March 10, 2025 - Adirondack Explorer reporter Gwen Craig highlights the stalled campaign to develop an official gateway to the Adirondacks, which has been slowed in part by state land title practices.Af WCNY

March 10, 2025 - State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a Brooklyn Democrat, wants to codify an effort to reduce vehicle miles traveled in New York and is pushing legislation ensuring future capital funds for roads aren't tailored solely to passenger vehicles.Af WCNY

March 10, 2025 - Members of the Graduate Student Employees Union have descended on the Capitol to make the case for a new contract with the State University of New York, arguing for better compensation, more flexibility, and other benefits.Af WCNY

March 7, 2025 - State Commission on Judicial Conduct Administrator Robert Tembeckjian looks back at the commission's work in 2024 and discusses their ability to weigh in on certain complaints, like compliance with New York's pre-trial detention laws.Af WCNY

March 7, 2025 - State Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee Chair, Joe Addabbo, a Queens Democrat, discusses the evolving world of gambling in New York, including expanding and restricting sports gambling bets, regulating betting markets on non-sports, and increasing aid for gambling addiction services.…

March 7, 2025 - What would Micron get? That's the question that Ken Girardin, research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy, thinks smalls businesses should ask when they're looking for incentives to grow, in light of the local and state sweeteners deployed to attract the high-tech manufacturing company to central New York.…

March 6, 2025 - In an excerpt from this week's Dispatches from Planet Albany episode, Chris Gelardi, a reporter for New York Focus, discusses the ongoing correction officer strikes in New York.Af WCNY

March 6, 2025 - Ever wonder why New York's health care system is so expensive? Well we've got answers for you, courtesy of Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives for the Community Service Society of New York, which recently studied the issue.Af WCNY

March 6, 2025 - Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Sorin discusses the local Bronx economy and weighs in on the governor's budget proposal, including what could help and what is missing.Af WCNY

March 6, 2025 - Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, a Brooklyn Democrat, discusses the implementation of restrictions on the availability of gas appliances in most new homes starting in 2026.Af WCNY

March 5, 2025 - Legislation advanced by Democratic state lawmakers would put new guardrails on the collection and use of New Yorkers' electronic health data. We explore this digital privacy issue with Allie Bohm, senior policy counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union.Af WCNY

March 5, 2025 - Assembly Banks Committee Chair Clyde Vanel, a Queens Democrat, discusses balancing competing interests in the financial sector, legislation allowing public banking, and the state regulatory approach to cryptocurrency.Af WCNY

March 5, 2025 - Environmental Advocates NY Director of Clean Water Rob Hayes highlights language in the governor's budget proposal to make capital funding available for private drinking water testing and remediation.Af WCNY

March 5, 2025 - We discuss an effort to expand mental health outpatient services in New York with Alice Bufkin, associate executive director for policy and advocacy at the Citizens' Committee for Children of New York, and Brad Hansen, public policy director at Families Together in New York State.Af WCNY

March 4, 2025 - In light of federal actions negatively impacting the day-to-day lives of transgender New Yorkers, we explore how the potential substantive and rhetorical response from state policymakers with Kei Williams, interim director of the New Pride Agenda.Af WCNY

March 4, 2025 - Gov. Kathy Hochul talks about the importance of child care, but her executive budget proposal doesn't address the industry's workforce, according to members of the state Child Care Availability Task Force. We discuss investments into child care providers with Schuyler Center for Analysis & Advocacy Policy Director Dede Hill, and EdT…

March 4, 2025 - We highlight efforts to expand access to financial services for marijuana businesses and ensuring New York-grown marijuana products are sold in the Empire State with James Rogers, director of the trade practices bureau at the State Office of Cannabis Management.Af WCNY

Feb. 28, 2025 - We talk with Alex Thompson and Blaise Bryant of the New York Association on Independent Living about the subminimum wage allowed for people with disabilities, funding in the budget to keep New Yorkers independent, and the controversial transition of a home care program.Af WCNY

FEB. 28, 2025 - Gov. Kathy Hochul's effort to increase involuntary commitments has generated a lot of rhetoric, but what will her proposal actually do? We try to predict the ramifications with Keith Brennan, a former state mental health official and now with the law firm Barclay Damon.Af WCNY

FEB. 28, 2025 - American Farmland Trust New York Policy Director Julian Magnano calls on the state to increase its investment in farmland protection efforts in order to preserve land for agriculture and create more opportunities for farmers.Af WCNY

Feb. 27, 2025 - We take the temperature of the manufacturing industry in New York with Randy Wolken, president and CEO of MACNY: The Manufacturers Association. We consider tax parity for small manufacturers, creating more pathways to a manufacturing job, and the impact of new tariffs.Af WCNY

Feb. 27, 2025 - State Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee Chair Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat, discusses New York's prison system, including the thousands of guards on strike, the threats of violence in facilities, and whether the system is still in need of progressive reforms.…

Feb. 27, 2025 - Empower Schools senior advisor Dia Bryant makes the case for investing state resources into early college high school programs that give students a free opportunity to earn college credits and accelerate their academic career.Af WCNY

Feb. 26, 2025 - Tax rebates, credits and cuts may have gotten the attention from the governor's budget proposal, but there are other tax policies in the spending plan, which we unpack with Liz Pascal, a partner with the law firm of Hodgson Russ.Af WCNY

Feb. 26, 2025 - Medicaid reimbursement rates are critical to funding nursing home services and operators of these long-term care facilities say the state's rates don't keep up with the cost of care. We discuss this issue and other staffing issues at nursing homes with Dr. Kimberly Townsend, president and CEO of Loretto, a health care provider in ce…

