News

Tempers flared Wednesday at a public hearing of a commission formed to enact a public campaign financing system for New York. But the tensions centered not on that proposal, but on the commission’s decision to also consider whether to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on multiple ballot lines.

Congressman Joe Kennedy is set to announce a Democratic primary challenge to U.S. Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts in 2020. A person with knowledge of Kennedy's plans told The Associated Press he will formally make the announcement Saturday. 

The Adirondacks have been extremely popular for outdoor enthusiasts in the past few years, and overcrowding on some trails and the roads leading to them is a major concern.  The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has outlined additional plans to deal with traffic flow during what’s expected to be a very busy Columbus Day holiday.

The City Council in Saratoga Springs has approved a new downtown parking garage. The structure has been the subject of discussion in the Spa City for decades.

Following her preliminary election victory Tuesday, Pittsfield, Massachusetts mayoral candidate Melissa Mazzeo announced two endorsements on the steps of city hall Wednesday afternoon.

Meteorologist Garett Argianas delivers the evening weather forecast for Wednesday, September 18, 2019.

    Senior citizens in the largest city in western Massachusetts are putting pressure on City Hall as they call for improved transportation to the new senior center.

On this week’s 51%, we’ll speak with the president of the Omega Institute about an upcoming women and power conference, and listen to an essay entitled “Florida,” though it’s not what you may think.

It's Pets and Vets on this edition of Vox Pop with Dr. Ron Scharf of the Animal Hospital of Niskayuna. WAMC's Ray Graf hosts.

On Tuesday, two Vermont National Guard pilots left for Texas to pick up the first F-35A fighter jets that will be permanently assigned to the Air National Guard facility in South Burlington. The basing of the planes has been controversial since the Air Force announced the decision six years ago.

New York state legislators questioned state officials about the build-out of broadband internet service on Tuesday. The hearing at the state capitol served as an update on the state’s $500 million New NY Broadband Program.

The photographic work of acclaimed dancer and photographer Steven Caras will be on display at Vassar in Poughkeepsie, New York as the college hosts an exhibition of his work and an artist reception and lecture. All three events are open to the public.

Steven Caras was raised in New Jersey where he began studying ballet at the age of fifteen. Three years later, he was invited to join the New York City Ballet where an enthusiasm for photography joined his passion for dance.

As part of his lecture, “Survival Instinct: A Dancer’s Story of Self-Reinvention,” Caras will show PowerPoint slides and talk about his personal and professional milestones and setbacks.

Legendary broadcast journalist Cokie Roberts died on Tuesday at the age of 75. Known to millions for her work with ABC News and NPR, Roberts was both reporter and commentator, earning respect from colleagues and subjects alike. She was also the author of many books – several focused on shining a light on the often ignored role of women in American history.

In April of 2018, Cokie Roberts was in Albany for events with The New York State Writers Institute and she came to the studio to speak with us about her career. We re-air that interview today in memoriam.

This week, the Roundabout Theatre Company production of Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo” begins previews on Broadway at The American Airlines Theatre, directed by Trip Cullman and starring Marisa Tomei. A version of the production premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2016. Much of the cast has changed between the two stagings, but our next guest, Constance Shulman, has remained a part of the play. She plays The Strega.

Shulman is best known as Yoga Jones on the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” and as the voice of Patti Mayonnaise on the Nickelodeon cartoon, “Doug.” Her theatre credits include originating the role of Annelle in the first production of “Steel Magnolias” Off-Broadway.

The president of the Chicopee City Council and a former police officer turned high school vice principal will face off  for mayor of the second-largest city in western Massachusetts.

The Jajja’s Kids program is a collaboration between Jajja’s Kids, Inc. in the United States and Jajja’s Kids–Africa based in Kampala, Uganda. Together, they provide support for twenty children and the staff of six who care for them. The ultimate goal is for Jajja’s Kids–Africa to become a self-sustaining program offering former street children a chance to succeed in life.

The USA component of Jajja’s Kids, Inc. is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization in upstate New York. Jajja’s Kids 8th Annual Fundraiser will take place this Sunday, September 22 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Revolution Hall in Troy, New York. The theme of this year's fall fundraiser is "Under One Sky" – based on the song written by Ruth Pelham.

We are joined by Jajja’s Kids, Inc. President Diane Reiner and Jajja’s Kids–Africa Program Director Ronnie Sseruyange.

    The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.

Today's panelists are WAMC’s Alan Chartock, investigative reporter Rosemary Armao, Times Union Columnist Chris Churchill, SUNY New Paltz Communications Professor and former NYS Senator Terry Gipson, and Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany Robert Griffin.

WAMC's Dr. Alan Chartock discusses reports that Wednesday's election in Israel was too close to call, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his chief rival showing enough support to win. 

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Jeff Wilkin of The Daily Gazette about reports that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration has scrapped a plan to charge up to $45 to replace some license plates.

Here is NewsChannel 13 Meteorologist Paul Caiano's WAMC Regional Forecast:

Sunny and pleasant today. Highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s.

The Yankees have a magic number of one to clinch their 21st playoff berth in 25 years after Luis Severino worked four innings in his season debut, an 8-0 pounding of the Angels. 

A Vermont town is abandoning a proposal to require people with target shooting ranges in their backyards to fill out a notification form and register their range with the town.

The mayor of Pittsfield has lost the city’s preliminary election to a city council rival.

The Village of Rhinebeck, New York, is an Autism Supportive Community, one of just a handful across the country. The effort that began less than a year ago is entering its second phase.

The city of Burlington has removed a homemade crosswalk in a south-end neighborhood.

Last week, a plastic container manufacturer in Plattsburgh announced the company was consolidating and closing its plant in Plattsburgh.  Within hours of the announcement, IntraPac’s local managers say other manufacturers in the region “inundated” them with phone calls seeking to hire their workers.

New York’s Health Department Public Health Council voted Tuesday to ban flavored e-cigarettes in the state beginning October 4. The panel did so over the protests of vape shop owners, who say they are helping people quit smoking tobacco cigarettes, and that they will lose their businesses when the ban takes effect. 

Meteorologist Garett Argianas delivers the evening weather forecast for Tuesday, September 17, 2019.

A spokesman for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says a plan to charge up to $45 for a requirement that license plates more than 10 years old be replaced is no longer going forward. The news comes after a Siena College poll finds New Yorkers strongly oppose having to pay for new license plates.

   Four companies looking to open the first recreational marijuana stores in the largest city in western Massachusetts have secured key first-step local approvals.