Rochester because only ten preschoolers from Irondequoit attended Pre-K at a Rochester City School District school. The state, however, says it learned valuable lessons from the process. We talk with our guests about the grant, its goals

Following the mass shooting in Pittsburgh, we sit down with Norm Ornstein , a longtime political commentator and author. He’s won awards for diagnosing America’s political dysfunction, and he’s made a mark in government with his work on McCain-Feingold, election reform, and more. Ornstein is a guest of the Jewish Book Festival at the JCC. In studio: Norm Ornstein, political commentator and author Andrea Miller, director of the Rochester Jewish Book Festival

We sit down with candidates for Monroe County Family Court. Voters often say that they feel lost when it comes to judicial candidates, and either don’t vote, or use irrelevant criteria for making their decision, including familiarity with last names. This is a chance to get to know the candidates and why they want to do this job. In studio: Nicole Bayly Alecia Mazzo Fatimat Reid Zuleika Shepard

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: Education challenges faced by boys and men of color; The emotional impact of foster care and adoption on children; The future of malls.

We sit down with Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo. It’s our chance to talk with her about a number of initiatives in the county, including jobs and economic growth, the opioid crisis, and more.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro joins us in studio to discuss his candidacy and his priorities for New York State. Molinaro is the Dutchess County Executive and former mayor of Tivoli, New York. This hour, he answers our questions and yours.

Will the plan to move RBTL’s proposed performing arts center to Main Street help revitalize Rochester’s downtown? It’s a question local urbanists are exploring. The new plan for the $250 million project would include a Broadway theater, a smaller theater, a hotel, and restaurant, retail, and residential development at the site currently occupied by the Riverside Hotel, which would be razed. The new project would be tied to the city’s ROC the Riverway initiative. This hour, we sit down with

What’s next for Parcel 5? It’s a question we’ve been asking for years on this program, and now with discussions to move the proposed performing arts center to a new location, we may be back at square one. This hour, we talk about the future of Parcel 5 with people who have been outspoken about their visions and hopes for the space. We discuss what they’ve learned from conversations with the city and the public about developing the site, and if their plans and goals have changed as a result. In