The Debrief Podcast

There are a number of events taking place in early-2021 at the Montezuma Audubon Center in Wayne County, but for the last couple weeks of 2020. But first, Chris Lajewski, director of the Montezuma Audubon Center was in-studio ahead of the holiday weekend to talk about the ways the center is planning for 2021. They are hopeful that people who care deeply about wildlife in the Finger Lakes and Upstate New York will consider giving back to the center. Lajewski also gave updates on sandhill cranes at the wetlands, and bald eagles.

What are counties in the Finger Lakes and Central New York most looking for over the next several weeks and months, as New York State and Congress mulls over additional pandemic relief? This week a new $1 trillion relief package was signed, but there isn't any new funding for municipalities, which Governor Andrew Cuomo says face steep cuts if Congress doesn't act. Cayuga County Legislature Chairperson Aileen McNabb-Coleman says that while she feels the county effort has been focused. As we wrap-up 2020, we caught up with McNabb-Coleman to talk about what she hopes to see in 2021.

Today on the show a look at how one county in the Finger Lakes took a unified approach to dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic. Obviously, the public health crisis effected everything from small businesses, to schools, and local government. The One Seneca initiative was built for this moment bringing together all of the players involved in decision-making in Seneca County. This episode is an exclusive to FingerLakes1.com as Chamber President Jeff Shipley, Public Health Director Vickie Swinehart, Chamber Chair and local business owner Bruce Murray, and South Seneca Superintendent Steve Zielinski talk about overall response, and what the next several months will look like as winter drives forward in Seneca County. 

It's all about the salt.

Salt is a major business in Upstate New York and the Finger Lakes region. The news that New York would study the effects of road salt on the environment came within days of a mine collapse at a Cargill facility. Now, there are new calls for Cargill to cease mining under Cayuga Lake. Cargill employs 200 people in Lansing, and for its own stake is one of the two largest, privately held companies in the U.S.

READ: Cargill mine collapse in Louisiana sparks new concerns about unsafe Cayuga Lake mines

Today a conversation with Peter Mantius, of The Water Front Online, which focuses on environmental reporting in Upstate New York.

It's all about the salt.

Last week Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that calls for a “salt reduction task force” to analyze the state’s aggressive practices of salting roads. The study comes in response to new data that links road salting to troubling rises in sodium and chloride in Adirondack Park water wells. Believe it or not, though, road salt is oddly political. The task force will measure salt contamination in drinking water and estimate the cost of property damage due to salt-induced corrosion. Anecdotal evidence of road salt contamination have surfaced around New York State. Earlier this year, a Court of Claims in Rochester heard arguments from a couple in Phelps that alleged that road salt from the New York State Thruway, which abuts their farm, had contributed to the deaths of 88 cows over four years. “They salt the Thruway — I mean heavy,” said John Frederick, who said he was forced to switch to piped-in water.  “Sometimes when you look out there in a windstorm it looks like a white cloud of dust.”

READ: What impact does salting roads have on the environment?

That said, salt is a major business in Upstate New York and the Finger Lakes region. The news that New York would study the effects of road salt on the environment came within days of a mine collapse at a Cargill facility. Now, there are new calls for Cargill to cease mining under Cayuga Lake. Cargill employs 200 people in Lansing, and for its own stake is one of the two largest, privately held companies in the U.S.

READ: Cargill mine collapse in Louisiana sparks new concerns about unsafe Cayuga Lake mines

Today a conversation with Peter Mantius, of The Water Front Online, which focuses on environmental reporting in Upstate New York.

This week we’re catching up with Steve Keeler, Division Chair of the School of Media & Arts at Cayuga Community College about the state- and future of journalism. There were a number of topics we wanted to explore with him. So rather than impose a 40-minute episode on anyone -- we opted to break it up. This three-part episode explores the changing landscape of journalism -- including a new platform that allows independent journalists to develop an audience and incorporates important monetization pieces. It’s called Patch Labs and has been a growing part of the dialogue around local news. After we dive into the world of paywalls, and some of the work being done to fix the business side of news. Do smart paywalls work? Or is it time for publishers of all shapes and sizes to begin looking at ways to monetize outside of traditional advertising? Then, we tackle trust, or the lack of it in local news. We talk about a couple specific pieces -- including this one about the death of local news, and it’s role in making political divisions worse. We also talk about the role of platforms like Facebook and the damage they do to local news, as states and the FTC join forces to take on the social media giant.

This week we’re catching up with Steve Keeler, Division Chair of the School of Media & Arts at Cayuga Community College about the state- and future of journalism. There were a number of topics we wanted to explore with him. So rather than impose a 40-minute episode on anyone -- we opted to break it up. This three-part episode explores the changing landscape of journalism -- including a new platform that allows independent journalists to develop an audience and incorporates important monetization pieces. It’s called Patch Labs and has been a growing part of the dialogue around local news. After we dive into the world of paywalls, and some of the work being done to fix the business side of news. Do smart paywalls work? Or is it time for publishers of all shapes and sizes to begin looking at ways to monetize outside of traditional advertising? Then, we tackle trust, or the lack of it in local news. We talk about a couple specific pieces -- including this one about the death of local news, and it’s role in making political divisions worse. We also talk about the role of platforms like Facebook and the damage they do to local news, as states and the FTC join forces to take on the social media giant.

This week we’re catching up with Steve Keeler, Division Chair of the School of Media & Arts at Cayuga Community College about the state- and future of journalism. There were a number of topics we wanted to explore with him. So rather than impose a 40-minute episode on anyone -- we opted to break it up. This three-part episode explores the changing landscape of journalism -- including a new platform that allows independent journalists to develop an audience and incorporates important monetization pieces. It’s called Patch Labs and has been a growing part of the dialogue around local news. After we dive into the world of paywalls, and some of the work being done to fix the business side of news. Do smart paywalls work? Or is it time for publishers of all shapes and sizes to begin looking at ways to monetize outside of traditional advertising? Then, we tackle trust, or the lack of it in local news. We talk about a couple specific pieces -- including this one about the death of local news, and it’s role in making political divisions worse. We also talk about the role of platforms like Facebook and the damage they do to local news, as states and the FTC join forces to take on the social media giant.

Seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder or the "winter blues," is a subtype of depression or bipolar disorder that occurs and ends around the same time every year. The days are short, the skies are often gray, and winter can be tough for some in the Northeast. Dr. Dawn Gonsalves of MVP Health Care says that winter can be tough for a lot of people - even during a 'normal year'. But, 2020 has been anything but normal. We tap into her expertise to learn about SAD, or those winter blues, and so much more.

Are we about to see everything change again in New York?

Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce new restrictions on businesses like restaurants and bars. Could the region be turned into one large orange or red zone? Both of those questions loom as businesses and people sit on the brink.

Today on a special edition of The Weekend Debrief – Josh Durso and Ted Baker discuss what’s coming, what’s happened in the headlines, and what it all means.

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