We listen to the first eight installments of the special WAMC News series on aging.

Kathy Sheehan is the first female mayor in Albany's long history. She says the challenges of 2020 led her to run for a third term next year despite past suggestions she would only serve two. Sheehan kicked off her re-election bid Monday. She talks about the COVID relief package, her vision for a third term, and why she favors limiting use of the city's seal.

New York state Senator Betty Little, a Republican from the 45th district, is retiring at the end of the year after 25 years in the legislature.

The 10th Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is being installed today. A self-described extrovert with a following for his YouTube videos and a new book, the Most Rev. William Byrne, who is 56, will oversee the four western Massachusetts counties with a Catholic population of about 230,000. WAMC’s Paul Tuthill spoke with […]

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras continues to press for significant federal coronavirus relief. In an interview, Malatras made the case for direct aid to states as talks in Washington dragged on, and discussed COVID-19 testing, the vaccine, and the new SUNY Online Training Center.

The president of the American Medical Association is urging people to avoid holiday parties and indoor gatherings over the next several weeks as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country. Dr. Susan Bailey, an allergist and immunologist based in Fort Worth, Texas, says a COVID-19 vaccine is fast approaching, but Americans should remain vigilant in the meantime.

The College of St. Rose in Albany is discontinuing academic programs amid financial struggles. Its Board of Trustees has approved a plan to reduce expenses by nearly $6 million, including the elimination of 16 bachelor's degrees, six master’s degrees and three certificate programs.

New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand tells WAMC she is “leaning toward” supporting a modified COVID relief bill championed by Senate centrists. Gillibrand talks about COVID, the presidential transition, why she expects to stay in the Senate, and her priorities for 2021.

During this rocky presidential interregnum, many historians have been looking back on the election of 1876, the Compromise of 1877, and the legacy of New York Gov. Samuel Tilden. To learn more, we called up Dr. Robert Chiles of the University of Maryland Department of History. Chiles is also co-editor of New York History.

Following the May death of George Floyd, Albany experienced a slew of protests and riots, New York repealed a law that restricted access to police disciplinary records, and a statewide mandate to reimagine policing was instituted. To learn how these events have impacted policing in New York’s capital city, WAMC’s Jackie Orchard rode along with an Albany Police lieutenant and spoke with a local Black rights activist.