Journalist Rosemary Armao checked back in with Albany native and long-time foreign service officer Michelle Dworkin about that rare Ebola virus rolling through central Africa. Dworkin lost her job with the US Agency for International Development last year when the Trump administration shut it down. Armao, in her Beyond the Brink podcast this week, explores just how much the Trump administration is to blame for the latest global health crisis. Did layoffs at USAID and the CDC and a pull-out from the World Health Organization contribute to the disease getting out of control? Are Americans better protected from disease when the country has turned global cooperation on health matters into purely transactional bilateral agreements? You give us your minerals and gems; we'll give you medicine.

WOOC promo Rev Billy ad by Hudson Mohawk Magazine

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine,

First, Sal Rochelle reports from a rally for the release of an Albany father and daughter from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Then, Mark Dunlea reports on the continued push to urge NYS lawmakers to pass the NY for All Act, much of which was not included in the immigrant protections package.

Later on, we speak with William Talen, the persona behind Reverend Billy, who will be at The Sanctuary for Independent Media with his Stop Shopping Choir this Saturday June 6th.

After that, this week on Albany Comedy Corner Craig Neslor talks with Tyler Artis about his upcoming show.

Finally, Thom Francis welcomes poet, author, and artist Elizabeth Gordon who shared her work at the Year in Review event at The Linda

Hosts: Sina Basila Hickey and Caelan McPherson

Engineer: Caelan McPherson

Thom Francis welcomes poet, author, and artist Elizabeth Gordon who shared her work at the Year in Review event at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Center in Albany on December 17, 2022.

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Since 2021, the Hudson Valley Writers Guild has hosted the Year in Review poetry event to highlight the poets and writers in the area while looking back at the year that was.

In 2022, I was joined on stage by five other local writers for the second annual Year in Review at the Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio.

Today we are going to hear from one of those writers - poet, author, educator, and artist Elizabeth Gordon.

Elizabeth K. Gordon is a college literature instructor based in Cohoes, New York, and the author of two books: Love Cohoes and Walk with Us. A pioneer in the local poetry scene, she was a member of the Capital District’s first slam team, the Nitty Gritty Slam, representing them at the National Poetry Slam and the Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS). Later, she competed at WOWPS on behalf of New York City’s Urbana Slam. Beyond performing, Elizabeth has served as a writing coach and mentor, most recently guiding Troy’s Café Euphoria slam team. In addition to her literary work, she is also a painter specializing in abstract art.

Local poet Dan Wilcox wrote on his blog about the reading:

“Elizabeth Gordon, otherwise known on the Slam circuit as Elizag, not surprisingly brought the performance level up a few more notches with her pieces of radical social engagement, such as her opening piece beginning “It was the Summer tuna cost less than cat food…” & a meditation on shopping with her younger self. She too had a poem about her cellphone, & another an “Ode to My Painting Pants,” followed by the linking alliteration of a poem on Putin. She ended with a poem from memory in her best Slam performance style, “A Hiding Place,” on the shooting at a gay bar in Orlando.”

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine,

First, Mark Dunlea reports on Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace’s plans for a forum on June 4th to discuss data centers in the community.

Then, Andrea Cunliffe shares voices from the No Kings voting rights Memorial Day rally.

Later on, we have retired National Weather Service Meteorologist, Hugh Johnson to give us our weekly weather update.

After that, Wei Qin shares her immigration story to the Capital District in this week’s Everybody Moves segment.

Finally, Sarah Abraham speaks with Ana Joanes, director of the documentary "Wrestling Ghosts," about how trauma relates to mental health.

On May 29th and 30th, more than a dozen rallies were held across New York State to urge lawmakers to adopt the full New York For All Act to prohibit collusion between local police and ICE. While immigrant groups were thankful for the package of immigrant protections included in the recent state budget, they fell short of the proposals advocates have been pushing. In part one of our coverage of a rally at the State Capitol, organized by the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement and local Indivisible groups, we start with Iridian Riccobono Lucas of CCSM .We also hear from Karmran Jahanshahi of Indivisible ADK/Saratoga, Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz and Mary Panzetta of We Get Out the Resistance. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On Thursday, June 4th, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace is sponsoring a forum on the issue of data centers coming to the Capital District and their impact on electricity and water use. A main focus in the proposal to redevelop the old Kenwood Center in the South End of Albany. Professional engineer Oliver Holmes talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine. The event will be at 7 PM at the Bethlehem Public Library, 451 Delaware Avenue, Delmar

Joshua Gruft (DJ Mercy) is a pillar of the Troy community. As the owner of the indie bookstore, Paper Moon, and a musician with 20+ years of experience curating local events, Joshua joined Arbor Mae in the Hudson Mohawk Magazine studio to talk about what it's like to balance both worlds under one roof.

A father and his four-year-old child, Alexander and Alexandra, were abducted off of North Lake Ave in Albany and taken to the ICE headquarters at 11 Old Stonebreak Road, Malta NY. ICE agents had been staking out the neighborhood for some days. Hearing that this family was facing immediate removal to Texas and then to Venezuela, Capital Region Sanctuary Coalition organizers moved quickly and rallied allies outside the headquarters. The next day over fifty neighbors gathered on the corner of Lake Ave and Central Ave in Albany, to denounce ICE and deportations and to amplify rapid response mobilizations against raids and abductions like this. Sal Rochelle spoke with Jahaira and Amanda from CRSC about their work.

This weekly series profiles the migration stories of members of our community, whether the migration be their own stories of that of their parents or grandparents, and reminds us that migration touches us all, as it is a part of the human experience.

This episode is a part of Season 2 of the Everybody Moves series. Season 2 features stories collected and produced by a team of students at the University at Albany.

This week we feature Amit from India.