Ian Pickus

WAMC's Ian Pickus reports on the NBA draft and the rest of the world of sports.

As expected, Kentucky sent six players through the NBA draft in Newark last night, including forward Anthony Davis, who was taken first by New Orleans. Last year’s player of the year and Final Four Most Outstanding Player was followed at number two by fellow Wildcat Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Washington took Florida guard Bradley Beal at three, and Syracuse guard Dion Waiters went to Cleveland with the four spot. Kansas’ Thomas Robinson headed to Sacramento with the fifth pick.

WAMC's Ian Pickus speaks with Chaz Bono about his highly public and sometimes controversial transition from the only daughter of Sonny and Cher to the man he is today. Bono's memoir Transition: Becoming Who I Was Always Meant to Be, is now out in paperback.

WAMC's Ian Pickus speaks with Daily Gazette editor Judy Patrick about another New York Racing Association scandal and where the Hudson River herring have gone.

WAMC's Ian Pickus speaks with former Sports Illustrated executive editor and author Rob Fleder , editor of Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World’s Most Loved (and Hated) Team.

WAMC's Ian Pickus talks about Occupy Albany and its costs with Mike Spain, associate editor of the Albany Times-Union.

WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel welcome an actual professional to play this week: former Weekend Edition host Liane Hansen, who knows a little something about radio quizzes.

Last week's challenge
Start with the name JAMIE LEE CURTIS. Change one letter to a P, then rearrange the result to spell three beverages. What are they?
Answer: If you change the M to a P, you can spell ALE, JUICE, and SPRITE.

WAMC's Ian Pickus reports on the world of sports, including LeBron James' first championship.

BEFORE HE’D EVER PLAYED A MINUTE IN A MIAMI UNIFORM, LEBRON JAMES WAS COUNTING ALL THE CHAMPIONSHIPS HE’D WIN WITH THE HEAT…6…7…8. LAST NIGHT, HE FINALLY WON THAT ELUSIVE FIRST TITLE. THE HEAT BEAT OKLAHOMA CITY 121-106 TO WIN THE SERIES IN FIVE GAMES…IT’S MIAMI’S SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP IN SIX YEARS. JAMES WAS NAMED FINALS MVP AFTER LEADING THE WAY WITH 26 POINTS, 11 REBOUNDS AND 13 ASSISTS IN THE CLINCHER.

WAMC's Ian Pickus catches up with alt-rock hero Matthew Sweet, who is performing his landmark 1991 album Girlfriend in its entirety at The Egg in Albany, New York on June 22. His most recent album is 2011's Modern Art.

WAMC's Ian Pickus speaks with novelist and playwright Ed Falco -- a SUNY New Paltz alum who now teaches English at Virginia Tech -- about his new Godfather prequel, The Family Corleone.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders say they have agreed on a sweeping reform of the state's system of caring for the disabled that has been marked for years by abuse and death.  WAMC’s Ian Pickus reports…

For Cuomo, the deal announced Sunday fulfills a major legislative goal.

Recent governors have been dogged for years by outcry from whistle blowers and a chilling New York Times series was published this year about abuse within the massive bureaucracy caring for 1 million people.