We all remember the place where we grew up, but as writer Thomas Wolfe taught us, you can't go home again. Albany journalist Rosemary Armao remembers an old West Albany village of Italian immigrants that no longer exists, so her podcast interview this week with friend Greg Hamilton is evocative of feelings we all have. Hamilton grew up in tiny Webbs Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. An isolated fishing and farming region 60 years ago, it is now utterly changed by some of the same forces at work changing all of America: environmental change, economic decline, racial turmoil and changes in taste and style. She and Greg went on a tour of the Eastern Shore together, and here's a piece of their discussion.

The US Supreme Court Case Olmstead v. L.C. ensured a lot more support for people with disabilities independently from institutionalization. A memo issued by the U.S. Department of Justice could take away support for independent living. Elizabeth McCormick, Director of Advocacy at New York Association on Independent Living, spoke with Sina Basila Hickey about this DoJ memo, why Olmstead v. L.C. is important, and the NYS response.

image description: a photograph of the U.S. Supreme Court

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine,

First, Mark Dunlea talks with Clearwater about their ship being removed from the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail by the Coastguard.

Then, Sina Basila Hickey discusses the Department of Justice memo which could lead to a reversal of independent living support for people with disabilities.

Later on, Erin Blanding talks with Dr. Kamil Gedeon, a chemical engineer, for People’s Science.

After that, for this week’s Albany Comedy Corner, Tyler Artis interview Seamus Fleischer.

Finally, for Next Up to the Mic, Thom Francis features poets Frank Robinson and Therese Broderick with recordings from the 2024 Word Fest Open Mic at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts.

Retired National Weather Service Meteorologist Hugh Johnson spoke about last week's heatwave, micro bursts, and if there is more heat ahead. He spoke with Lennox Apudo and Sean Bernyk.

This week, Thom Francis welcomes poets Frank Robinson and Therese Broderick who both took the stage at the 2024 Word Fest Open Mic at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts.

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Frank Robinson & Therese Broderick have been a part of the local literary community for decades. They have led workshops, featured at regional events, and written many books over the years.

Frank S. Robinson is a 1970 graduate of NYU Law School, and served at the New York Public Service Commission as staff counsel and then administrative law judge until retiring in 1997. He is the author of eight books including Albany’s O’Connell Machine (1973), Children of the Dragon (a novel), and The Case for Rational Optimism (2009). Robinson is a professional coin dealer and is married to the poet Therese Broderick. Together they have a daughter, Elizabeth.

Frank's wife, Therese L. Broderick, MFA, has lived the sweet life of a poet for more than two decades. Her poems have been published widely in several formats and have won awards both locally and beyond. She lives in Albany, New York with her optimistic husband, two fat cats, and a disheveled garden.

Frank began a segment of married couples reading with their spouses (is the plural of “spouse” “spice”?) & was playful, including rhyming on the word “metaphor.”

Therese included a poem to her daughter inspired by a long-saved tuft of her hair.

After nearly 11 years with Compassion & Choices, helping to enact Medical Aid in Dying Act in both New Jersey and New York, Corinne Carey is entering the next phase of her career. She will help lead a campaign to establish a legal pathway for access to psilocybin for healing in New York, while continuing to take on mission-driven public policy and public affairs projects through Carey Strategic Consulting. Corinne talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Will Kempe's Players are presenting summer productions of "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Measure for Measure" at various locations. Hudson Mohawk Magazine correspondent Garrett McCarey speaks with Jack D. Ellis, director of "Much Ado About Nothing," about the summer season. Learn more at https://www.willkempesplayers.com/currently-performing

Clearwater was invited by Sail4th 250 to participate in the celebration of our country’s 250th anniversary in both the Class B Tall Ships Parade on July 3 and the Parade of Sail on July 4. On July 4, before beginning the parade, they raised their sails with banners carrying messages of clean water, climate solutions, Indigenous rights, and racial justice. Over an hour after the July 4 parade began, Clearwater was directed by the U.S. Coast Guard to leave the parade route and was escorted out of the security zone. They were never offered the opportunity to remove the banners and continue participating in the parade. Executive Director David Tomen talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine:

First,Mark Dunlea speaks with the Campaign for a Nuclear Free North Country about their fight against Hochul’s nuclear energy expansion efforts.

Then, we head into the kitchen to make a green sauce in the heat.

Later on, Hugh Johnson joins us to discuss this week’s weather.

After that, we have Everybody Moves, our weekly series that profiles the migration stories of people in our community.

Finally, we have some beach read recommendations.

Co-Hosts: Lenox Apudo and Sean Bernyk

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine we feature a special episode featuring a community reading of Frederick Douglass's speech commonly known as “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

This community reading took place at The Sanctuary for Independent Media on February 28, 2026 in partnership with Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC), with moderation from historian Lacey Wilson, Teen Museum Studies Program Manager of UREC. She was joined in a panel discussion by UREC Co-Founder Paul Stewart and Charles Clark III, the curator of The Black Experience in the Adirondacks exhibition at the Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.

Thanks to all who participated in this reading!