Feb. 26, 2025 - Chef Christopher Galarza, co-founder of EcoChef, discusses how to make kitchens more sustainable, including transitioning to induction stovetops.Af WCNY

Feb. 28, 2025 - New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham talks about standardizing care at halfway houses, funding for drug recovery and treatment in the governor's budget, and the impact of the prison strike on substance abuse treatment in correctional facilities.…

Feb. 26, 2025 - Municipalities across New York rely on aid from the state government to balance their budgets, but local government leaders argue they need more help from Albany. Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion makes the case for boosting aid and updating how its distributed.Af WCNY

Feb. 25, 2025 - State education officials are threatening to use their authority to strip public funds from yeshivas that aren't meeting the basic, secular education needs of their students. We discuss this development with Adina Mermelstein Konikoff, executive director of Young Advocates For Fair Education, which is looking to bring transparency a…

Feb. 25, 2025 - Project Guardianship President & CEO Kimberly George discusses the difficulties in finding legal guardians for New Yorkers who lack the competency to make life decisions for themselves.Af WCNY

Feb. 25, 2025 - Affordability is in the eye of the beholder, but efforts to quantify what it takes to make it in New York are woefully inadequate, according to Jennifer Jones Austin, co-chair of the National True Cost of Living Coalition, which wants to create an updated, localized formula for calculating poverty.…

Feb. 25, 2025 - Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, a Queens Democrat, discusses the Trump administration's legal challenge to New York's 2019 law allowing undocumented New Yorkers to apply for a driver's license and put limits on how records would be shared with federal officials.Af WCNY

Feb. 14, 2025 - The Hochul administration is hoping to improve the experience New Yorkers have when interacting with the state government, so we get an update on these efforts from Tonya Webster, the chief customer experience officer for New York. We talk about digitizing working papers, improving state websites, and much more.…

Feb. 14, 2025 - Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado visited the studio for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on his push for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign, his relationship with Gov. Kathy Hochul, his plans for 2026, and issues being discussed at the Capitol.Af WCNY

Feb. 14, 2025 - State Sen. Jake Ashby, a Capital Region Republican, wants to require websites with pornography to verify that visitors to their site are least 18, which is the law in more than a dozen states.Af WCNY

Feb. 13, 2025 - An exam required to be a licensed master social worker is disproportionately keeping ethnic minorities from entering this critical field, according to proponents of repealing the exam requirement. We examine the positives and negatives of the status quo with Luis Lopez, executive director of the Latino Social Work Coalition & Schola…

Feb. 13, 2025 - New York Apartment Association CEO Kenny Burgos makes the case for more aggressive efforts to build up the state's housing supply and revisiting the laws governing rent regulation.Af WCNY

Feb. 13, 2025 - New York's groundbreaking law intended to make large polluters pay billions for climate resiliency projects is tied up in the courts, but we still wanted to consider what implementation could look like for the state. We considered the merits of the lawsuit and the next steps for environmental regulators with Lee Wasserman, director …

Feb. 13, 2025 - Car repair shops say it is time for state policymakers to raise what they can charge for vehicle inspections in order to cover their labor expenses. We discuss increasing this annual cost and addressing the workforce shortage at car repair shops with Wayne Bombardiere, executive director of the New York State Association of Service …

Feb. 12, 2025 - The transit system serving the New York City area may get all of the attention, but transit operators around the state need some more love too, according to James Morrell, director of public transportation for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and president of the New York Public Transit Association.…

Feb. 12, 2025 - In the best of times, nonprofit organizations contracting with the state are facing an uphill battle, with long waits to execute contracts and rates that don't cover the full cost of programs. But 2025 is far from the best of times explains Megan Allen, CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits, who outlines all the challenges facin…

Feb. 11, 2025 - New York is dramatically expanding who can use its free, direct file tax software this year, so we wanted to explore who is eligible and what the service is like. Our guest is Sara Carlson, director of community engagement for the State Department of Taxation and Finance.Af WCNY

Feb. 11, 2025 - Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Bill Magnarelli, a Syracuse-area Democrat, weighs in on the governor's budget, including what it means for road upkeep and upstate transit systems.Af WCNY

Feb. 11, 2025 - New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault Executive Director Emily Miles talks about the services that should be available to survivors of sexual assault, including specially trained medical personnel at hospitals.Af WCNY

Feb. 11, 2025 - New York's nascent system of using tax dollars to amplify local political contributions to state legislative candidates had a major impact on fundraising practices during the 2024 cycle, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center. We discuss their findings and the program's future with Marina Pino, a counsel with the center's el…

Feb. 10, 2025 - There has been a month of congestion pricing in Manhattan, so how is it going? We try to wrap our arms around this issue with Danny Pearlstein, director of policy and communications for Riders Alliance, which championed the toll that went into place in January.Af WCNY

Feb. 10, 2025 - Non-profit organizations looking to become land stewards in the Empire State have been slowed by the state policies governing title ownership We discuss a potential reform to this backlog with Erik Kulleseid, head of the Open Space Institute.Af WCNY

Feb. 10, 2025 - We examine potential changes to the workers' compensation system designed to make it easier to access a medical provider and consider the impact of changes to short-term disability insurance benefits. We talk with Workers' Compensation Board Chair Clarissa Rodriguez, Executive Director Steven Scotti and Medical Director Dr. James Ta…

Feb. 10, 2025 - The governor's budget proposal doesn't do enough to ensure New Yorkers with disabilities will have access to the staff they need, according to Mike Alvaro, head of the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State and president of New York Disability Advocates. We discuss a cost of living increase for staff and whether there should …

Feb. 7, 2025 - Human Services Council Executive Director Michelle Jackson explains why the state government's proposed 2.1 percent cost of living adjustment for non-profits that contract with the state won't cover their growing expenses.Af WCNY