Connections Podcast

The Gates Public Library and the Westside Family YMCA have partnered to offer a new preschool program for children in the district. Gates Chili does offer university pre-K, but based on a lottery system. In the three years prior to this school year, the district was unable to accommodate every family that requested preschool. That changed in the 2017-2018 school year, after the district worked to expand its program. Both efforts emphasize the value education and childcare leaders place on early

We talk about the future of transit, and if we'll see a carless future. Some say cars are on the way out - they aren't environmentally friendly or economical. Others say that's a ways away - we're not connected enough as communities to rely on bikes and public transit. We talk to people who have made the switch from cars to bikes, and people who've switched back from bikes to cars about how transit works for them. In studio: Adrian Martin , cyclist Kristin Small , public interest lawyer

Are modern politics really more uncivil than most of our historical politics? Are we in a unique time in our history? We talk to the leader of a national institution that aims to bring civility back to politics. Carolyn Lukensmeyer is the executive director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse . She says this is a dangerous time for discourse, and our children are taking cues from us. We sit down with her to see what she thinks will lead to change.

We sit down with Kenneth Morris , the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington. Until about ten years ago, Morris says he spent his life hiding from the legacy of his ancestors; he says it was too difficult to live in their shadows. But when he saw a National Geographic story about human trafficking, he felt it was impossible to deny his family’s legacy of abolitionism any longer. Morris and his mother founded the Frederick Douglass

How can doctors better communicate with their patients, especially when they need to discuss the prognosis of a serious illness? That's the subject of an upcoming lecture at the Rochester Academy of Medicine. We preview that talk with our guests: Dr. Ronald Epstein , M.D., professor of family medicine, psychiatry, and oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center Dr. Robert Horowitz , M.D., chief and professor of palliative care in the Department of Medicine at the University of

A new film explores the murky truth behind what really happened at Chappaquiddick. Nearly 50 years after Senator Ted Kennedy crashed his car off a bridge, killing Mary Jo Kopechne, Chappaquiddick brings a riveting story to the screen -- and it's a story that still resonates, with themes of privilege, abuse of power, political ambition, and more. The director, John Curran, is a Pittsford native, and he's our guest in studio.

Throughout its history, Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew has been analyzed in different ways. Is the play misogynistic? Satirical? Empowering toward women? This hour, we reexamine the play in the context of the #MeToo movement. It’s a move that many theater companies have made in recent months, and many have readapted the play to make a statement. We talk about a local production , and about how we view works of theater in different cultural moments. In studio: Virginia Monte, creator of

Upstate New York’s newest casino had a weak first year, based on revenue. But the operators of del Lago say that it’s because their competitors have an unfair advantage. They’re asking New York State for help. Critics call it out a bailout request after only one year in business. We discuss what’s going on at del Lago, and in the Upstate New York casino landscape. Kent Gardner , chief economist with the Center for Governmental Research Bill Johnson , former mayor of Rochester, and founder and

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 March for Our Lives, and the potential impacts of activism; The value of representing different cultural experiences in theater; The "Semmelweis Reflex."

There's new research related to Parkinson's disease, and some of it is being done at the University of Rochester Medical Center. URMC is involved in several studies testing drugs in clinical trials, which could eventually slow the progression of the disease. They're trying to measure patients' response to treatment. We explore the new research, while hearing from patients. We also preview an upcoming symposium on Parkinson's disease in Rochester. Our guests: Dr. Michelle Burack , assistant