It's Happening Here

Laurie Woolever has been writing about the world of food for nearly thirty years. A graduate of Cornell University and the French Culinary Institute, Woolever started as an assistant to chef Mario Batali, helping him write cookbooks and launching her freelance journalism career in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and others.

She was an editor at Art Culinaire and Wine Spectator magazines and then became the lieutenant to TV travel host and former chef Anthony Bourdain, whose memoir "Kitchen Confidential" introduced the world to the secrets of the restaurant world. She co-authored two books with Bourdain, and after his death, wrote "Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography." She won a James Beard Award in 2025 for "Richard Hart Bread." Her own memoir, "Care and Feeding," was an instant New York Times bestseller. Her writing has also appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue and other publications.

Woolever now lives and works in New York City, but her journey began in the newsrooms of Syracuse. A native of Chittenango, she first learned the fundamentals of journalism as an intern at the Syracuse Herald-Journal, prior to its closure in 2001.

On Wednesday, September 30th she spoke at the Everson Museum auditorium about the lessons she has learned over three decades in the food and media industries and why your information diet matters (almost) as much as your food diet.

Central Current would like to thank Pastabilities, The Salt City Market, Gerharz Equipment, and the Noble Cellar for supporting this programming.

Editor’s Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Photo credit: David Scott Holloway

The demand for housing in Syracuse is on the rise, with a recent report from CenterState CEO projecting that roughly 2,500 new units will need to be built each year over the next decade to keep pace. Yet despite broad public support and bipartisan alignment regarding the need for increased housing production, new construction has not managed to keep up with demand.

Central Current reporter and Report for America corps member Debadrita Sur joins host Maximilian Eyle to share the details of the recent story she published with reporter Eddie Velazquez. Together, they unpack how issues with zoning, financing, and permitting have coalesced to delay or block production, reinforcing conditions that keep housing costs high on both the rental and real estate markets.

Recommended reading: "What are the bottlenecks in housing production leading to Syracuse’s housing crisis?” by Debadrita Sur and Eddie Velazquez

Editor’s note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Photo courtesy of Home HeadQuarters

Technological advances over the last decade have transformed the surveillance camera: Traditionally, a human was required to review recorded video and gather any relevant information. Today, tools like license plate readers and AI-enabled cameras are able to automatically process visual data as part of an expanding and searchable surveillance network.

Over the past two years, Reporter Patrick McCarthy has been tracking how modern surveillance technology is being used by Syracuse Police. In 2025, he revealed that Syracuse driver data captured by the city’s Flock Safety cameras was being inadvertently shared with thousands of departments across the country - a revelation that led to the termination of the city’s contract with Flock Safety and signing a new agreement with Axon.

In this episode, Patrick takes listeners inside the growing public debate over this technology, the ways its being used locally, and what we know so far about its impact on crime and safety.

Related reading:

Federal immigration agents accessed Syracuse drivers’ data through secret Flock Safety deal

https://centralcurrent.org/federal-immigration-agents-accessed-syracuse-drivers-data-through-secret-flock-safety-deal/

Flock Safety removes its license plate readers, finalizing eight-month breakup with City of Syracuse

https://centralcurrent.org/flock-safety-removes-its-license-plate-readers-finalizing-eight-month-breakup-with-city-of-syracuse/

Axon license plate readers go live in Syracuse. State legislator calls it ‘a constant, warrantless surveillance system’

https://centralcurrent.org/axon-license-plate-readers-go-live-in-syracuse-state-legislator-calls-it-a-constant-warrantless-surveillance-system/

Get The Flock Out

https://www.aclu.org/campaigns-initiatives/get-the-flock-out

Flock's Cameras Remain Civil Liberties Threat Despite Updates

https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/despite-new-updates-flocks-creepy-cameras-remain-major-civil-liberties-threat

Editor’s Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Sports books, online casinos, and prediction markets are collaborating with local newspapers across the United States to leverage their search rankings, reach new audiences, and share in the profits. Under the new model, award-winning outlets are publishing news articles featuring promo codes for readers to unlock gambling credits with online betting platforms like Kalshi, DraftKings, and others. When a reader signs up, the newspaper receives a payout. Importantly, these are separate from traditional banner ads or popups and are usually not labeled as “sponsored content”. Instead, the publishers of this gambling content claim that it is part of their news production.

