Hudson Mohawk Magazine

Eviction moratoriums may be coming to an end this summer, but the federal government has set aside funds to help pay at least a year's worth of back rent and utilities. Albany County legislator Sam Fein discusses this and his proposal to fund free legal aid for renters.

The Our Soil Project is working towards making testing for pollutants in soil more widespread and accessible in order to help prevent health issues that arise from exposure to hazardous materials through contaminated soil. In part two of a two part podcast, Dr. Dan Walls, post-doctoral researcher, discusses with McKenna Conners his suggestions for people seeking to test their own soil and methods for avoiding pollutants in soil. In the previous segment Dr. Walls discussed the methods used to test for pollutants and harm that could potentially be caused by said pollutants.

On Saturday, June 26, 2021, Hudson Mohawk Magazine Roaming Labor Correspondent Willie Terry attended the Albany Filipinos American Day Parade in Washington Park. In this roaming segment, you will hear his interview with Fareed Michelen and Sol Kapunan's about their views on why they celebrate Filipinos with a parade today.

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine,

We begin with our weekly Norlite update by Joe Richie

Then, Stanley Hadsell from Market Block Books in Troy, NY is headed into retirement, but he spoke with us one last time to share some new book recommendations,

Later on, we go interstellar with an interview with Glenn Ciolek

After that, we hear from McKenna Conners about what it’s like to be an intern at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, the skills she’s learned, and her topics of interest

Finally, Moses Nagel speaks with Anastasia, an Albany resident, on romance and self-acceptance during and after COVID-19 lockdown

Stanley Hadsell from Market Block Books in Troy has been providing new book recommendations on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine for years. In this Summer Reading Recommendations segment, Stanley shares with HMM correspondent Corinne Carey his 6 best picks for summer reading, from books written for young people to those grappling with the most serious issues of our time. This is Stanley's last segment with the Hudson Mohawk Magazine as he's retiring from his work with Market Block Books at the end of June 2021. We wish Stanley all the best in his retirement! You can see the books that Stanley recommends here by visiting Market Block Books on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmarketblockbooks%2Fposts%2F10159190591039590&show_text=true&width=500

In the last year, COVID-19 took a toll on everyone in different ways. Being young and queer during the pandemic posed it's own special challenges for dating and romantic life. Moses Nagel spoke to Anastasia, an Albany resident who described her work to find romance and self-acceptance in and out of isolation.

Joe Ritchie speaks with Lights Out Norlite protester Alexis Derby of Cohoes. She talks about her experience protesting Norlite, and what DEC Commissioner Seggos should do with the Norlite facility in her home town.

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine,

We begin with Moses Nagel’s segment about the Supreme Court ruling to relax student athlete compensation.

Then, for our Plastic PSA, we learn about the Basel Agreement would bar plastic waste exports to many countries from Alexis Goldsmith.

Later on, we speak with Lauren DeRosier to learn the history and current situation of LGBTQ+ and HIV individuals seeking asylum in th USA

After that, we hear the final piece of the interview with Adam Pelletier, the new president of the Troy Area Labor Council

Finally, we have an interview with Zoe Harrison is an Intern at Mission Accomplished Transition Services

In many places around the world, people in same sex relationships and people who identify as LGBTQ+ or live with HIV find their identities are criminalized. Fearing for their safety, many seek safety in the USA and apply for visas. For more on this, HMM’s Sina Basila Hickey spoke with Lauren DesRosier of the Immigration Law Clinic at The Justice Center at Albany Law School

For decades, the global North has pushed their plastic waste out-of-sight by exporting low-value plastic waste to the global south and China. In 2017, China stopped accepting plastic waste from other countries, and now an international agreement called the Basel Agreement would restrict plastic exports to countries that aren't equipped to deal with plastic waste. Yet, the US has not ratified this agreement and continues to export more than 20 million tons of plastic waste every month, mostly to Malaysia.

In this week's Plastic Public Service Announcement, we look at how the global waste trade affects our international neighbors and oceans with John Hocevar of Greenpeace. To learn more, go to greenpeace.com/usa

Photo: "Plastic waste piled outside an illegal recycling factory in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia." Business Insider.

Alexis Goldsmith is the National Organizing Director for Beyond Plastics. To learn more, visit BeyondPlastics.org