The Legislative Gazette

On this week’s 51%, hear about the life of a former college president. She changed many things about Manhattanville, a liberal arts college in the suburbs of New York City. (more…)

This week on The Capitol Connection, WAMC’s Dr. Alan Chartock speaks with William Barclay, the Republican Minority Leader of the New York State Assembly. (more…)

Because it is on a trimester schedule rather than a semester schedule, Union College in Schenectady may serve as a predictor for how COVID-19 will impact campuses this winter and spring. Union brought students back from break earlier than most other campuses in the Northeast, and the private college recently emerged from a two-week COVID pause. Union President David Harris says COVID continues to pose a health and logistical challenge. (more…)

Like Springfield and Hartford before it, Schenectady is considering how to combat a rise in dirt bikes and ATVs racing through city streets. Democratic City Councilor Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas pointed to a recent dirt bike-related death in announcing her proposal. She wants the city to ban the noisy vehicles — which are often unregistered — and make it easier for police to impound them. We also discuss snow removal, the mayor’s state of the city address, and the city council’s two vacancies. (more…)

This week on The Book Show, National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann discusses his latest book, Apeirogon. The novel highlights the unlikely real-life friendship between two fathers, united by the loss of their daughters. (more…)

The Tri-City ValleyCats have tapped Pete Incaviglia to manage for the next two seasons, as the franchise enters a new era in the Frontier League. Incaviglia, who hit 30 home runs as a rookie for the Rangers in 1986 and finished with 206 for his career, is also the all-time Division I home run leader (both career and single season). (more…)

The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with WAMC’s CEO Alan Chartock; Times Union Editor-at-Large Rex Smith; Rosemary Armao, Editor and Investigative Journalist and Professor at the University at Albany; and Judy Patrick, Former Editor of the Daily Gazette and Vice President for Editorial Development for the New York Press Association. On this week’s Media Project: Alan, Rex, Rosemary and Judy talk about whether panel discussions on cable networks are productive; CNN’s Larry King and his interviewing legacy, and much more.

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This week on The Gazette, New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for a lifeline for community health centers in the next COVID-19 relief package. Our political observer Dr. Alan Chartock shares his thoughts on New York’s vaccine rollou

This week on The Gazette, New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for a lifeline for community health centers in the next COVID-19 relief package. Our political observer Dr. Alan Chartock shares his thoughts on New York’s vaccine rollout efforts. Also, Several New York State Senators and Assembly members are calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration to provide internet access to people living in state-run group homes and other congregant settings. (more…)

Nearly 3 million children in the US have at least one parent in prison. Family incarceration has devastating effects on kids, from raising their level of poverty to a higher risk of school dropout and emotional stress.  But the data fails to capture the stigma felt by the youth who have a loved one who is in prison, let alone the sense of confusion and loss that so often comes in the wake of family incarceration.

That problem was personal for Amy Friedman, an author and prison rights activist who is also the co-founder of the school-based program called, POPS the Club. POPS stands for “pain of the prison system”. She is also the editor of the arts anthology published by POPS called Dream Catchers. Along with her husband, Dennis Danziger who is a high school teacher, she stated POPS as a single club at Venice High School in Los Angeles. Today, there are 17 POPS Clubs in five states. We spoke with Amy Friedman and asked how and why she started the POPS program. (more…)