Maryland-based journalist Judd Legum identified and documented the growing scale of this phenomenon in his article, "Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop”. He found that Advance Local has produced over 17,000 of these posts since 2022 across their many newspapers including The Oregonian, The Cleveland Plains Dealer, and The Star-Ledger. The city with the highest number of these posts? Syracuse, NY., with Syracuse.com | The Post Standard having published more than 5,800 of these promotional gambling articles between January 2022 and May 2026, many of which targeting residents of other states.

Legum joins host Maximilian Eyle on this episode of It’s Happening Here to discuss the growing relationship between gambling sites and news organizations across the country. He is the founder and author of the Substack newsletter Popular Information.passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill — will impact families here in Central New York.

Related reading:

"Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop", https://popular.info/p/pulitzer-winning-newsrooms-are-quietly

"The "truth machine" is paying for election lies", https://popular.info/p/polymarket-sponsoring-election-conspiracies

Editor's Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current's editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Sports books, online casinos, and prediction markets are collaborating with local newspapers across the United States to leverage their search rankings, reach new audiences, and share in the profits. Under the new model, award-winning outlets are publishing news articles featuring promo codes for readers to unlock gambling credits with online betting platforms like Kalshi, DraftKings, and others. When a reader signs up, the newspaper receives a payout. Importantly, these are separate from traditional banner ads or popups and are usually not labeled as “sponsored content”. Instead, the publishers of this gambling content claim that it is part of their news production.

Maryland-based journalist Judd Legum identified and documented the growing scale of this phenomenon in his article, "Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop”. He found that Advance Local has produced over 17,000 of these posts since 2022 across their many newspapers including The Oregonian, The Cleveland Plains Dealer, and The Star-Ledger. The city with the highest number of these posts? Syracuse, NY., with Syracuse.com | The Post Standard having published more than 5,800 of these promotional gambling articles between January 2022 and May 2026, many of which targeting residents of other states.

Legum joins host Maximilian Eyle on this episode of It’s Happening Here to discuss the growing relationship between gambling sites and news organizations across the country. He is the founder and author of the Substack newsletter Popular Information.

Further reading: "Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop" https://popular.info/p/pulitzer-winning-newsrooms-are-quietly

"The "truth machine" is paying for election lies" https://popular.info/p/polymarket-sponsoring-election-conspiracies

Editor's Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current's editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Onondaga County Reporter Laura Robertson returns to share the most important developments she has seen unfolding within the County Legislature this year. She explains why the Democrats’ decision to hire outside legal counsel has empowered them to speed up their legislative agenda, and identifies how each party is competing for different visions of legislative transparency.

In her conversation with host Maximilian Eyle, Robertson dives deeper into county policy priorities ahead of the November election. They discuss each party’s plan for investments in housing and transportation, and explore how dealmaking that used to occur behind closed doors is now more frequently spilling out onto the legislature floor.

Cover photo by Laura Robertson

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Editor’s Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

In Nov. 2025, the Onondaga County Legislature flipped from Republican to Democrat control for the first time in half a century. At the same time, a shift to the election calendar meant that the new majority would face reelection again in Nov. 2026 - just 10 months after being sworn in.

As members from each party learn to operate in these new roles, they are also tasked with managing some of the most significant economic development and infrastructure challenges in county history. Central Current's Onondaga County Reporter Laura Robertson speaks to how this new power dynamic is unfolding under the shortened timeline, and the competing visions each side is pitching to county residents.

Editor's Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current's editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

The Syracuse Housing Authority has been in the news recently: From missed deadlines to accusations of conflicts of interest. What does it all mean? Central Current reporter Debadrita Sur breaks it all down on this episode of ‘It’s Happening Here.'

On this edition of "It’s Happening Here" host Chris Libonati is joined by Central Current contributor Eddie Velasquez and reporter Patrick McCarthy to discuss immigration enforcement and how local elected officials are responding to pushback against President Donald Trump‘s deportation agenda.

As the New Year begins, what should Central New Yorkers be on the lookout for? Central Current’s Editor Chris Libonati shares his thoughts about the biggest items to keep an eye on over the coming news cycle. He shares his own journey as a reporter, his favorite stories from 2025, the reasons he loves reporting in CNY, and explains how he chooses what to cover.

Editor’s Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.